Funky Chicken Failure

[StruttinGobbler3]

Well, I was disappointed in my 35 dollar investment. I don't use decoys very much these days and don't have much experience with them, so maybe I did something wrong. The other day I scouted an area I haven't yet hunted, and found it loaded with sign. Tracks, strut marks, scratchings so thick it looked like a bomb zone. I had also glassed two gobblers in the adjoining field tailing a pair of hens the evening before. So that evening about an hour and a half before fly up time, I made my set. I have an avian hen but I couldn't remember where it was. I then thought of a past hunt where I called three Jakes to a field, and when two longbeards topped the hill and saw them, came at a dead run to fight the Jakes. So I brushed in about ten yards back in the woods, and set my funky chicken by himself close to the woodline facing toward me. In my mind I was simulating a jake following the unseen hen (me) into the woods, which I figured would bring them running to run off this jake. I did some light, soft calls every so often with a trumpet and a box call to sound like a couple different hens. About 40 minutes into this, I hear a gobble over the rise in the field. I got down on my gun and waited. After a few minutes, I gave another quiet yelp and resumed waiting. Not long after two gobblers popped up over the hill. They stood and stared at this decoy for a minute or so. They did not like what they saw. They started to skirt around me, giving this goofy looking decoy a wide berth. I still managed to kill one of the gobblers, but after that experience I don't think much of this decoy. I was already skeptical, and definitely didn't see the action all the reviews rave about. So is using a single jake decoy a bad idea?


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[SoDak_JD]

Only time I've used mine, 4 hens came running right to it and brought 3 longbeards chasing them.

But, yes, all the reviews seems to say they run to it or directly away from it.  Probably because those that leave reviews either really love or hate it.  The ones that think it's so-so don't bother.  I had been looking at them for a while but got it on clearance for like $15.

We had 3 crappy foam hen decoys out as well.  I don't have a ton of experience so this is more of a "what I've heard":  Turkeys can pinpoint the location of a sound from a long ways off.  If they hear a hen and come looking for a hen but then only see a jake, they very could well think something's not right.

OR it could be because the decoy looks ridiculous.


Glad you got one of them.

[harleytom]

I've never used mine without hen decoys also, so I can't give an educated opinion. I will say, like all decoys, it's hit or miss as to how they will react. My experience with FC overall is positive especially last season where 2 gobbler I killed ran to it to beat it up, but there were also hen decoys out as well, so....


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[Marc]

I have had birds react the same to my Avian jake...  Sometimes they run to it, sometimes they ignore it, and I have had them absolutely avoid it.

I have a friend that has one, along with a DSD jake, and he reports that when the birds go to that funky chicken, they really go to it.

[strum]

Not sure I would say their reaction was exclusively because of the F chicken. I had this same kind of thing happen using a DSD jake and submissive hen.
Turkeys act all kind of different ways toward decoys. Its so hard to judge sometimes how they are going to react.
Im not really a decoy guy now days but I have used them with good and bad results. Hey you got the bird anyway good on you for that.

[g8rvet]

My only experience was the bird stayed about 60 yards away from the Funk and a DSD hen.  He gobbled his head off, but would come no closer.  After he walked off gobbling, he gobbled in the woods about 150 yards away and I crawled out and pulled the Funk.  An hour later he came back to the field (he had a weird kink in his beard, definitely same bird) - came straight in to the decoy and took a truck ride.

[chadly]

Never used one.  Sure they did not see you?

[sixbird]

My only experience was the bird stayed about 60 yards away from the Funk and a DSD hen.  He gobbled his head off, but would come no closer.  After he walked off gobbling, he gobbled in the woods about 150 yards away and I crawled out and pulled the Funk.  An hour later he came back to the field (he had a weird kink in his beard, definitely same bird) - came straight in to the decoy and took a truck ride.

There's the classic example of a tom that has been beaten up by jakes.
I've had toms come in and wear out that funky chicken and I've had them shy away.
I think it has more to do with the social situation than the decoy.
I was hunting with a friend. I had a DSD hen and a funky chicken out.
A tom came in and, as soon as he saw the decoys, he faded right away ( he had been gobbling on the way in ).
After he left, I went out and removed the chicken because...Well, just because. I thought that should be my first course of action.
About an hour later that same tom came back from the direction he went.
As soon as he saw the hen, he came in in half strut. Just as he was beginning to open up into full strut, four or five jakes came running in and opened a can of whoop a - - on him.
I've never seen such brutality in my life!
They actually were dragging him around and pecking him and beating him with their wings.
He somehow managed to get on his feet and, with one of them still hanging on him, stumble off.
That jake returned a short time later and the little hoodlums finally walked off.
After that display, I understood EXACTLY what was going on.
It wasn't the decoy, it was the social situation...


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[g8rvet]

May even just be a bird that got a whoopin from another Tom too.  I only use dekes in fields and now just use a hen.  Not that it can't work.  I reckon if I knew there was a dominant longbeard I wanted to kill, I would pull it out again. 

[ChiefBubba]

Couple of years ago I decided to try the funk and got one. Hunted my farm in SC set up first morning in a field with the funk and a hen or two. Had some gobbling in front of me and a silent gobbler came in from behind and had no interest in the decoy. Started walking in the field and then left in a hurry. I see a group come from the far side and I call a little and they start working over. Turns out it's a group of 5 jakes. I started call them the Gang of 5. They catch sight of the funk and hens and come right in. I had them milling around I could probably killed 3 in one shot. Soon as I saw this I knew what was going on. I let them walk and almost had them called back and decided I would kill one since there's 5 of them. Farmers wife drove by and spooked them. I cut through the woods to the next field over and there they were having a stand off with a gobbler about 100 yards apart. I pulled the funk and hunted the rest of the time with just a single hen. Killed the biggest Jake the next morning doublr bearded and about 7 inch beard. Bubba

[spaightlabs]

So you killed a bird and are complaining?

Gotcha.

[sixbird]

I don't think he was complaining at all. He was making the point that that gang of jakes was beating up the local toms. I thought that was pretty clear.

[g8rvet]

I did not see a complaint.  Jeez

[ChiefBubba]

I did not see a complaint.  Jeez

I'm a Grumpy Old man I complain about everything!  But I was just making an observation on my experience with the decoy. Never complain about hunting except for maybe on public land. Haha. Larry how you doing? Haven't seen you around? Bubba

[Beards and Hooks]

  Wow Grumpy old men