Decoys???

I had a big ole’ Tom headed for me near Lake City last night and he was gobbling responding to my call. He locked up at 60yds when he saw my lone hen decoy. This happens far to often to me so my question is this…A large piece of me wants to stop using a decoy and just call. Good or bad idea???
He then walked 150 yds away and sat there gobbling at me until dark. Wish I could have gone this morning but I gotta’ pay the bills! RR

I NEVER use decoys

Use the lay of the land to your advantage Set up on corners so you can call away from incoming Toms making them come looking for the hen they heard

It’s either boom or bust when using decoys. I am at the point where I leave the decoys in the truck. If I am going after them with archery equipment I will use them or if it’s early season. After the second season or so, I rarely use decoys. I am with Pat, let that tom come looking for that call.

I use them on occasion, but if I hear a tom gobble and know where he is going to go, I will set the decoy up off behind me to my right or left about 40 yards. While Mr. Gobbler is worried about the decoy the whole time-ya blast him!

I was in the same boat as you, but the tom I got this year came to our lone hen like he was on a string.
I have actually had more hangups when using a jake and a hen.

I also wonder if, if the bird is the dominant tom in the area, if he’s more stubborn with a “come to me [censored], don’t you know who I am” attitude than a less dominant tom would have.

Exact opposite for me, I always use decoys. I bowhunt only and hunt private land that is not hunted very often. To me, it’s all about getting a turkey inside 20 yards and messing with my decoys. Doesnt always work that way but when it does, makes up for all the times it doesnt work… I’m kinda weird that way….

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It’s either boom or bust when using decoys. I am at the point where I leave the decoys in the truck. If I am going after them with archery equipment I will use them or if it’s early season. After the second season or so, I rarely use decoys. I am with Pat, let that tom come looking for that call.

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Great discussion, and I waffle from time to time but generally will almost never use dekes unless bowhunting for them. Even then, I have more success steering and luring birds with a mouthcall than with a decoy.

Dan mentioned something about using decoys early, and decoys being boom or bust; I completely agree with this statement. I’m of the opinion that it’s all luck of the draw with decoys in the birds you get. I was going to write that the ultimate decoy bird is a 2 year old tom (any hen/jake configuration) or a dominant bird (strutting jake/tom configuration)…..but I’ve seen too many scenarios when even those birds won’t decoy well.

Some guys combat this with getting taxidermy style dekes or simply better quality dekes like the Zink or DSD varieties. I’ve only hunted over these one time each, so perhaps this is where I’m missing the boat.

That said, each turkey has their own personality, and you never know the last time they just got whipped, or how willing the hens in your area are will cover distance for the toms. In other words, unless I feel I need to draw them into bow range or keep their attention on a deke so I can draw or move, I tend to think that there’s more scenarios during the majority of the turkey season where decoys can hurt your success rather than help it. I’ll qualify that statement completely with the thought that you have to be able to call with some realism to make up the difference. That and a bow changes things as previouisly mentioned.

Joel

I stopped using decoys this year after having them wreck hunts for me to many times.

Decoys have ruined more hunts than they’ve helped on for me, so they sit in the basement! I prefer to hunt in the woods with calls only. I want them to come looking for the sound of the hen.

Decoys will work on a field edge if you can set up so the tom sees the decoys when he’s already in range. If he can see them at 60 yards or more, most of the time they seem to hang up and want the hen to come to him. If she doesn’t he walks off gobbling

It is boom or bust to say the least.There were times when I cursed decoys but then there are the times when a big ol tom comes running in and pounces on your deke and wont go away,thats when you swear by them.You just have to flip the coin. If its been hunted a bunch I would’nt use them.

Any one add motion to those decoys and feel more comfy using them??? Last year we ran line to our bobble heads to add motion and that got ’em running. There are times when we are running and gunning that it just makes more sense to sit down rather than put them out.

Mark

I’ve had better success using them than not using them. So I will continue to use them in the early season when I’m able to. Running and gunning not so much! Archery hunting most definitely!

I added a couple lines to my Carrylite Strutter. Made a huge difference.