Funky Chicken Failure

[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

In all seriousness, how much do you still use your Funky? I have two and have only  used the one a few times and had an experience where a gobbler wouldn't commit into range (was using one and a hen), I am just trying to get some feedback because I sure as heck wanna use it more but positive feedback leaves me not second guessing as much?

Truthfully I can't really give it that much of a review. I think in my situation with all the Jakes it drew them in. Any other time I think it would work. Like the others have said I think it reallys depends on the birds and the pecking order. Bubba

Thanks for the feedback chief do you plan on using it more? Thanks to the other guys sounds encouraging going to be fun to try it out again with hopefully the same results as some other posters on here.

Matter of fact I'm thinking I'm going to hunt with it tomorrow. If so I'll let you know. Bubba

[Beards and Hooks]

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

In all seriousness, how much do you still use your Funky? I have two and have only  used the one a few times and had an experience where a gobbler wouldn't commit into range (was using one and a hen), I am just trying to get some feedback because I sure as heck wanna use it more but positive feedback leaves me not second guessing as much?

Truthfully I can't really give it that much of a review. I think in my situation with all the Jakes it drew them in. Any other time I think it would work. Like the others have said I think it reallys depends on the birds and the pecking order. Bubba

Thanks for the feedback chief do you plan on using it more? Thanks to the other guys sounds encouraging going to be fun to try it out again with hopefully the same results as some other posters on here.

Matter of fact I'm thinking I'm going to hunt with it tomorrow. If so I'll let you know. Bubba

Good luck Bubba hope you smoke a good old longbeard and looking forward to your report bud!

[High plains drifter]

I agree , some ranches decoys work well, others,  decoys spook the birds.That chicken is just so strange,  it just might work.

[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

In all seriousness, how much do you still use your Funky? I have two and have only  used the one a few times and had an experience where a gobbler wouldn't commit into range (was using one and a hen), I am just trying to get some feedback because I sure as heck wanna use it more but positive feedback leaves me not second guessing as much?

Truthfully I can't really give it that much of a review. I think in my situation with all the Jakes it drew them in. Any other time I think it would work. Like the others have said I think it reallys depends on the birds and the pecking order. Bubba

Thanks for the feedback chief do you plan on using it more? Thanks to the other guys sounds encouraging going to be fun to try it out again with hopefully the same results as some other posters on here.

Matter of fact I'm thinking I'm going to hunt with it tomorrow. If so I'll let you know. Bubba

Good luck Bubba hope you smoke a good old longbeard and looking forward to your report bud!

Well can't give you a report on the Funk. I ended up killing a jake by running and gunning. Had the leave the decoys behind. Bubba

[joey46]

Funky with a smirk.  This is a 2019 Funky pic.  He's been involved in two so far in 2020.  He's starting to get the "big head". LOL.

[sixbird]

I know this thread is a year old but have an additional story about chicken.
A buddy and I went to Fla. for an Osceola hunt and I decided to use the Funky Chicken.
The short of it is, the first bird spent about three or four minutes strutting around that ridiculous decoy and a prone hen before he went to turkey heaven.
The second one committed fully at first, then from a few feet away, saw something he didn't like.
He putted and started walking away, too late.
So, those two add my conviction that they work under the right circumstances.
One completely committed. The other committed long enough to seal his demise.


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[Gumby]

I use one when I take my kids. Set the funky chicken out with a feeding hen or even a lay down hen. In my experience toms come running in. Honestly can't remember a bird ever avoiding it or hanging up.

[Greg Massey]

Sometimes call shy birds will avoid decoys all together. It's just the nature of turkeys being turkeys.

[FLGobstopper]

Hunting alone I don't carry decoys that much but often tote 1 or 2 during youth season hunts or taking newer and less experienced hunters. Long story short youth season in FL in had multiple longbeards at different times shy away and skirt a DSD jake and hen combo my wife and kids bought me several years ago for my birthday. So I decide to try the Funky Chicken I bought from Walmart on end of season clearance for $5 2 years ago. Never really had the courage to carry it but after all the DSD heartbreak I was curious.

First chance I got to hunt I decided to experiment and called 2 longbeards in off the roost that ran as fast as they could down the hill to flog the decoy. Only 1 longbeard left that day and we decided to start calling the decoy Slim Jim. Took a first time turkey hunter the next day and had a big strutter bump Slim Jim as he was showing off for his hens and was about to strike when my buddy put him down. A couple days later in back to back days Slim Jim got trashed by a pair then group of 5 jakes and now his stake is all bent and he's missing some paint. Called in another single strutter for another new hunter last Sat who unfortunately ended up missing the bird.

My point is the Funky works so far, but if you would of asked me if the DSD worked last season I would of told you absolutely every time I've used it. Slim Jim has been good so far but nothing's full proof and if you use any of them and depend on them they'll let you down at some point. That's kind of the fun of it, the dang turkeys are going to do what the dang turkeys are going to do and sometimes if just doesn't make sense from one day to the next.