whats your usual turkey decoy setup?

[Robhuntandfish]

I setup a Jake and a hen everytime.  Usually about 4 feet apart and about 15 yards from me, and try to put in a spot where they will see those before they see me.  Just curious on what everyone else uses.  

[Buckmaster7600]

Haven't used decoys or calls in years, but when I did it was always just a hen and that was rarely. In a field or open hardwoods decoys can be very effective but hey can also be detrimental.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Uncle Nicky]

I don't use them if I am hunting in the woods.

In an open field, what I have noticed is that a gobbler decoy with a real fan  (along with hens) is fairly effective during the opening week, I think they are still scrapping some. Most times I will put out a few hens and a jake or gobbler decoy if I do put them out, I am finding as time goes on that more decoys the better, I guess a safety in numbers mindset on the turkeys' part?

[dbHunterNY]

hen flock with feeding and upright hens sometimes, but my go to is a jake and submissive hen.sometimes i don't bother with them though.

[mowin]

I've had toms shy away from a deek. Stoped using them yrs ago. 

I did try the tail fan (reaping, think it's called?) last yr on a couple Jake's. Worked, they about ran me over. 

[Robhuntandfish]

My hunting buddy made a robo turkey decoy over the winter.  Time on his hands. Lol

I'm surprised to hear so many that don't use any decoys at all.

Edited January 22, 2018 by Robhuntandfish

[WNYBuckHunter]

Im relatively new to turkey hunting, but what has worked for me so far has been 1 or 2 feeding hens with a Jake. I position the jake a few feet away from the hen(s), and keep it so that the jake is facing toward the hen(s) and the hen(s) face away from the jake. Worked like a charm for my daughter's hunt last spring.

[reeltime]

haven't used a decoy for myself in many years probably 20 plus years and I still kill birds every year no matter what state I  hunt.

I do use a hen when I take the kids but would never use a jake or gobbler decoy ever. no way am i having a legal target in front of me even on public land no matter how heavily posted or whos names on those posters because people will just walk right past them when they know a gobbler is there.

 

[turkeyfeathers]

DSD Jake and upright hen. On field edge as generally were trying to call them across an open field. By the midway point of season the field is too tall for anything to see them. I made them taller with broken golf club shafts. I get lazy towards end of season and not tote them as much. And find myself concentrating more inside the woods but yet still sitting under the same tree. Usually have them facing away from me and jake just behind the hen  Dekes were typically 29 yards from where we set up.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited January 22, 2018 by turkeyfeathers

[moog5050]

My usual decoy set up is very lonely.  

[Robhuntandfish]

Had 4 last year walk about 60 yards away from my decoys and couldn't care less. Then other times they have rushed them like muggers. Guess you never know.  

I usually have the hen and Jake and have the Jake following the hen.   

Got two buddies that bought some inflatable decoys and one of them said "how could any Tom resist a blowup doll?"  And he shot it when he took his turkey last spring. 

[TreeGuy]

Sometimes in the timber but always in the fields. I use "Henrietta" 100%. Sometimes I throw Jake in there, sometimes I throw full strut Tom in too. Depends on time of season and time of day. I try to let the Turks tell me what I need. Hot gobblers everywhere, full strut and Jake. Couple hot toms just Jake. After hens go to nest, lone hen with Jake. Etc etc

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

[Uncle Nicky]

6 hours ago, Robhuntandfish said:

My hunting buddy made a robo turkey decoy over the winter.  Time on his hands. Lol

I'm surprised to hear so many that don't use any decoys at all.

I know lots of guys, old timers mostly, who look down on decoys, hunting out of a blind, fanning, you name it, they are still living in the days when birds gobbled all day long and came running to calls...

Turkeys are strange creatures, they never seem to do the same thing twice. Sometimes decoys work, sometimes they shy away from them, you just never know. What I don't like about them is that they limit you, once you put them out you're pretty much stuck in the same spot for the next few hours, I don't really like dragging them around with me if I decide to pick up & try a new spot. I will add, if you really are serious about hunting with decoys, spend the extra $$ and buy good ones, they DO make a difference.

[wooly]

I get a little carried away with the dekes sometimes.

When I'm photographing turkey prior to the opener, I usually only carry one hen or jake  and get all kinds of crazy action.

Once season opens, I have two additional jakes I like to add to the mix. If I had 10 or more dekes of either sex I'd probably have them ALL out like a freaking goose spread,lol.

 I like seeing their reaction to different approaches so I don't really put much strategy into setting them out unless they've really tipped me off to something they really like or dislike.

 

One quick example....if I notice the birds are acting timid and shying away from the dekes at a particular set up, I may even set them outside my effective kill range at 60 or 70 yds in hopes that any birds that do come in will circle around the fakes right into gun range.

I've had that happen quite a few times with flocks of jakes that would come into the field to strut several days in a row, only to circle the fakes trying to intimidate them from a distance without ever commiting. Obviously I'll only try that with birds I've gotten to know a little bit about their habits at certain locations through multiple encounters. I just like to stay flexible with my decoy sets to keep things interesting. I do put some thought into the set ups, but I try not to over think things too much.

[Uncle Nicky]

40 minutes ago, wooly said:

 If I had 10 or more dekes of either sex I'd probably have them ALL out like a freaking goose spread,lol.

 

Crazy as it sounds, I hunted with a guy in Florida who did just that. I think he had 12-15 decoys out, mostly hens with a couple jakes mixed in. Oddly enough, one particular morning 3 longbeards came in, even pecked at some of the decoys. I was trying to double up with him, we couldn't coordinate it all, but I shot my first Osceola bird that morning.

Edited March 5, 2018 by Uncle Nicky

[Four Season Whitetail's]

Not needed in most cases. Ny is about 2 weeks behind the breeding start and by May 1st much breeding has taken place. If a lone hot Tom hears a sweet hen talking to him later in the morning he will come investigate most times if not henned up. Make him come looking for the hen which makes him walk into your lap rather than him seeing your decoy from across a field or something just to see him double and triple gobbling and spinning in circles yet closing the gab slowly. 

Without the decoy he steps out across from you in the field, Blows up a few times and you hit him with a couple sweet notes with your head turned to sound like the hen is behind you and he will walk in looking for her.

On a good day anyway's!  lol

[turkeyfeathers]

Edited March 5, 2018 by turkeyfeathers

[turkeyfeathers]

4 minutes ago, turkeyfeathers said:

My decoy spread for this year  All DSD's    Figure I gotta spend about  8 grand but hoping it'll work

[Robhuntandfish]

4 minutes ago, turkeyfeathers said:

My decoy spread for this year  All DSD's    Figure I gotta spend about  8 grand but hoping it'll work

all your missing is a couple of pilgrims!

[G-Man]

I don't use decoys at all I'm usually set up in woods 50 yards or so from the roost. I've hunted same land for 25 plus years and know where to be.. I am. Probably the only guy on her that doesn't hunt a field edge either. .. to many things to go wrong with a decoy and to many visual obsticals to over come in a field. I don't use blinds either.. I move if need be .and a blind and carrying more things doenst work for me personally