Dave smith decoys

[pcgobbler]

After Mother's Day this weekend the wife asked me what I wanted for Fathers Day.  If you could get just one Dave Smith which one would you get?  Thinking feeding hen, with hopes to add a strutter before next season.  I have had great luck with strutting decoys the past few years. I am not a big fan of jakes.  I've had a lot more bad experiences than good with them in my area. The last few years we have had a lot of jakes in my area, and I've seen a few gobblers get their butt whipped by groups of jakes.

[tomstopper]

That's funny. I was going to put a DSD feeding hen on my wish list as well. Where I hunt I try & stay away from Gobbler & Jake decoys due to other STUPID hunters in the woods around me. I have always used a feeder decoy (if I use one at all). They are visible to the gobblers & are doing a natural thing & I don't feel that they spook the mature birds at all IMO.....Good luck while making a choice....

[eaglea1]

Without a doubt, I would get the half strut jake...

[vaturkey]

The Upright Hen & Jake work very well !   

[TRKYHTR]

Upright hen. I hunted over a feeding hen this year and at the angle the gobbler came in the hen looked like she had no head. The gobbler got spooky but it was already to late for him because he was in my range.

TRKYHTR

[busta biggun]

The upright hen is the most important decoy to have in my opinion. Yes a feeding hen looks natural and based on human thoughts, if the head is down feeding, it is natural and non-alarming. But, I can tell you I have had a feeding hen and upright hen right next to each other and the gobbler will ALWAYS go straight to the upright hen. If you already have the upright hen the next is the DSD jake. I have RARELY seen a gobbler get nervous due to the jake. Conversely I have seen 99% of the gobblers that see the DSD jake come in quickly! Every so often you may see a bird get skittish over the jake, but that is rare and always in the end of a long Kansas season. My .02

[MAKEemQUIVER]

I used the Jake this year and had great success with it. Over the course of the season three different two year old birds came right to him and were never skiddish around him. Didn't realize it until the first time I had a bird come to him but he is quite a bit smaller than a real gobbler, I think that makes a big difference.

[SpurIA]

If I had to pick 1 DSD it would without a doubt be the jake. Many toms have died next to my jake. Not one has paid any attention to the strutter, upright hen or feeding DSD decoys.

[The Turkenator]

Definitely a jake .My father ,son and I took 7 birds this spring all headed straight to the jake and did not even glance at the upright hen next to it. We even had a gobbler stand on the jakes back. "He won't do that again"  We also had several jake groups come in and put on a show fighting with the jake, nice to get to see so close. DSD decoys are # 1 in my book.

[mudhen]

Upright hen for me, feeding hen would be second.

But, I will admit the DSD jake can be very effective, almost too effective at times...

mudhen

[drenalinld]

Posturing jake.

[pcgobbler]

You guys have me second thinking my thoughts on the jake.  Do ya'll think it has to do with the posture of the jake, compared to other jake decoys out there?

[bigbird]

I've got the Jake and feeding hen decoys and here in Indiana we've used those decoys to kill four gobblers with that setup! I personally like a feeding hen over an up right-hen because it looks more content because it's just feeding around! That's just my opinion, Good luck with your decision you won't be disappointed with these decoys!

[jblackburn]

I'd want the upright hen.  I have a couple other jake decoys that I have had good luck with, but I have never found a hen that I really liked