Decoy Question

[Atchman2]

What decoys do you use in early season? My Killer B scared off a Jake this morning (youth hunt), but he just had his butt kicked by a mature tom. I had two hens and the Killer B out. Too much? Just hens? What should I have done?

 

[AT Hiker]

We called in three this morning with no decoys. I only use decoys when nothing else seems to work or when they are fired up heavy and no competition with hens when its this early.

Strut decoys are about to loose their efficacy soon I think, but they can still be effective when the competition is stiff.

I would leave the decoy at home, and call softly right now. But each situation is different and requires different tactics, and since you used a decoy this morning go anhead and try not using one.

 

[cmn]

I use a couple of hens and a Jake during early season. Worked this morning. 5 long beards came in to establish their dominance. I have used this many times over the years. I used to use stuffers but now use the Avian X. I find that even jakes will come in to this setup. We were using a blind in a field. I would not try to run and gun with 3 decoys. I have just used a single hen/jake many times with my clients, rarely fails to get a response if they are seen.