so curious as to everyone's thoughts are on decoys. i've used them in the past with mixed results, so this year i purchased a couple dave smith decoys (feeding hen and 1/4strut jake) thinking an old tom would come in looking for a fight. instead a tom came up the hill behind me, seen them, stared and walked back way he came. do you all like using decoys or think you have better success without?
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I think they can be a "wrench" for the certain nut you need to get too sometime. Food plots, gas lines, fields, roads or power company easements and I will use them on occasion if scouting and glassing shows me he has an ego or likes to fight. OR if there is little to no cover available where he likes to be. I believe it takes their focus off of me and any slight mistake or movement I may make. If using only one in most situations I like the jake. Seen them hang up just out of range on a hen only decoy in the above mentioned open areas too many times.
However, I will use a hen only decoy if the property I am on has shown me little to no hen activity and their are multiple toms on it that all like the same area . IE competition.... boy to girl ratio is skewed toward the toms.
In the woods, no sir, I want him to hunt me up and keep coming.
Answer, No. Do not like using decoys. Reasons, extra to carry and some times have to move. I have found that the birds will find you without them.
Really depends on how and where you hunt. Most of the ground I hunt is fields, kill some timber birds too but primarily field birds. In my head when a Tom walks out in to the open and has heard a "hen" out there talking to him I would guess he would expect to see her. Different from a timber hunt where it's a looking for her game.
I use DSD's and everything from Strutter (White Head), 3/4 strut Jake, upright hen, feeding hen, leading hen and a submissive hen.
I have "rules" I go by for setting decoys and there is a lot to learning how to hunt them "right".
As always just a tool in the shed.
MK M GOBL
Negative. Couldn't pay me to hunt over one. I have done it, but never enjoyed it like like I do without them. That being said, I wish everybody used them except me.
Depends on my mood to be honest.
Never used one. I hunt Gobblers in the woods and don't think a decoy would be of any help. In the woods if your set up right the Gobbler has to come find you. I called two in Monday that circled around thru a thicket and came up on my left shoulder at 5 feet. The one I shot slowly inched his way in front of my gun barell. I had not called in 15 min they knew exactly were the last call came from. That one was about too close but I don't think watching one strutt up to a decoy in a field would be half as exciting.
usually no
No
When they work its pretty cool. Watching one act like a fool around your decoy is a lot of fun. I feel like if I have some decoys out in front of me I can relax a little more. Have a nice enjoyably sit and not have to have your attention level be on full alert the whole time. That being said you'll kill more birds without them. They'll slow ya down cuz you wont want to move even when you know a move would be best-just too much trouble to relocate the decs in a suitable place. In the end if you leave them in the truck you'll hunt more like a turkey hunter should. But if your just looking for a nice easy sit bring them along.
I enjoy using them, but not always. In the woods I won't unless it is pretty open and even then I don't like to bring it in the woods. If I move spots and I end up somewhere that isn't where I want to set up the decoy then I have to either hide it or set it up anyway.
I like to see the display they will put on for hens or how they will confront a male decoy. You can't really experience that without a decoy and that close up.
They can help or hurt you...and they can be enjoyable to hunt with or make it less fulfilling to some. Do what you enjoy doing and understand when they can be beneficial or when they can hurt you. Even past situational reasons every turkey reacts differently.
Killed my first handful of birds without a decoy. Then killed another handful using hen decoys. Then I quit using them entirely. Never have used a Male decoy for personal reasons. So I have nothing to say in regards to them. If I was to throw out a blanket statement in reference to the use of hen decoys it would be this.
If someone doesn't really know what they are doing a hen decoy would probably help them more than hurt them. However if someone does have a little Turkey hunting knowledge and skill it would probably hurt them more than help them.
Quote from: Southerngobbler on May 03, 2019, 11:03:16 PM
When they work its pretty cool. Watching one act like a fool around your decoy is a lot of fun. I feel like if I have some decoys out in front of me I can relax a little more. Have a nice enjoyably sit and not have to have your attention level be on full alert the whole time. That being said you'll kill more birds without them. They'll slow ya down cuz you wont want to move even when you know a move would be best-just too much trouble to relocate the decs in a suitable place. In the end if you leave them in the truck you'll hunt more like a turkey hunter should. But if your just looking for a nice easy sit bring them along.
ive had the same experience with my boss buck deer decoy. had them run from it but also killed a nice buck that had a stand off with it with his ears laid back and grunting at it. same with decoys predator hunting. seems i have more luck actually killing without them but its a blast when it does work out
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I grew up hunting birds (primarily waterfowl), and was self-learned in turkey hunting (early 1990's).
When I first started hunting turkeys, it was my impression that decoys were a necessary aspect of turkey hunting. As a waterfowl hunter, calling in birds over decoys was the "natural order" of hunting them.
I got busted trying to set up decoys, I had birds hang up on decoys, I had decoys tip over and scare birds... I did have a couple come in to get killed though.
As hunted some different areas and different terrain, I started hunting without decoys, and found that often times, it was more productive... Birds often continue that forward motion looking for that hen he cannot see.
There were times hunting this year, where I called in hens (with toms behind them), and I am fairly certain that had I had a decoy (or two out) those hens would have addressed my decoys and pulled the toms all the way in....
I have enjoyed the interaction of birds working into a decoy, and to see a tom run across a meadow to address that jake decoy. I have also enjoyed the anticipation of calling that tom in the woods that is cautiously moving forward looking for that hen (at an unbearably slow pace).
My current thinking is that in the woods, or with cover or tall grass, that the decoys are more trouble than they are worth, and I hunt without them. If I am hunting an open meadow or pasture, I typically utilize a jake/hen combo. I am more likely to utilize decoys early in the season, or if I am hunting with a beginning hunter.
Admittedly, for me personally, I have found a bit more satisfaction calling in birds without decoys... I just feel like I "tricked" them more. But I take no issue in utilizing decoys successfully either.
Quote from: county hunter on May 03, 2019, 04:24:29 PM
Answer, No. Do not like using decoys. Reasons, extra to carry and some times have to move. I have found that the birds will find you without them.
Yep, nothing against them, just have little use for them..... and I do hunt fields about 40% 0f my spring season.
Grandpa said it was unfair to use decoys when hunting turkeys and that is good enough for me.
I use them most of the time but I bow hunt.
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No
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Mostly no. But after seeing them used I thought it would be fun to try. So I bought this nice Avian hen thats a pita to carry here out in the west where long walks and mountainous terrain is the norm. So no one wants to carry her. All the times a tom has come in I didnt have her. The times I had her nothing came. Named her Virgin Sally. Now I bring her every year and we place bets at camp if she's finally going to get laid. :)
You def don't need em and sometimes they'll cost you. Sometimes they'll pay off as well.
The night before youth opener I saw a gobbler w hens. As I watched three other longbeards approached. He left his hens to assert dominance and was cocky about it.
I watched them all fly up.
Next morning the three flew down to about 60 yards but went the other way. After a bit I jake yelped at em. Same moment I saw the hens coming. Suddenly a longbeard came to the front of hens, saw the jake 60yards away and approached w a vengeance. The little girl missed at 24 yards, he re engaged the decoy and she missed again.
If you had a tom say getting whipped by a bunch of Jakes he'd shy away from a jake. There maybe a hen.
The idea is you need to know what you're trying to accomplish and why.
I very rarely do field set ups. I hate em and would almost rather stay home. I'm deaf in one ear and can't tell direction so the dekes are placed just so I have somewhere to look not for "calling" power visually.
It was prob 25 years or so before I ever used a decoy. Many of not most situations you wouldn't need them if you hunted/set up a certain way. Will they hurt you? Truth is correctly set up they'll help more than hurt.
I have been turkey hunting for 22 years in 6 states and have kept detailed notes on the hunts including date, time, wind speed, precip, number of birds heard and observed , decoys used, run n gun or blinds used. I can tell you this that out of all the birds I have shot or called in for others and had them shoot 73% of the time we used no decoys a bird was harvested, 59% of the time we did use decoys a bird was harvested. There were times where the jake decoys did more harm than good.
Most of my birds shot for myself or others are shot without blinds or decoys as I live by the "scout 'em and crowd 'em" aggressive turkey hunt and call them in close. Just like waterfowl, be on the "X" and shoot them in the lips.
Nothing wrong with decoy's , just another item in your bag of trick's ... hunt the way you want and don't worry about what others think so much ...
I learned to hunt turkeys without decoys never felt I needed one. A lot of people rely on decoys to make up for poor calling or set ups. If your in the right spot and sound like a hen turkey decoys are not needed. If your idea of hunting is sitting on a crop field in a blind then you probably feel they are mandatory. Hunting woods turkeys decoys are just something else to carry, by the time he gets close enough to see the decoy he should be in range to kill.
Decoy strategy, blind placement is all tools in planning down to the last detail of calling in gobbler. It's a great tool for kids and handicap hunters .. It's has nothing to do with if your a bad call etc .. If you watch the video of Tim Murdock on youtube who is complete blind and has killed turkeys last year and this pass 2019 season , them i think you will have a different outlook on people who use blinds and decoy's ... Tim Murdock is one of the best turkey caller in the country .. I will put him up against anyone who can see ... so let's not be selfish and say some are bad caller or poor at setups ... sometimes the worst caller kills more turkeys than you might think....
Quote from: Greg Massey on June 24, 2019, 11:17:52 PM
Decoy strategy, blind placement is all tools in planning down to the last detail of calling in gobbler. It's a great tool for kids and handicap hunters .. It's has nothing to do with if your a bad call etc .. If you watch the video of Tim Murdock on youtube who is complete blind and has killed turkeys last year and this pass 2019 season , them i think you will have a different outlook on people who use blinds and decoy's ... Tim Murdock is one of the best turkey caller in the country .. I will put him up against anyone who can see ... so let's not be selfish and say some are bad caller or poor at setups ... sometimes the worst caller kills more turkeys than you might think....
Your post is dead on. If your handicapped or blind ,a little kid or mentally defective then yes blinds and decoys are probably needed. Decoys and blinds make killing a turkey easier ,if not then why would blind people or kids hunt out of them?
No decoys.
I don't use decoys, but quite honestly, folks can hunt however they want,...with or without decoys, blinds, whatever. There is no doubt that in certain circumstances they are going to make the difference between killing a gobbler or not killing one. There are also going to be circumstances where using a decoy is going to hurt your chances, as well. The trick,...for those that use them,...is assessing the situation and making a good judgement as to whether to set one (or more) out,...or not.
I tend to not want to make turkey hunting like hunting waterfowl over decoys. It just does not seem right to me, personally,....but to each, their own. If it floats your boat....
More important to me is recognizing that some hunting methods are so effective that using those methods without having an awareness of their impact on the resource,...and adjusting one's mentality about killing turkeys because of that,...is irresponsible.
As an example, the guys that go somewhere and use "reaping" methods and kill every gobbler that comes in range,...so they can end up with a pile of dead gobblers in a "grip and grin" photo,...need to recognize that their attitude needs an adjustment.
You want to stick a strutter decoy in the ground,...or use one to sneak up on a gobbler,...and kill a bird or two,...well, that is one thing. You want to do that with five of your buddies and end up single-handedly wiping out the local mature gobbler population,...well, that's quite another.
However you choose to hunt turkeys, eventually you should reach the point where your "badge" of being a good turkey hunter is based on a lot more than how many beards and spurs you can pile up in a season. It has a lot more to do with your respect for the resource and having an awareness of how what you are doing impacts it.
No.
Yes
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Why stop at saying no to decoys? Let's say no to shotguns......must use archery or black powder!
Quote from: Crghss on September 07, 2019, 08:15:03 PM
Why stop at saying no to decoys? Let's say no to shotguns......must use archery or black powder!
Why even start using decoys?
I kill a bird or 2 every year on public land without them, but who know, I may would kill more with them, lol. Good luck this season.
This is a lot more skewed towards no decoys than I would have guessed. I hunt open areas where there isn't much cover the first 3-4 weeks of the season. The birds are very visible. I use decoys dependent upon the situation, but most if the time I have decoys out. If I'm calling a bird to an open area where they have a lot of visibility, then a decoy helps pull them in that last bit. If the area is completely open and they should be able to see a turkey, I've seen birds hang up due to not having a decoy. I will also use decoys more often when bow hunting to help position the turkeys for a shot. Later in the season when there is more cover, or if terrain allows it, I set up where the gobbler has to come looking and wouldn't be able to see the hen until right on top of her. Old farm yards, weedy fence lines, creek bottoms full of trees, etc can be used to set up so that decoys aren't necessary.
Quote from: Crghss on September 07, 2019, 08:15:03 PM
Why stop at saying no to decoys? Let's say no to shotguns......must use archery or black powder!
I think anyone using more than a slingshot is basically a girl
Open fields yes. Thicker woods no.
Most of us that have hunted spring gobblers very long have made up our minds on whether we want to use decoys or not. I suspect that decision has been based primarily on where we hunt and the conditions we face there. There are places where they are definitely not necessary to calling in and killing gobblers,....and there are places where I can fully imagine they are.
I believe the real discussion here is about giving our newer hunters valid information regarding decoy use. It's easy to imagine a new turkey hunter shopping for turkey hunting stuff looking at the dozens of decoy options and saying to himself,..."Gee, I guess I gotta get one of those if I'm gonna hunt turkeys and do it 'right'".
Some folks will probably look at this discussion from the same perspective they do in waterfowl hunting. That is, to be a "traditional" waterfowler, you set out decoys. That is not really what "traditional" turkey hunting is about, and that is why you see such varying (and sometimes extreme) views about it in discussions like this.
So, for the new guys that are confused: It is your choice to use decoys or not, but if you are wondering whether they are considered to be necessary for you to be classified as a "sporting" turkey hunter, the answer to that is,...no, they are not.
I don't like toting them around, and found I was killing more birds by being mobile without them them.
It all depends on the situation, if I'm hunting farm land I use decoys, if I'm hunting heavy woods I don't. I hate to carry the things around but in the right situation they come in handy. The whole debate about whether you should use them or not, I believe that is for each hunter to decide. As long as you follow the laws and hunting ethically I have no problem with it.
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I like them to get the birds eyes away from you and so he knows that he didn't come to nothing. Then again, a lot of birds get hung up on them. Tom comes, tom sees decoy, tom doesn't run but holds out of range.
My thoughts come down to early season all for them.... strutter/jake and hen. Understanding that on public land this can be something with not the smartest people running in the woods but I dont hunt around other people when I can and always put a tree on my back.
Mid season I like a single hen.
Late season, I'm probably leaving them in the truck.
Do you want to hunt a bird that puts on a show and dances in front of you or do you want to kill a bird. If your goal is to deke a bird then run dekes. My best friend wont shoot a bird unless it has been deke'd. Personal preference.
Quote from: GobbleNut on March 10, 2020, 08:31:14 AM
Most of us that have hunted spring gobblers very long have made up our minds on whether we want to use decoys or not. I suspect that decision has been based primarily on where we hunt and the conditions we face there. There are places where they are definitely not necessary to calling in and killing gobblers,....and there are places where I can fully imagine they are.
I believe the real discussion here is about giving our newer hunters valid information regarding decoy use. It's easy to imagine a new turkey hunter shopping for turkey hunting stuff looking at the dozens of decoy options and saying to himself,..."Gee, I guess I gotta get one of those if I'm gonna hunt turkeys and do it 'right'".
Some folks will probably look at this discussion from the same perspective they do in waterfowl hunting. That is, to be a "traditional" waterfowler, you set out decoys. That is not really what "traditional" turkey hunting is about, and that is why you see such varying (and sometimes extreme) views about it in discussions like this.
So, for the new guys that are confused: It is your choice to use decoys or not, but if you are wondering whether they are considered to be necessary for you to be classified as a "sporting" turkey hunter, the answer to that is,...no, they are not.
Great post!
As someone who grew up hunting waterfowl and entered the turkey hunting world later in life, your post rings true.
Decoys or not, my very favorite aspect of turkey hunting is calling them in and the interaction that occurs with that process....
No doubt that there have been instances in which using decoys has hurt me, and there have been cases in which having decoys probably would have helped.
Currently my decision making in using decoys comes down to whether they will benefit the hunt or not, and more often, whether I want to deal with carrying and setting them up...
I am more likely to use them in more open terrain, and leave them in the car when hunting the woods.
I am more likely to use them first thing in the morning (as birds are more likely to be henned up) and leave them in the truck when covering ground and searching for a bird.
I am more likely to use them earlier in the season than later...
Out of the three birds I killed last season, I killed one over decoys... I probably would not have killed him without decoys... Hens came in to confront my hen decoy (right off the roost), followed by jakes (right off the roost) that challenged my jake decoy.... Finally, a tom came in (leaving his own hens) probably to run the jakes out and engage the much larger flock of hens surrounding me. When that tom finally came in, there were birds fighting each other, as well as engaging my decoys... It was an unusual experience with lots of action and commotion going on around me...
I've used them in the past but have become much more successful without them. I hunt timber for the most part and used them when I really didn't need to and it cost me in my early years. I really enjoy killing a bird over a Jake/tom decoy but the only time they are with me is when I'm hunting a field.
I'll use them in a field, usually just two hen decoys. I have a jake and full strut but rarely pull them out.
Here's a post I started a while ago, if you are still considering.
And this is in the "Yes" category, not to say needed for every hunt/situation but a tool in the shed.
(DSD Decoys YES!!)
http://oldgobbler.com/Forum/index.php/topic,70971.0.html
MK M GOBL
If I were hunting a field I would put out a decoy.
I carry one and use it if the situation feels right for it. I like them when it's a slow day and I set up in a known hangout. Put out the deke and call every thirty minute or so. Killed a few that way.
Actually had one come in silent to a deke on an old road. Just happened to awaken from my nap at 1000 and he was strutting around the hen deke.
I'm neither a "deeker" nor "blinder". Now...the politically correct response is that, if it's legal in the area you hunt, it's okay. And that's okay! Thus I don't condemn anyone who abides by that. But, personally, I get satisfaction when I call a bird in sans deek or blind. But maybe that's just me.
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.
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: GobbleNut on March 10, 2020, 08:31:14 AM
Most of us that have hunted spring gobblers very long have made up our minds on whether we want to use decoys or not. I suspect that decision has been based primarily on where we hunt and the conditions we face there. There are places where they are definitely not necessary to calling in and killing gobblers,....and there are places where I can fully imagine they are.
I believe the real discussion here is about giving our newer hunters valid information regarding decoy use. It's easy to imagine a new turkey hunter shopping for turkey hunting stuff looking at the dozens of decoy options and saying to himself,..."Gee, I guess I gotta get one of those if I'm gonna hunt turkeys and do it 'right'".
Some folks will probably look at this discussion from the same perspective they do in waterfowl hunting. That is, to be a "traditional" waterfowler, you set out decoys. That is not really what "traditional" turkey hunting is about, and that is why you see such varying (and sometimes extreme) views about it in discussions like this.
So, for the new guys that are confused: It is your choice to use decoys or not, but if you are wondering whether they are considered to be necessary for you to be classified as a "sporting" turkey hunter, the answer to that is,...no, they are not.
You know, that is a great perspective. I kind of feel that those that do not use decoys for ducks or geese are not fooling the birds and calling them in. I feel like pass shooting is kind of the less sporting way to kill ducks. I have done it a time or two (always on woodies, decoys don't much work on them), but don't feel like there was any real accomplishment on my part. I had never really thought of it like that, but that is a great analogy.