Decoy setup help

[RiverRoost]

Need help with a decoy setup. I'm not much on using decoys as I like the bird to come in looking for me but it's supposed to start raining here tonight through tomorrow and maybe stop tomorrow afternoon. While hunting the other day I found some gobbler tracks in a road that were probably from the day before. The road makes a slight bend and has a jump in it with a food plot lane going off on both side of it. I was thinking about hitting the road tomorrow right as the rain quits and setting up in the trees being able to shoot both ways down the road because there's a huge oak tree right on the side that I think they are scratching under.

Thought about bringing a Jake and hen and setting up in the road for a little while. Question is how would you position them, mainly the 1/4 strut Jake? Thanks and sorry for the long post

[MK M GOBL]

From reading the post, guessing in the timber and a "road" leading to a food plot. Are you hunting shotgun? Righty or Lefty? Know which way birds are coming from? With rain, no worries about sun... Also are you setting hens as well?

Give me a little info and I can give you my best read.


MK M GOBL

[RiverRoost]

It's a closed road that runs through the middle of about 400 acres of our club. Planted sides of the road in wheat about 10 yards from rod side to tree lines. I'm right handed. Wasn't many tracks in the road other than the gobbler tracks and I know which way they were headed. I'll try to take a pic from my app

[MK M GOBL]

If you know which way they're coming from, set to strong side and that Jake a little past "12 noon" from your set so incoming tom is coming past you to get to jake decoy, I'd set an upright hen w/jake about 6ft from and then a feeding hen 10-12ft from set. Plan to kill him at Jake Decoy, always making sure other decoys are not in firing line/path.

Hope this helps with what I'm talking


_____Treeline__________________________________________________________

              Food Plot
                                           Feeding

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Road   Gobbler--->                                    Jake
--------------------------------------------------------------Upright-----------------

            Food Plot


__Treeline____________X (You at tree) ________________________________________
                              Facing Jake (can swing strong side/Shoot at kill spot "Jake")

[RiverRoost]

Here's a screenshot of the area. The circle is the huge oak dropping in the road, the X is where the tracks are and the arrow is the direction it looked like they came out of the woods and direction they were headed. Tracks may have actually started a little more up toward the circle. On a dry year there is always dusting and strut marks in the red circle. There's a rise in the road about at the bottom and top of the yellow circle. The other day I was and will walk in from the bottom of the picture toward the top down the road.

Since the weather is gonna be pretty crappy I figured this may be about my only viable chance with rain and wind possibly lingeri around verses walking and trying to strike one up

[RiverRoost]

Certain direction the Jake should be facing to make gobbler want to approach him?

[rakkin6]

This is my preference others may have a different idea but I out the Jake facing towards myself. That way when the Tom comes in his back will be to you when he goes face to face with the deke. You will then be able to get ready for the shot while he is distracted with the deke. You could also take one of your hen decoys amd set her on the ground in front of the Jake about 2 feet or so. The Tom will think he is getting ready to breed her and this will sometimes get them really fired up. Just some ideas like I said.

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[RiverRoost]

Guess no harm in putting decoys on any rise or small hump in the road so they can be better seen? I'm not taking about on a mound or anything but if there's a slight rise or incline in the road

[rakkin6]

Yeah i think that is fine, could the turkeys see them coming from both directions if you out the dekes up there? Just in case they come in from a different direction

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[MK M GOBL]

Certain direction the Jake should be facing to make gobbler want to approach him?

I have always let my decoys spin freely, I want the motion. The Jake is already in a "subordinate" position, I go with that.
Just from what I have seen, most toms are coming "in" in fight mode with a jake decoy, sometimes very quickly and his attention is focused there. Not to say you can be just moving around (turkey is a turkey) if you have some indication he is coming, gun is up and ready.


MK M GOBL

[rakkin6]

Whole I don't let mine soon freely info allow for some movement. I place some sticks on both sides of the fan allowing it to move back and forth some with the wind. We get some pretty strong winds and I don't want him spinning in circles lol

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[MK M GOBL]

Whole I don't let mine soon freely info allow for some movement. I place some sticks on both sides of the fan allowing it to move back and forth some with the wind. We get some pretty strong winds and I don't want him spinning in circles lol

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Guessing from the setup, not that windy of a set. But I get what your saying, I use DSD's and they have a rubber bump stop on the stake, if it's that windy just slide it up to decoy and slows any abrupt spinning, real windy it will fit into stake hole. Haven't had any real "spinning", my old foams yes, but not the DSD's have a lot better stability.

Guess it depends on your decoy brand.


MK M GBOL

[rakkin6]

Yeah I use the Avian X Half Strut and have the feeder, lookout and laydown hen. Early season I will run the laydown hen, Jake and one of the other hens. Later in the season after the Tom's have been fighting with the gangs of Jake's for awhile i seem to have better luck with just hens. I think Ol Tom is tired of dealing with the Jake's.

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[bbcoach]

Here's my 2 cents.  Here in Eastern NC, I hunt planted pines with roads running through the pines for harvest access.  We setup on these roads since the turkeys will use them as Strut Zones.  From your scouting description, you are hoping to possibly harvest a bird on the road when the tracks are telling you he may have only used the road one time.  Any wing drag marks on the road??  Any eyes on sightings??  Did you hear any gobbling in the area of that road when you scouted??  If you have none of these, he probably was just passing through.  With rain in the forecast, you may get lucky and he may come out to the road to dry off.  If that is a second road running east and west on your map, I would start there.  The birds here will usually pick an area to strut where they can be seen from MULTIPLE directions.  A crossroads or a T in the road is a good strut zone.  Without seeing the area, or knowing how much activity you have, your hunt will be a crap shoot.  Decoys or not ??  When hunting roads, I have found decoys may help but most times when a gobbler sees your dekes, he will hang up and stay back 40 to 50 yards wanting that hen to come to him.  A jake may help since it will be early in the season.  If you setup on the road, you need to get off the road 10 yards or so in cover, setup with any sun to your back and call.  If you use dekes, set them along the edge of the road, as if they are feeding in the grass, on the opposite side of your setup within 20 yards of you.  If you get a response, give him H---.  If he cuts the distance, give it to him one more time and let him come down the road and find you.  Good Luck tomorrow!  Let us know what happens. 

[bbcoach]

RR, did you hunt the road?  We didn't get any feedback on what happened if you did hunt that area.