Which Jake decoy

[Greg Massey]

In the heat of the spring matting season, i'm not sure if it really matters which one .. but if I were using one it would be 3/4 strut Jake of some type ...

[dzsmith]

I have a Montana , hen and Jake. Can't really speak for the effectiveness of them. I have used them.... , and I wouldn't say they scared birds ... but I haven't had them get all over them either . Like an instantaneous reaction. With that said ... I'm not much of a decoy user , there have been times where I feel if I had they would have made the difference . The Jake is really no diff than the hen other than darker and a red head , I don't think the beard is a recognizable characteristic to a turkey . He isn't strutting either .... They are packable , very packable which is a big deal to me. They are not however easily deployed or recovered as an inflatable ... got to hold your mouth right to get them back together as they are just a big spring with cloth stretched over them. I had a pair from avian x for years ... but they eventually just dry rotted . I should have just cut them open ,and continued using them .... But I didn't.... Not packable at all.... However if you decided to ditch them ... you could quickly throw them in the bag and leave the bag and grab it on the way out .... The Montana ... kinda have to put them up .... Or you could carry a bag and do the same thing. I did however have success with the avian x decoys multiple times ....but they got used more .

[Zobo]

Another Funky vote from a safety perspective as I mainly hunt public land.

Last thing I want is a load of TSS coming my way due to a decoy being too realistic.

When placing the decoys, I put thought into ensuring a hunter would not approach from the opposite side of where decoys are set.

Very good point Squidd 👍 That funky chicken is so weird looking that it's less likely to get shot at. Smart thinking

[Marc]

Another Funky vote from a safety perspective as I mainly hunt public land.

Last thing I want is a load of TSS coming my way due to a decoy being too realistic.

When placing the decoys, I put thought into ensuring a hunter would not approach from the opposite side of where decoys are set.

Very good point Squidd 👍 That funky chicken is so weird looking that it's less likely to get shot at. Smart thinking

I don't know...  The head on that Funky Chicken from a distance looks "inviting to shoot."  The body is absurd of course.

I feel like anyone that is capable of shooting a perfectly motionless jake or tom decoy, is probably also capable of shooting the Funk, or even a hen decoy for that matter.

I have run across hunters with decoys in the past...  Instantly able to see that even the most realistic of decoys are unnaturally motionless.  I would guess that there is a complete lack of rationally thinking or common sense put into play when someone dusts a decoy.  Looking at some of the shenanigans of "fellow turkey hunters" on YouTube, I would also suppose that these issues occur far more commonly than they should.

Heck, I once spoke to a person on public, who while repositioning on a bird, ended up shooting his OWN decoy...  Probably not a rocket scientist or a brain surgeon.

My point, don't let the lack of realism give you a false sense of security about the intellect of fellow hunters, and as Squidd points out, put that decoy in a position were an approaching hunter is not likely to shoot you along with the decoy.

Me...  I really avoid using decoys (hen or jake) on public, unless hunting a remote area...  If I am hunting an open area on public where decoys would be useful, someone is either going to F up my hunt by trying to do a sneak on me and my decoys, or F up my life by taking a potentially catastrophic shot at my decoys....

On private ground, I will NOT hunt with decoys that are at all visible from any public or access roads...  Many of them local boys are not opposed to popping a bird with a rifle for a family turkey dinner.

[Zobo]

Oh I agree with you Marc, any number of idiot hacks would take a shot at that decoy.
And take it for what it's worth, from a guy who's never once used a male decoy, but if I had to, I'd probably go with the f chicken over more realistic looking options.  But you better believe I'd be extremely careful with it or any decoy. 

[joey46]

I would never use any decoy on a Florida romp and stomp but have used Funky on some limited quota hunts. His big advantage is weight and ease of carry.  Slips in and out of my vest. If hunting alone he is the only decoy used.  When the day is over he often seems to have a smirk on his face.  The bird in the picture was shot about 5 yards from Funky but flopped at his feet.  He was still trying for him as he expired - maybe LOL.
He'd be out there this morning but as usual drew zip in the quota redraws.  Different subject.

[g8rvet]

I have used the Funk one time.  The gobbler stayed at 60 and gobbled his head off.  I creeped out after he left gobbling and pulled the decoy.  An hour later he came straight in.  I believe y'all and bet it would work for some birds, but I am not even sure what I did with it after that. I think I gave it away. 

[Paulmyr]

The guys on the Wild Turkey Science Podcast had an episode with an animal behaviourist as a guest. The guest was not a hunter if I remember correctly. In the discussion the guest stated if he were to us a decoy, he'd put the rattiest decoy he could find saying most gobblers would look at it as an easy mark and be more than willing to give a it a thumping. Funky chicken anyone!

Pretty sure in the same episode they were talking about Jake beards and why possibly they were short and stubby. The behaviourist compared it to Male blue birds being born with a reddish patch on their breast that goes away when they mature. In a study they revealed  the absence of the red breast patch triggered adult males to viciously attack dummy bluebirds. The attacks were so brutal the people doing the study concluded it would be highly unlikely for a juvenile to survive. Dummies with the red patch weren't touched.

He thought the stubby beards on Jake's signified a juvenile and signalled spurs off.

The guest seemed pretty amused when the hosts told him hunters often see groups of Jake's running off an adult gobbler possibly taking advantage of the the so called stubby beard truce.

[76chevy]

Short answer. Funky chicken.

 Dave Smith decoys are incredibly realistic and the quality is beyond question. I have a upright hand that is 16 years old and still in great condition original Dave Smith ace material all that being true nothing seems to get a response like the funky chicken as a bonus it's incredibly lightweight and easy to carry.  If I'm going to use two, it's the Dave Smith upright hen and the funky chicken.