Finally made a decision, and a purchase.

[deerbasshunter3]

I ended up getting the Pretty Boy Jr. off of eBay and the Avian feeding hen from Cabelas. I had a $50 gift card to Cabelas so the Avian was only $49.99 and the Pretty Boy was only $40. Not a bad deal considering the Avian hen alone was on sale for $89.99. I just could not see spending $100 for a DSD hen decoy. I know they look great, but after all of the research, and help from you guys (Thank you!), I decided that the DSD probably would not have made much of a difference over the Avian. I could have spend alot less but I am one of those guys who wants to get the best I am able to get.

I am looking forward to trying these decoys out on a real bird.

[silvestris]

I was kinda hoping you would have passed on the decoys.

[RutnNStrutn]

You should have good success using those. Good luck this spring!

[GSLAM95]

Good luck with your dekes and although I use DSD's when I do hunt with one or more your purchase is understandable and will get the job done.

I was kinda hoping you would have passed on the decoys.

Why do you care if he uses decoys?

[silvestris]

Raised differently.

[TURKEYWHACKER]

Enjoy your dekes. I picked up an Avian X lookout and feeder hen and can't wait to use em. Two years we found the Pretty Boy Jr at Wing Supply for a song and jumped on em. A handful of Osceola's spent their last living seconds bowing up on that jake. Best of luck on your spring.

[mgm1955]

Good luck this spring!!

[greencop01]

    I used to use a decoy but in the last few years I hunt without them and it has been all the difference. It makes you rely on your other resources, picking your set-up place, topography, how much you call, where you call........ we all hunt our own way and it makes all the difference. 

[GSLAM95]

Raised differently.

So because you were never "raised" to turkey hunt with decoys are you saying it's wrong to use them?

[VaTuRkStOmPeR]

^^^^ reduce the level of difficulty and you reduce the level of accomplishment.

I don't look at the birds I have killed over decoys with the same level of achievement I do as those without.
He has a point....

[jblackburn]

I used some cheap acrylic paint from the craft section at walmart and made my pretty boy jr's head look a lot better.

[drum817]

^^^^ reduce the level of difficulty and you reduce the level of accomplishment.

I don't look at the birds I have killed over decoys with the same level of achievement I do as those without.
He has a point....

i agree.... But to each his own.  Best of luck!!!

[GSLAM95]

^^^^ reduce the level of difficulty and you reduce the level of accomplishment.

I don't look at the birds I have killed over decoys with the same level of achievement I do as those without.
He has a point....

My point is not the level of difficulty or level of accomplishment.  You and I have both killed our share of Gobblers with and without decoys.  My point is that if you use Map apps on your phone, trijicon or red dot sights on your guns, special turkey chokes, payloads of hi tech shot, trail cams etc etc then how can you look down upon someone for using a decoy?

After killing birds in all parts of the country with and without dekes, with both gun and bow I think it's sad that anyone who uses any of the technologically advanced equipment of today mentioned above looks down upon someone who does.
Lets not leave out using that GPS to get back to an area or out on the road to travel to a different destination instead of an old fashioned road atlas either and the internet in which we are using to be on these forums.
Good luck to all this spring ( using dekes or not)..

[Jbird22]

I used some cheap acrylic paint from the craft section at walmart and made my pretty boy jr's head look a lot better.

Same here!

[alloutdoors]

Oh please. I've had hunts with no decoys where the birds couldn't run in and die fast enough, and hunts with decoys that were the exact opposite. The presence or lack of a decoy is not the single variable that defines the challenge of a hunt.

Raised differently.

Too bad part of that raising didn't include lessons on how not to be a condescending a$$. You don't like decoys? Fine, make your own thread and present your argument. I actually agree with you to a point, I feel bad for anyone who thinks turkey hunting just means sitting in a blind next to some decoys in a field and has never experienced any other way; but that also doesn't mean I won't use a decoy when the circumstances make it a good choice. Barging into every thread where decoys are mentioned with a holier-than-thou attitude isn't likely to win you any converts.