I have several Decoy Questions

[Creek]

Ok you professionals out there
As you already know opening day is coming soon. What we have is a hen, jake, and a strutter gobbler decoy.
1)Would we be alright setting out all three of our different decoys together ?
2)If we do set all three decoys out then how far apart do you like to space them since we have just these three ?
3)Also is setting them about 15 to 20 yards from our blind ok ?
Thanks for any help.

 

[Spurhunter]

I'm no professional but I'll answer anyway.

1) Yes
2) I don't think it matters but I would put them where they can be seen from different angles/areas.
3)I typically put mine 30 yards from the blind. Far enough to draw attention away from the blind but close enough that if he hangs up 10 yards outside the decoy he's still in range.

Two things to consider about a strutting decoy:
SAFETY FIRST if there are other hunters on your place!

Gobblers don't always come running like they do on tv. Sub dominant birds that have been whipped by the boss might shy away. I've had mixed reactions. On more than one occasion I had birds stay 100 yards away and never come in. Had I not had a strutter out I might've killed him.

 

[drrxnupe]

I took my $79 strutter out once a few years ago. I had a group of birds coming in pretty hot and heavy. When the lead strutter of the group saw my strutter decoy, he bolted out of there so fast. I've never had that decoy out since then. That could have been just my luck but I doubt I'll try it again.

 

[chebuck]

I would not put 2 male decoys out.

 

[Harvester]

I would leave the decoys at home but that's just my opinion.

 

[deerhunter10]

I would leave all of them at the house to. but if I did hunt over them I would leave the strutter at the house always. the jake and hen can help . but ive seen a lot of birds not killed because of decoys and especially with struttin decoys. but that's just me and what I have seen over the years.

 

[Creek]

Wow so many different opinions. I guess we might try with just the jake and hen.
We are newbies and we killed 3 last year with the jake and hen so I thought we were doing good.
Our decoys were about 20 yards but I didnt know if that was the normal.
Thanks for the help.

 

[Spurhunter]

but ive seen a lot of birds not killed because of decoys

Personally I've never seen turkey react negatively to a hen decoy but I hear the anti-decoy bunch talk about it. I haven't observed it.

 

[deerhunter10]

but ive seen a lot of birds not killed because of decoys

Personally I've never seen turkey react negatively to a hen decoy but I hear the anti-decoy bunch talk about it. I haven't observed it.

ive seen a few henned up birds react very negative to hen decoys. but I have seen hen and jake decoys work. I would just personally leave the stutter at the house. I also think if you are going to have decoys spend the money and get some good ones. im not anti decoy at all. imo for most people though it seem to hurt more then what people think though. but what ever floats your boat. I personally don't use them though.

 

[drrxnupe]

Got me 2 hens and a jake from DSD this year. Man those look very real but pricey.

 

[Spurhunter]

The strutters can be detrimental. If I was going to use one it would be early season while the gobblers are still running together.

 

[Setterman]

I'd leave them at the house and not bind myself to being in a blind. Decoys are not mandatory for killing turkeys despite the new decoy rage nationwide, same goes for blinds.

 

[Spurhunter]

I'd leave them at the house and not bind myself to being blind. Decoys are not mandatory for killing turkeys despite the new decoy rage nationwide, same goes for blinds.

I guess you didn't see the part about his son hunting with him. Everyone doesn't hunt alone and run and gun. Some of us hunt with our kids. A blind is THE best way to get a kid out hunting and have some success.

 

[Setterman]

I'd leave them at the house and not bind myself to being blind. Decoys are not mandatory for killing turkeys despite the new decoy rage nationwide, same goes for blinds.

I guess you didn't see the part about his son hunting with him. Everyone doesn't hunt alone and run and gun. Some of us hunt with our kids. A blind is THE best way to get a kid out hunting and have some success.

I take kids every year and have watched them shoot a ton of long beards with no blinds or decoys.

Therefore I don't view a kid hunting as a mandatory situation for decoys or blinds.

But that's just me. I only voiced an opinion based on personal experience.

 

[TheLBLman]

Overall, I'd rate decoys at about as much benefit as detriment, meaning they often cause you not to get the bird, and they often help you get the bird.

One thing I've not seen others mention, but this can be a really big negative regarding decoys:

Your being seen putting them out, or moving them. Many hunters are simply seen placing their decoys, and never realize their act of putting out decoys ruined an opportunity.

I've progressively used them less, mainly when hunting a small place, and can get them out before it's light enough to see.

 

[Spurhunter]

I take kids every year and have watched them shoot a ton of long beard with no blinds or decoys.

Therefore I don't view a kid hunting as a mandatory situation for decoys or blinds.

There can only be one Turkey Whisperer. Most of us are mere mortals. I never seem to find places overrun with kamikaze longbeards so I have to use what advantages I can.

 

[Setterman]

One other thing I will add after watching hundreds of longbeards come into a set up, is that 9/10 birds come in and keep coming and would go past the shooter many times if no shot is fired. In other words, my experiences with birds that hang up out of range is limited every season, although it does happen once or twice each year, I seriously doubt decoys make things 100%.

Also, I am glad from a personal standpoint that the folks who took me under their wing as a kid taught me how to move on birds, how to set up in the woods, how to deal with field turkeys, how to not overcall a bird, how to take a birds "temperature", etc etc. All of those things helped make me the hunter I am today.

I'm not implying utilizing decoys and blinds eliminate those learning experiences, but there are valuable lessons learned from not automatically killing a bird or just sitting stationary waiting for one to wander by.

All of this is just my personal views and I'm not knocking anyones style, just stating what I feel helped me out and put me in the position I am in now.

I also feel (some may not like this) that too many fathers are hell bent on believing that the only successful hunt is one where their child kills a bird. I personally feel, some of the most successful hunts for kids are when they don't kill something and learn why it didn't work out and how it can be made to work out in the future. It's a culture of instant gratification that is being passed on to the kids anymore, and at times I wonder if that is for the best. If a kid is discouraged because they came up empty handed then life is going to be a serious wake up call as they navigate the neverending let downs and failures we all experience over the years.

 

[Setterman]

I take kids every year and have watched them shoot a ton of long beard with no blinds or decoys.

Therefore I don't view a kid hunting as a mandatory situation for decoys or blinds.

There can only be one Turkey Whisperer. Most of us are mere mortals. I never seem to find places overrun with kamikaze longbeards so I have to use what advantages I can.

No reason to resort to personal attacks when another person just states their opinions and experiences.

 

[REN]

Im not a fan of decoys personally and I don't think you really need them to be successful.

However i will say that with the new age of decoys such as the DSD and what not there is something to be said for them. The KEY imo if your gonna use them is you have to figure out a way to have movement in them if you are using them in an open field. I can't make myself spend that kinda money on the good ones and further more I can't make myself carry them around all the time.

I have seen them work and i have seen them more often cause the hunt to fail. I personally don't really rely on them but in certain situations i can see them being beneficial

 

[Spurhunter]

I take kids every year and have watched them shoot a ton of long beard with no blinds or decoys.

Therefore I don't view a kid hunting as a mandatory situation for decoys or blinds.

There can only be one Turkey Whisperer. Most of us are mere mortals. I never seem to find places overrun with kamikaze longbeards so I have to use what advantages I can.

No reason to resort to personal attacks when another person just states their opinions and experiences.

No personal attack. If everything you say is true, and I have no reason to doubt you, you are one of the best ever. All of us are not as skilled and probably don't have the places to hunt that you do. We have to do what we can to kill a few birds.

 

[Setterman]

I take kids every year and have watched them shoot a ton of long beard with no blinds or decoys.

Therefore I don't view a kid hunting as a mandatory situation for decoys or blinds.

There can only be one Turkey Whisperer. Most of us are mere mortals. I never seem to find places overrun with kamikaze longbeards so I have to use what advantages I can.

No reason to resort to personal attacks when another person just states their opinions and experiences.

No personal attack. If everything you say is true, and I have no reason to doubt you, you are one of the best ever. All of us are not as skilled and probably don't have the places to hunt that you do. We have to do what we can to kill a few birds.

LOL, this isn't a competition between hunters. It's a war between myself and the bird that tormented me during my youth. I've won a bunch of battles as the years have passed by, but they seem to always have the upper hand.

For the record I have not killed a bird in TN on private ground in almost 10 years, and 6 years in KY. I hunt entirely public land while here.

Out of state, it's fair to say I have the opportunity to hunt some remarkable places.

My favorite turkey stories are failed efforts to kill a bird. Those are usually the great stories with great teaching momments.

 

[deerhunter10]

I agree with setterman on the blind thing. while every now and then there is situations that you may need a blind. but when I grew up and my friends there was no way that I was going to hunt out of a blind. and imo it made me a better hunter and it made me aware of my movements and the things I could and not get away with and I think imo it is important for kids to start to learn that early. but again I hunt out of a blind every now and then and also every now and then I take kids and we will hunt out of them. just my two cents.

 

[Spurhunter]

deerhunter10, keep in mind you live in the #1 turkey county in the state. If you take a kid and he bumps a bird there will be plenty more. A rookie hunter limited out in 4 hunts recently in your county. There aren't near the birds in extreme West TN. If I take a kid and he bumps a bird moving it may be his only chance for several hunts. Or weeks. I think you guys are a little spoiled with your numbers. Nothing wrong with that. I'm jealous. But, here we have to maximize every opportunity. I talked to a guy from middle TN at LBL last year. His exact words: "I come here for a possible bonus bird and the challenge. In my county you can trip over a log, drop your gun, and if the gun goes off you'll probably kill a longbeard. It's stupid easy." All I'm saying is don't judge turkey hunting in general by middle TN.

Also, my son has killed birds not being in a blind. But it happened fast on those hunts. I don't think you can expect a kid to be still for hours on end. My son just turned 15. We will be doing less in the blind and more running and gunning this year, and we have been decreasing blind use every year. But for a younger kid I still believe it's the way to go.

 

[catman529]

deerhunter10, keep in mind you live in the #1 turkey county in the state. If you take a kid and he bumps a bird there will be plenty more. A rookie hunter limited out in 4 hunts recently in your county. There aren't near the birds in extreme West TN. If I take a kid and he bumps a bird moving it may be his only chance for several hunts. Or weeks. I think you guys are a little spoiled with your numbers. Nothing wrong with that. I'm jealous. But, here we have to maximize every opportunity. I talked to a guy from middle TN at LBL last year. His exact words: "I come here for a possible bonus bird and the challenge. In my county you can trip over a log, drop your gun, and if the gun goes off you'll probably kill a longbeard. It's stupid easy." All I'm saying is don't judge turkey hunting in general by middle TN.

Also, my son has killed birds not being in a blind. But it happened fast on those hunts. I don't think you can expect a kid to be still for hours on end. My son just turned 15. We will be doing less in the blind and more running and gunning this year, and we have been decreasing blind use every year. But for a younger kid I still believe it's the way to go.

I have yet to take a young kid hunting and I would be glad to do so either with or without a blind. a more impatient kid, in a blind, a more dedicated kid, no blind. but I'd be hunting the #1 county in the state so it wouldn't matter as much. If the county next to it was the same size it would probably be #1. But I have only hunted that county once and killed a bird there (yeah it's easy there on private land)

I could not move to west TN because of the lower number of birds. Would be depressing to me, yes I am spoiled. I hope the birds populate better in the coming years in west TN.

I aint against blinds at all but I don't care to hunt them very often at all. But with a kid, it would depend on the kid like I said. It would then be more important that the kid had a good hunt than whether or not to use a blind.

 

[Spurhunter]

Well said Catman. You will get great pleasure out of taking a kid when the opportunity presents itself. West TN can be somewhat depressing when you see everyone limiting out in other parts of the state. I do tip my hat to you public land hunters. No matter how many birds you still have a huge obstacle: other hunters.

 

[deerhunter10]

deerhunter10, keep in mind you live in the #1 turkey county in the state. If you take a kid and he bumps a bird there will be plenty more. A rookie hunter limited out in 4 hunts recently in your county. There aren't near the birds in extreme West TN. If I take a kid and he bumps a bird moving it may be his only chance for several hunts. Or weeks. I think you guys are a little spoiled with your numbers. Nothing wrong with that. I'm jealous. But, here we have to maximize every opportunity. I talked to a guy from middle TN at LBL last year. His exact words: "I come here for a possible bonus bird and the challenge. In my county you can trip over a log, drop your gun, and if the gun goes off you'll probably kill a longbeard. It's stupid easy." All I'm saying is don't judge turkey hunting in general by middle TN.

Also, my son has killed birds not being in a blind. But it happened fast on those hunts. I don't think you can expect a kid to be still for hours on end. My son just turned 15. We will be doing less in the blind and more running and gunning this year, and we have been decreasing blind use every year. But for a younger kid I still believe it's the way to go.

like I said im not knocking some who uses blinds or decoys at all. like I said I use a blind and I have used decoys. I was just simply stating just like I do with kids in deer start them in a blind don't leave them in a blind like you seem to be doing with your son. I know some that never ever get out of a blind they carry one with them every where. i try to get them out and about. sometimes its not all about killing one which I know you know. but I know when I was a kid I learned a whole lot more actually hunting like my dad would if he were alone then him catering to me worrying about me not being able to sit all day or being able to sit still. ill agree we are kind of spoiled and we have some good farms to hunt and I don't care one bit to hunt on public land I give them tons of props. but even though we live in a good county doesn't mean its automatic. its just like going to Kansas or iowa for deer nothing is automatic it is hunting and nothing is guaranteed. im not knocking anyone who uses either a decoy or a blind. but with the blind hunters I encourage them to get out of their comfort zone especially when hunting with kids and imo it makes the over all experience better. if a kid is impatient you don't hunt them all day you hunt them for a few hours. and our numbers are going down I have a farm in giles county that hasn't had birds on it in 3 years and it used to be lights out. numbers can lie some farms has it some don't. I will admit 100 percent we have some outstanding turkey and deer farms but we worked our butt off for them. but like you said that is here and not where you are. there is a million ways to kill a turkey this is how we kinda of do things find what works for yal and stick with it. what ever floats your boat.

 

[Spurhunter]

I agree deerhunter10. And I know the guy was exaggerating and it's not automatic. I wasn't taking anything away from you guys. It's gotta be awesome hunting where the birds are thick. I'm jealous!

 

[Setterman]

Make no mistakes regarding bird numbers here on public land. Sure there are plenty of birds but it is steep and unforgiving. Add to it the daily wars with the atv "hunters" and nothing comes easy

 

[Creek]

Well I didnt expect these types of comments from my questions.
I can tell you what I do know. My son and I went turkey hunting for the first time in our lives last year. We were in a blind and we had a jake and hen decoys. We killed a 11 inch beard I think it was. The very next day we killed a jake.
Im not saying we will do good again this year but I cant understand why in the world we wouldnt go ahead and try our same method again. Especially since it worked for a couple of newbies. We dont know squat about turkey hunting compared to most. Yes maybe some day I would like for us both to start hunting them without the blind and maybe the decoys. But for right now I can tell you that this year we will be in a blind with decoys. I also pray that we get something.
I guess we will try and place the decoys about the same way we did last year. I now see that there are no real answers to my questions...not really.
I do thank all of you who sincerely tried to answer my dumb questions.
Thanks and good luck to everyone.

 

[Lawrence]

I would use just the hen and jake
and save the strutter on one of those
hard to kill field turkeys
but that's just me