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Turkey hunters #8386962
04/14/25 07:59 PM
04/14/25 07:59 PM
Joined: Mar 2023
WI
WI Outdoors Offline OP
trapper
WI Outdoors  Offline OP
trapper

Joined: Mar 2023
WI
Decoy or no decoy?

Re: Turkey hunters [Re: WI Outdoors] #8386973
04/14/25 08:09 PM
04/14/25 08:09 PM
Joined: Apr 2009
South Ga - Almost Florida
Swamp Wolf Offline
trapper
Swamp Wolf  Offline
trapper

Joined: Apr 2009
South Ga - Almost Florida
Depends on the situation...


Thank God For Your Blessings!
Never Half-Arse Anything!

Resource Protection Service

Re: Turkey hunters [Re: WI Outdoors] #8386993
04/14/25 08:32 PM
04/14/25 08:32 PM
Joined: Dec 2010
Central, SD
Law Dog Offline
trapper
Law Dog  Offline
trapper

Joined: Dec 2010
Central, SD
I like to hunt the edge of thicker cover with no decoy it keeps them looking I call softer or not at all to keep them interested and looking.


Was born in a Big City Will die in the Country OK with that!

Jerry Herbst
Re: Turkey hunters [Re: WI Outdoors] #8387004
04/14/25 08:47 PM
04/14/25 08:47 PM
Joined: Dec 2012
NC - Here there and everywhere
C
coondagger2 Offline
"Brat"
coondagger2  Offline
"Brat"
C

Joined: Dec 2012
NC - Here there and everywhere
Leaving the decoys at home will force you to become a better turkey hunter


Gotta live up to the nickname...
Re: Turkey hunters [Re: WI Outdoors] #8387009
04/14/25 08:51 PM
04/14/25 08:51 PM
Joined: Feb 2020
Indiana
P
Providence Farm Offline
trapper
Providence Farm  Offline
trapper
P

Joined: Feb 2020
Indiana
I run and gun with the boys. So far never had a Tom come to the decoy when it's set up. Typically it's been slip close and blast him. Seriously thinking about leaving the decoys at home this year. I'm not packing a gun but can't slip through the thick spring wood as quietly with backpack larg enough to two hard decoys.

Last edited by Providence Farm; 04/15/25 10:47 AM.
Re: Turkey hunters [Re: WI Outdoors] #8387023
04/14/25 09:08 PM
04/14/25 09:08 PM
Joined: Apr 2011
SE SD
D
DWC Offline
trapper
DWC  Offline
trapper
D

Joined: Apr 2011
SE SD
No decoys for me. I try to travel as light as I can to stay away from the truck for 5-6 hours at a time. Pretty much just water, snack and TP for my extra items. If I ever decide to take the bow, ill do the blind/decoy thing. I stay mobile with the shotgun and usually am trying to pick out the best place to sit in a hurry because the bird could be on his way. Lots of walking and calling off ridges til I get an answer and sometimes it’s fast action so no time to put out a decoy.

Re: Turkey hunters [Re: WI Outdoors] #8387043
04/14/25 09:28 PM
04/14/25 09:28 PM
Joined: Dec 2011
MT
S
snowy Offline
trapper
snowy  Offline
trapper
S

Joined: Dec 2011
MT
Decoys I use to use but kind of got away from them. My issue is when the tom see's decoy it holds up and calls for the hen to come to him. No decoy they keep on coming and looking and has been a better way most times. Like Law said.


Give me a fish, I will eat for a day. Teach me to fish, I will eat for a lifetime
Re: Turkey hunters [Re: WI Outdoors] #8387054
04/14/25 09:34 PM
04/14/25 09:34 PM
Joined: May 2021
New Jersey
CJonesFTA Offline
trapper
CJonesFTA  Offline
trapper

Joined: May 2021
New Jersey
Very rarely do we use them, but if we do, it is usually a jake and hen. If it's wide open and you've got limitations on getting them close, they could help. Or they could hurt. It's a double edged sword.


Cristina Jones
Fur Takers of America
www.furtakersofamerica.com
Re: Turkey hunters [Re: WI Outdoors] #8387071
04/14/25 09:51 PM
04/14/25 09:51 PM
Joined: May 2018
SW Georgia
W
Wanna Be Offline
trapper
Wanna Be  Offline
trapper
W

Joined: May 2018
SW Georgia
If you can’t call or lack woodsmanship then a decoy is about a close to success as you can get. I’d say right near 80-90% success rate with a decoy.

So my answer is NO decoys, lol!!!

Re: Turkey hunters [Re: WI Outdoors] #8387106
04/14/25 10:17 PM
04/14/25 10:17 PM
Joined: Mar 2013
IL
H
houndone Offline
trapper
houndone  Offline
trapper
H

Joined: Mar 2013
IL
I use decoys all the time and kill turkeys all the time.will they spook birds absolutely but they will bring them in running too.i use 2 a boss tom and a hen in the breeding position iam after the boss Tom in the area iam hunting.i don't want shoot Jake's and have never had them come to this setup.those dominant Tom's can't stand it when they see another tom with that hen in my experience.situations can vary but iam in favor of using them if a tom hears a hen he expects to see a hen when he gets to your calling spot.

Re: Turkey hunters [Re: WI Outdoors] #8387194
04/15/25 04:36 AM
04/15/25 04:36 AM
Joined: Apr 2009
South Ga - Almost Florida
Swamp Wolf Offline
trapper
Swamp Wolf  Offline
trapper

Joined: Apr 2009
South Ga - Almost Florida
Decoys are not a sure bet down here.

My experience, it's not even close to 80 or 90% success rate.....more like 50-50. I've seen as many gobblers spook or not pay any attention to decoys as I have come in to them. It is a sight to see when they work and the goobler wants to whoop the decoy. Have seen that a few times.

Gobblers must be very different in other areas... assume it has a lot to do with hunting pressure I'm sure. Lightly hunted birds may decoy easier.

I've used about every kind manufactured from the foam decoys to hard shell to an inflatable gobbler. Some of the early decoys were laughable. I now have an Avian X HDR strutting gobbler and a hen. Pricey, but the realism is nice.

Still....they are not even close to ensuring a guarantee kill.....not for me anyway.


Thank God For Your Blessings!
Never Half-Arse Anything!

Resource Protection Service

Re: Turkey hunters [Re: WI Outdoors] #8387207
04/15/25 05:17 AM
04/15/25 05:17 AM
Joined: Jun 2016
Michigan
T
Trapper Dahlgren Offline
trapper
Trapper Dahlgren  Offline
trapper
T

Joined: Jun 2016
Michigan
both, smile

Re: Turkey hunters [Re: WI Outdoors] #8387289
04/15/25 08:16 AM
04/15/25 08:16 AM
Joined: Aug 2008
Sumner, Mo.
C
claycreech Offline
trapper
claycreech  Offline
trapper
C

Joined: Aug 2008
Sumner, Mo.
When I guide and I’m not packing a gun, I’ll usually carry a decoy or two.
When I am hunting and packing I seldom carry a decoy.
I don’t come out of the woods while on an out of state hunt. Many times midday, I’ll set on a couple decoys and blind call for a few hours when turkeys aren’t talking much.
I agree with Swampwolf. Decoys are far from a slam dunk. Like calling, sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t. I’ve seen gobblers run to them, I’ve seen them run from them, and I’ve seen a heckuva high percentage totally ignore them.
They’re a tool.
They definitely work better on unpressured turkeys.

Re: Turkey hunters [Re: WI Outdoors] #8387318
04/15/25 09:07 AM
04/15/25 09:07 AM
Joined: Mar 2013
Michigan
S
swamp Offline
trapper
swamp  Offline
trapper
S

Joined: Mar 2013
Michigan
No decoys for me, just one more thing to carry. Although there's nothing cooler than when they come into a decoy. I think our last 10-12 kills between my boys, and I have been no decoy. My younger brother has killed way more turkeys than me and absolutely swears by a strutting Jake. I've seen it work and not work. Happy hunting.

Re: Turkey hunters [Re: WI Outdoors] #8387331
04/15/25 09:47 AM
04/15/25 09:47 AM
Joined: May 2017
ontario
K
k9-hunter Offline
trapper
k9-hunter  Offline
trapper
K

Joined: May 2017
ontario
decoys help in certain scenerios disadvantages to decoys are its more to carry i only use my decoys when hunting out of my blind as i usually leave them in it

Re: Turkey hunters [Re: WI Outdoors] #8387333
04/15/25 09:57 AM
04/15/25 09:57 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
MN, Land of 10,000 Lakes
T
Trapper7 Offline
trapper
Trapper7  Offline
trapper
T

Joined: Dec 2006
MN, Land of 10,000 Lakes
I've never used a decoy.


It's not always about catching fish. That's what people who don't catch fish usually say.
Re: Turkey hunters [Re: WI Outdoors] #8387453
04/15/25 02:26 PM
04/15/25 02:26 PM
Joined: May 2018
SW Georgia
W
Wanna Be Offline
trapper
Wanna Be  Offline
trapper
W

Joined: May 2018
SW Georgia
Give me a DSD jake and hen and I can kill a turkey in any state on any land. Give me a fan along with those decoys and I’ll get a limit in a day, don’t care where or what land it is. That’s the reason I quit using decoys about 6-7 years ago…way too easy. No challenge with a decoy. Find turkeys, throw out decoys, turkeys come in, shoot turkeys. Heck, you don’t even need camo, their focus is solely on the decoys and nothing else.

Now go hunt without decoys and let me know how you do. Dedicate one season to absolutely no decoys and tell me decoys aren’t an almost guarantee success. If you’re using decoys and scaring turkeys then you’re using the wrong decoy or haven’t learned how to use them.

You can basically set up anywhere with decoys, no woodsmanship required. Open pines with broomsedge next to a burn, no problem. With decoys the gobbler sees decoys and comes in. Without decoys that gobbler will hear you, but is not coming in when he can’t see anything. No thought process needed when using decoys except where to set and how to set.

Re: Turkey hunters [Re: Wanna Be] #8387473
04/15/25 03:23 PM
04/15/25 03:23 PM
Joined: Apr 2009
South Ga - Almost Florida
Swamp Wolf Offline
trapper
Swamp Wolf  Offline
trapper

Joined: Apr 2009
South Ga - Almost Florida
Originally Posted by Wanna Be
Give me a DSD jake and hen and I can kill a turkey in any state on any land. Give me a fan along with those decoys and I’ll get a limit in a day, don’t care where or what land it is. That’s the reason I quit using decoys about 6-7 years ago…way too easy. No challenge with a decoy. Find turkeys, throw out decoys, turkeys come in, shoot turkeys. Heck, you don’t even need camo, their focus is solely on the decoys and nothing else.

Now go hunt without decoys and let me know how you do. Dedicate one season to absolutely no decoys and tell me decoys aren’t an almost guarantee success. If you’re using decoys and scaring turkeys then you’re using the wrong decoy or haven’t learned how to use them.

You can basically set up anywhere with decoys, no woodsmanship required. Open pines with broomsedge next to a burn, no problem. With decoys the gobbler sees decoys and comes in. Without decoys that gobbler will hear you, but is not coming in when he can’t see anything. No thought process needed when using decoys except where to set and how to set.


I think you have experience turkey hunting (even in multiple states)....but some of your statements are not accurate.

Almost reads like an inexperienced turkey hunter....lol


Thank God For Your Blessings!
Never Half-Arse Anything!

Resource Protection Service

Re: Turkey hunters [Re: WI Outdoors] #8387479
04/15/25 03:47 PM
04/15/25 03:47 PM
Joined: Feb 2018
Indiana
H
Hunter23 Offline
trapper
Hunter23  Offline
trapper
H

Joined: Feb 2018
Indiana
I've had more negative responses with decoys than positive.

Re: Turkey hunters [Re: WI Outdoors] #8387481
04/15/25 03:48 PM
04/15/25 03:48 PM
Joined: May 2018
SW Georgia
W
Wanna Be Offline
trapper
Wanna Be  Offline
trapper
W

Joined: May 2018
SW Georgia
Tell me which part? I’m open to criticism, lol. Better yet, some of y’all take the challenge of no decoys for a season, in state or out, and prove me wrong.

Decoys are a crutch, if they weren’t, every video you see wouldn’t include one. I stand by everything I posted and give me an invite with the provided decoys and I’ll prove it. I won’t shoot, but I’ll dang sure show you it works. A jake DSD over a hen on the deck will draw in every gobbler out there. Heck look at the Florida video I posted. That turkey was 200-300yds away and would NEVER have even thought about coming that way without those decoys. That was his decision to use them, not mine. If they didn’t work they wouldn’t mass produce them and about every hunter out there own about 2-5 of them. Heck someone on here has an entire flock, I’ve seen the pics, lol.

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