# Turkey Decoy Advice



## snw_brdr10 (May 20, 2014)

So I am starting Turkey hunting this year. I was inside Sportsmans this week and thought to myself I need to get a box call and some decoys. Because I know nothing about either, I am looking to use you more seasoned hunters as a crutch and give me your thoughts.

What say ye on this primos gobstopper jake and hen combo?

http://www.sportsmanswarehouse.com/...etail/Turkey-Decoys/prod99999042529/cat100391

I sure love the price on sale for only $45. But I want to know if it will help bring in some meat. Don't want to waste my money if it wont have any effect.

Also any advice on a box call would be appreciated.


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## hawglips (Aug 23, 2013)

My advice is not to get them and learn to hunt without them first. You will thank me later on if you do this.


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## toasty (May 15, 2008)

I agree with the expert turkey hunter above. Decoys are not needed or even desired most of the time. I actually chased a bird off with decoy shine once. I also had a tom run to a decoy once as well which was pretty cool.

I still take decoys from time to time, but they just get in the way and I don't think I've set them up for 3 or 4 years. A hot gobbler will come to the call. If you end up stalking or ambushing turkeys, they don't do any good either. If you get them and use them, I will still consider you a turkey hunter though.


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## ram2h2o (Sep 11, 2007)

Ditto to what Hawglips and Toasty said. Decoys do work sometimes, but best to learn techniques how to hunt without decoys and then work them in to your hunt. I hunted Gobblers for over 30 years without decoys in LA and MS. Master the calls needed to bring in a Boss Gobbler and you will be a better Turkey hunter for it!


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## whitepd01 (Aug 26, 2014)

Decoys have generally been useless for me too. However last year my son killed a Tom 2 minutes after I bellied crawled out on to a little rise and stacked a hen decoy. I had barely gotten back to him when we had 6 jakes/toms surrounding the decoy. It was incredible. I didn't even know the birds were there or where they came from. But the second they saw that decoy the must have ran straight to it. But usually they just plain ignore the decoys in my experience.


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## SCtransplant (Jul 31, 2015)

In the wild the hen comes to the gobbler the last 50 yards, so unless you are a proficient hunter the bird will hang up most of the time.


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## widget22 (Mar 10, 2016)

*Once..*

I once had a big Tom fly straight down from a roost and into my hen decoy. He fell asleep real fast. Other than that, it has only caused them to hang up and wait for the hen to close the distance. Decoys tend to make stalking and location changes much more challenging also. Start with one of those push rod box calls until you get a feel for the language. they're so easy to use its almost embarrassing, but they work. then you can transition to slate/box/mouth etc. or whatever appeals to you.


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## kstorrs (Oct 29, 2012)

Do decoys work better earlier in the season?


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## BPturkeys (Sep 13, 2007)

If it makes you feel much better to put a decoy out, put one out, heck put couple of 'em out. Will you get more turkeys, or less turkeys, you'll never know, cause they did what they did and you did what you did.
But in all seriousness, occasionally a bird will come in and take a look at the decoy and occasionally he'll run like he** when he sees it or as is the case most of the time, he'll completely ignore it.
OK, there you go, that's absolutely all you need to know about decoys and turkey hunting. Good luck


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## Springville Shooter (Oct 15, 2010)

I'll add this advice. Every time you want to call, stop yourself. Every five time you stop yourself, go ahead and call. I've always done much better when a curious bird didn't know exactly where I was. 

Another productive, but risky strategy is to wait until you hear a bird gobble so you know what direction and roughly what distance he is. Hen call until he responds and then move quickly his direction about a third of the distance or so. Then sit and silently wait.

Best-o-luck!-----SS


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## hawglips (Aug 23, 2013)

It's a shame that all the turkey videos these days are all using and/or pushing decoys. And they put the decoys out in a wide open field or meadow so they can get good video footage of a turkey. So all new guys think that is the way you are supposed to hunt turkeys - like ducks but on dry land. But that method of hunting turkeys got big for the purpose of selling stuff to hunters and for getting video footage - not to show you how to more successfully and more consistently kill turkeys, or how to maximize enjoyment of the turkey hunting experience.

Springville hit on a big truth when he said, "I've always done much better when a curious bird didn't know exactly where I was." If you set up so the bird doesn't see where you are calling from, it will spur his desire to come looking to make a visual on that hen he's been hearing. Make him come look for you, and call and set up accordingly, and consistent success will go up.

BP hit on a big truth when he said, "occasionally a bird will come in and take a look at the decoy and occasionally he'll run like he** when he sees it". All birds are not dominant birds. All but the big boss are subordinate to some extent. And the subordinate birds lower on the pecking order are often spooked by decoys. There's only one boss bird (or birds) in the area. So why risk running a bird off when you could just use his natural desire to get a visual on the bird against him and have better odds of killing him that way? 

Use decoys if you want. Nobody died and left me or anybody else in charge of turkey hunting. There are times decoys make it way too easy to kill a bird. But turkey hunting is not duck hunting on dry land. They are different birds with different motivations for coming or not coming to the call or decoys. And you'll be better off day in and day out, and will get more enjoyment out of it, without them.


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## kstorrs (Oct 29, 2012)

It's all great advice. I appreciate your input. I think we will try without a decoy and if we aren't having luck then maybe try one later towards the end to see if things change.


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## SCtransplant (Jul 31, 2015)

The game of Marco Polo with a turkey is far more fun than still hunting with a decoy out. Good luck this season and let us know how it goes!


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## JuniorPre 360 (Feb 22, 2012)

I've used a decoy for 3 years during the general hunt. This is the only thing that has come into it. This guy loved it too. It would spin around for him, he'd jump back, and then spin it again. I guess if I ever get a moose tag, my hen turkey decoy is going with.


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## SCtransplant (Jul 31, 2015)

Dude that is awesome I hope you got some video of that.


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## Kwalk3 (Jun 21, 2012)

I've only hunted turkeys for a few years, but last year intended to hunt with a decoy under the assumption that that's how it was supposed to be done. Opening day my buddies and I just ended up chasing gobbles and filled our tags. The following Saturday I went out with another friend with the decoy and sat in the rain for 2 hours calling to birds close to where they feed normally in the morning. After 2 hours there was a bird that came in right on top of the decoy at 10 yards. Both experiences were fun to be a part of, but the decoy wasn't utilized on my own hunt nearly as much as I anticipated.


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## JuniorPre 360 (Feb 22, 2012)

SCtransplant said:


> Dude that is awesome I hope you got some video of that.


I was taking a nap and I could feel some hot smelly breath on my face. I woke up and this thing was sniffing me. I jumped up and took aim at it, not really intending on shooting it. It was just my natural reaction. Luckily he backed up and stood there. I could tell he didn't mean any harm so I caught my breath and watched him walk around, find my decoy, and started spinning it around. I didn't even think of a video.


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