To Use Decoys or Not?

[Belo83]

Hi guys,

I've been a member for a little while, but lost all my posts with the crash.

This will be my first season turkey hunting. My uncle is a long time bird slayer and has taken me under his wing with some pointers and I will be getting to go on some hunts with him later in the season. However, I live a few hours from him, so I will be doing a good deal of hunting on my own, probably before I get a chance to hunt with him. I'm a long time outdoorsman and deer hunter, so the woods are not foreign to me.

I've spent a good chunk of change already on a new gun, gun accessories and ammo (i will post some details and pics when it all comes together), a turkey vest, and some entry level primos/quaker boy mouth, pot and box calls. Thankfully I have all the camo already.

I'm looking at what else I'll need to get into the woods and I'm wondering how "necessary" decoys are. I'd rather keep the spending down if I can. It seems some use them, others don't. Now I realize that just because they're in all the flyers and on sale and shoved in our face on hunting shows doesn't mean I need them, but are decoys a must or do they greatly improve my chances? Should I at least pick up 1 cheapy? Are the fold-able cheapies a waste of money? If I get one should I be looking at least in the $50+ range?

Most of my hunting will be farmland and some timber.

thanks in advance

[hobbes]

They are absolutely not necessary. 

They can be used effectively, but are not necessary. 

I carried the cheapies (used to be all there was) for years and seldom took them out.  I quit carrying them altogether, but in the last couple years have been carrying a pair (jake and hen) that I picked up really cheap (I think they are OlTom decoys) to try and give my kids a slight advantage with a bird that was interested in the decoy.   Even then, I don't always get them out.  Unless I'm with my daughter this year looking for her first bird, they won't even be in my vest.  I prefer to not use them.

As far as the cheapies vs. the expensive ones.  I'd hunt without to start and see what you think.  I won't tell you weather you should go full bore with the DSD or bottom dollar with something else, but I can assure you the majority here is going to swear by the DSD.  I'm seldom hunting the back 40 with a golf cart, so I don't care for carrying the bulky things.

[BHhunter]

I'm no expert on the subject, but I've had little succes with dekes. I hunt the timber of the SD Black Hills and I carry them and put them out looking for that extra edge, but it seems to me most turkeys that came to me paid little attention to them. There are others I've talked to that hunt fields on prairie edges and they say they've had turkeys come running from 200 yards out to their deke spread. Seems that is where the advantage is if they can see them from far off it helps to draw them in. If I hunted fields with a blind I would definately use them more.
I use the mid priced HS Strut collapsible. Again, no expert, just my personal experiences.

[Struttin Spurs]

They are definately not necessary, but because of where I hunt I wont leave the house without them. I hunt alot of fields and find them very useful in bringing birds in. When I hunt timber I usually dont use them though.

As for the expensive vs. cheap? If you do decided to get some I would start out cheap just to see if you like using them. I started out with a piece of crap foam decoy from walmart. I recently upgraded to some rubber ones. However I refuse to fork out more that 25 bucks on one. Turkeys arent as particualr as we are, and will come strutting right up to that 8 dollar foam decoy the same way they will the 80 dollar DSD. I'm sure others don't feel this way, but the cheap decoys have done just fine for me.

Just remember, you dont have to have the latest and greatest equiptment to bag a bird!

[Basser69]

I have killed birds with and without decoys. When I first started turkey hunting decoys were not legal in Alabama. I have figured out that the decoys do great in fields but not so good in the woods. JMO for what ever its worth

[Belo83]

what i dont understand is why they come to the cheapies at all? with such supreme eyesight you'd think they would know, or is it just the small brain that lures them in?

[hobbes]

its that small brain.........there isn't much up there besides instinct and fear.

[Basser69]

movement is what gets you busted. You dont look like a turkey but cheap decoys do

[TRKYHTR]

I say yes.

TRKYHTR

[WyoHunter]

TRKYHTR you have some money tied up in that deke. I carry a Flambeau jake and hen but don't think they have ever made a difference but I still carry them. Maybe this year will be the year they do. My style of hunting doesn't lend itself to the use decoys as I'm usually moving on them instead of sitting and waiting for them to come to me. I agree with BHhunter that if I hunted more wide open areas that might make them more effective. That being said I'll probably use them in Kansas this year when I bowhunt. 

[TRKYHTR]

TRKYHTR you have some money tied up in that deke. I carry a Flambeau jake and hen but don't think they have ever made a difference but I still carry them. Maybe this year will be the year they do. My style of hunting doesn't lend itself to the use decoys as I'm usually moving on them instead of sitting and waiting for them to come to me. I agree with BHhunter that if I hunted more wide open areas that might make them more effective. That being said I'll probably use them in Kansas this year when I bowhunt. 

Yea I do. About 30.00 in material.

TRKYHTR

[pdqt]

Hey Th  She may not be on the wall, but that is a nice job on the deke!!!!        

[sugarray]

I'll weigh in with my experience, as this is only my 3rd year turkey hunting.

My very first day out my son, 4 at the time, and I set up in a blind on a lease I have.  I set out a single hen decoy I had gotten at my graduation from my residency as a gag gift.  It is a molded rubber and I think really looks good.  We had 3 gobbling to our calling and the single tom came in.  We were in an old log landing.  He strutted clear across the opening, about 40 yds right to the deke.  I killed him 2 yds the other side of the deke.

1 week later I was hunting with a friend who had never killed a turkey and we set up 2 hens at about 40 yds out, we thought they were 20.  Got a fired up gobbler coming and he came to 80 yds and sensed something not right.  We were sitting side by side on the side of a little hill, leaned up against a couple of 2-3" trees.  He had a jake and they bugged out.

Last year I had 2 poor experiences using a strutting jake.  I had been watching a boss gobbler with 4-5 hens and set up in a strut zone with an upright hen, submissive hen and the Jake Mobile with fan up.  Had a 2 yo come in and eyed them up real good at 72 yds.  I was able to coax him with soft clucks and purrs to 38 yds where I smoked him.
Youth day last year a friend had been watching a single boss tom with 6-8 hens strut in his field every day.  We set up with same set up as above.  A loner came in and skirted our set up, obviously weary.  I think he didn't like the strutter.
End of first week I set out a single upright hen and had one gobbling at 0615.  He came in and circled to the right and came from below me.  He gobble several times on his own.  He came up the hill and when he finally saw the hen he blew up and strutted all around it.  I shot him at 20 yds.

So, I think a single hen out helps tremendously and will use one every time I take my son.  I just think they help to take the focus off of us getting ready for a shot.  

I will use a jake if I have a boss gobbler or one that is hard to get to come in, but I will put the fan in the down position, straight back, more like the DSD posture.

[Belo83]

thanks for the advice guys. i have talked some more to my uncle and others who hunt in my area. and I think i'll pick up a hen to start and see what happens.