Decoys

[walleyeking19]

Okay I have found myself in quite a predicament. My season starts this sunday and all I have is one Dave Smith hen decoy. Is that enough to use? I have another decoy but it's in my friends truck in Arkansas with him right now, so I wont have it in time.

Do I buy another decoy since I probably won't get my other decoy back for a while, if at all? I have some cheap decoys but it'll look weird next to a nice DSD hen decoy.

I know a guy selling a an avian x jake decoy for a good deal, but will they look too different to use? What are your guys opinions on using different brands at the same time?

[LABS4ME]

That's my usual set... One DSD hen decoy... Only early season will I put a Jake out with her... Some days I use no decoy. You're fine! Go out and shoot one in the face!

Good Luck!

Ken

[Hoyt4]

Your fine keep in the truck if the birds do not like and hang up.

[Cheetah]

One hen is more than enough. I usually don't even bother, never have had birds decoy when I bothered hauling them out with me.

[sticknstring]

Some days they'll come in to fight, the next they'll keep their distance. Just turkeys being turkeys. I always bring them out until I can gauge whether the birds like them or not. By now, birds have probably seen a few fakes and it'll be hit or miss. If you enjoy the show as much as the kill, hauling them out is often worth the extra effort.

[Borch]

The toms in our area were in a fighting mood so the jake all by itself really worked well and we had a few decoy attacks as a result. I usually don't use any but will try a jake by itself first. Worked so well we just kept using them.

[123fish]

I was working a bird Sunday for my buddy and after switching to some hard cutting got him to start moving our way he got to about 80 yards saw my single hen decoy and stopped in his tracks. You could see him checking it out big time and stood there for 10 minutes and went back the other way to his strut zone and started gobbling again. Wanted nothing to do with that decoy. Told my buddy he was an ambush bird and we were switching to another bird I had scouted two miles away. Went there Monday morning and had him come off the roost and strut right in to that same single hen decoy and my buddy dusted him after first missing him at thirteen yards. Point is you just never know. I would put that single hen out and let the turkeys let you know what they think of it and go from there.

[Wanderer]

Walleyeking,

Don't over think it but do play to your confidence. If you're not hunting with confidence, you're not hunting you're best.

I for one am about ready to get rid of my dekes. I don't hunt the early seasons any more; the D season is about as early as I go, and the birds in our area DO NOT like dekes at these times. I proved it again to myself last weekend. Nice set in the woods and my blind was brushed in. I had birds gobbling on the way in but putted and left the instant the saw the dekes.

I pulled em immediately and they stayed in camp after that.

[1eyeReD]

Walleyeking,

Don't over think it but do play to your confidence. If you're not hunting with confidence, you're not hunting you're best.

I for one am about ready to get rid of my dekes. I don't hunt the early seasons any more; the D season is about as early as I go, and the birds in our area DO NOT like dekes at these times. I proved it again to myself last weekend. Nice set in the woods and my blind was brushed in. I had birds gobbling on the way in but putted and left the instant the saw the dekes.

I pulled em immediately and they stayed in camp after that.

If you don't mind me asking, what kind of dekes did you have out?

[Wanderer]

Last weekend I was using the Primos Killer B tom and hen (bobble head style). There was a bit of breeze where I was, giving the dekes some motion.

Although I didn't see the birds coming I did get some gobbles on their way in and when they started putting I was hearing multiple birds and they sounded like toms. I really think it was the same group I called in the next afternoon about 80 yards (at most) away from my blind. The way the rest of the group trounced my tom after I shot him makes me think they wouldn't have cared about 1 small strutting tom in their turf - in fact I would've expected quite the opposite and expected them to trounce the deke.

I know the Killer B's aren't top of the line dekes but after using the Feather Flex flock for years it seemed like an upgrade. In the beginning the Feather Flex dekes worked fine but that has been long past.

The first time I used the Killer B, I saw two toms come to a field edge after pitching off the roost; they spied my dekes from about 200 yards away (I use binos alot), stopped, looked at my dekes and each other and went another direction. I wound up getting out of my blind and hiding where they were and mouth called them back to fill my tag.

It's just been proven to me time and time again that late season birds in the southeast are easier to get in range without any dekes at all. The properties we hunt have some other hunters but are by no means over-pressured. Maybe the big dollar dekes are the ticket, but for woods and field edge hunting, I'm done with em.

Now a blind set out in the middle of a field would be a different story but I don't hunt like that. Not saying there's anything wrong with it at all, but it's just not how I do it.

[Borch]

Last weekend I was using the Primos Killer B tom and hen (bobble head style). There was a bit of breeze where I was, giving the dekes some motion.

Although I didn't see the birds coming I did get some gobbles on their way in and when they started putting I was hearing multiple birds and they sounded like toms. I really think it was the same group I called in the next afternoon about 80 yards (at most) away from my blind. The way the rest of the group trounced my tom after I shot him makes me think they wouldn't have cared about 1 small strutting tom in their turf - in fact I would've expected quite the opposite and expected them to trounce the deke.

I know the Killer B's aren't top of the line dekes but after using the Feather Flex flock for years it seemed like an upgrade. In the beginning the Feather Flex dekes worked fine but that has been long past.

The first time I used the Killer B, I saw two toms come to a field edge after pitching off the roost; they spied my dekes from about 200 yards away (I use binos alot), stopped, looked at my dekes and each other and went another direction. I wound up getting out of my blind and hiding where they were and mouth called them back to fill my tag.

It's just been proven to me time and time again that late season birds in the southeast are easier to get in range without any dekes at all. The properties we hunt have some other hunters but are by no means over-pressured. Maybe the big dollar dekes are the ticket, but for woods and field edge hunting, I'm done with em.

Now a blind set out in the middle of a field would be a different story but I don't hunt like that. Not saying there's anything wrong with it at all, but it's just not how I do it.

Funny how different parts of the state the birds are in different moods. I have a Primos killer B and that was the one my tom was standing on when I shot at him. But I've replaced the fan with a real one and that seems to have increased the positive response to it. There are still a lot of times that it stays home due to Toms not being in the mood. I generally hunt "C" or later so maybe that makes a difference. I also hunt properties with relatively light hunting pressure.

[1eyeReD]

Very good to know guys. Thanks for the info.

[huntnfish]

I picked up a Funky Chicken decoy today. I've walked by them and laughed many times but for some reason today I couldn't resist and bought it. The thing is ridiculous looking but is has a very nice looking head and even though its looks nuttier than a squirrel turd it still looks better than the cheapo's I have right now. I'll find out this weekend how well it works. I plan to use a hen and the funky chicken together.

[1eyeReD]

I ordered one too!! Couldn't resist. My Avian X Feeder Hen came in yesterday and I set it out in the yard and holy cow that thing looks real. My Funky Chicken should arrive any day now.

[dan z]

My avian x look out hen sure made the hen that walked into me this morning stand proud she rubbed up against it. Did the whole red carpet walk I'm prettier than you. It really was funny to watch that. I thought there going to be a hair pulling fight.