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Who uses full strut decoys?

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Pep-C-Man

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I have a full strut decoy but thinking about getting the new Avian X jake I'm afraid the big boy will scare a gobbler away.Just looking for advice.
 
I use an old bmobile with real fan. It's a small bodied gobbler and I have yet to see a gobbler run away when they see him. Every one has come in on a leash. His name is Fred. :) Of course I don't hunt pressured birds.
 
I don't and don't ever believe I need a decoy of any kind. Cutting my teeth hunting where they were illegal forced me to learn to hunt turkeys by using the terrain, calling, and brains to outsmart them without the need for a piece of plastic or foam.

I understand the attraction to decoys, but it imo takes a lot away from the art of turkey hunting.
 
I've used one and when it works, it works awesome. They come running in like a Kamikaze. It's hilarious to watch their reaction to it. They can, however, prevent a bird from coming in just as easily. Last year I took my boy out to LBL and we had 3 gobblers come out of the woods at 50 yards and would not come to the dekes. These were not jakes but mature birds. They weren't scared as they stayed in the field with us for about 45 minutes slowly moving away till they reached the other side and went into the woods gobbling their heads off.
 
Ive never had them run from a full fan in TN but a few years ago in Texas they'd hang up way out and we took scissors and made a jake fan and they came in. Now i use the jake fan in all mine. I have a actual mounted gobbler and a Bmobile both.
 
I have a mounted gobbler in full strut too. Other than a hen one time, they just ignore it completely for me. I mainly hunt public land though and hardly ever get to use it.
 
tasaman said:
They can, however, prevent a bird from coming in just as easily.
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IMO, this happens more often than not, meaning the full strut decoy is usually more a liability than an asset, at least for me.

It will work SOMETIME.
Biggest issue I have with any decoy is simply having to carry them, seconded by how often a turkey can see you when you're either putting them out or picking them up to move.

Still are certain times and certain set-ups I might use a decoy, but am generally in agreement with Setterman about their use, and believe for those who have called up & killed a few the more traditional way, decoys are more a liability than an asset, especially a full strut one, and especially even more if you hunt more in woods than in fields.

For novice hunters, decoys can be both a blessing and a curse, as they may provide a little edge in actually killing a turkey, but at the same time may slow down or prevent the hunter from acquiring better turkey hunting skills which are generally more effective (and enjoyable) than simply setting out a decoy.

Another circumstance where a limited use of decoys can be beneficial is when you are limited to hunting a very small acreage (or single spot), and cannot "hunt" turkeys in the more traditional way of covering more ground, and actually "hunting" the turkeys. But if you use them regularly in a particular spot, they can quickly become very counter-productive.
 
the avian works great, but all decoys want work at sometimes. Last year we were filming for the show and just like he had read the script here comes a big ol long beard gobbling and strutting all the way then at 50 yards he puts on the breaks looks strait at the decoys and halls tail out of there! Some times there a God send and sometimes they will hurt you. so yes they work and no they dont!! but thier a blast to play with it.
 
square said:
Just another tool in the box. Sometimes they work. Sometimes they don't.
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Well said, I'll use every trick and tool in the bag. It's all about the encounter.. Nothing works all the time....
 
BHC said:
Anyone ever use a strutter decoy as a blind?
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On public land? NOT ON YOUR LIFE! Good way to get shot. On private land that I am sure no one else is hunting, it could and had been done but why take the chance? Just set up 20 yards away and you can accomplish the same thing. and much safer too.
 
Yea Ive never done it but I thought it could make for a sweet hunt, and give you an instant blind... The danger factor is possibly to much for me even if I think I'm alone... The other negative is it point the turkeys eyes at you... But still it'd be sweet to have one run in and kick it in your lap!
 
tasaman said:
BHC said:
Anyone ever use a strutter decoy as a blind?
Click to expand...
On private land that I am sure no one else is hunting, it could and had been done but why take the chance?
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The problem is most of us can almost NEVER be sure no one else is hunting nearby us, even on our own private land. My experience has been that turkey hunting poachers are much more mobile and brazen than deer hunting poachers. Never know when you're going to have a trespasser, and they won't be wearing any hunter orange. Although I'd have to say the trespasser might be the one more likely to get himself shot.
 

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