Decoys and placement

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jreinke
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Decoys and placement

Unread postby jreinke » Sun Apr 03, 2016 10:39 am

I have always used decoys. I have the cheap foam decoys that I can roll up and put in my backpack. They tend to move with the wind. I place them around 10 yards away. If I'm hunting by myself I usually take a jake and two hens. I hunted with my dad last year and we had two jakes and five hens out. I have been successful with both set ups. I'm just wondering what anyone else is using or any tips to share.


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ozzz
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Re: Decoys and placement

Unread postby ozzz » Sun Apr 03, 2016 10:47 am

I'm all ears on this. I stick a hen and a jake out. Cheap ones. Can't really say I have ever really pulled any birds on with the set up.

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Re: Decoys and placement

Unread postby matt1336 » Sun Apr 03, 2016 11:10 am

I like to run and gun on public. I've had my best luck without dekes. I've also killed with just one lone hen- I find this set up most effective later on when the toms are Henned up. I put her in a breeding position. Lots of dekes means that it's harder to move. I like to travel light and get after them.

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Re: Decoys and placement

Unread postby rutjunkie » Sun Apr 03, 2016 11:17 am

In open field setups I like to use a hen and jake. In the woods, no dekes.

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Re: Decoys and placement

Unread postby matt1336 » Sun Apr 03, 2016 11:35 am

^^^^right. If they can't see them from a ways you might as well not use them

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bkraus
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Re: Decoys and placement

Unread postby bkraus » Mon Apr 04, 2016 2:23 am

I have had luck with a Jake and hen decoys. I also have a full strut tom decoy and it seemed like most turkeys did not like it.

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Re: Decoys and placement

Unread postby kurt » Mon Apr 04, 2016 3:26 am

I use decoys more often than not public or private unless I don't have time. But I think it helps to have good decoys. Especially for archery and a tent. I don't think I could get them to come super close to a tent without. I hate tents not worth it to lug around but for archery hopefully private probably your best bet. I actually prefer to run and gun for the best action aND ill sLing a decoy or 2 over my shoulder doesn't bother me especially if I'm taking someone it just takes the focus off of the caller.

If using a Jake I always face it away from the Tom's I've roosted or suspect roost. Or were I see them fly down to normally. The Tom struts or displays to show off. If he thinks other bird "my decoy" can't see him he will, gobble to try and get his attention then potentially move to were he thinks the other bird can see. So I slightly quarter the bird not directly towards me so the Tom doesn't think my decoy is watching me, if he catches some movement esepically taking kids. So with the Jake set I put a hen low (laydown if you have one) in front of Jake also facing away. Or a feeding hen with head down. Have the hen facing like the jake is headed behind it and a opening so they can head behind it. Remember they are trying to get the attention by strutting and gobbling. So I like head down hens or laydown im ready hens that don't have there heads up looking. I've had them gobble themself all worked up trying to get my decoys to look at them then run in with no calling and I've called them in . They probably 90percent come in exactly how I want.

The basics are a Tom wants to face a jake and come up Behind a hen that's ready. This set up gives them both and he moves in close to do it. Its how I always face my decoys away from were a Tom is coming from.

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Re: Decoys and placement

Unread postby kurt » Mon Apr 04, 2016 4:28 am

Also I like to put a Jake fan across the back of a Jake decoy. I got the fan mounted to a painted board with 2 stakes to straddle decoy . You can see the date in picture it was 10 years ago either 5th or 6th period in Wisconsin and the birds had been hunted a lot. I was calling for my brother having trouble getting the birds to come over to were we could hunt. Off of there normal routine. It was a huge flock and the jakes came right in running and the hens were walking in at a slower pace and the tom behind. The hens were at about 30 yards and the Tom 40 but the Jakes knocked over the decoy at 10 yards everything got edgy and he decided to shoot one of the Jakes. I thought he missed I was watching Tom because I felt it was in range. I stepped it off . The Tom had a half beard probably broke from the winter.

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Re: Decoys and placement

Unread postby staincat » Tue Apr 05, 2016 3:40 am

I use a cheap decoy and put a real Tom fan on it. Only decoy I have ever used, works for run and gun and also sitting. Every year I have Tom's and jakes sprint to it.
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Re: Decoys and placement

Unread postby Brad » Tue Apr 05, 2016 1:18 pm

I use Dave Smith Decoys or DSD as they are generally called. I would give up turkey hunting if I couldn't use them, and I'd much rather have them than a call. I have the entire flock except for the leading hen, and I use them all at different times of the season. I love the Jake , if you only get one, get him. I always face the jake out away from me so the tom can see his head in the pose. Toms do not tolerate the body language of the Jake at all. I generally like to put him right behind the submissive hen facing out, and then a feeder on one side and my upright hen on the other, and they both face the blind. I put them in a V formation with the Jake and submissive hen being the bottom of the V. When I use the strutter I just set him off to the side like he is watching this happen. I have never decoyed a bird with cheap decoys, and when I switched to the DSD's my kill rate skyrocketed. Worth every penny and then some.

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Re: Decoys and placement

Unread postby kurt » Tue Apr 05, 2016 3:38 pm

Brad wrote:I use Dave Smith Decoys or DSD as they are generally called. I would give up turkey hunting if I couldn't use them, and I'd much rather have them than a call. I have the entire flock except for the leading hen, and I use them all at different times of the season. I love the Jake , if you only get one, get him. I always face the jake out away from me so the tom can see his head in the pose. Toms do not tolerate the body language of the Jake at all. I generally like to put him right behind the submissive hen facing out, and then a feeder on one side and my upright hen on the other, and they both face the blind. I put them in a V formation with the Jake and submissive hen being the bottom of the V. When I use the strutter I just set him off to the side like he is watching this happen. I have never decoyed a bird with cheap decoys, and when I switched to the DSD's my kill rate skyrocketed. Worth every penny and then some.

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Dsd are awesome what i used last couple years from a friend he didnt hunt after 1st period aND youth hunt. I got avian x. But I've got a lot turkeys with cheap crappy decoys before a lot of these nicer ones, actually really realistic ones came out. But they seem more comfortable with these newer ones hens hang around longer or the whole time. Peck at them, push them around.

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Re: Decoys and placement

Unread postby BigHunt » Tue Apr 05, 2016 10:07 pm

Brad wrote:I use Dave Smith Decoys or DSD as they are generally called. I would give up turkey hunting if I couldn't use them, and I'd much rather have them than a call. I have the entire flock except for the leading hen, and I use them all at different times of the season. I love the Jake , if you only get one, get him. I always face the jake out away from me so the tom can see his head in the pose. Toms do not tolerate the body language of the Jake at all. I generally like to put him right behind the submissive hen facing out, and then a feeder on one side and my upright hen on the other, and they both face the blind. I put them in a V formation with the Jake and submissive hen being the bottom of the V. When I use the strutter I just set him off to the side like he is watching this happen. I have never decoyed a bird with cheap decoys, and when I switched to the DSD's my kill rate skyrocketed. Worth every penny and then some.

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x2 on DSD its all I use.... hands down the best!!
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Re: Decoys and placement

Unread postby hunter10 » Thu Apr 07, 2016 2:13 am

I use DSD decoys and I am one of the cheapest guys you'd meet. I constantly watched the videos of them being used and never ever thought I'd pay that much for one decoy. Now I own 2 hens and a Jake. My hunt last year resulted in me shooting my biggest Tom with a bow at 10 yds, decoy stake bend like a hockey stick... I love them in field hunts. Would also use them in the woods

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Re: Decoys and placement

Unread postby gjs4 » Thu Apr 07, 2016 12:18 pm

I use a hen in open areas or when I think there needs to be visual enticement. I love ones that move...like an Avian w a slight wind. Last years tom stayed back, she moved, I purred....he ran and has since been reseen on the grill.

Although I have a great jake...I never use it. Have seen a couple birds run into them...nd have seen a few run away. Yu really need to know how dominant the bird youre hunting it.

bestturkeydecoy.com I think is the place to go for the Dakotas which when painted are basically the same as DSDs but on sale for $50 right now. Youre welcome :)
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Re: Decoys and placement

Unread postby msailor » Sat Apr 09, 2016 12:37 am

I don't like to place my decoys closer than twenty yards. If you have ever patterned your shotgun you'll understand why.

I use DSD's, once you hold them in your hands and hunt over them you quickly see they are very different from their nearest competitor. I actually put them above stuffers because you don't have to treat them like grandmas priceless china.

I love to turkey hunt and used to be a waterfowl fanatic, what I learned is that people are way to haphazard with their decoy types and placement. I've killed a lot of geese using 2dz DSD's running traffic when the guys on the X have 300 dekes out. I've killed "henned up" gobblers just by ditching the cheap decoys and putting out DSD's. Decoys need to be realistic and convey a realistic message.

You have to match the scenario to be effective with a decoy consistently. I usually try these set-ups as a starting point: Early season, use all the dekes you got, birds are flocked up. Late season, use a couple feeding hens to display a very secure setting, birds are worn down and educated. Mid season, depends on the birds you're hunting and their temperament, I usually use a breeding hen and a jake or strutter, breeding is utmost importance during this time. Set ups can change with the time of day and even the hunt location. I will even change decoy postures based on the location of the hunt or hunting timing. Call me crazy, but attention to detail matters in turkey hunting just as much as it does deer hunting. Each situation is different and you have to address it differently so there is no "go-to" setup IMO.

As of late, I use a lone jake more than any other decoy. It doesn't seem to matter if it's a subordinate tom or a boss gobb they all believe they can whoop a one jake. And when there's a 1/4 strut jake standing at the source of a hen's should be location, things get nasty pretty quick.


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