Turkey hunting, with or without decoys, in term of efficiency

[YoungGobbler]

Am I opening a huge can of worm..? Or we are in the slower season and it will pass under the radar..?

The title says it all, in terms of efficiency, what would be the most efficient way to hunt turkeys?

I have searched the forum quite a bit on this question, and the first thing that surprised me was the numbers of comments saying that decoys were 'not ethical' because they worked too well!
I had never heard such a thing, because where I live, most hunters use decoys. I guess that TV shows and others who made this activity popular used them and it sticked in the mind of hunters that turkey = decoys... And I had never heard someone saying they were 'un-ethicaly too good'!

I started hunting turkeys last spring and I hunted without decoys. I tried it this way because of two reasons : I had heard stories of hunters who said turkeys went away from them when they saw decoys... And because I watched almost every 'hunting public' videos and they never used decoys. So I took the guess that maybe it's better if you let the turkey search for where the sound come from, instead of having an inactive, motionless decoy out in front of you...

But the way some of my hunts went last spring, I think I would have liked sometimes to have a female decoy out... I think that one or two times I would have had a turkey go straight to the decoy... maybe?
But other times, I was very happy to not have decoys, because I moved a lot and I was happy to not carry one and also I would not have been able to set it up each time, and pick it up before moving...

So regarding all of this, let me ask you this question... Do you think it is more efficient to hunt gobblers with or without a decoy?

[NCL]

I have not noticed any great advantage when I use decoys. I have had hens come into my decoy setup on a few occasions, once the hen attacked my decoy, another time I had two hens that hung around the decoys for over an hour. I only use decoys on a private land that I have permission to hunt because it is small and not much room to move around on so I usually just hunt stationery. If I hunt public land I usually leave the decoy a home berceuse I am usually on the move.

I guess this really is not much of an answer to your question,

[silvestris]

When it comes to killing turkeys it is my opinion that decoys usually contribute to efficiency.  When it comes to hunting turkeys, the use of decoys deprives the "hunter" of the knowledge whether the bird died because of the hunting skills (calling, woodmanship, positioning, etc.) of the hunter or from his pocket by purchasing a decoy which deprives the turkey of his natural defenses.  I prefer positioning and my caller.

[YoungGobbler]

Both of your answers are interesting. Hope I can get a few more!

[eggshell]

I have hunted turkeys 52 years and you can count the number of times I used a decoy on one hand. I don't even own one and the times they were used they belonged to someone else and I have only shot one turkey when a decoy was used, and I won't give any numbers for kills (I actually don't know a real number ) but it's more than a few. These are my personal feelings and choice only.

Here's my take. The short answer is yes it increases efficiency and more so in fields then in heavy woods. There are cases where birds shy away from decoys, but that is not the norm. I hunt almost all woods and hills and I don't want the baggage. I prefer to keep it simple and light, but I have no problems with someone using stationary decoys. What I mean by that is a decoy stuck in the ground and not held and advanced by the hunter, AKA reaping. They absolutely can seal the deal on field birds. They work in woods but less so, just because of visibility. Gobbler decoys often work better then hen decoys. Being a newbie and wanting an edge until you learn more is a valid reason to consider decoys. You may like the results and want to continue using them, but in the end my opinion is they will put more gobblers in gun range.

[g8rvet]

Woods?  Don't use, so no opinion. 

Fields?  yes, they do improve efficiency.

YOU decide your ethics.  I do what I do and don't care what others do as long as it does not endanger others. 

My brother responded to 2 different shootings in the spring in a 30 year career near a huge national forest - neither involved a decoy. 

[YoungGobbler]

YOU decide your ethics.  I do what I do and don't care what others do as long as it does not endanger others. 

Agreed, and i am this way too.

[YoungGobbler]

I have hunted turkeys 52 years and you can count the number of times I used a decoy on one hand. I don't even own one and the times they were used they belonged to someone else and I have only shot one turkey when a decoy was used, and I won't give any numbers for kills (I actually don't know a real number ) but it's more than a few. These are my personal feelings and choice only.

Here's my take. The short answer is yes it increases efficiency and more so in fields then in heavy woods. There are cases where birds shy away from decoys, but that is not the norm. I hunt almost all woods and hills and I don't want the baggage. I prefer to keep it simple and light, but I have no problems with someone using stationary decoys. What I mean by that is a decoy stuck in the ground and not held and advanced by the hunter, AKA reaping. They absolutely can seal the deal on field birds. They work in woods but less so, just because of visibility. Gobbler decoys often work better then hen decoys. Being a newbie and wanting an edge until you learn more is a valid reason to consider decoys. You may like the results and want to continue using them, but in the end my opinion is they will put more gobblers in gun range.

Thanks for your comment. I appreciate it. I may or may not try a decoy next spring... I really enjoy to go light and to be able to move fast and anywhere, not sure I want to carry a decoy... And I've read many hunters like you who said they killed many gobblers without decoy... Not sure if i will buy one next spring... I could say "one more spring without one..." and go on and on and on... 

[Gobbler428]

I think in the woods or on food plots decoys are not useful most of the time. In fields and large open areas like pastures and power lines decoys can be very useful. As far as ethics and decoys are concerned, that's up to the individual. I hardly ever use a decoy because I hunt mostly woods and tight areas i.e. creek bottoms and hardwood ridges.   

[Happy]

Here is my opinion.
Hen decoys: hit or miss as far as being helpful.
Gobbler and Jake decoys: more effective than hen decoys in most situations.
I personally don't care what anyone else does. In my personal opinion, hunting without decoys will initially be more challenging, but you will become a much better turkey hunter in the long run.

Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

[Kylongspur88]

IMO it all depends on the situation. I'll use a decoy or combo like hen and half strut jake when hunting in large fields but don't generally ever use them while hunting woods. I never use them in the fall. They're a necessity when bow hunting birds. A little research on turkey behavior will clue your in on what type of decoy to use and where etc... of you're going to buy a decoy I recommend dsd. There's good one on the market but they're the best.

[YoungGobbler]

Dsd decoys looks awesome... For next spring i'm pretty sure i will try it one more time without decoys...

[Kylongspur88]

Dsd decoys looks awesome... For next spring i'm pretty sure i will try it one more time without decoys...

Get what suits your budget. DSD decoys are amazing but I've also killed a pile over a foam flambeau hen sitting on an aluminum arrow for a decoy stake. Again, decoys aren't the golden ticket in all situations. In the woods soft calling and the right setup as far as no obstacles between you and the bird will do the trick. In fields or other high visibility areas a decoy can draw them is. If you're using a decoy always be aware of what and who's around you. Have a good clear field of view so you can see someone approaching if they try to sneak in on your set up. Also have a good tree or something to your back in case someone tries to sneak in and shoots at your decoys. A tree or dirt mound will save your back and head from getting filled up with #5s and potentially save your life.

[YoungGobbler]

Yeah i have no doubt this could happen...

[Greg Massey]

At my age, I need all the help I can get ... decoy, fancy calls, shotgun with a long range choke and TSS ... that most all of us, use this day and time...