Decoys have become an essential tool in the arsenal of many turkey hunters. They can be used to entice unwary birds, creating the ideal setting for a clear shot. But using decoys correctly can mean the difference between success and failure, so it’s important to know when to use them. We’ll dive into the world of turkey decoys in this in-depth guide, covering the best techniques to increase your chances of spotting a gobbler.
Understanding the Role of Decoys
Before we dive into the specifics of decoy usage, let’s first understand their primary function. Turkey decoys serve as visual cues, attracting the attention of gobblers and hens alike. They can be used to:
- Lure turkeys into range: A well-placed decoy can entice a curious gobbler to investigate, bringing him within shooting distance.
- Trigger aggressive behavior: Dominant gobblers often view decoys as rivals, prompting them to strut, gobble, and approach for a fight.
- Create a sense of security: Hens may feel safer approaching a decoy, especially if it’s paired with a gobbler decoy, making them more vulnerable to your calls.
Choosing the Right Decoy
The type of decoy you choose will depend on several factors including the time of year, the terrain and the behavior of the turkeys you’re targeting. Here’s a breakdown of the most common decoy types:
- Jake decoys: These represent young male turkeys and are effective throughout the season. They can be used to trigger aggression in mature gobblers or attract jakes looking for companionship.
- Hen decoys: These represent female turkeys and are most effective early in the season when hens are receptive to breeding. They can also be used later in the season to create a sense of security for wary hens.
- Strutting gobbler decoys: These are highly effective in attracting dominant gobblers, especially during the peak breeding season. They can trigger aggressive behavior and bring gobblers in close for a fight.
- Feeding flock decoys: These consist of multiple hen and jake decoys arranged in a feeding posture. They are ideal for attracting large groups of turkeys and can be especially effective in open areas.
When to Use Decoys
The timing of decoy deployment is crucial for success Here are some general guidelines:
- Early season: Use hen decoys to attract receptive hens and jakes. You can also use a jake decoy to trigger aggression in gobblers.
- Peak breeding season: Use strutting gobbler decoys to draw in dominant gobblers looking for a fight. You can also use a combination of hen and jake decoys to create a realistic breeding scenario.
- Late season: Use hen decoys to create a sense of security for wary hens. You can also use a jake decoy to attract jakes that are still looking to breed.
Where to Place Decoys
The location of your decoys is equally as crucial as the kind you select. Here are some tips for maximizing their effectiveness:
- Open areas: Place decoys in open areas where they are easily visible to turkeys. This could be a field edge, logging road, or sparse timber.
- Near cover: Position decoys near cover where turkeys feel safe to approach. This could be a brush pile, fallen tree, or the edge of a wooded area.
- In strutting zones: Place strutting gobbler decoys in areas where gobblers are likely to strut, such as open fields or along logging roads.
- In feeding areas: Place feeding flock decoys in areas where turkeys are likely to feed, such as open fields, meadows, or agricultural fields.
Additional Tips for Using Decoys Effectively
Here are some additional tips to help you get the most out of your turkey decoys:
- Use realistic decoys: Choose decoys that are lifelike in appearance and movement. This will help to fool turkeys into thinking they are real birds.
- Set up your decoys early: This will give turkeys time to see them and become accustomed to their presence.
- Use a variety of decoys: Don’t rely on just one type of decoy. Use a combination of hen, jake, and gobbler decoys to create a more realistic scene.
- Move your decoys around: This will help to keep turkeys interested and prevent them from becoming bored.
- Be patient: Decoying turkeys can take time and patience. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t see results immediately.
Your chances of success in the field can be greatly increased by using turkey decoys effectively. By being aware of the various kinds of decoys, knowing when and where to use them, and heeding the advice given above, you should have no trouble bringing home that monster gobbler. To succeed in your turkey hunting endeavors, keep in mind that patience, practice, and a little bit of luck will go a long way.
Should you try a single hen, a jake and hen, or a full-strut decoy? That depends on the time of the season. Here’s your guide to using turkey decoys, from opening day to the closing bell
In a corn stubble field less than a hundred yards from a turkey roost that I had been able to locate the previous two mornings by gobbling, my nephew and I set up a blind. We positioned an aggressive jake decoy next to a breeding hen decoy before settling in. With dim lighting hinting at dawn’s arrival, I coaxed with some tree yelps. Gobbling confirmed that the toms were in the trees right where I expected they would be.
The author’s nephew bagged this big gobbler with a jake-and-hen combo. Photo by Darron McDougal
They swiftly descended, and instead of flying into the field to confront our decoys, they flew east to court some hens on the neighboring property. I continued coaxing with my calls, but it became obvious that the gobblers wouldn’t leave the hens.
Meanwhile, another gobbler nearly 500 yards in the opposite direction began gobbling. He was out of view, and I knew he was across a paved road. “I’m going to call a lot and then stop,” I whispered to my nephew. My ploy was to build curiosity, which would draw the bird to where he’d see the decoys. Then, it would be up to the decoys to draw him within shotgun range.
About 10 minutes after I stopped calling, my nephew noticed a turkey about 200 yards away. I looked through my binoculars and saw that it was the tom running toward our decoys as fast as his two legs would allow. Soon, the puffed-up bird was pushing his breast against the jake decoy 15 yards away. When he’d pushed it over, I said, “OK, shoot him!” Boom! The bird flattened out and hardly twitched.
You’ve come to the right place whether you’ve never tried decoying for hunting or have only had sporadic success. Drawing from my 22 years of experience decoying turkeys, we will discuss several decoy setups and the optimal times for them to work. There’s just something about fooling a mature gobbler with decoys, so let’s dive in.
THE FULL-FLOCK SPREAD
- Pro: Highly effective early in the season
- Con: Hassle to carry
Having many decoys out can be a pain, but it can be very useful when the season begins, aggression rises, and winter flocks begin to divide. After being kicked out of the big flock, toms are now wandering around looking for other turkeys to hang out with. A smaller flock consisting of only one male bird can be enticed to satellite toms by placing a few hens and an aggressive jake decoy nearby. This will make the flock less intimidating than the one they were recently kicked out of.
Small flocks of decoys, like a jake or gobbler with a few hens, can draw curious or dominant gobblers to investigate. Photo by Bill Konway.
A flock of decoys has the potential to trigger three possible responses. A lone gobbler might think he’s found other birds that will allow him in. Alternatively, he may simply drop in to observe these birds and assess the ring leader out of curiosity. Instead, he might see hens with just one tom or jake (your decoy) to protect them as an opportunity to show off his dominance by fighting to intercept the flock.
Smaller flocks become more common as the large winter flocks split and disperse, so playing a flock of decoys is a very realistic card that can be very profitable during this window.
THE JAKE AND HEN CLASSIC
- Pros: A standby that works all season long
- Cons: Can intimidate subordinate gobblers
This is my go-to combo because it works so well all year long; I use it more often than any other decoy spread. I usually pair an aggressive 3/4 strut jake with a solo hen. The hen’s pose doesn’t seem to have any bearing on how effective this spread is; I’ve used alert, feeding, and breeding hen decoys with almost identical results.
As far as scheduling goes, I have used this deadly combination to defeat seasoned gobblers as early as March 25 at Nebraska’s archery opener and as late as May 31 in Wisconsin, not to mention every single week in between. If I were to hunt turkeys on the one day I had left, I would without a doubt use this decoy setup because it has produced the most consistent results.
The jake and hen decoy pair is a combination that can work all season. Photo by Darren McDougal
Now, there are some instances when it doesn’t work. For instance, in mid-April in Wisconsin, I once witnessed a tom gobbling from a ridge top that was hidden from view. I also could hear hens yelping, so I got mouthy with my calling. The gobbler got close to the pinch-point where I was calling, but when he saw the jake and hen decoys, he got nervous and steered clear of my setup. I believe he was trying to increase the size of his flock, even though he may have believed one of his hens had fallen behind and was coming to get her. Regardless, he didn’t want to fight.
The combination of a jake and hen produces the best response rate most of the time, but on my next hunt, I usually try one or two hen decoys instead of the jake if I encounter a bird that becomes wary or simply won’t commit.
THE SOLO JAKE
- Pros: Easy to carry, still elicits dominance response
- Cons: Some satellite birds don’t want to fight, period
To make transportation easier, carrying a single jake decoy is a great way to reduce weight and get the same reaction as a jake and hen combo. The key, though, is an aggressive pose and stunning realism. Don’t use an alert jake with a moderately red head or one that looks fake. It has to look like an overconfident punk with a beaming red head.
A solo jake is easy to transport and works well early in the season. by Darron McDougal
I suggest using this one in the early part of the hunting season when hunting hen flocks protected by two or more gobblers. Hunt as close to where they fly down, or where they go after they fly down, as possible. Due to the fact that there is strength in numbers, a group of two or more gobblers will most likely band together to chase the intruder out of the area and away from the henhouse, putting one or more of them in your field of vision.
It can also work when you’re hunting a henned-up tom, usually during the middle of the season. If, from a few hundred yards away, you’ve been unable to get a tom to leave his hens with hen decoys or even with a jake and hen combination, think about pushing the envelope and going into his territory with an aggressive lone jake. The last thing he wants is a little punk getting near his ladies. Expect him to either come in hot or gather up his hens and push them away. I’ve discovered that the secret is to hunt where they already congregate, not fifty or sixty yards away. The goal is to push his dominance button. Getting close and posing a threat can do it.
THE SOLO HEN
- Benefits: Stealthy presentation in places where gobblers have been harmed or where big flocks of jakes live; may induce dominance behavior in hens
- Cons: May not trigger a response from henned-up gobblers
Have you ever witnessed an all-out turkey fight? It can be a bloodbath. Some toms have lost a battle or several of them. They’ve gotten absolutely rocked by their opponents, and they need some time to shake it off. Furthermore, inferior gobblers or even dominant toms who have been harassed by jake flocks may not always want to fight when a tom is up against three or more jakes. Therefore, if you’ve encountered noisy gobblers that tuck tale and run away upon seeing your jake or strutter decoy, consider using a non-aggressive single-hen setup.
A lone hen decoy works well and attracts both aggressive hens and toms from the middle to the end of the season. by Bill Konway.
A lone hen could be very alluring to a tom who wants a hen but has lost all motivation. Towards the end of the season, and particularly towards the end, this is a good card to play. My favorite solo-hen setup when hunting a flock with one tom and several hens is after a jake decoy hasn’t produced a response. I’ve found that live hens often become aggressive toward a solo hen that they don’t recognize. Numerous times I’ve had hens come in fast, purring and cutting the entire way to the decoy. Then, they attack it. I’ve had hens peck the head of my decoy and shove it around. And you know what? The tom can’t stand it. Often, he runs right in to see what the ruckus is about.
FANNING
- Pros: Highly effective on aggressive gobblers
- Cons: Could be dangerous, forbidden in some areas, and put more stress on local birds
Stalking a gobbler and then challenging him with a real turkey fan or even a strutter decoy is not only a controversial tactic but is illegal in several states. Still, I occasionally use this tactic (where legal) and have outstanding success. The most successful scenario is to move to within 80–100 yards of a flock that one or more gobblers are keeping an eye on. When I’ve done it, I slowly present the fan, then move it to add realism. Sometimes, if a tom ignores my mouth call or makes noises like spitting and drumming, a few tom/jake yells if they are looking but not approaching.
Fandom is beneficial at any time of year, but you must also acknowledge that not all boys are equal. Some will go on alert and move their hens the other way.
Fanning can be an extremely deadly way to draw a gobbler that is out of reach, provided it is done legally and safely. by Darron McDougal.
Like fanning, any type of turkey decoying has risks. You’re sitting within shotgun range of what look like real turkeys. Although most hunters can tell the difference in a quick glance, accidents can happen. So, always use caution and be alert. Keep still and call out loudly, “Hunter over here!” if you see another hunter approaching your setup. Keep doing this until the hunter understands that your decoys aren’t actual turkeys.
Nothing compares to the excitement of a boss gobbler charging into a set of decoys, especially if he gets the better of your Jake decoy before you shoot him. Calling a tom in close without decoys and killing him at 30 yards is an art. Though individual variances mean that gobblers won’t always respond favorably to decoys, heeding these tips will surely benefit you this spring.
Tips to Setup Your Turkey Decoys – Michael Waddell | SCHEELS
FAQ
How many turkey decoys should I put out?
Should I use a turkey decoy in the woods?
Will decoys scare turkeys away?
What is the early season strategy for turkey decoys?
What is the best decoy for a Turkey?
The single best decoy anyone can own is a submissive, half- or quarter-strut jake. If you’re into shooting any legal turkey, this type of jake will draw in anything with a beard. These dekes are effective all spring, so long as you pair them with the right birds.
How can decoy placement help with turkey hunting?
Proper decoy placement plays a crucial role in successful turkey hunting. By utilizing various strategies, hunters can significantly improve their chances of attracting a gobbler into shooting range. In this section, we’ll discuss several decoy placement strategies that’ll help maximize your turkey hunting experience.
Where should Turkey decoys be placed?
Position them in open areas where they’re noticeable from a long distance, such as fields, meadows, and clearings. This increases the likelihood of a turkey being attracted to your setup. Some key points to consider: Set up the decoys within effective shooting range to increase the probability of a successful hunt.
What is the best decoy for a hen?
This won’t get a jake or confident 2-year old to come in, but a boss gobbler with hens will take the bait almost every time. The single best decoy anyone can own is a submissive, half- or quarter-strut jake. If you’re into shooting any legal turkey, this type of jake will draw in anything with a beard.