Newb decoy question

[robertsj2221]

When wanting to try a decoy in the hardwoods do u just use a lone hen? New to Turkey hunting trying to close the deal with some mountain birds


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[silvestris]

I could post a lot of reasons why I hold a position on decoys, but I have given up on influencing others.

[robertsj2221]

Well please share with me your opinion


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[Marc]

Hunting the woods, I use a hen or no decoy.  I put out a hen decoy several times this season, but it was always in the decoy bag when I actually got to pull the trigger.

Not necessarily to decoy a bird in, but to give them that hen to look at when he should see one.  That bird coming into the call, pokes his head up to see that hen that is not there, will often get nervous and leave when he does not see a hen.

I have never had a turkey make haste from a hen decoy (although they have sure hung up on them).  I have certainly had jake decoys make birds turn around and go the other way though.

And...  For me, the fun is calling them in.  When a bird comes into a jake decoy, he is coming to that decoy and ignoring everything else, no doubt.  My calling has nothing to do with fooling him...  Personally, I feel robbed if I shoot a bird that does this.

I have no objections to using a decoy to help harvest birds, and nothing against using jake or strutter decoys...  I have shot birds over jake decoys...  But I vastly prefer knowing I had a conversation with the bird and called him to the gun.  Which is why I also far prefer hunting the woods.

Few years back, I put out a Funky chicken, and had a bird come into it, and flog it (before I even had a chance to start calling)...  Easily could have shot it (under 20 yards)...  My last bird of the season, and I did not call him in, so he got a pass...  Very personal decision that was not right or wrong.

As you engage in the activity more, and start to kill some birds, you might begin to challenge yourself more...  Kill a couple jakes, and then it will be toms only...  Kill them over a mating pair, and go to a hen only...  Maybe shoot one with a bow (which is where a jake decoy can be very helpful).

Hen decoy is generally lighter and easier to carry, it will not scare birds off (unless it tips over or something), and it might give you an opportunity to keep a bird in range long enough to kill him...   But, I have never seen a tom run up to a hen decoy, like they run up to a jake decoys.

[Greg Massey]

Just use a hen decoy ...

[Paulmyr]

Let me preface this by saying I don't use a decoy any longer.

I think if you try to seal the deal on those mountain gobblers without a decoy you'll become a better turkey hunter because of it. You'll  be able to handle different situations as they arise better if you rely on yourself to get it done rather than a piece of equipment. What you learn by relying on yourself will travel so to speak and you'll be able to consistently harvest gobblers anywhere.

Mountainous hardwoods really don't require a decoy to be successful. I found when I was younger and used a decoy in the woods the gobblers that came in were focused on where the calling came from instead of where I had placed the decoy. The decoy was just an unnecessary piece of equipment I was lugging around.

If your looking to advance yourself as a turkey hunter I think you'd be better served by staying away from the use of a decoy and rely on your calling and woodsmanship in a woodland scenario.

Good luck with whichever route you decide to take.

[silvestris]

Well please share with me your opinion


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The use of a decoy is an unartistic method of removing a Wild Turkey from his environment.

[Greg Massey]

Using a decoy is just like anything else you have with you, vest / satchel, guns with state of the art chokes, shells / TSS, calls and camo, they are all tools in your hunting arsenal. With any of your tools, you will always have a place to use them and a place not to use them.  Any of the tools i have mentioned all play a part in what you feel you will need to be successful. In finding that success you will need to experiment and find what all works best for you in your hunting area. This can depend on your area of terrain, weather and amount of hunting pressure.  Just like calls, not all calls are going to work for you that day, that's why in most cases you will take a variety of calls and use them in luring a gobbler to your gun barrel.  So again it's all tools in your arsenal, use what you feel you need to be successful in chasing your gobblers. Practice and have confidence in your arsenal of tools..... NO right / wrong... They are all tools ... IMO

[Marc]

I understand the animus towards the use of decoys.  Especially watching some of the YouTube videos.

No doubt that there is a greater satisfaction in bringing a bird to the gun by calling alone (i.e. no decoy).

But, having started this activity as an adult, and coming from a strong waterfowl background.  When I started off, it seemed unnatural to try and call in a bird without decoys.  (That feeling dissipated with experience)

And for many who depend on field hunting birds, I would think it would be far more challenging to be successful without decoys.

And...  Remember the person posting is (from all assumptions) posting this question in good faith, and I would guess it is a bit disconcerting to hear the antipathy towards the question.

Do not like using decoys...  Move on to the next thread and post there....  Or start another.

To the OP...  I go back to my above statement on decoy preference for hunting the woods with a decoy...  I like a hen decoy...  Maybe helps sometimes...  Probably does not hurt (the hunting).

Face the decoy away from where the bird will likely come.
Make sure the decoy is in good range (I like mine at about 15 yards).
If you do use one, make sure it is visible from where you expect the bird to come.
Buy the best you can afford, but do not take out a second mortgage to purchase one.
Remember, for hunting the woods, it is likely the least important piece of the puzzle.

[silvestris]

It is not antipathy.  It would not be fair to the OP not to point out that there might be a better, more sporting approach to the game.  Sight stimulus deprives the bird of his natural defenses.

[Greg Massey]

Calls do the same ...

[Sir-diealot]

Never even heard of not using a decoy before I got here, I got started in turkey hunting watching the old Primos videos in the early to mid nineties though.

[Meleagris gallopavo]

The OP did ask for the opinion.   

[/quote]
The use of a decoy is an unartistic method of removing a Wild Turkey from his environment.
[/quote]

I can't disagree with this.  The hunts burned into my memory are those "in-woods" chess matches using more sound and less sight.  The hunt itself is a masterpiece.

And for many who depend on field hunting birds, I would think it would be far more challenging to be successful without decoys.

This is my situation.  I live in an area of intense row crop agriculture, and the land that's unsuitable for growing crops is where you find the trees.  Birds fly down to the fields first thing in the morning and stay along the edges most of the day.  But you can catch a responsive gobbler mid-morning and hunt that bird without a decoy.  Decoy use in fields is not automatic success, and it often causes complete failure.  It's analogous to "live by the decoy, die by the decoy".

It is not antipathy.  It would not be fair to the OP not to point out that there might be a better, more sporting approach to the game.  Sight stimulus deprives the bird of his natural defenses.

This is also true, but the answer to the OP's question was more of a subjective opinion on decoy use in general and not a direct answer to the question as posed.  I appreciate the word "might" in the above quote as it leaves some wiggle-room for subjective interpretation.

Calls do the same...

Correct.  Imitating the mating call of wild turkeys takes advantage of his hormone-stimulated mating drive.
Only humans attract game or pest species by imitating sounds that attract them or stimulates them to give away their location (if there's a natural example of this please share it).  Turkeys adapted instincts to protect them from silent ambush predators.

To answer the OPs original question, when I do hunt in the woods I don't carry a decoy.  But I think that there would be some situations where one might help.

[ChesterCopperpot]

All I've ever hunted is mountains and there are plenty of days I might wind up walking ten or twelve miles of ridgeline on public trying to strike a bird. I'd hate to be lugging a decoy with me. I've never had fields to hunt. I've never killed a bird over a decoy. I think one of the greatest advantages of striking a bird in the mountains is that 90% of the time you've got terrain that you can use to your advantage so that by the time he peeks over and doesn't find the hen he's looking for he's flopping. For me having set up be the primary difference between killing a bird and hanging one up is a very satisfying way to hunt. Learning set up and woodsmanship are much more rewarding than shoving a stick up a plastic bird's bum IMO. Now with that said, I may feel different if I had fields to hunt instead of big country and big woods. Put me on a field and I might not get it done, but put me on a mountain and I'll knock ones brains out. If you're hell bent on running a decoy, I'd vote lone hen.


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[robertsj2221]

All I've ever hunted is mountains and there are plenty of days I might wind up walking ten or twelve miles of ridgeline on public trying to strike a bird. I'd hate to be lugging a decoy with me. I've never had fields to hunt. I've never killed a bird over a decoy. I think one of the greatest advantages of striking a bird in the mountains is that 90% of the time you've got terrain that you can use to your advantage so that by the time he peeks over and doesn't find the hen he's looking for he's flopping. For me having set up be the primary difference between killing a bird and hanging one up is a very satisfying way to hunt. Learning set up and woodsmanship are very rewarding skills, much more rewarding than shoving a stick up a plastic bird's bum. Now with that said, I may feel different if I had fields to hunt instead of big country and big woods. Put me on a field and I might not get it done, but put me on a mountain and I'll knock ones brains out. If you're hell bent on running a decoy, I'd vote lone hen.


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So you and I hunt the same type of territory. No fields all hardwood ridges.


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