I'm new to this. I have two Avian X. A lookout hen and a Jake. I'm tired of lugging two decoys around. I'm 68 yo and between my chair, the gun and a decoy bag, and all the crap in my vest, I feel like a pack mule. So I'm ditching the chair, and going with the pad on my Primos vest and I feel like I need to ditch a decoy. I did manage to kill a Jake. The second turkey in my life. What decoy should I ditch? What say you?
I travel light and hunt woods. I very seldom hunt near any fields so I don't carry any decoys. I make every effort to set up in such a way that when I see the gobbler he is in range. In your case I would keep the hen and ditch the jake.
What are you hunting? Fields? Woods? How do you hunt? Move a lot? Sit in one spot?
I've got AvianX lookout hen, AvianX feeder hen and AvianX jake. I need to go light because I had total knee replacement 3 weeks ago. If I take a decoy, it will be my lookout hen.
I don't use decoys 95% off the time and I kill plenty of birds. I only will use one if I'm hunting a field edge for a long set. Otherwise I go light and fast.
We have a lot of fields so I will use decoys there. I usually use a Jake over a laydown hen. If I were to only choose one, I would take a lookout hen.
Easy, upright hen, safer too. I've never used a male decoy ever but I have used hen decoy's successfully, especially during the teach the children years
Oh and by the way, I'd ditch both decoys before the chair!!!
Take the hen and ditch the Jake.
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If I used decoys, it would depend on where Inthought they were in their breeding cycle. Early through mid cycle, hen for sure. Late, I'd go with a Jake.
I agree, hen decoy first of the season and Jake decoy later ... Congratulations on your first Jake turkey and Welcome to the forum...
Quote from: davisd9 on April 16, 2023, 12:58:16 PM
What are you hunting? Fields? Woods? How do you hunt? Move a lot? Sit in one spot?
Hard Woods, and pine thickets which are adjacent to fields. I like to set my decoys up in fields and hide in the woods. But I also like going deeper into the woods. I also have a blow up decoy called the "pocket hen". But I can't find it in my horde of hunting crap in my garage. I was thinking if I find it, that be easier. Also thinking maybe the "funky chicken" decoy.
If I am carrying just one it is a jake 100% of the time. Mr. Longbeard knows there is a hen around. He has heard her calling. Thus I have never felt a need to carry just a hen.
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Quote from: davisd9 on April 16, 2023, 12:58:16 PM
What are you hunting? Fields? Woods? How do you hunt? Move a lot? Sit in one spot?
Hard Woods, and pine thickets which are adjacent to fields. I like to set my decoys up in fields and hide in the woods. But I also like going deeper into the woods. I also have a blow up decoy called the "pocket hen". But I can't find it in my horde of hunting crap in my garage. I was thinking if I find it, that be easier. Also thinking maybe the "funky chicken" decoy.
I use a deke about 50/50, just because its the open midwest around here. Lots of cropfields and pastureland. When I hunt big timber public, I don't use them at all. When I do, I leave it at my dsd upright hen. Carry less=better enjoyment for me. I used to think I had to wear a vest full of bull**** but anymore I stuff a couple pot calls in my shirt pocket and have a leather case with 3 or 4 mouth calls and that's it. My vote is carry the lone hen.
Quote from: Zobo on April 16, 2023, 01:49:36 PM
Oh and by the way, I'd ditch both decoys before the chair!!!
100% gotta be comfortable
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I'm going to be the ODD man out on this issue! The first 2 weeks of the season, if I could only use 1 decoy, it would be a quarter or half strut jake looking into the woods. And I would be the hen talking it up in the woods. Play the jealousy card gentlemen! If I'm hunting the woods with very little visibility, no decoy. I'm the hen.
Those of you saying they would use the "lookout hen" what is it about that posture, look that makes you go with it?
Its the only decoy that I happen to have, but to be honest I don't even know why I went with it over a feeding hen.
My train of thought has always been (right or wrong idk) early season use hen and Jake. But as season get mid to late no Jake will be used. Reason being is that probably the aggressive/dominate birds may very likely be dead already therefore I don't want a Jake decoy make a passive bird intimated. So I vote lone hen.
Leave the dolls on the shelf. Learn to sit to a turkey. You'll be more successful and won't have to work so hard.
If I only took one decoy it would be....one to many.
A dsd hen decoy
I will use it because if it gets shot it's a few cuss words and all is good
I've seen some horrible things in my nearly 40 years turkey hunting , nuff said
Over the years I've used DSD , Avian and cheap Feather Flex. Mostly I don't use any now days but if I do I use the Feather Flex hen. I think I gave $19 for it in 2009 and its been as good as any. Ive come to think the expensive ones are a waste of money. That ole FF has been used successfully many many times . I can roll it up to fit in my vest so its easy and light.
Jake
Hen
We all chase turkeys to some degree on our own terms... Some guys feel they need to hear that bird gobbling before they will shoot him, some need to feel they called him in (i.e. will shoot a silent bird that comes in quiet), and some feel that as long as they got close (calling in, ambush, sneaking up on, etc.) they are good to go.
Were I hunting an open field, or with a bow (or pellet rifle), I would likely use a jake/hen combo... Simply cause (in my experience), those birds will not cover open ground for a bird/birds they cannot see. I feel like open ground (such as a pasture of field) is a lot more difficult to hunt and fool, birds than are the woods, but most of us "hunt where we can," or where we have opportunity.
For me normally (hunting the woods), if I use a single decoy, it is a hen. Even though I think a jake would "work better." More often than not, I choose a location, that if I can see him, I can shoot him, and that hen decoy is simply a confidence decoy to keep that tom from booking out if he comes in from the "wrong direction."
1)Hen decoy is lighter/easier to carry.
2)They won't come running into that hen decoy like a jake (i.e. I still feel like I called him in/fooled him).
Were I to use a jake decoy in my situation, it would be the "Funky Chicken" (really light, easy to carry, and birds often react agressively towards it). Were I having a rough season, or hunting with my kid(s), I would not feel so opposed to a bit more advantage of that jake decoy.
While decoys can either work for you, or against you... It is a different experience. Without a decoy, generally that tom is coming in those last few yards relatively "tentatively." There is something to be said for watching a bird "sprint" to your decoys ready to fight and/or breed. As I have more birds under my belt, I personally enjoy the anticipation and satisfaction of hearing and/or seeing that bird make those last few painfully slow steps into gun-range without a decoy though.
I'm going to do a post in a few minutes titled "Old Funky". It should show why this decoy is now the only decoy I carry when hunting open pastures or mixed cover. If I'm in a heavily wooded environment I don't use any decoy. At 76 year's old I pick my battles and seldom run and gun anymore. This one decoy, a 4# Alps chair plus my calls and miscellaneous crap totals less than 10#. I even went to the Stevens .410 exclusively for this season. It adds less than 6#. Everything but the gun fits into a vest and small backpack. I often walk in more than a mile to where I'm going to hunt. My frequent hunting buddy has two of the Avian X decoys and is usually overloaded and worn out before we even start. To each his own. :turkey2:
That's tough. I run DSD dekes and the 3/4 strut Jake has been the demise of many a Longbeard. They go absolutely BANANAS over that thing. They totally ignore my Hens and go straight for the Jake. If you absolutely can't bring two, I suppose a Feeding Hen would be my choice. Did I mention it would take an awfully lot to leave the Jake in the Truck?
Also a jake where I hunt ...Most toms I see will walk right by a hen to kick the crap out the jake decoy..