This Spring will mark 25 Years of a White Headed Strutter Decoy that I developed/designed!
While I have never made the decoy, I developed the tactic/use of the "White Head" in 1999 with quite the story of how this came to be, and the years study I put in on Turkey Biology, Social Structure, and the Breeding Sequence that led me to this. The Decoy itself has changed over the years from my first Foam Body Feather Flex "Tommy" Decoy I had for a few years before the design change, to his first upgrades AKA BIG PUFFY, and then my Manual Motion System in 2005, next was the Flambeau "King Strut" that had a molded head, a flocked body and wing slots. In 2009 I bought my first DSD Decoy an Upright Hen, these decoys were amazing in detail and durability, 2010 went to the 3/4 Strut Jake, and finally in 2011 at an end of the season sale on turkey decoys at the store and my DSD Strutter purchase, after making a number of upgrades to him before the spring of 2012 when I first hunted him, then to 2019 and again a new DSD Jake Strutter "lil' Puffy" that I "Gobblerized" with a Long Beard and a Full Fan and my White Headed Design, I went to this decoy for the mobility of the smaller body size and carry weight.
I can't say enough about the success of the White Head other than my
"He's Dead Using the White Head"
MK M GOBL
That's great. It's really cool reading and looking at the old pics of when things first got started. Congratulations on 25 years it has definitely been a game changer. God bless
Cool.....
Neat story. Thanks for sharing. You're decoy tips have certainly helped me through the years!
First one I remember was the pretty boy, where did that fall in line?
I remember my friend got one and the first tom that saw it ran for the hills, last time he used it...lol
I had a strutter mount that was crap so i used it for a decoy for years, a young boy named him Bob, I used Bob for a few years
with a standard colored head, was a freeze dried head and the best looking part of the mount, I later brushed over it with white
after that pretty boy video talked about the white head.
Quote from: Dtrkyman on March 02, 2024, 07:58:40 AM
First one I remember was the pretty boy, where did that fall in line?
I remember my friend got one and the first tom that saw it ran for the hills, last time he used it...lol
I had a strutter mount that was crap so i used it for a decoy for years, a young boy named him Bob, I used Bob for a few years
with a standard colored head, was a freeze dried head and the best looking part of the mount, I later brushed over it with white
after that pretty boy video talked about the white head.
Here are my notes on "Release" Dates
Feather Flex "Bubba" 1994
Feather Flex "Tommy T" 1997
*BIG PUFFY My "White Headed" Strutter 1999
Pretty Boy released 2003
Primos B-Mobile released 2007
DSD Strutter released 2011 (Red Face)
*I made the first White Headed DSD in 2012
DSD released a "White Face" 2018
*lil' PUFFY 2019 White Headed (Jake Strutter) & "Gobblerized"
Avian-X HDR Strutter with White Head 2022
Yup, first commercially available "White Head" I had seen was the Pretty Boy, he was released in 2003, then Primos B-Mobile in 2007. Somewhere after 2001 I was "Building" and selling these to customers at the store. I started making more mods and upgrades in decoys. There was King Strut when Flambeau bought Feather Flex and he went flocked. In 2011 I bought my first DSD an Upright Hen, after her I bought the DSD Strutter and added all my mods to him DEADLY, I started modding them and selling these right away, killed my first bird over him in 2012, I was holding seminars and was getting customers asking for that decoy. Eventually I was emailing back and forth with DSD Robyn and Charlie because customers wanted them direct from DSD. DSD released one, a "White Face" in 2018. I have no idea how many I made over the years but was/is a lot, Avian-X released a Strutter with a White Head in I think 2022 and called it "New" and Revolutionary" LOL I'm like ummm yeah 23years ago...
I have made other Upgrades to the DSD's I still build, my developments are still not used anywhere else and make the decoy for easy, rapid setup, and there's my Manual Motion System (2005)
MK M GOBL
Cool stuff, I never really used decoys too much until I had a client that was a taxidermist, he brought decoys for a hunt I guided and the
difference was remarkable compared to the decoys of that time. Used them until DSD came out, I was bowhunting only for a while and
used decoys nearly every hunt.
I currently only have a DSD jake, think I have shot one bird with it over the past 4 or 5 years.
Congrats and also congrats on the amount of time you send to help our youth..
What are your thoughts on a white faced jake?
Quote from: Greg Massey on March 02, 2024, 09:54:06 AM
Congrats and also congrats on the amount of time you send to help our youth..
Very cool . Z
Quote from: Dtrkyman on March 02, 2024, 10:43:27 AM
What are your thoughts on a white faced jake?
First question would be is that the only male turkey decoy you will be using? or do you hunt a strutter too?
If the jake is your only male decoy then yes, a white headed jake will work too.
As for my sets I will never have more than one jake decoy out, reason being is that the "Gangs" of jakes will/can be more dominant than a tom, I do not want to portray this scenario.
Then for me it comes down to I hunt a Strutter, he is there as the Dominant Decoy in my sets, I set a jake as a subordinate to him and I want him Red Headed in my sets. There are a number of reasons I do this in my sets, and a lot goes into social structure.
MK M GOBL
Very neat.
I have never used multiple male decoys and never will, single Jake 99% of the time when I use a deke these days.
I finally retired my old stuffer hen and probably won't buy a hen decoy.
I have no idea how many toms have been shot off the back of that DSD jake?(dozens) Use it often when guiding.
Quote from: Greg Massey on March 02, 2024, 09:54:06 AM
Congrats and also congrats on the amount of time you spend to help our youth.
Thanks Greg
MK M GOBL
Quote from: Dtrkyman on March 03, 2024, 11:39:17 AM
I have no idea how many toms have been shot off the back of that DSD jake?(dozens) Use it often when guiding.
You might be surprised by the number of toms killed over my White Head, and the effectiveness of him. I have been "Building and Selling" White Head Strutters for almost as many years as I have been hunting him. I will always state that he is my most successful decoy, but with everything he is not for every hunt.
My Run & Gun go to is my DSD 3/4 Strut Jake and Upright Hen.
MK M GOBL