I ended up getting the Pretty Boy Jr. off of eBay and the Avian feeding hen from Cabelas. I had a $50 gift card to Cabelas so the Avian was only $49.99 and the Pretty Boy was only $40. Not a bad deal considering the Avian hen alone was on sale for $89.99. I just could not see spending $100 for a DSD hen decoy. I know they look great, but after all of the research, and help from you guys (Thank you!), I decided that the DSD probably would not have made much of a difference over the Avian. I could have spend alot less but I am one of those guys who wants to get the best I am able to get.
I am looking forward to trying these decoys out on a real bird.
I was kinda hoping you would have passed on the decoys.
You should have good success using those. Good luck this spring!
Good luck with your dekes and although I use DSD's when I do hunt with one or more your purchase is understandable and will get the job done.
Quote from: silvestris on February 22, 2015, 05:05:16 PM
I was kinda hoping you would have passed on the decoys.
Why do you care if he uses decoys?
Raised differently.
Enjoy your dekes. I picked up an Avian X lookout and feeder hen and can't wait to use em. Two years we found the Pretty Boy Jr at Wing Supply for a song and jumped on em. A handful of Osceola's spent their last living seconds bowing up on that jake. Best of luck on your spring.
Good luck this spring!!
I used to use a decoy but in the last few years I hunt without them and it has been all the difference. It makes you rely on your other resources, picking your set-up place, topography, how much you call, where you call........ we all hunt our own way and it makes all the difference. :OGturkeyhead:
Quote from: silvestris on February 22, 2015, 06:48:49 PM
Raised differently.
So because you were never "raised" to turkey hunt with decoys are you saying it's wrong to use them?
^^^^ reduce the level of difficulty and you reduce the level of accomplishment.
I don't look at the birds I have killed over decoys with the same level of achievement I do as those without.
He has a point....
I used some cheap acrylic paint from the craft section at walmart and made my pretty boy jr's head look a lot better.
Quote from: VaTuRkStOmPeR on February 22, 2015, 07:43:21 PM
^^^^ reduce the level of difficulty and you reduce the level of accomplishment.
I don't look at the birds I have killed over decoys with the same level of achievement I do as those without.
He has a point....
i agree.... But to each his own. Best of luck!!!
Quote from: VaTuRkStOmPeR on February 22, 2015, 07:43:21 PM
^^^^ reduce the level of difficulty and you reduce the level of accomplishment.
I don't look at the birds I have killed over decoys with the same level of achievement I do as those without.
He has a point....
My point is not the level of difficulty or level of accomplishment. You and I have both killed our share of Gobblers with and without decoys. My point is that if you use Map apps on your phone, trijicon or red dot sights on your guns, special turkey chokes, payloads of hi tech shot, trail cams etc etc then how can you look down upon someone for using a decoy?
After killing birds in all parts of the country with and without dekes, with both gun and bow I think it's sad that anyone who uses any of the technologically advanced equipment of today mentioned above looks down upon someone who does.
Lets not leave out using that GPS to get back to an area or out on the road to travel to a different destination instead of an old fashioned road atlas either and the internet in which we are using to be on these forums.
Good luck to all this spring ( using dekes or not)..
Quote from: jblackburn on February 22, 2015, 08:39:10 PM
I used some cheap acrylic paint from the craft section at walmart and made my pretty boy jr's head look a lot better.
Same here!
Oh please. I've had hunts with no decoys where the birds couldn't run in and die fast enough, and hunts with decoys that were the exact opposite. The presence or lack of a decoy is not the single variable that defines the challenge of a hunt.
Quote from: silvestris on February 22, 2015, 06:48:49 PM
Raised differently.
Too bad part of that raising didn't include lessons on how not to be a condescending a$$. You don't like decoys? Fine, make your own thread and present your argument. I actually agree with you to a point, I feel bad for anyone who thinks turkey hunting just means sitting in a blind next to some decoys in a field and has never experienced any other way; but that also doesn't mean I won't use a decoy when the circumstances make it a good choice. Barging into every thread where decoys are mentioned with a holier-than-thou attitude isn't likely to win you any converts.
Same argument with deer. Hunting over a feeder is bad, but yet the same guy is hunting over dropped acorns or hunting over a food plot or picked corn field. Bait is bait.
Crossbows are cheating, but your slider sight pin bow with drop away rest with release isn't.
Chevy ford dodge...
It's your time in the field, if it's legal and you want to use it.........so be it! Good luck!!
Take a kid hunting...
To the op. Have a great hunt with your decoys. Enjoy the show.
Later on , as you progress in your turkey hunting experience, try a hunt without decoys or even use blinds or not. Enjoy your hunts to YOUR SATISFACTION.
Good luck this spring
Quote from: perrytrails on February 22, 2015, 10:28:01 PM
Same argument with deer. Hunting over a feeder is bad, but yet the same guy is hunting over dropped acorns or hunting over a food plot or picked corn field. Bait is bait.
Crossbows are cheating, but your slider sight pin bow with drop away rest with release isn't.
Chevy ford dodge...
It's your time in the field, if it's legal and you want to use it.........so be it! Good luck!!
Take a kid hunting...
Chevy, Ford, Dodge, Toyota...
I believe that as, and for, a beginning hunter, using decoys is a great way to get a bird or two under your belt before really getting serious about it. I killed a bird last year over no decoys that a friend of mine called in. I, however, am nowhere near as good a caller as he is, so using a decoy(s) is going to give me a better (maybe not) opportunity to be successful on my own, and really take to the sport more than I would if I just went out every year and maybe saw a bird here and there.
I realize that even with decoys, I am not guaranteed to see birds every time, but it gives me a little confidence which will trickle down to where I set up, which will trickle down to my calling, etc... It is all about what you have confidence in. If a person chooses not to use decoys, then that is their choice, for whatever reason that may be. It does not mean that a person is right or wrong, they just have different views.
dbh3 - go out and have fun and find your own way. Learning is half the fun of turkey hunting. Try to learn a little something new every time you go and you'll be in business. This site is a wealth of information for beginners and veterans alike, you just have to sift through negative stuff. I can tell you I have been blessed to be able to hunt and harvest turkeys in 9 or 10 different states. Some with decoys, some without. I can honestly tell you that killing a gobbler without a decoy means no more to me then when I use a decoy. I rarely use them these days, but there are situations that call for them and I don't think twice about using one and certainly could care less about what anyone else has to say about it. I hunt legally and ethically and thats all that matters.
The decoy thing, well, its always going to be a matter of opinion. Ole Sil, that's always been his opinion and hey at least he is consistent. Go out and form your own opinions.
As we all should do on this site - I wish you the best of luck!
To the OP.. I hope these decoys work out and you get a good show. They are definitely something to have in your turkey tool arsenal. I quit lugging mine around a few years ago, but I still have them. In my limited experience, they were a hassle.
To everyone else.. Hunt how you like, we're all on the same team here.
Quote from: deerbasshunter3 on February 23, 2015, 06:46:03 AM
Quote from: perrytrails on February 22, 2015, 10:28:01 PM
Same argument with deer. Hunting over a feeder is bad, but yet the same guy is hunting over dropped acorns or hunting over a food plot or picked corn field. Bait is bait.
Crossbows are cheating, but your slider sight pin bow with drop away rest with release isn't.
Chevy ford dodge...
It's your time in the field, if it's legal and you want to use it.........so be it! Good luck!!
Take a kid hunting...
Chevy, Ford, Dodge, Toyota...
Awesome, I drive a Toyota, will till they put me under. Don't hate me. Lol
I drink, dip snuff, chase wild...well I'll stop right there. Wild Turkeys yeah.
I set in a blind when it rains, or take a kid hunting.
It's all good...just get out there and enjoy yourself, remember to pass it on.
Quote from: perrytrails on February 24, 2015, 05:11:42 AM
Quote from: deerbasshunter3 on February 23, 2015, 06:46:03 AM
Quote from: perrytrails on February 22, 2015, 10:28:01 PM
Same argument with deer. Hunting over a feeder is bad, but yet the same guy is hunting over dropped acorns or hunting over a food plot or picked corn field. Bait is bait.
Crossbows are cheating, but your slider sight pin bow with drop away rest with release isn't.
Chevy ford dodge...
It's your time in the field, if it's legal and you want to use it.........so be it! Good luck!!
Take a kid hunting...
Chevy, Ford, Dodge, Toyota...
Awesome, I drive a Toyota, will till they put me under. Don't hate me. Lol
I drink, dip snuff, chase wild...well I'll stop right there. Wild Turkeys yeah.
I set in a blind when it rains, or take a kid hunting.
It's all good...just get out there and enjoy yourself, remember to pass it on.
Agree!!! :you_rock:
Quote from: jblackburn on February 22, 2015, 08:39:10 PM
I used some cheap acrylic paint from the craft section at walmart and made my pretty boy jr's head look a lot better.
:icon_thumright:
Quote from: drum817 on February 22, 2015, 08:53:20 PM
I don't look at the birds I have killed over decoys with the same level of achievement I do as those without. He has a point....
i agree.... But to each his own. Best of luck!!!
[/quote]
Exactly; to each their own. You will learn WHEN to use dekes & when to leave 'em in the truck.
BGD
This argument gets old personally. You have one side (purists) who hunts timber birds without blinds or decoys and use shotguns and the guys (newer generation) who sit in blinds with archery gear and 500 dollars worth of decoys and both think their method is more challenging. Go out and enjoy your hunt and stop the preaching. No one's listening.
Decoys help, sometimes. I'm not a purist. I will kill birds over decoys, but have killed a lot more without the use of one. I've also had decoys spook birds, usually hens, and prevent me from killing a bird I probably would have had a chance at without a decoy being deployed.
I think the way we choose to enjoy our time in the outdoors, as long as the method is legal, is up to the individual. I've met guys that hunt the entire season sitting in a blind over decoys, and those that don't even own a blind or a decoy. Neither method is "wrong" or "right", and as long as the hunter is happy with the experience, who am I to criticize?
:agreed:
Quote from: Neill_Prater on February 25, 2015, 06:08:54 PM
Decoys help, sometimes. I'm not a purist. I will kill birds over decoys, but have killed a lot more without the use of one. I've also had decoys spook birds, usually hens, and prevent me from killing a bird I probably would have had a chance at without a decoy being deployed.
I think the way we choose to enjoy our time in the outdoors, as long as the method is legal, is up to the individual. I've met guys that hunt the entire season sitting in a blind over decoys, and those that don't even own a blind or a decoy. Neither method is "wrong" or "right", and as long as the hunter is happy with the experience, who am I to criticize?
I use decoys, sit in a blind, have a red dot scope and shoot nitros through a choke tube made specifically for turkey hunting.
And I enjoy every dang minute I'm out there. Could care less what people think because it's what I enjoy and that's all that matters. All legal and well within the ethics of turkey hunting. Season can't get here soon enough.
To the OP: post some pics of your kills over the new defoys when it happens!
Quote from: spencerhoosier on February 25, 2015, 08:22:12 PM
I use decoys, sit in a blind, have a red dot scope and shoot nitros through a choke tube made specifically for turkey hunting.
And I enjoy every dang minute I'm out there. Could care less what people think because it's what I enjoy and that's all that matters. All legal and well within the ethics of turkey hunting. Season can't get here soon enough.
To the OP: post some pics of your kills over the new defoys when it happens!
10-4. Will do!