For you guys that use decoys on a consistant basis what do you find to the the optimum number to use?
I have used anywhere from just a strutter to a strutter with 3 hens.
I know some hens are very territorial and thus do not not like a strange "hen" in their neighborhood. That's how I took my first bird this year, the gobbler hung up at 60 yards but later some hens came in and ran directly to one of my hen dekes and were very aggressive towards it, the gobble then came in to what the fuss was about.
Dekes can obviously draw in gobblers as well as hens.
Would too many hen dekes keep a hen away if she had a gobbler in tow?
Tell me your favorite decoy setup.
DSD Strutter
2 DSD Hens (1 upright, 1 feeding)
I generally use two hen decoys. I face them towards me, at about 20 -25 yards. I seldom use a jake or gobbler decoy. Only as a last ditch effort. I have brought the boss hen in on many occassions, with the gobbler in tow. I know a lot of guys use the jake/gobbler decoys, with great results. I do well without them in my set up. That's just me..Mike
i use a she mobile and a jake mobile. i use the hen more than i use the jake
I've only used decoys (she mobile and jake mobile) on 3 setups this season. Getting to be just something else to carry that I usually ditch when I start running after a gobbler that's farther away
I have used decoys on 3 of the 4 birds that I killed this year.
Gobbler #1 = no decoys (thick timber hunt)
Gobbler #2 = 1 hen decoy (field hunt)
Gobbler #3 = 1 hen decoy + 1 strutter decoy (field hunt with my bow)
Gobbler #4 = 1 hen decoy (open timber hunt)
The bird that my daughter killed = no decoys (thick timber hunt)
If I am hunting timber that is thick I don't use decoys, I want the gobbler to come looking for me.
If I am hunting open timber that you can see a long ways through I will use a single hen so the gobbler can see the hen that is making all the racket.
If I am hunting an open area or a field I like to put out a decoy, sometimes I will use a gobbler and a hen, other times just a hen.
The later it is in the season the less likely I am to put out the gobbler.
I use the DSD Upright and Feeding Hen w/ and w/o the DSD Jake! I've never had a bird shy away from the DSDs. DSD are the BEST!!!