Another decoy discussion

[JMalin]

Do they help or hurt?  If you limit yourself to one, do you carry a hen or Jake?  Do pressured birds like putting their eyes on a bird prior to committing to gun range?  If you're hunting open woods, does that gobbler you're working hang up expecting the hen to come to him?  Would he have hung up anyway if no decoy was present?  It seems like they've helped me more when it bird has to get close before seeing it than when they can clearly see it from a distance.  That being said, I feel like hunting without one in an open area where a gobbler should see a hen would cause him to hang up too.  Would a jake be better in that situation?  I know better than to call to a bird that can lay eyes on me/pinpoint where the call is coming from.

[Plush]

Yes, no, maybe, sometimes, hen, jake, full strut, on public, not on public.

Honestly you would have to give a very specific situation and time of season to get what a gobbler will PROBABLY do. End of the day all turkeys are different and will react differently. Decoys can help or they can ruin a chance. No perfect answer.

[fallhnt]

Take 'em or don't. I took stufffers on my KS bow hunt and if I didn't have my strutter jake rigged to move,it would have been a fail. Public land birds have seen the sh!t. Even ground close to public is hard.

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[RutnNStrutn]

They can help or hurt. I've seen gobblers shy away from dekes, and also leave hens and run hundreds of yards to die beside a deke.
When I only carry one, it's a hen. But it's personal choice.
On wary birds, it seems to help when they see the "hen" that's been calling to them, especially in open areas.
All gobblers expect the hens to come to them. Sometimes you can get them to come to you, sometimes you can't. Has nothing to do with the dekes.
Sometimes they hang up, sometimes they don't. Deke or no deke.
Dekes have helped me more in open areas. If they should see a hen, then they'd better see a "hen", or they'll likely drift off. If it's tight quarters, I leave the deke in it's bag, and stick it behind the tree I'm sitting against. I like when they have to look for the hen. Then they have to move around and look.
Jakes sometimes work, and sometimes don't. I usually use my jake deke or my strutting deke in the 1st half of the season. Mid-season I put them away and go with hens, then late season drop to only one hen.

[MK M GOBL]

I always say there is a lot to learn about hunting decoys "right". They are tools in the shed, I use them and at times not. I also have a basic set of "rules" I go by and works for me!

Would be hard to give you an answer to every situation as they're all different sets and learned through years of experience. 

I hunt DSD's and a lot of reason behind that, I do have an entire thread on this and sets I use, http://oldgobbler.com/Forum/index.php/topic,70971.0.html

I can tell you I use a White Headed Strutter Decoy design I developed back in 1999 and will just say he works!


MK M GOBL

[JMalin]

I guess I'll keep toting the hen.  Seems like a lot of guys hunt a single jake though (Shane Simpson, the hunting public guys).  FWIW, I hunt the cheap DSD knockoffs.  I've killed a gobbler that beat up on the jake when camping in a spot on a windy day where I felt run and gun tactics wouldn't be effective.  I've had toms break into strut when they finally laid eyes of my upright hen.  Also had them gobble well out of range and then walk off in open woods.  I flat out won't hunt field birds.  Just not my game. 

[a_jabbo]

I've had more success using them, than not. I've had extremely good luck with a 1/4 strut jake, breeder, and a feeder out. This weekend was youth season in Pa, and we setup 1/4 strut, breeder, and two feeders, one on each side of the jake and breeder. Gobbler flew down, and came strutting into 7 yards.

[Marc]

Re: Another decoy discussion

Do they help or hurt? 

Yes...  They can help, and they can hurt.

No doubt sometimes they help, and no doubt sometimes they hurt.

Hunting and open field (or in my case meadow or pasture), I would think it is a good idea for birds to see something that could be creating the sound you are making...  I have certainly had birds trot right up to a decoy..

I have had birds hang up until they saw decoys, and then charge in...

In other cases, especially in the woods, that bird looking for a hen will continue forward motion until he sees the hen.  He might hang up on decoys whereas he would have continued forward (looking for the source of the sound) without decoys.

If you want to be mobile, decoys can be a pain, and in the past, I was busted trying to set up decoys, whereas if I had just sat down, I would have been successful.

As someone who grew up hunting waterfowl over decoys, I have no issue shooting turkeys over them...  There is a different dynamic, and often a different strategy when doing so.  I will admit to a greater sense of satisfaction of fooling birds without the decoys though...

[joey46]

On private land we have normally used a jake for the last few seasons.  Seems to be a good distraction and usually has no adverse affect.  Public land either one hen or none.  Set up much more important than decoys on public.  When you first see him you want him in range.  The ideal public land bird is the one who gobbles once then tries to sneak in. 

[Muzzy61]

I've had far more times when they have helped, than I have when they hurt.

[Southernson13]

If you know where he will go every morning. Having her at his target destination when he flies down can help tremendously

[greencop01]

I've found decoys cause birds to hang up and go way around me. I have more success with my set up where the path has a bend or is slightly above me or where the gobbler's view is obstructed, when they get in view, too late, they are toast. Older birds upon seeing decoys will hold up and want the decoy to come to him. My average shot has been 25 yds or less. This is just my opinion and my experience. Field birds I set up 60-70 yds in the woods, again with view obstructed. They usually give you a shot if you pay attention. Also no decoys is one less thing to carry. Just my  worth.