Hunting with Decoys, why?

[NYGobblergetter]

I typically carry one with me when I go, but have been successful with out them too. I use the most when I take kids hunting because we are typcially hunting out of a blind and in fields. They are definitely not necessary, but can be helpful in certain situations

[wvboy]

If I am hutning the woods I don't use them.. if I am hunting Fields I will try them .. if they spook from them a couple of times then I will put them away as well..

I love both ways really.. there is a sense of satisfaction from not using one at all and just pulling up a tree.. but there is also something magical when a Gobbler reacts to a decoy and gets up close and personal .. especially using Strutting Dekes and watching them charge in and beat the crap out of it..

So it depends on where I am hunting that day if they go with me or not..

[jakesdad]

I like to use a jake decoy atop a hen decoy like hes breeding her or i set them very close together(3-4 ft)I seem to have better luck,if i go to just one deke,just using a semi-strut timid looking jake.Ive had gobblers stand and strut waiting for that lone hen to come to them and just walk off,as opposed to the single jake.have had lots of po'd gobblers run in and die to the lone jake thinkin he had run off or bred that hen that he just heard.Only use them in fields,never in timber.

[Garrett Trentham]

I love hunting turkeys over decoys. It takes skill to know where to place the decoy in any given set-up, which way to face it, how high to set the stake, etc. No different than calling.

I always use one when filming. It makes it a lot easier to control where the gobbler will be at the kill, and can help draw some of his visual attention off the shooter and the camera man.

Hunting fields is another time I rarely go without a decoy. It is more a visual battle when hunting fields than anything. I think a lot of guys mess up by just staking a decoy or two (especially a gobbler decoy) out in a field without any thought. To me, this is what often leads to birds not committing completely to the decoys. Motion in the decoys is another factor that is vital for consistent success when using decoys in large fields.

I don't always use a decoy on every set up. Sometimes you have to find a tree and get ready NOW cause he is right there and coming. But I always have at least one hen decoy in my vest every time I leave the truck.

[paboxcall]

I don't use them because I feel I don't need them.

For me its another thing to carry, and I've found them to be non-essential for hunting big woods and my own hunting style.

[Mike Honcho]

I only use them when terrain/cover dictates.  One of my most memorable hunts was last spring in a corn field with no cover at all...turkeys roost on neighboring ground I can't hunt,  but they move into the fields later in the mornings to feed.

Not much fun carrying a 17 lb. ground blind, a decoy bag and two decoys and a 9 + lb. BPS 10 ga. in for a half mile trek to set up in the dark....BUT was a lot more fun carrying all that stuff out with a 26 lb. Eastern , 14.5" beard, 1 1/4" hooks added to the load after working and calling for 45 minutes to bring him in.  Used a Jake mobil with real fan and one hen deke.

[El Pavo Grande]

I prefer not to use them and rarely do.  In the woods I typically hunt, the odds have proven to be better forcing the gobbler to search for the hen.  In my experiences decoys are about a 50/50 trade off.  If I have to make a 50 yard swing, I don't want to be gathering decoys, because 9 time out of 10, it has to be a quick and decisive move.  Full strut decoys no doubt can be effective, but the videos and hunting tv often portray them as "automatic" and market them to death, which is just a turnoff for me.  To each his own and not meant to offend anyone, but sometimes I think newer hunters can fall into a trap of relying on decoys too much and may not learn to expand their skills of calling, understanding turkey behavior, or turkey sign, etc.

[J Hook Max]

 I have hunted near my home in South Alabama for about 30 years. I got used to hunting without them because until just a few years ago, they were illegal. I don't look down on those who use them, but leaving them at home will make you a better turkey hunter in the long run.

[jblackburn]

I will decoy early season, especially with a bow to get them close and hold their attention.  I almost exclusively use a jakemobile with a real fan and maybe a hen.  Seriously considering the DSD Jake because bowhunting birds is addictive.

Now, when I grab the 12 gauge, the decoys stay home (unless I need to use a foam one as a back pad!) because I am a run and gun guy.

[Jay]

In some of the places I hunt (west Tx and oklahoma) we hunt around some huge wheat fields that have no cover to get close to turkeys in the field and the decoys serve as something visual for the turkey to key in on. They tend to get a little leery when they hear calling and dont see anything in a wide open field.


When I'm not hunting a field (prefer not to if I can help it), I leave the decoys at the truck.

Yep! For us hunting a lot of open areas, after you call them in, they will stop, look around for the Hen, and if they don't see nothing, they wander away. A lot of hunting techniques depends on where you hunt. If I'm hunting heavily wooded areas, the need for Dekes isn't really necessary. Same with blinds, which I hate lugging in, but in some areas I've hunted, an absolute need. When I'm on the road, I'm loaded for any scenario.