Curious as to the thoughts on the motion decoys coming out?

[turkey stew]

Not allowed in Michigan and wouldn't use if they were.

[tha bugman]

I almost got ran over by a motorized gobbler mounted on a radio controlled truck at the convention...almost drop kicked it, but that would not have been    I am not against decoys, but this kind of thing in my opinion is really marketed to someone sitting in a blind 99% of the time, again to each his own.  I am covering too much ground in a morning to be toting around a gobbler on a pod.  I will confess that I could really pull some stunts on my buddies with that gobbler truck decoy...sup that thing up where it would run about 80 mph...

[catman529]

I think they're stupid. I won't tell anyone not to use one though unless they actually asked for my advice.

One thing that gets on my nerves is the good turkey hunters who say someone is not a real hunter because they don't hunt the old fashioned way. We are all turkey hunters, we're on the same team. If you want to encourage someone to try hunting the traditional way, don't just come out and tell them they aren't a real hunter. Then they'll never listen to you.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[RutnNStrutn]

Well, of course you are going to have the purists that are against any kind of decoy, period. Personally, I use dekes regularly, but not always. I have taken about 1/3 of my gobblers without a decoy.
My personal opinion is that any legal method is fine by me, even if it's not my style and I don't do it. Yes, I know that legal is not the same thing as ethical.  Personally, I think ethics is a matter of personal opinion. It depends on who taught you to hunt, what their beliefs were, and what they instilled into you. Might not be the same as was taught to me, so we might disagree.
With all that said, I think decoys are fine, calling is fine, and even stalking a bird up (if you have that skill) is fine. But, I don't like the motion dekes for duck hunting, and I especially don't like it for turkey hunting. I hope the motion turk dekes don't catch on or become legal all over. I think you should have woodsmanship skills, calling skills, hunting skills, and if you feel the need, use decoys. I don't see the need for motion dekes for turkeys, because I think it provides an unfair advantage. Turkeys hang up on some decoys, often due to them being statue still. I don't like the motion decoys for that reason, even though some dekes move in the wind, and others have strings attached to provide motion. I don't like the string ones, or the electronic ones.
Just my opinion, which is no better than anyone else's opinion. So as long as it is legal, I'll support your right to use a legal method to harvest a bird.

[RutnNStrutn]

I think they're stupid. I won't tell anyone not to use one though unless they actually asked for my advice.

One thing that gets on my nerves is the good turkey hunters who say someone is not a real hunter because they don't hunt the old fashioned way. We are all turkey hunters, we're on the same team. If you want to encourage someone to try hunting the traditional way, don't just come out and tell them they aren't a real hunter. Then they'll never listen to you.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[RutnNStrutn]

I am not against decoys, but this kind of thing in my opinion is really marketed to someone sitting in a blind 99% of the time, again to each his own.  I am covering too much ground in a morning to be toting around a gobbler on a pod.

Excellent point. I use dekes fairly often because running and gunning doesn't work as well in the heart of Dixie as it does in my experiences up north and out west. But if where I hunted was conducive to the run and gun approach, I would leave the dekes in the truck also. It is a much more fun style of hunting than sitting over dekes is.

[tha bugman]

Well, of course you are going to have the purists that are against any kind of decoy, period. Personally, I use dekes regularly, but not always. I have taken about 1/3 of my gobblers without a decoy.
My personal opinion is that any legal method is fine by me, even if it's not my style and I don't do it. Yes, I know that legal is not the same thing as ethical.  Personally, I think ethics is a matter of personal opinion. It depends on who taught you to hunt, what their beliefs were, and what they instilled into you. Might not be the same as was taught to me, so we might disagree.
With all that said, I think decoys are fine, calling is fine, and even stalking a bird up (if you have that skill) is fine. But, I don't like the motion dekes for duck hunting, and I especially don't like it for turkey hunting. I hope the motion turk dekes don't catch on or become legal all over. I think you should have woodsmanship skills, calling skills, hunting skills, and if you feel the need, use decoys. I don't see the need for motion dekes for turkeys, because I think it provides an unfair advantage. Turkeys hang up on some decoys, often due to them being statue still. I don't like the motion decoys for that reason, even though some dekes move in the wind, and others have strings attached to provide motion. I don't like the string ones, or the electronic ones.
Just my opinion, which is no better than anyone else's opinion. So as long as it is legal, I'll support your right to use a legal method to harvest a bird.

+1

[GobbleNut]

Personally, I love 'em.  I wish everybody would get themselves one, plop their behinds down on the ground somewhere, and drive one of these dekes around in front of them all day long.  It'll keep them out of my way and they will never get back to the areas that I would be hunting anyway. 

Besides that, if I see someone with one of them, I will know where I can go later to get some shooting practice at a moving target!   

[BB30]

On a more serious note, I don't think you will see these take off. I for one don't know or hunt with anyone that would consider using one and dragging that thing in and out would be a pain. I will use a decoy about 20% of the time and that is if I am taking a youngster that can't sit still and I need something to draw attention away from a kiddo moving a little bit as I don't use a blind either. That being said I don't see anything wrong with someone using a decoy.

The motorized decoy is taking it a little to far in my opinion, but unfortunately that is what hunting shows and hunting companies have done. They have to put something new out every year and the shows have to market and advertise what their sponsors are wanting to push. I am sure many of the guys on TV using some of this stuff would much rather not but in order to make it in their careers they have to and that is where I think many have gone wrong. The shows have gone from trying to be educational to 30 minutes of pushing product down our throats. I would be more interested in a hunting show filmed on public land actually showing real hunting, both the good and the bad. Explaining and giving advice on hunting pressured birds, dealing with the rest of the general public that hunts public land etc. That would be something I would be interested in watching.

[Marc]

Outside of motion decoys in and of itself, another aspect to consider is the self-monitoring of hunting and hunting regulations...

Although there are a growing number of hunters, the number of hunters as a percentage of  the population is falling...

We will never win over the anti-hunting population, and any efforts to do so are a wasted effort.  However, one of the goals of the hunting community should be to win over the non-hunters, or at the very least not push them over to the anti-hunting population.

I would much rather the hunting community self-impose regulation, rather than offend the public and have regulation imposed upon us...  Eventually that regulation will likely extend to the end of hunting.

As a hunter, I do not see the use of mechanical decoys as fair-chase...  Having shown the videos to non-hunters, the first thing they say is "that is not fair."

Hunters demanding or requesting more "ethical" hunting regulations is at the very least, good PR for the hunting community.

[Happy]

I agree with a lot of what you say is this post Marc. The problem with self regulation is that every time those that are concerned with fair chase and looking after the well being of the wildlife speak up, those that are only concerned with killing things get butt hurt and start the "same team" "we have to stick together" bs. "Hunters" wiped out the Buffalo and didn't think twice about it. They also darned near did the same with turkeys and deer. Hunting is supposed to be a challenging for a reason. We want to continue to have a healthy population. Now that those who make the rules are more serious about making dollars than being conservationists you are seeing the result. And you are right. Most of the non-hunting people I know are disgusted by the behavior of the modern "hunter." And I dont blame them a bit. It turns my stomach as well.

Sent from my SM-G800R4 using Tapatalk

[Ihuntoldschool]

One thing that gets on my nerves is when these new breed hunters get on here and try to silence the old school hunters who understand how turkeys were intended to be hunted in the Spring and have respect for their quarry.   The ones that play the game by the rules and understand that there is more to hunting than the kill.   You know the ones who are concerned for the future of hunting and where our sport is headed.

[Ihuntoldschool]

And that same team stuff is a bunch of BS because its way past being long overdue that true hunters and conservationists make their voices heard out of concern for where this new breed of so called hunter is taking the sport, to its demise.

[howl]

I have about as much problem with motorized decoys as people have with me for making fun of anyone using them. I already poke fun at people for using regular decoys. This is gonna get good!

I'm looking forward to the first story about the one that got away because the batteries ran out before it worked all the way in.