Another turkey question

[RUGER]

In terms of decoys:
I have had only ONE positive reaction to decoys since I began turkey hunting.

Granted I would probably never killed one without help from friends that knew what they were doing and had places to go.

However, I have put out a single hen, hen with jake, hen with full-strut decoy, even put a whole friggin FLOCK of dekes out one time.
Looked like we were duck hunting.

Only once have I had an unquestionable positive reaction to a decoy.
I might add here that this was not a run of the mill 20 dollar foam rubber decoy.
It was a very expensive, realistic, labor intensive and time comsuming set up of a full srut gobbler and a single hen.

Sure I have had decoys out and birds walked by them and got shot but always jakes and hens (just the jakes were shot).
But for a longbeard to see a decoy, or spread, and come to them has only happened once.

Am I just unlucky or do I know nothing about putting out decoys?

Anyone else have this experience, or lack there-of?

 

[REN]

i dont usually use them unless i am field hunting and then i just put them there more for comfort then actual attracting purpose.

My history with them is about the same as yours...so now i dont really worry about putting them out unless i know for a fact i have time and even then i am 50/50 on them.

 

[GobblinThunder]

well this is my first year and i got some decoys ill make a post about my first hunt and how it went so be sure to read it to see how my decoy experince was

 

[WMAn]

Same experience. Only once was it unquestionable that the decoys worked.

I have bumped birds because I was trying to put out decoys so I don't use them anymore.

 

[East TN Bowhunter]

Out in the open hunting such as fields and meadows are the only time decoys have worked for me. I use a cheap old plastic decoy of a hen and in four years I've only had one gobbler come to it.

 

[East TN Bowhunter]

calling is what always works best for me!

 

[WTM]

always hunt fields and always use decoys, but you got to know how to use them with a call. i only use a 2 hen setup, and they are the cheap ones. the trick is the calling. dont call the gobbler, call the boss hen or in some instances try to out call her without overcalling. when she comes, the gobbler will follow.

a few tricks i have used, is position yourself between the birds and your decoys. if they hang up, then youll still have a shot and most of the times theyll pass right by you to get to the dekes. i always try to position the dekes as if they are moving away from the flock, it seems that early gobblers will run to them to try to cut them off. good luck.

 

[WRbowhunter]

only killed 2 birds but the 2nd one was a big long beard. Had a hen and jake decoy and the tom was following a hen . He saw my decoys in the field and came right to them. He was about to jump on the jake decoy when I shot him. Was thinking it would have been pretty cool to see him attack the decoy but lost my nerve and shot.

 

[WingNut]

Just like duck hunting the set up is key. Like WTM said call the boss hen not the gobbler. You tick off that boss hen and the she is coming over to your decoy for a cat fight. Have had the boss hen peck my decoy before. Have had full strut decoys spurred off stakes before. I only hunt fields or open areas so decoys do help. I try to position them facing away from where the turkeys are coming from, better yet where I think they are coming from. Good luck

 

[spitndrum]

Right with you Daniel, I have killed 3 in my career, and I usually go with friends, I honestly don't have the best places to go but this year I have a new lease that is covered in turkeys!