Preparing for my first year of turkey hunting solo and in all honestly truly hunting. I went one other time with an absolutely amazing mentor who stuck me in the perfect spot to down a nice gobbler about as fast as one could wish. That was about 8 years ago and I finally have the time to get back out there.
Now I know my mentor used a laydown hen paired with a gobbler. I bought a laydown hen to put in my arsenal, but I don't like the risk of sticking a gobbler decoy over it. To me the risk of scaring off a bird is too much with a gobbler decoy and I will be hunting on public land and prefer not to be put myself in a prime situation to get shot. That being said part of me really wants to pair up a jake decoy with it, possibly a 1/4 strut to position with it. Now I know there can be some risk to using a jake decoy, but the area I plan to hunt doesn't seem to have many jakes so I don't think the toms will be weery thinking a bunch of jakes are going to beat him up etc.
Would this be a good combo to run and better than the lone hen? Part of my thought process is to give a tom a situation that is going to get him worked up once he gets visual on the decoys and not need much more calling at that point. I am not confident in my mouth call abilities yet and the less calling once close probably the better.
Does this seem like a solid plan to attempt?
I don't personally use decoys myself, but i see a lot of praise about the Funky Chicken decoy by flextone. It's a jake decoy and honestly it looks ridiculous, but i see a lot of people praising the funky chicken sitting over a hen decoy setup. You might look into it. Good luck this spring!
In all honest brother, forget the decoys and learn how to hunt turkeys. Learn how to find, strike and set up on birds. I'm not downing decoys and in the right situations, may help, but I believe you will learn much quicker by concentrating on your woodsmanship, learning your quarry and your calling. Good luck.
Quote from: EZ on March 20, 2019, 01:13:02 PM
In all honest brother, forget the decoys and learn how to hunt turkeys. Learn how to find, strike and set up on birds. I'm not downing decoys and in the right situations, may help, but I believe you will learn much quicker by concentrating on your woodsmanship, learning your quarry and your calling. Good luck.
Appreciate the insight, but I think one can use decoys and work just as hard on the other parts of their game. I don't think a decoy takes away from other efforts. If decoys aren't your thing and not "true hunting" that is fine...I just don't really agree. You can have a wide array of success so many ways turkey hunting and you definitely don't need decoys...heck often times they can be the problem. But that is all in personal choice.
Regarding the funky chicken, yah, I have seen that one. I thought about how ridiculous it looks, but from a turkey standpoint I can see how it just looks like a ridiculously small jake that is easy pickens for a fight and with a hen can really get them excited for a showndown.
Your plan can work.
I usually use a laydown hen, a Jake and a feeder hen. A Jake and laydown hen will work just as well.
Set them within 10 or 15 yards of where you are sitting, off to the side of where you expect birds to come from. Of course the birds don't always come from where expected but the goal is to keep their focus away from your position. I like to leave about 3 feet between the hen and Jake.
Normally I see 1 of 2 things happen, the gobbler runs right into the decoys (always go for the Jake) or they hang up between 15 and 35 yards from the decoys. I hunt in timber 99% of the time so they are usually in range when they hang up.
The Jake may scare subordinate birds, i have seen a couple of birds shy away from the decoys. On the other hand, I have killed several 2 year and older birds with the setup I mentioned above.
Quote from: Plush on March 20, 2019, 02:18:35 PM
Quote from: EZ on March 20, 2019, 01:13:02 PM
In all honest brother, forget the decoys and learn how to hunt turkeys. Learn how to find, strike and set up on birds. I'm not downing decoys and in the right situations, may help, but I believe you will learn much quicker by concentrating on your woodsmanship, learning your quarry and your calling. Good luck.
Appreciate the insight, but I think one can use decoys and work just as hard on the other parts of their game. I don't think a decoy takes away from other efforts. If decoys aren't your thing and not "true hunting" that is fine...I just don't really agree. You can have a wide array of success so many ways turkey hunting and you definitely don't need decoys...heck often times they can be the problem. But that is all in personal choice.
Regarding the funky chicken, yah, I have seen that one. I thought about how ridiculous it looks, but from a turkey standpoint I can see how it just looks like a ridiculously small jake that is easy pickens for a fight and with a hen can really get them excited for a showndown.
Nothing wrong with decoys at all and at the same time you absolutely can work on the rest of your game. Not sure why certain individuals get fixated on their game is the only game. I would be extremely careful about decoys on public land tho. I would walk in as far from the crowd as possible. Having said that I still like the Gobbler earlier in the season standing over or by a lay down hen.
Quote from: mtns2hunt on March 20, 2019, 10:16:56 PM
Quote from: Plush on March 20, 2019, 02:18:35 PM
Quote from: EZ on March 20, 2019, 01:13:02 PM
In all honest brother, forget the decoys and learn how to hunt turkeys. Learn how to find, strike and set up on birds. I'm not downing decoys and in the right situations, may help, but I believe you will learn much quicker by concentrating on your woodsmanship, learning your quarry and your calling. Good luck.
Appreciate the insight, but I think one can use decoys and work just as hard on the other parts of their game. I don't think a decoy takes away from other efforts. If decoys aren't your thing and not "true hunting" that is fine...I just don't really agree. You can have a wide array of success so many ways turkey hunting and you definitely don't need decoys...heck often times they can be the problem. But that is all in personal choice.
Regarding the funky chicken, yah, I have seen that one. I thought about how ridiculous it looks, but from a turkey standpoint I can see how it just looks like a ridiculously small jake that is easy pickens for a fight and with a hen can really get them excited for a showndown.
Nothing wrong with decoys at all and at the same time you absolutely can work on the rest of your game. Not sure why certain individuals get fixated on their game is the only game. I would be extremely careful about decoys on public land tho. I would walk in as far from the crowd as possible. Having said that I still like the Gobbler earlier in the season standing over or by a lay down hen.
I was very reluctant to post what I did because of over reaction like this. I didn't say decoys were no good, or that my way was the only way, or that decoy use isn't "true" turkey hunting. I simply responded to an inexperienced hunter hunting public ground. I'll stand by my statement, because that's the advice I would give my best friend and it is the advise I gave my kids. IMHO, you will learn a lot more about turkeys and turkey hunting without the bulk, weight and inconvenience of toting decoys. You learn how to turkey hunt like that and you can go anywhere in the country and kill them.
I will use ANY legal method or tactic to kill or help me kill a turkey and I've only ever purchased one Feather Flex decoy. I would be more up set if I forgot my crow call than my decoy and that's not very upset.
To the OP..... Check out this website to get an idea what I'm talking about:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7eDrgE4sRia481eiDtu8wA
Well you essentially said one can't learn how to hunt or it would notably inhibit their ability learning to hunt by using a decoy. I don't really agree with that as I think that is painting with a broad brush. You are only going to learn as much as you choose and at the pace you decide. I know people that go deer hunting and have done so for years and literally know nothing about what goes on in a deer brain. Some are in such great areas/locations they can just go out there, get in their stand, and tag out in a few hours. They don't need to learn and choose not to.
Turkeys are no different. The only way a decoy is going to inhibit your learning is if you choose for it to be that way and depend on it like the holy grail. For some they can probably do that because of their hunting situation whereas in heavily hunted public land decoys can become bad rather than good really fast.
I already know come fall season I won't use a decoy or even any type of call because I know where the turkeys go post breeding season. They use a few roosting sights and travel corridors heavily. I know I will just need to set up on one of those travel corridors and wait...they will come. They just become so predicable in the deep hardwoods with zero hunting pressure in the fall.
Thanks for the link, I will check it out.
So here's my take, and I do hunt decoys and have no problem doing so, they are just a tool in the shed, times when I use and times I do not.
It may be that the piece of public you are on is different than what I have been on, seems to me a lot of hunter ethics and respect and such go right out the window, there is inherently more danger on public and you never know who is there. I hunt public different than I hunt private, yes I still hunt with care but reasonable sure I have the private I am on to myself, but have run into trespassers. So on public I do not hunt any type of jake or tom decoy, hens only and with caution. On private I can attest to how well my White Headed DSD Strutter works.
I can give some insight to the Funky Chicken, so from the behavioral/biological aspect of turkey hunting there are a number of body ques that one can learn, from the elongated neck of the Chicken and the amount of RED on the neck it is looking to instigate a fight, this is why they are coming to the decoy, and yes to a smaller degree the size of the body. So yes a Funky Chicken can work if you decide to use.
I have been hunting a White Headed Strutter, this will be my 20th year. So part of the WHITE design is that the strutter is in a Breeding Mode (of a Dominant Bird) and not looking for a fight, he is only interested in breeding his hen. Same thing with the response to this is 3 fold, A dominant ALPHA bird will come in to challenge the White Head as a response to him looking to breed, a BETA bird will come in as well because the White Head is not aggressive at this stage, and we have OMEGA's and Jakes coming in as well. From what I have learned all turkeys all will come to the Strutter at the White Head stage and they all have a behavioral response to the breeding sequence, biology of this. I have spent a lot of time learning about turkeys from their behavior/biology and the social structure or what I call the "Dominance Game" and have learned a lot of this by studying turkeys and USING Decoys.
I do have a whole thread dedicated to Decoys, DSD's and how to hunt them "Right" on here, if you have any other questions just ask, more than happy to help!
http://oldgobbler.com/Forum/index.php/topic,70971.0.html
MK M GOBL
Quote from: Plush on March 21, 2019, 10:36:05 AM
Well you essentially said one can't learn how to hunt or it would notably inhibit their ability learning to hunt by using a decoy. I don't really agree with that as I think that is painting with a broad brush. You are only going to learn as much as you choose and at the pace you decide. I know people that go deer hunting and have done so for years and literally know nothing about what goes on in a deer brain. Some are in such great areas/locations they can just go out there, get in their stand, and tag out in a few hours. They don't need to learn and choose not to.
Turkeys are no different. The only way a decoy is going to inhibit your learning is if you choose for it to be that way and depend on it like the holy grail. For some they can probably do that because of their hunting situation whereas in heavily hunted public land decoys can become bad rather than good really fast.
I already know come fall season I won't use a decoy or even any type of call because I know where the turkeys go post breeding season. They use a few roosting sights and travel corridors heavily. I know I will just need to set up on one of those travel corridors and wait...they will come. They just become so predicable in the deep hardwoods with zero hunting pressure in the fall.
Thanks for the link, I will check it out.
Sorry I said anything. I was truly trying to give good advice based on 35 years of hunting these birds and putting a huge pile of beards and spurs on the wall.
Hunt the way you want.
I absolutely would never hunt any decoy on Public ground. But that's just me. Good luck.
Don,t feel bad, EZ. My dear friend, Kenny Morgan, essentially got run off of forums by expressing his opinion concerning decoys, and he was the best turkey hunter I ever had the pleasure to know. I hope he up there hunting them with only his gun and caller.
Quote from: EZ on March 20, 2019, 01:13:02 PM
In all honest brother, forget the decoys and learn how to hunt turkeys. Learn how to find, strike and set up on birds. I'm not downing decoys and in the right situations, may help, but I believe you will learn much quicker by concentrating on your woodsmanship, learning your quarry and your calling. Good luck.
EZ, this statement is pretty close to what my reply would have been to the topic, as well. Your subsequent responses were right on the money from my perspective, too. However, I think the thing that a lot of us don't take into consideration with our own personal circumstances is what another persons circumstances might be.
This is what I mean by that comment. I can see how, on a very small property,...or wide-open agricultural area,...setting in one place with decoys out would perhaps be a better strategy than moving around much. But if that is all you have to work with, then you do what is most advantageous to you. On the other hand, there are places that choosing to sit in one spot over decoys is the worst possible hunting method you could select.
Some of the places I hunt, I will walk several miles (6-8 or more, in many cases) to strike active gobblers. I do that because it is the BEST way to hunt those areas. Try doing that carrying two or three full sized decoys with you and see how far you get! In those circumstance, find a hot gobbler, set up properly on him, and call correctly,...and he will die. ....No decoys needed. That, I believe, is the message to be passed on to less-experienced hunters.
Of course, whether or not someone should feel "better" about killing a bird that way is just a matter of personal opinion. The point to be made is that "pigeon-holing" yourself into hunting with (and sometimes without) decoys will, at times, put you at a disadvantage. If a guy is fine with that, and chooses to hunt one way or the other exclusively, go for it!
Personally, I always try to find large enough areas to hunt that I can realistically rule out having to sit over decoys. I would rather hunt a public area big enough to do that than a small, private-land spot where I have to use that tactic,...even if my chances of success are much higher on the small, private parcel. I make those decisions knowing full well that I am very possibly decreasing my chances of success,....but internally, I feel much better about "the hunt".
I'm sure there are folks that believe that setting up decoys and hunting over them like waterfowl hunters over duck decoys is the "way to go". That is just peachy-keen by me! Jokingly (and yet, a bit seriously) I say this,..."Don't have a hissy fit when you set up decoys on a bird roosted a quarter mile away and some other hunter that doesn't know you are there moves in on him, sets up, calls him off the roost, and kills him before he ever gets a chance to eyeball your decoys". ;D :toothy12:
Perhaps the old adage "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink" might apply here. ;D
Just wanted to clear up that I never intend to offend anyone. I always give the best advice (if someone asks) that I know to give and I will never dis anyone's legal method of hunting. I do have good reasons for any of my opinions and will gladly talk with anyone about them in a PM or even a telephone call (if they want to know).
Thanks.
I completely agree decoys are not always the way to go. I am not really doubting that. I just don't really think one is negatively hurting their education of turkey hunting by having one in their arsenal. That is all. There are a number of turkey hunters on YouTube I enjoy to watch that either hunt over decoys often and some that never do. I also watch one person who enjoys a running and gunning style approach.
All is good, fellas. I don't believe there was any intent to criticize anyone's way of hunting,...just the point to be made to newer hunters that the "I have to have decoys and put them out to kill gobblers" mind-set that is promoted by so many companies and some hunters, as well, can come back to bite you in the butt if you take that as gospel.
It is sometimes difficult to tell if someone has that mind-set or not,...and some of us just want to make sure those folks that might think that understand that decoys, in many instances, are not at all necessary to call and kill gobblers. :icon_thumright:
I use them every once in a while, I use the blow up ones because they are so light & easy to carry. I tend to more get into positions where he has to look for me. When he comes into sight he is dead. I tend to use where a bird might see a ways, but thats not my usual set up. Mike
Quote from: GobbleNut on March 22, 2019, 02:15:34 PM
All is good, fellas. I don't believe there was any intent to criticize anyone's way of hunting,...just the point to be made to newer hunters that the "I have to have decoys and put them out to kill gobblers" mind-set that is promoted by so many companies and some hunters, as well, can come back to bite you in the butt if you take that as gospel.
It is sometimes difficult to tell if someone has that mind-set or not,...and some of us just want to make sure those folks that might think that understand that decoys, in many instances, are not at all necessary to call and kill gobblers. :icon_thumright:
That's pretty much exactly what I was saying.
I was also speaking to the OP's specific situation. Inexperienced hunter obviously wanting to learn and hunting public ground.
Best decoy strategy I've come up with is to wait until the person is fumbling around with his gun or something and I put the decoy in the truck lock the door, tell them if there hunting with me come on, and I then walk away. It usually works pretty well only had one or two people try and bring a decoy a second time.
I am going to ride the middle here, and say that sometimes decoys are a useful tool, and sometimes not.
Running & Gunning, is walking the woods, periodically calling (not in the open), and trying to drum up a gobble... Once you hear a bird respond, you then hunt that bird... You decide if you should (or can) make some ground between you and the bird, and setting up quickly is often key. I personally have had more failures caused by funking with decoys in these situations, and in wooded areas where I am trying to strike up a bird, the decoys stay in the truck...
Hunting a pasture or open area with henned up birds, I have found decoys to be quite useful on occasion. And the interaction of the birds is quite different. Sometimes a bird that has lost one too many fights will see the jake decoy and run like heck when he sees yours... All too often with just hen decoys, a tom will hang up and strut just out of range.
Personally, I like a jake/hen combination; I might consider using multiple hens, but I will not use multiple jakes.. Put the jake where you want to shoot the bird, cause the tom will almost always address the jake decoy first.
I put my decoys in close, and to my left (as I am a right-handed shooter). If my furthest decoy is 15 yards, and a bird hangs up 20 yards from the decoys, they are still in good range.
I want my decoys visible from multiple points of approach. I never cease to be surprised by the direction a bird is coming from, and the direction they end up finally approaching from.
Some say decoys give a turkey hunter an unfair advantage... I would disagree, and so would so many decoy companies. However, decoys do not always benefit you... That wary tom will often continue forward motion looking for that hen that is calling (i.e. you calling), and will stop and strut when he sees your hen decoy... That same tom will often continue forward motion when he does not see that hen he is looking for.
If I see a bird approaching to my calling, I do NOT call if I can see the bird (if at all possible). If the bird changes direction, I will try and wait until he is behind an obstruction to call at him. And if a bird is coming towards me, I stop calling... Sometimes they can approach painfully slowly and the temptation to call and hurry them up is overwhelming; I have succumb to that temptation all too often, much to my ruin.
Thanks for the great advice Marc. I have been mulling many strategies and a lot of it will depend on how much the toms move around come hunting season. I might have to drop the weight and prepare for miles of trekking to find them if they end up deep in the woods.
One of my favorite learning tools is terrible low end YouTube videos. Because it is mostly unedited and shows a turkey coming in without skipping the slow methodical approach. Decoys can definitely hang up a turkey or really draw out it coming in. The one turkey I have shot came in hot, but once it got within view of the decoys did a total 360 pass (behind the blind and all) before confronting the decoys. Interestingly that gobbler came up on the back of the decoys.
Every strategy has its positives and flaws. Decoys are definitely not exempt from that.
The Funky Chicken decoy serves three purposes, (1) it should be one of the safest gobbler decoys since it's pitiful size is all out of proportion to a real bird which should stop any other hunter from shooting at it, (2) it doesn't spook a real gobbler like a tom in full strut might do, (3) it's a very light weight decoy compared to a full bodied gobbler which makes carrying one and a couple of hens in a tote much more tolerable...or set up a couple of Funky Chicken decoys neck-to-neck and use fighting purrs to simulate a peck order fight, something that might bring in a call shy tom. You can't reason why such an odd looking thing like the Funky Chicken would entice a gobbler to come in, but it works and I've got three of them in case one gets flogged beyond repair.
Quote from: TRG3 on March 29, 2019, 01:33:23 AM
The Funky Chicken decoy serves three purposes, (1) it should be one of the safest gobbler decoys since it's pitiful size is all out of proportion to a real bird which should stop any other hunter from shooting at it, (2) it doesn't spook a real gobbler like a tom in full strut might do, (3) it's a very light weight decoy compared to a full bodied gobbler which makes carrying one and a couple of hens in a tote much more tolerable...or set up a couple of Funky Chicken decoys neck-to-neck and use fighting purrs to simulate a peck order fight, something that might bring in a call shy tom. You can't reason why such an odd looking thing like the Funky Chicken would entice a gobbler to come in, but it works and I've got three of them in case one gets flogged beyond repair.
Thanks for the first hand experience comments about the funky chicken. I think I am going to go ahead and add one of those to the arsenal. Seems like a safe bet to get good responses and fairly safe for public land. I certainly don't expect to see anyone out while hunting, but I guess we will see.
Let us know how it works out Plush.
Just wanted to add my 2¢ if I could.
Opening day I intend to set out a half strut avian X, along with a laydown hen, and a feeder hen. First, this is private land that is managed for deer/turkey...this applies only to my experience and situation. I'm working this large field (4 acres) that is either in clover or beans. Historically this area cuts a strutting area (south) and roosting (north). In my mind I'm trying to draw attention from across a large area, and pick a fight! It gets my blood going seeing turkeys work decoys! Visually I think it may help to see birds when they hit a transition area or fence row. Agree with TRG3 that the size of the Funky Chicken could really help fire one up. Again just my 2¢.
With that being said I will ditch the decoys should the situation dictate if the field set up doesn't pan out. The turkey in my profile picture came from a long uneventful day in which we caught up to a group of toms working along a fence row after a fruitless morning sit. We packed up shop and went mobile...no decoys...just listening...listening...listening...gobble...listening...gobble...then moving to where we thought we could make a play and ended up with a shot after crawling up a dried creek bed, peeked our heads over, and there they were.
Have fun with it and let us know how it works for you. You've got some great info from some great folks here at OG!!!
Thanks for the reply BK. Appreciate all the responses and differing takes. I have gotten a lot of productive scouting done finally. I found a great spot to set up on one roosting spot that would stick me in a nice flat opening between their roost and the creek.
Only kicker is the creek is still mostly frozen over and if not it is majorly flooded from snow melt...so no way the turkeys would cross it then. It will be interesting to see what side they end up getting "stuck" on so to speak.
Quote from: Plush on April 06, 2019, 09:57:58 PM
I have gotten a lot of productive scouting done finally.
Sounds like you've done the homework, and that is the hardest part in my opinion.
Don't sweat the creek. They may pitch over if they have to. Again just my :z-twocents:. You can adapt on the fly as long as you can see where they prefer to be should calling prove fruitless.
Maybe try a lone 1/4 or 1/2 strut Jake? I've done it a few times over the last couple of seasons and it seems to work just as good as adding a hen. My thinking is that a gobbler can see the Jake with that "hen calling" in the same area. They still usually come to check it out. In the Black Hills I've been on flocks that aren't still broken up from the winter and a henned up Merriam is as nerve racking as they get. So I'll kinda roost hunt them in the afternoons and eventually they make their way to the same draws or ridge they like and see the decoy. Food for thought.
Quote from: SD_smith on April 08, 2019, 02:56:57 PM
Maybe try a lone 1/4 or 1/2 strut Jake? I've done it a few times over the last couple of seasons and it seems to work just as good as adding a hen. My thinking is that a gobbler can see the Jake with that "hen calling" in the same area. They still usually come to check it out. In the Black Hills I've been on flocks that aren't still broken up from the winter and a henned up Merriam is as nerve racking as they get. So I'll kinda roost hunt them in the afternoons and eventually they make their way to the same draws or ridge they like and see the decoy. Food for thought.
Well the thing is I already have the hen decoy so it almost seems obvious to pair them if one does have both. Is a hen decoy with a jake really going to scare off a bird when the jake decoy by itself wouldn't?
Quote from: Plush on April 08, 2019, 04:34:02 PM
Quote from: SD_smith on April 08, 2019, 02:56:57 PM
Maybe try a lone 1/4 or 1/2 strut Jake? I've done it a few times over the last couple of seasons and it seems to work just as good as adding a hen. My thinking is that a gobbler can see the Jake with that "hen calling" in the same area. They still usually come to check it out. In the Black Hills I've been on flocks that aren't still broken up from the winter and a henned up Merriam is as nerve racking as they get. So I'll kinda roost hunt them in the afternoons and eventually they make their way to the same draws or ridge they like and see the decoy. Food for thought.
Well the thing is I already have the hen decoy so it almost seems obvious to pair them if one does have both. Is a hen decoy with a jake really going to scare off a bird when the jake decoy by itself wouldn't?
That's cool. I have 4 hen decoys, but if I could just carry one and get the same effect then why not? Like I already said...food for thought.
Quote from: SD_smith on April 08, 2019, 04:36:14 PM
Quote from: Plush on April 08, 2019, 04:34:02 PM
Quote from: SD_smith on April 08, 2019, 02:56:57 PM
Maybe try a lone 1/4 or 1/2 strut Jake? I've done it a few times over the last couple of seasons and it seems to work just as good as adding a hen. My thinking is that a gobbler can see the Jake with that "hen calling" in the same area. They still usually come to check it out. In the Black Hills I've been on flocks that aren't still broken up from the winter and a henned up Merriam is as nerve racking as they get. So I'll kinda roost hunt them in the afternoons and eventually they make their way to the same draws or ridge they like and see the decoy. Food for thought.
Well the thing is I already have the hen decoy so it almost seems obvious to pair them if one does have both. Is a hen decoy with a jake really going to scare off a bird when the jake decoy by itself wouldn't?
That's cool. I have 4 hen decoys, but if I could just carry one and get the same effect then why not? Like I already said...food for thought.
Efficiency is nice, I do see what you are saying. Thanks! Always appreciate different input!
Ok, I just posted to this topic on another post but here's my take:
It pretty much depends on what you want to accomplish and how you hunt. I've pretty much always used decoys but I hunt fields a lot and I bowhunt some as well. I enjoy getting video and watching how the birds react to a decoy. I enjoy the hunt itself. The videos below are from this year and include field setups, food plot setups and woods setups. One thing I've always learned to do was to use two jake decoys and set them side by side. If I put a hen or two out I will set them 10 yards or so away from the jake decoys. This signifies subdominance and most often helps with less aggressive gobblers. I have been using the Avian Quarter strut Jakes for years with a lot of success. I feel if you've called the bird to a point he can see the decoys you've pretty much done your job calling. Field birds in my opinion are harder to kill than woods birds. I'm beyond the "run and gun" that I used to do because I enjoy watching the birds strut and attack my decoys. I do hunt from a blind a lot but I don't hunt a lot of private land. I don't want to wander around the woods pushing birds in the next county especially when I know the birds aren't gobbling. It's been tough here in Georgia for the last few years with the turkey population down to what I feel is an all time low. To each his own but I respect how anyone hunts as long as it's legal.
My son and my first Georgia 2020 Gobblers https://youtu.be/I8AnA8nvRuI
An agressive hen attacks my hen decoy https://youtu.be/e8ol8RHAbkg
My son's second Georgia 2020 Gobbler https://www.facebook.com/fowleroutdoors/videos/363188234570150/
My hunting partners Georgia 2020 Bowkill https://youtu.be/vKM_pTgm9qQ
My agonizing bow miss! https://youtu.be/XRflF69k3io
I have other videos from previous years that show success with decoys. I have had a few encounters where the decoy probably hurt and caused a gobbler to shy away but I think in those cases the setup and decoy placement were partially to blame.
My YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCftMctHN3LXOzs1eHicSH_Q
My Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/fowleroutdoors/videos/?ref=page_internal
Quote from: Dfowlup on April 23, 2020, 02:23:34 PM
Ok, I just posted to this topic on another post but here's my take:
It pretty much depends on what you want to accomplish and how you hunt. I've pretty much always used decoys but I hunt fields a lot and I bowhunt some as well. I enjoy getting video and watching how the birds react to a decoy. I enjoy the hunt itself. The videos below are from this year and include field setups, food plot setups and woods setups. One thing I've always learned to do was to use two jake decoys and set them side by side. If I put a hen or two out I will set them 10 yards or so away from the jake decoys. This signifies subdominance and most often helps with less aggressive gobblers. I have been using the Avian Quarter strut Jakes for years with a lot of success. I feel if you've called the bird to a point he can see the decoys you've pretty much done your job calling. Field birds in my opinion are harder to kill than woods birds. I'm beyond the "run and gun" that I used to do because I enjoy watching the birds strut and attack my decoys. I do hunt from a blind a lot but I don't hunt a lot of private land. I don't want to wander around the woods pushing birds in the next county especially when I know the birds aren't gobbling. It's been tough here in Georgia for the last few years with the turkey population down to what I feel is an all time low. To each his own but I respect how anyone hunts as long as it's legal.
My son and my first Georgia 2020 Gobblers https://youtu.be/I8AnA8nvRuI
An agressive hen attacks my hen decoy https://youtu.be/e8ol8RHAbkg
My son's second Georgia 2020 Gobbler https://www.facebook.com/fowleroutdoors/videos/363188234570150/
My hunting partners Georgia 2020 Bowkill https://youtu.be/vKM_pTgm9qQ
My agonizing bow miss! https://youtu.be/XRflF69k3io
I have other videos from previous years that show success with decoys. I have had a few encounters where the decoy probably hurt and caused a gobbler to shy away but I think in those cases the setup and decoy placement were partially to blame.
My YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCftMctHN3LXOzs1eHicSH_Q
My Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/fowleroutdoors/videos/?ref=page_internal
Nice videos, never tried two jakes together as my area has issues with jakes ganging up on the toms. Might be good on a youth hunt tho as other jakes would probably come in and perhaps even a Tom. Appreaciate your perspective on using decoys. I use them alot in feilds and when it rains. I still run and gun and hunt deep woods without decoys as well. Basically I hunt whatever method works at the time of day and where we are during the season. Had a gobbler come in behind me this morning and Gobble. I almost came out the blind and never did see the bird.
I might try to video some hunts soon. Never tried that and I am sure a video is better than memory. Agian thanks for sharing.