Turkeys wont decoy

[featherslayer 1]

Just wundering if anybody else is having a problem getting the birds to decoy? was out yesterday morning put out one hen decoy and had a hen and 2 jakes come in but the big toms stayed away. Went out this morning and had 3 big toms 70 yards away in the field, this was only 20 minutes in the hunt. 2 hens come down and i could not get them to even come over, they went back in the woods and the toms followed. i called 2 toms back out but they stayed right there any idea's on what a guy should try. yesterday only one hen decoy and today i used 1 hen and a jake

[sticknstring]

Maybe try it without decoys once. Let the birds tell you what they like or don't like. Often, lack of movement is the culprit or the birds have been hunted and have had encounters with dekes before. It's frustrating when birds hang up but keep at it. A new location or a different call (new hen in the area) might be all it takes. You could also try a tom decoy, it may agitate a bird and get him to come in. I've had mixed results with tom decoys and have had jakes and solo toms shy around my setup but if there's a group of toms, they'll usually come in running. Keep trying, that's the beauty of turkey hunting. Another thing you could try if you're hunting with someone else would be to have a shooter and a caller. Put the shooter between the caller and the birds and when they hang up, they'll be within range. Good luck - let us know how it works out.

[Jackpine Rob]

We hunted the A season, and found that the gobblers weren't really "in the mood" yet. Calling and decoys didn't do much. On opening morning, we watched 5 gobblers and about 12-15 hens as they milled around in front of us. The hens were yelping and rolling in the dirt and doing everything they could to get the gobblers going, but the gobblers just weren't into it. They would fan, but there was no real strutting and little drumming.

The gobbles they made were soft - not the loud and insistent gobbles of a randy tom. The heads of the gobblers also were still rather dull - not that irridescent red and blue of a gobbler looking for love.

We could get gobblers in to sighting distance, but then they would lose interest and wander away. It was frustrating.

We did the caller/shooter offset trick, and unfortunately the only chances Jr. had were with jakes, and he was holding out for a longbeard.

Finally we went commando on them, putting away the calls and decoys, and setting up along ambush points. After two looooong days of hunting with the decoys and calls - an hour of ambush hunting netted us two plump gobblers with nice beards.

Sometimes, a guy needs to adapt to the conditions.

[Borch]

That's just how nature works. The big mature gobblers will often hang up and stand it's ground waiting for the hen to come to them. I hutn without decoys almost all the time. If I do use one it's usually a jake. I want the tom looking for the hen it can't see. Works for me anyways. But then again decoys work for many hunters if the situation is right.

Good Luck!

[Dave S]

I've had this happen also. Along with what everyone else mentioned above, one other thing I've tried is once the tom sees the hen decoy, stop calling. Sometimes that silent hen will irritate the snot out an impatient tom and he'll come in.

Decoy placement is also key. The toms will want to be infront of the hen while doing their display. During my mentor hunt on Saturday, once the hens turned and started walking away, the tom was in a mad panic trying to get their attention. He wasn't interested in the pretty boy or the hen decoy I had out. He wanted the hens moving away from the competition.

[Archerysniper]

Like Lep said placment is the key, I allways make sure my decoys are faceing me they tend not to hang up as often they come between you and the decoys for a nice shot I also place 2 sticks by the tail of the decoy so it can still move with the breeze but cant spin all the way around this keeps them facing the blind. On the petty boy I take tip-up line and wrap it around him a few times so I can pull some and make him spin like he's struttin this works very well if they hang up.

[featherslayer 1]

THANKS GUYS, just a little insite of what i've tried the decoy placement is about 30 yards out front and a little to my left, the decoy has been facing to me and when i used the jake this morn i had him about 10ft from the hen and quartering towards her so if a tom did come in they would beable to get right in front of her. i maybe called a little to much thids morning but i wanted to participate with the other 2 hens. this evening i was thinking about trying it without decoys in the moring so i'll post when i get back again thanks guy for your input

featherslayer

[Archerysniper]

Move your decoys closer to you I use the bow for them so I keep my decoys 10 yards or closer with the gun I would put them out no farther then 15 yards as far as having them off to the side that works great if you are not useing a blind it keeps them from picking you off as easy.

[eric29]

I agree with archerysniper, 30 yds is way to far out for your dekes. I always place mine about 5 maybe 10yds at the max. Turkeys can pin point the exact location of your calling so you want them as close to you as you can. Also it makes them come in closer to you before they start to get warry about the deke. The set up that has worked for me the best is a lone feeding hen about 10 yds from me and off to the side. A decoy with its head down doesnt set off any alert signals like one with its head up in the air.

[featherslayer 1]

went out this morning and implemented all the advice you gave me, like decoys only 10 yards and to use feeding hens and i didnt call at all. now at 5:45 the first tom landed out front about 20 yards from the decoy and within minutes i had 3 big long beards right in my decoys struting. now who can tell me how to keep the birds there until leagal shooting time? they started to move out in the field and they were 20 yards away so i gave them a few short yelps, they gobbled and strutted was able to keep them there for a few minutes and they took off again so i called again and the same thing. by the time is was legal to shoot they were 75 yards or so out in the field so i kept quite and they headed off to the woodline on the other side of the field. i put these 3 to bed last nite, should a guy put the decoys aways away from where you know they are coming in the field? even thou i didnt shoot one this morning it will always be a memory and to me thats what it is all about, but it sure is nice to bag one too. well one more morning to go and i will be out there in hopes of a on time bird

featherslayer

[sticknstring]

Sounds like you had an awesome hunt! That's what it's all about even if you don't ge a shot. I'm surprised the birds flew down that early. I've never had turkeys come in before legal shooting hours and I've had them in my lap immediately after fly-down. Sunrise is right around 6:15 and legal hours start 30 minutes before, so at 5:45 those birds are legal. Hopefully they'll be roosted alone without hens again, that makes it about 10 times easier to kill one. Since the birds are going to that field, I'd setup either between their roost and the field or on the field edge itself with your decoys out in the field. Minimal light calling should seal the deal! Keep at it.

[featherslayer 1]

sticknstring: after i read yours i looked up the time for my area and sunrise was at 6:19 so at 549 i could of shot my bird this morning, boy do i feel like a fool. i'm usally good at checking on this a leason well earned and i'm probable going to be kicking my self in the /.> for the rest of the year, oh well its the memories that counts but still, sorry guys again thank you for your input

featherslayer less

[Dave S]

If you can find where they roost up at night again, try setting up a little farther down the edge of the field. It sounds like you were really close. Give them a little more distance to cover to buy some time. Maybe take some fishing line that you can make a little movement in on your dekes.

I've had birds that were on the ground 45 minutes before you could legally shoot, so it wouldn't surprise me if they seemed to be early.