Strutting dekes- Applications, experiences?

[NoodleSalad]

This will be my 2nd hunt with a King Strut decoy. Last year I had a real Tom fan and wings attached. Boy did it look real but I had no luck with it. I also can't say that it turned birds away. Nothing happened the days I used it. This year I'm going to cut the beard back and put a jake fan in it. Should I 1/2strut the fan? Will doing this alert a bird that the deke is a sub and the dom is near. I will be hunting a pressured area and think I should do something different. What about a low staked hen with a 1/2strut jake approaching. Between all of my party, we have 9 dekes including 2 strutters. Would it be crazy to set up a whole breeding scene? Overkill?

[sticknstring]

I was just talking to a coworker who had a 7 deke spread in SD. You won't know until you try - mood is everything with turkeys. I had zero luck in MN this spring with or without decoys. Dealing with pressured birds can be tough and sometimes you just have to be lucky. I find motion to be one thing that can work in your favor. bring some heavy monofilament and run it from your blind to your dekes and add some movement. You may not even need to call if you're out in the open.

I tried Pretty Boy last year and had jakes shy away and subdominant toms proceed with caution. I've talked to others who had birds come in to it at a run. Every situation is different but you'll never know for sure unless you try. I think decoys are great for unpressured birds and/or the first few time periods but as the birds get educated, I'd vote to go without. I've been thinking about investing in a quality decoy for bowhunting and although Cally Morris makes a beauty, the Dave Smith is much more affordable.

[Archerysniper]

My last 2 birds came into the strutting jake over the low feeding hen decoy the first one was kicking the [PoorWordUsage] out of him before I could close the windows to shoot out the other side and this was late in the year during the archery season. sticknstring is right on movement I have had birds just stare at the decoys until the wind came up and started too move them and then they come running in. I will be out in the garage tonight trying to figure out a hinge and spring system for my pretty boy to let the fan down too regular and as you pull the string you can make him go into half strut or full.

[WallyGator12000]

I used my B-Mobile for the first time this past weekend, "C" Season on pressured birds (they have been hunted every season so far on this property). First morning I had B-Mobile set up with a feeding hen (swinging head). Just after first light, I got a gobbler to answer my fly-down cackle, and realized he and another tom were in the same field we were set up in, 200 yards away. They gobbled to my next yelp, and closed the entire way. I don't know if they could see B-Mobile the whole time or not, but the wind picked up and he swung away from them (while they were in a dip, so they didn't see the movement) but all they could see when they got close was the hen and the back of B-Mobile. My brother and I were thinking game over, but both of the birds stopped at 70 or so yards, and walked slowly into the woods. They even gobbled at my desperation call right before they stepped in.

It didn't cause me to sell B-Mobile, I think the above posts are right, it depends on the birds' moods, which are fickle. I can tell you the first tom of the two was one of the biggest I have ever seen, his beard had to be 11"+, second was a bit smaller. B-Mobile didn't spook them, but they were not looking for a fight, just seemed to say, "Okay, looks like we got beat to this hen, might as well move on."

I've still honestly had my best success with just a single hen, swinging head, no matter what the season...

I should mention too that my B-Mobile has the beard trimmed down to about 3 inches, but I was using the full silk fan. I wonder if I could buy the jake fan, maybe that would work better. I know I could make one myself, but I have such a hard time cutting up the fans on birds I actually shoot, I like to mount them instead.

[Archerysniper]

I stop at every road kill and take the wings and fan just for the decoys you get enough tail feathers from hens and you can make a nice jake fan

[WallyGator12000]

That's a great idea! I never thought of that before, but from here on I"m on the look out!