Hey All,
I was at Cabelas today and they are starting to put out their turkey stuff and I was browsing the decoys and saw some new GHG hen decoys, and the jake also. wanted to see if anyone has had experience with them in the field?
I want to get a hen and a jake decoy this year and the most popular I know is DSD but these new GHG ones look pretty good as well. so wanted to see if anyone had any thoughts....
DSD and Done!
MK M GOBL
I have never looked at the GHG decoys but I have a flock of DSD decoys and I will never use another decoy when field hunting. I get way more reactions out of both toms and hens since I started using them. I have had multiple times where hens have come up and challenged my hen decoys. Makes for an exciting hunt.
Quote from: Goblue4016 on March 12, 2018, 09:02:27 PM
Hey All,
I was at Cabelas today and they are starting to put out their turkey stuff and I was browsing the decoys and saw some new GHG hen decoys, and the jake also. wanted to see if anyone has had experience with them in the field?
I want to get a hen and a jake decoy this year and the most popular I know is DSD but these new GHG ones look pretty good as well. so wanted to see if anyone had any thoughts....
If you go DSD and looking for a jake & hen I would go with the 3/4 Strut Jake and Upright Hen as my first choice. These 2 can be set in many ways both alone and together, even by short staking the hen as a "breeder".
I have entire thread dedicated to DSD's and sets.
Follow the link :)
http://oldgobbler.com/Forum/index.php/topic,70971.0.html
MK M GOBL
i have the dsd upright and feeder hens, but went with the deception jake, it has paid for itself with 6 kills over the years for both the wife and i, might want to look into deception products too, good luck in your decision,russ
Well looks like that was an easy consensus, I'm going with the bass pro foam roll up ones haha.. looks like it will be DSD
If you intend on doing lots of gobbler hunting....and from blinds it would likely be worth investing in DSD's. I haven't seen a bad review yet! On the other hand, if you intend on doing lots of spot and stalk...run and gun hunting it may be worth using more compact decoys. I often have to pack my tom plus decoys, shotgun, and gear for miles and it can be a pain in the rear with full sized decoys. A couple full sized decoys take up a gob of room in a pack and aren't fun dragging and stalking turkeys through thick brush, steep country all day...for several days. It takes a heck of a big pack to handle several DSDs, gear plus a large tom out of the remote hills. My preference for running and gunning are a couple Miss Purrfect hens. I may also bring along a couple Avian X if I want a larger spread. The Avians air up pretty fast and are a chunk more compact than DSDs. The Miss Purrfect set up in a matter of seconds and are the size of a "hand" when folded up....great for hauling around. I usually get a lot more reaction from a fanning tom decoy than jakes (in the areas I hunt). I can almost see a tom's eyes light up when he first sees a real fan attached to a decoy. Toms often head the other direction when they see a jake decoy where I hunt in Colorado and Nebraska. A thunder chicken or similar decoy with real fan has been deadly. With that said, it usually is worth having a selection of decoys to choose from. Staying flexible has always been the key to my success. Changing up tom, jake, and hen decoy set ups may be an advantage.....if something doesn't work you have more options.
With that said, I'm waiting for the day the DSD comes out with compact tom and jake decoys that are more compact. I bet they couldn't keep them on the shelves!
I have an Avain X jake... It has leaked and replaced for free. Very nice looking decoy, that looks extremely realistic in a slight breeze (due to movement). It is lighter in weight than DSD decoys.
I have a DSD hen decoy... It is very realistic, and no doubt far more durable than the Avian decoys... It does not move as much in a breeze.
My initial thinking was that for walking in, or running and gunning that the Avian would be a better choice... However, I have given up on using decoys while running & gunning, so were I to do it again, I would go with the DSD over Avian...
However, currently there are other premium decoy companies of similar quality to DSD with slightly different looks:
DSD
Replica Decoy Company
Deception Decoys.
And currently, I have looked at some of the far less expensive decoys such as H.S. Strutt and other hard plastic decoys, and they look darn near as good as these premium decoys...
If I were starting from scratch and wanted a premium decoy, I would look at the above 3 premium decoys and compare postures and price and make a decision, but would more likely look for the most realistic value priced decoys...
Can you use too many decoys at once?
Field hunting, food plot hunting, setups where I will not be very mobile : using a full body decoy(s) is like using the right wrench for the job imo. For me DSD is the only choice in that situation.
Other types of hunting including running and gunning I carry a Montana reaping decoy in my vest. Folds up, looks real and works on those fighter aggressive toms. I usually will not hunt a decoy except for areas mentioned above. Past several years I have been staying in the thickest areas possible that border my preferred habitat of creek and river bottoms and large open hardwoods. By doing this I have seen the older birds I am after actually hunt me down.
Quote from: silvestris on March 25, 2018, 02:45:23 PM
Can you use too many decoys at once?
For where I hunt and talking early season and may still be dealing with winter break-up I have had as many as 6 of my DSD's out. What I am doing is matching the stage that my local birds are in, as season progresses there are a number of decoy stratagies that come into play. I always say there is a lot in to hunting decoys "Right". Understanding social structure in a flock and there a keys in body position and more, and there are times I do not use decoys at all. They are just a tool in the shed.
MK M GOBL
I have a GHG feeder. It's not a bad looking decoy for the money compared to my Avian X's. The one thing I don't like about it is the stake. It's big and doesn't fold up plus it's solid steel. It has a funnel built into it for swinging or bobbing in the wind so you can't use a regular stake.
I use the Avian X. they are blow up and a little bit bulky but you get a carry bag you can throw over your shoulder. The are pricey but you can get a jake and breeder combo from Cabelas for a bit of a price break.
they are super realistic and i have had great success with the half strut jake and the breeder this year.
Thanks to this thread I upgraded my hen avian X decoys to a leading and feeding hen DSD. Once I got the Avian X and DSD side by side there was no comparison!
I have the Avian X Jake and I love it. Here is a video of it in use last year with three jakes. Did not get the gobbler on video but he didnt hesitate running to it the very next day to his demise.
https://youtu.be/AEx4A0I5K4g
Quote from: tomstopper on January 19, 2019, 03:07:40 AM
I have the Avian X Jake and I love it. Here is a video of it in use last year with three jakes. Did not get the gobbler on video but he didnt hesitate running to it the very next day to his demise.
https://youtu.be/AEx4A0I5K4g
yea, i have been using an Avian X half strut jake. almost makes it too easy because they run it at it just about every time as soon as they see it. its a little big and bulky but i put it and a lay down hen in a carry bag
Quote from: Goblue4016 on March 12, 2018, 09:02:27 PM
Hey All,
If you go DSD and looking for a jake & hen I would go with the 3/4 Strut Jake and Upright Hen as my first choice. These 2 can be set in many ways both alone and together, even by short staking the hen as a "breeder".
I have entire thread dedicated to DSD's and sets.
Follow the link :)
http://oldgobbler.com/Forum/index.php/topic,70971.0.html
MK M GOBL
This is the combo I have. Can absolutely attest that it is a killer.
My first love is easing through the woods and then making decisions when I strike up a conversation with a bird. Unfortunately my knees have limited this the past few years. Out of necessity I began to set up in fields and use a blind. I used older decoys and wrong sets and did marginally.This past year I used my brothers avians and the birds reaction to them was much more positive. Based on this sites recommendation I will be purchasing DSDs. I read MK M GOBLS threads also on sets and will be heading to the fields with increased confidence
Quote from: Harty on February 05, 2019, 12:09:27 PM
My first love is easing through the woods and then making decisions when I strike up a conversation with a bird. Unfortunately my knees have limited this the past few years. Out of necessity I began to set up in fields and use a blind. I used older decoys and wrong sets and did marginally.This past year I used my brothers avians and the birds reaction to them was much more positive. Based on this sites recommendation I will be purchasing DSDs. I read MK M GOBLS threads also on sets and will be heading to the fields with increased confidence
Sounds good Harty! If you get any questions on what makes good starters let me know, or sets. You can always PM me and we can go from there. Always willing to help out.
MK M GOBL
Quote from: MK M GOBL on February 05, 2019, 01:19:00 PM
Quote from: Harty on February 05, 2019, 12:09:27 PM
My first love is easing through the woods and then making decisions when I strike up a conversation with a bird. Unfortunately my knees have limited this the past few years. Out of necessity I began to set up in fields and use a blind. I used older decoys and wrong sets and did marginally.This past year I used my brothers avians and the birds reaction to them was much more positive. Based on this sites recommendation I will be purchasing DSDs. I read MK M GOBLS threads also on sets and will be heading to the fields with increased confidence
Sounds good Harty! If you get any questions on what makes good starters let me know, or sets. You can always PM me and we can go from there. Always willing to help out.
MK M GOBL
thanks MK M GOBL. I appreciate the offer.
HARTY
I bought Avian X at the beginning of last season and after reading this thread I think I should have gone with the DSD
Quote from: NCL on February 06, 2019, 08:01:11 AM
I bought Avian X at the beginning of last season and after reading this thread I think I should have gone with the DSD
The turkeys won't know the difference. I'd bet more turkeys are killed over Primos decoys than most others and they certainly are not the best looking.
Quote from: Gen.27:3 on February 27, 2019, 12:46:06 PM
Quote from: guesswho on April 25, 2018, 05:15:05 PM
Quote from: silvestris on March 25, 2018, 02:45:23 PM
Can you use too many decoys at once?
Yes, one.
Are you against using decoys?
Using decoys is a personal decision. They are great in a field when hunting from blinds. I will some times use as many as 15 decoys early in the season. Not only do they bring in turkeys but you can see the neighbors drooling over the fence. I like Avians but have a huge assortment of different decoys.
I respect everyone's opinion but believe we should take everyone's advice with caution and use common sense while making our own decisions. No one can tell you how to be successful as success comes with time, error and experience.
i have 2 feeder an a alert hen DSD, but bought a deception jake decoy, he gets his butt beat every spring, i love all my decoys as they all play their part in my setup, good luck to you in your decision...russ