Decoys on late season gobbler with hens?

[Jrkimbrough]

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Ok guys, I’m normally not one to ask these types of hunting scenario questions but this season has beat me up and down with only one gobbler under my belt.

Been hunting a gobbler with a harem of hens. I know roughly where he and his hens roost.  I called him and another gobbler up and couldn’t get a shot two weeks ago.   Now the group is down to one lone gobbler and 10 hens as of this morning.  The gobbler acts very hesitant to break from the hens and I’ve accidentally spooked him twice which maybe another reason he’s call shy without seeing a hen because I normally hunt with no decoys.

These birds are out in big ag fields and are very difficult to move and reposition on. Lots of eyes!

As the season winds down I’m getting desperate

I’m contemplating taking a hen and jake decoy and setting up next hunt.   I’m thinking since he’s the lone gobbler with all the hens he may get territorial with the jake but unsure because it’s late season here in MS. 

Thoughts or suggestions?

Thanks!

[MK M GOBL]

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So I have killed some of my best birds late season as those hens go to nest and that tom loses his harem. I use a (I am going by DSD's I have) Feeding hen as she is portraying a hen off the nest to feed and such and then my White Headed DSD Strutter, the white head is a dominant bird but in breeding mode, a red head is fight mode. Dominance has long been established by this time. So the bird your working is a alpha by what I read. Having another alpha come in on those last few hens to breed, as these late seasons toms venture more to find those available hens. Now if all you have is the jake I would still set him with that feeding hen, give the decoys some room in between so as it looks like the jake is following a hen around. Remember your jake/tom is set at your point of kill, and have a clear path of that hen decoy.

I'll post it up but my bird "Hook" was a late season hunt and all you could see was fan and head, I put my hen on a "high" stake so her backline was above the hay, was getting tall!


MK M GOBL

[Jrkimbrough]

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Yes, I guess that was kind of my question. If he is the lone gobbler with that many hens late season, I would think he’d be the dominant bird and less likely to “back down” or spook from another male decoy.

I guess Im also hesitate to use decoys on this property because they have spooked every bird Ive ever tried to use on in past years.  May have just been a wrong place/wrong time situation then though?

Fyi I do have a “white head” Dakota jake decoy and feeding DSD hen


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[Meleagris gallopavo]

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I posted on this in another section, but we had a gobbler in a field with about 15 or so hens yesterday.  I usually use an Avian X jake, a feeder hen and a breeder hen.  I sat them on a high spot about 30 yards into the field.  Everything was quiet and he never gobbled.  They started out about 2-300 yards away and would go out on the field and go back to the edge.  they repeated this pattern over and over again, always coming closer to my set up each time, but each time fewer hens would go to the field.  Eventually he followed the last 2 hens out to the field just outside of shooting range (what I call beyond 40-50 yards).  These hens seemed to be very young.  He strutted out towards them and then noticed my decoys.  He strutted over to the jake which allowed for a shot.  Keep in mind, I sat there and watched this from 7:00 AM until 10:00 AM.  When they went back in the woods I'd stand up and stretch and relieve myself.  I did a little soft calling, but not much.  They never looked my way.  When he's got hens like that he doesn't pay much attention to anything else unless it's right on top of him it seems.  Or at least he didn't act on it.  Toms are henned-up pretty well right now where I hunt.