With all the different sorts of turkey decoys out there, how can we know what to make use of and when. Does it truly make a difference if it is a male or female? Will they run the other way if the head is up and not down? Will a gobbler really come in and try to kick the tail off a strutting decoy? These are just a number of of the questions which you may possibly be thinking about when looking to invest in a decoy, or possibly when you are seeking to choose one to bring into the field the next morning.
Hopefully, this may offer you a very good thought about what the unique decoy body postures mean, and how birds may well act towards jake and gobbler decoys, and why decoys may be good, even though other instances entirely mess up a hunt.
Understanding the Gobbler Hen Relationship
Just before utilizing a decoy, we need to recognize the relationship among the hen and also the gobbler. When a tom gobbles, he is spreading to word to all the hen turkeys about him that he is there and prepared to breed. He gobbles so the hens will come to him, not the other way around.
When we call to a gobbler and he comes in, we are playing off his urge to continue breeding when he is alone, or not active having a hen at that time. When the hen, or us as callers, do not show up for him, he comes to us. This can be not the norm, and how properly most of us know, as we have all stuck a bird that gobbles his fool head off to our each yelp, and runs the other way. It’s commonly not our calling, or our setup, or that he does not desire to be with us, it’s typically that he is already having a hen and she does not want the competition, so she walks the other way … and he goes with her.
This all being accurate, no matter how helpful decoys could be on a hunt, there’s constantly an opportunity for a bird to lock up on a decoy and wait for her to come to him. I’ve seen it inside the past where a bird has been coming in slowly, strutting, gobbling, looking, and obtaining closer every time, until he sees the decoy. Then he locks ideal as much as show, off and will not come any closer.
So, even though decoys can help a hunt, and get a bird to run correct in, you can find occasions when, keeping him searching, isn’t a poor concept. Should you locate your self in close quarters, with modest rolling hills, restricted visibility, along with a bird coming towards you, you might be improved off setting up at a point where he has to keep coming to find you. And when he does, it’s too late for him, and he is already within distance.
Choosing A Decoy For Good results
Now that we know what can go wrong, let’s focus on how to select a decoy for a productive day within the field. Beginning using the hen decoy, we have to 1st comprehend the body postures, what they mean, and when is the ideal time to use them.
Starting out with the head up, or alert position. This is a decoy that may mean two things. One, it could possibly be alert, searching out for other birds that are with her, which isn’t always a poor factor to have when you have out additional than one bird. It is actually natural to have one bird looking out for the other people.
Two, if alone, it could possibly be looked at as a spooked bird. For anyone who is calling a lot, then the bird comes in to view and you quit calling, it could appear like the bird has seen one thing that has alerted it, and shut up. This could put an approaching tom on alert. But … when you continue to call, it may perhaps change the entire meaning of that heads up bird. By continuing to call with a heads up decoy out in front of you, it may perhaps resemble an active hen which is yelping and searching for that gobbler that has been answering her. This can be a good early season decoy for when hens are actively breeding and still vocal.
The relaxed head position bird is really a small simpler on the posture for attitude. It is not at alert, so there really should be no reason to have a gobbler think that some thing has gone awry. But … and you know there is usually a but … the relaxed head position is most frequently indicative of a walking bird. When birds walk, and are relaxed, the head is down, so when there’s no movement involved with this position, it does not always look natural.
It’s nonetheless not a poor decoy position to have in your arsenal, since it may be noticed greater in high grass, and however still not be viewed as an alert pose. So preserve this decoy posture in thoughts in case you hunt hay fields, or open lots with high grasses. It just could be the ticket to obtain that massive ol’ gobbler to come in close enough for a shot.
The head down, or feeding position hen is actually a contentment decoy. Wonderful for any time of season, but highly advised later on in the season, when the hens aren’t breeding as considerably and are set on feeding and nesting.
This can be an excellent decoy for call shy gobblers because a feeding bird isn’t pretty vocal. Clucks, purrs, the occasional yelp or two, and the accompaniment of a feeding decoy is at times all it takes to lure in a late season gobbler.
Taking a combination of these hen decoys towards the field isn’t a bad concept. Having a couple feeding hens with 1 alert paints a very realistic picture. Adding a jake decoy towards the mix can kick it up even one more notch.
Having a jake decoy out, or adding it to the attendance of a couple hens, can genuinely spark some jealously, or even aggression, in a gobbler that might be claiming that region as his. Getting a young male hanging out, with what could possibly be that gobbler’s girlfriends, will lots of occasions draw that bird in and force him to defend his domain.
Now the full strut decoy on the other hand can make or break a hunt. Initial, a full strut decoy is an instant intruder into a gobbler’s dwelling turf. Putting one out is ultimately hoping that a fight is going to start. By bringing an adult bird into an additional adult birds area, there will be some sort of conflict for hierarchy.
The concept is the fact that the gobbler will see the decoy, develop into very protective of his region, and right away desire to confront the newcomer and prove his worth to run that ground. Certainly is doesn’t function out so well for the gobbler when he tries to bully the decoy. It usually outcomes in a splitting headache.
But … and as I said before there is generally a but … there is certainly a flip side to this scenario. Picture this: You haven’t taken a bird yet, and it is the last day of the season. You set out pretty boy in hopes that some dominant gobbler will come in and try to rough him up. Your call is instantly answered by a gobble, plus the game is on. The bird is closing the distance with each call you make. Ideal on the edge of the field you see a full fan coming your way. As the bird gets into full view he stops … comes out of strut, walks away, and by no means gobbles again … What happened???
What most most likely happened is the fact that you had a less dominant bird coming in to your call thinking the boss was nowhere to be located. He approached to the point of seeing the decoy in full strut, and believed it was him. He turned and left rather than fighting. You just lost your opportunity at taking a bird that season.
However it’s Mother Nature, and you in no way know how a bird will react. All I can provide for guidance is, that the top location to utilize a full strut decoy in is, a spot where there are actually multiple gobblers fighting for the same piece of actual estate. It is this constant competition that may invoke the urge to battle it out, hence producing you productive.
I’m not saying a full strut decoy will not function in other areas, but try to stack the odds within your favor. If you will discover much less birds in an area, than possibly a jake decoy would be superior suited for that scenario.
Also, constantly maintain in mind, when applying a jake or gobbler decoy, it is a bird that we are all on the market hunting, so safety should often be in the forefront of your thoughts. Be aware of what other hunter may be around. Make sure your setup puts you in a safe position away from the decoy, and always take caution when transporting a decoy that resembles a gobbler or jake.
Lastly, will be the silhouette decoy. Made in hen, jake and gobbler configurations, these can look extremely real, and take up quite little room for transporting. They are an incredible choice when you feel the need to put out several birds to resemble a flock for drawing power. This is a fantastic tactic for wide open spaces where the birds can see a long way.
Turkeys are social animals, so when the see one or two birds hanging out it’s no major deal. But when they see an entire flock standing there, that’s a various story. If your attempting to attract huge groups of birds, like the ones that can be found out west during the early season, it is not a poor concept to use a huge group of your own. Make that gobbler believe he’s missing out on a superior party than his own. Or convince all of the birds that your location will be the place to be. It gives a brand new meaning to putting on a “killer party”.
Whenever you are deciding on a decoy for good results within the field next time you head out turkey hunting, you’ll find lots of issues to consider. You’ll need to think about what you see naturally. Do you see a lot of birds together in a wide open field, or just 1 or two meandering through a small pasture. Do you see several gobblers together, or just one all alone strutting by himself. Or possibly you don’t see them at all, and you know your going to have to put some miles on your boots trying to come across them.
Whatever the scenario is, there is certainly a decoy made to help you be much more effective. You can find a lot to chose from, along with a million methods to utilize them. It’s up to you to attempt and make your set up look genuine, and appear inviting, whether or not it’s employing one hen, 1 jake, or 5 hens with a strutter. It could even take leaving them in your vest. You never know till you attempt.
So, next time you hit the woods, hopefully this may help you choose the appropriate decoy for the job, and hopefully it’ll help you bring household the gobbler you’ve been chasing all season. Best of luck, hunt tough, and hunt secure.
In the event you are an devoted turkey hunter and in search of numerous data and guidelines on turkey hunting, then stop by TurkeyHunting 247.com for loads of articles and videos on diaphragm turkey calls and Merriam Turkeys.






