My theory on decoy use is if I used one to be in early season and think that a Lone Jake would be better than a single hen bc it may make a gobbler mad and think a hen is somewhere he can't see but can confirm a Jake is with her and make him come in. Your thoughts on a lone Jake decoy? Don't think I need to be using a decoy now that the woods are starting to green up here in Ms.
I personally prefer a lone jake when I'm using only one decoy. I have in the past had gobblers to strut out of range with a lone hen and I think they was expecting the hen to walk to him and would hold their ground and not come in to range. I have had several years of success with a lone jake in field edges especially in later part of the season when the toms tend to shy away from a strutter decoy and I felt I needed a decoy for a visual confirmation for the tom.
RiverRoost, I heard someone suggest to me the lone jake thing this year. I'm not very experienced with decoys, but it makes a lot of sense to me. The gobbler won't hang up as bad because he can't see the hen, but he assumes there is one there because he can hear it and the jake is "obviously" interested in her.
Hey guys
It is ok to use hen decoy, as that's what the Tom looking for. How you set that decoy up is key.. don't set it up looking outward into field. Set it up as if feeding along field/wood line going away from gobbling tom(if you located one). I also use a Jake dek with hen...boy that dominate tom come running. Last week used that setup (used funky chicken decoy), and got bird come running in
It strutted, gobbled then dirt nap
21.7lbs 9" beard, 1" spurs(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190410/69f8dbbab2c4a94db1f4658bc096d749.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190410/6022261a7910fdeb97ab9de55c3c53f8.jpg)
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Nice bird and welcome. I don't use dekes all the time. I've had some medical issues that have affected my sight in one eye and made me totally deaf in one ear. I'm not a field sitter so they more often are just a place to look since I can't pinpoint direction. The advice about how you set a decoy is good. Why not bring a jake and hen if you're trying to elicit a jealous response?
Theyre still gonna approach the jake first so don't set it too far n place it where they'll face off w it and offer a shot
Guess I'm of a different school, if carrying 2 is going to get me to carry one out it's worth it.
My Run & Gun pair is DSD 3/4 Strut Jake and Upright Hen, the deadly duo!
MK M GOBL
When I used decoys it was always a jake with a breeding hen in front. Seemed to work good.
Tiberius made some good points on setting them up. Welcome to him and congrats on a nice bird.
Quote from: MK M GOBL on April 22, 2019, 09:29:30 PM
Guess I'm of a different school, if carrying 2 is going to get me to carry one out it's worth it.
My Run & Gun pair is DSD 3/4 Strut Jake and Upright Hen, the deadly duo!
MK M GOBL
I'm of the same school of thought.
The Jake and Hen or just the Jake are great tools to keep in the toolbox when that tough nut needs to be broken loose. I like the DSD decoys 3/4 strut red head jake and the DSD feeding hen.
yup a single Jake can lead to more birds coming into fight as opposed to a single hen where he hangs up but they can just as easy come running into a hen decoy. it really depends on the gobblers mood there is no answer for every situation
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Quote from: rgref522 on June 08, 2020, 12:53:50 PM
yup a single Jake can lead to more birds coming into fight as opposed to a single hen where he hangs up but they can just as easy come running into a hen decoy. it really depends on the gobblers mood there is no answer for every situation
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Last sentence is the gospel truth when it comes to decoy set ups.
Great info
Jake/hen combo is my favorite if I want to decoy birds... Tom's will either address that jake decoy (dominant bird), or go the other direction (subordinate bird).
I know a jake decoy by itself would work well at times... There are times that a bird might see it and "run from a potential fight" though. Might come in to a hen decoy, might strut out of range...
When I am using a single decoy, it is generally a hen. Too many times I have a bird coming in that gets nervous when he does not see that hen that should be there, and stops coming and quickly books out. So, I carry a hen decoy, cause they are lighter, less likely to scare a subordinate bird off, and I am using more as a confidence decoy for birds that are, or almost are in range.
I always try a jake and hen combo at first. If the gobbler sees the Jake and hangs up, I'll change to just a hen for next time or if I try to circle the bird to try to call in again.
For me, more often than not, they come right to the Jake decoy ready to fight!
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I have no set in stone set up .... I hunt all public and towards the end of season I go old school and leave the decoys at the truck.