Setting decoys on tall stakes

[TRG3]

Last spring, I went to one of my favorite turkey spots only to find that the yellow-flowered wild mustard (?) weeds in the picked corn field was about 3 foot tall and my decoys disappeared in the foliage when I put them out, making them invisible to any potential incoming birds. From this experience, I began to wonder if setting out my decoys on stakes that would raise them above the weeds would be a practical and/or effective way to let gobblers see my set up. This would put them 3+ feet above the ground. Anyone ever try this and, if so, how did it work?

[fallhnt]

Tall stakes work,if birds can walk in it and see I would do it.

[g8rvet]

I had that issue last year.  I just left the decoys home.  I figured they were not expecting to see the hen until up close, so I treated them like I was hunting thick woods.  I did not kill a turkey there though, so your mileage may vary. 

[turkeyfoot]

Tough to call in a wary gobbler in 3 feet tall weeds I would ditch the decoy and hunt the woods the birds will probably be more comfortable coming in

[mtns2hunt]

I hunt a couple of hay fields. As the season progresses so does the height of the hay/grass. As the location has a sort of dip  the birds coming into the field are looking down to my decoys about 20 degrees. So I raise my decoys using old arrows to be just above the hay.

Tall grass does not bother them at all. It is easy to get a clear shot at their head. You just need to watch sharp because that turkey head looks a bit like a submarines periscope when he raises it up to look around.

I have also used this trick in other fields when the grass is getting high. Works just as well.

[deerbasshunter3]

If you can't see the decoys, how are you going to see the turkey to shoot him?

[MK M GOBL]

I hunt a lot of fields and run into this, the toms will come through the tall stuff. I have seen them birds pretty much disappear in this stuff and then just see a head periscope up looking for a bird. I use and old blind pole as a stake and set the decoys so just the head, neck and top of back are showing, them toms will easily spot it. I am using a DSD Upright hen, I have also used my Strutter decoy at this late season and have killed some old birds with him.

Here's a pic of one of those hunts, tall hay and his fan is about all you see and the hen deke is harder to make out.
This old bird had some hooks!

MK M GOBL

[catman529]

How are you gonna see a gobbler in 3 foot weeds if you can't see the dekes? I'd get out of the weeds and into the woods


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[MK M GOBL]

How are you gonna see a gobbler in 3 foot weeds if you can't see the dekes? I'd get out of the weeds and into the woods


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Top of a gobblers head will be at 4-5 feet, that's a foot or two above the weeds/hay when they coming in looking...
Have killed a lot of birds late season and they are normally some of the old birds, learning how to hunt them in a field gives you that advantage. Sometimes when we hit 6th season those hay fields get mowed and they are bird magnets!

Description: Wild Turkey
Size:
The wild turkey is the largest North America game birds.
On average, male turkeys weigh about 18 pounds. The largest wild turkey on record weighed 37 pounds.
Females are smaller and duller. They weigh between 8 to 10 pounds.
A male bird can stand 5 feet tall. They measure 117 cm (46 in) from beak tip to tail tip; females measure 94 cm (37 in).

MK M GOBL

[catman529]

How are you gonna see a gobbler in 3 foot weeds if you can't see the dekes? I'd get out of the weeds and into the woods


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Top of a gobblers head will be at 4-5 feet, that's a foot or two above the weeds/hay when they coming in looking...
Have killed a lot of birds late season and they are normally some of the old birds, learning how to hunt them in a field gives you that advantage. Sometimes when we hit 6th season those hay fields get mowed and they are bird magnets!

Description: Wild Turkey
Size:
The wild turkey is the largest North America game birds.
On average, male turkeys weigh about 18 pounds. The largest wild turkey on record weighed 37 pounds.
Females are smaller and duller. They weigh between 8 to 10 pounds.
A male bird can stand 5 feet tall. They measure 117 cm (46 in) from beak tip to tail tip; females measure 94 cm (37 in).

MK M GOBL

first of all, where have you seen a turkey that was 5 feet tall? That's up to my chin... I think I might run for cover...second, how does 46 inches beak to tail make a bird 60 inches tall? Do they have 2 foot legs?

I think most tom turkeys with neck stretched out would be around 3 foot tall. Which means you can maybe see a red head in the weeds but can't see the beard. I accidentally shot a jake last year because I went by the red head. And I had just watched two big longbeards headed to the exact location, so I was convinced the 2 jakes were the 2 toms.

I wouldn't hunt in 3 foot weeds if there was a nice patch of woods, or a cut field somewhere else nearby.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[MK M GOBL]

How are you gonna see a gobbler in 3 foot weeds if you can't see the dekes? I'd get out of the weeds and into the woods


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Top of a gobblers head will be at 4-5 feet, that's a foot or two above the weeds/hay when they coming in looking...
Have killed a lot of birds late season and they are normally some of the old birds, learning how to hunt them in a field gives you that advantage. Sometimes when we hit 6th season those hay fields get mowed and they are bird magnets!

Description: Wild Turkey
Size:
The wild turkey is the largest North America game birds.
On average, male turkeys weigh about 18 pounds. The largest wild turkey on record weighed 37 pounds.
Females are smaller and duller. They weigh between 8 to 10 pounds.
A male bird can stand 5 feet tall. They measure 117 cm (46 in) from beak tip to tail tip; females measure 94 cm (37 in).

MK M GOBL

first of all, where have you seen a turkey that was 5 feet tall? That's up to my chin... I think I might run for cover...second, how does 46 inches beak to tail make a bird 60 inches tall? Do they have 2 foot legs?

I think most tom turkeys with neck stretched out would be around 3 foot tall. Which means you can maybe see a red head in the weeds but can't see the beard. I accidentally shot a jake last year because I went by the red head. And I had just watched two big longbeards headed to the exact location, so I was convinced the 2 jakes were the 2 toms.

I wouldn't hunt in 3 foot weeds if there was a nice patch of woods, or a cut field somewhere else nearby.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Really not trying to get someone upset... and can't say my self I have seen a 5ft tall turkey yes that does seem to be the extreme and that was from an Audubon Avian Web site, that was just their physical description they used. Bird's will stand at 4' looked up that on Wikipedia just to see what there description was.

Eastern wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) (Viellot, 1817)
This was the turkey species Europeans first encountered in the wild: by the Puritans, the founders of Jamestown, and by the Acadians. Its range is one of the largest of all subspecies, covering the entire eastern half of the United States from Maine in the north to northern Florida and extending as far west as Michigan, Illinois, and into Missouri. In Canada, its range extends into Southeastern Manitoba, Ontario, Southwestern Quebec (including Pontiac, Quebec and the lower half of the Western Quebec Seismic Zone), and the Maritime Provinces. They number from 5.1 to 5.3 million birds. They were first named 'forest turkey' in 1817, and can grow up to 4 ft (1.2 m) tall. The upper tail coverts are tipped with chestnut brown. Males can reach 30 lb (14 kg) in weight. The eastern wild turkey is heavily hunted in the Eastern USA and is the most hunted wild turkey subspecies.

My main point is just because weeds are 3ft tall a turkey when standing and looking will be above that point and that if you run in to the situation you do not need to leave where the bird is. In my mix of terrain, hardwoods and fields I kill a lot more birds in the fields than in the timber, so we deal with this pretty often (my experience). And not to say all birds are 4ft tall and all the weeds/hay are 3ft tall just saying it works.

MK M GOBL

Everyone hunts a different way and has different experience that they can share.

[catman529]

Really not trying to get someone upset... and can't say my self I have seen a 5ft tall turkey yes that does seem to be the extreme and that was from an Audubon Avian Web site, that was just their physical description they used. Bird's will stand at 4' looked up that on Wikipedia just to see what there description was.

Eastern wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) (Viellot, 1817)
This was the turkey species Europeans first encountered in the wild: by the Puritans, the founders of Jamestown, and by the Acadians. Its range is one of the largest of all subspecies, covering the entire eastern half of the United States from Maine in the north to northern Florida and extending as far west as Michigan, Illinois, and into Missouri. In Canada, its range extends into Southeastern Manitoba, Ontario, Southwestern Quebec (including Pontiac, Quebec and the lower half of the Western Quebec Seismic Zone), and the Maritime Provinces. They number from 5.1 to 5.3 million birds. They were first named 'forest turkey' in 1817, and can grow up to 4 ft (1.2 m) tall. The upper tail coverts are tipped with chestnut brown. Males can reach 30 lb (14 kg) in weight. The eastern wild turkey is heavily hunted in the Eastern USA and is the most hunted wild turkey subspecies.

My main point is just because weeds are 3ft tall a turkey when standing and looking will be above that point and that if you run in to the situation you do not need to leave where the bird is. In my mix of terrain, hardwoods and fields I kill a lot more birds in the fields than in the timber, so we deal with this pretty often (my experience). And not to say all birds are 4ft tall and all the weeds/hay are 3ft tall just saying it works.

MK M GOBL

Everyone hunts a different way and has different experience that they can share.

I don't mean to question your ability to kill one in tall weeds, obviously you get it done pretty well. But still, I trust my own judgement of watching hundreds of turkeys more than a Wikipedia description... I'm sitting here looking at a shop light, turn it sideways and picture a turkey standing that tall... that is a gigantic turkey. When I sling one over my shoulder the head comes down to my back pocket... I would think someone from some Audobon site would know how tall a bird stands. I guess binoculars aren't quite the same as staring down the barrel at a tom 15 yards away. Lol

[MK M GOBL]

I don't mean to question your ability to kill one in tall weeds, obviously you get it done pretty well. But still, I trust my own judgement of watching hundreds of turkeys more than a Wikipedia description... I'm sitting here looking at a shop light, turn it sideways and picture a turkey standing that tall... that is a gigantic turkey. When I sling one over my shoulder the head comes down to my back pocket... I would think someone from some Audobon site would know how tall a bird stands. I guess binoculars aren't quite the same as staring down the barrel at a tom 15 yards away. Lol

Hey no harm, no fowl

Ya have it pretty good around here in farm country it is keeping them birds healthy, 2 years ago I killed my 3rd bird that went over 28lbs!! My 28th year turkey hunting and closing in on #250 put down 11 longbeards last year.

Doubled on these boys,
Bird on the left #1 weighed in at 28lbs 4oz / 1 1/8" spurs / 11 3/4" beard and #2 was 26lbs 2oz / 1 1/8" spur (the other was busted up) / 10 5/8" beard.

Have good one!

MK M GOBL

[catman529]

I don't mean to question your ability to kill one in tall weeds, obviously you get it done pretty well. But still, I trust my own judgement of watching hundreds of turkeys more than a Wikipedia description... I'm sitting here looking at a shop light, turn it sideways and picture a turkey standing that tall... that is a gigantic turkey. When I sling one over my shoulder the head comes down to my back pocket... I would think someone from some Audobon site would know how tall a bird stands. I guess binoculars aren't quite the same as staring down the barrel at a tom 15 yards away. Lol

Hey no harm, no fowl

Ya have it pretty good around here in farm country it is keeping them birds healthy, 2 years ago I killed my 3rd bird that went over 28lbs!! My 28th year turkey hunting and closing in on #250 put down 11 longbeards last year.

Doubled on these boys,
Bird on the left #1 weighed in at 28lbs 4oz / 1 1/8" spurs / 11 3/4" beard and #2 was 26lbs 2oz / 1 1/8" spur (the other was busted up) / 10 5/8" beard.

Have good one!

MK M GOBL

those are some BIG birds. I killed all my biggest in 2015 when birds were unusually big that year, maybe from acorn surplus. Mine was 24 and change, but I also killed a couple over 23 that year. Normally 18-22 is the average where I hunt.

[West Augusta]

I've stuck my decoy stakes in the tops of fence posts before.  Guess they think he's roosting up there.
They can see it.