The Importance Of Life-Like Turkey Decoys?

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  • AGarbers

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    I know some of you have spent big bucks on realistic turkey decoys. Are they worth it? I have a few of the Delta decoys that never seem to puff back out all the way, and I have a few of the cheap foam decoys. None of them have worked, but in all fairness it is most likely my terrible calling and locations where I hunt.
    I am really impressed with the DSD series of decoys but at $120 each I have a hard time justifying the outlay of cash.
    I'm sure the cheap decoys will work in the right situation and no decoy will work in other situations. What does your experience say?
     

    gregr

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    I know some of you have spent big bucks on realistic turkey decoys. Are they worth it? I have a few of the Delta decoys that never seem to puff back out all the way, and I have a few of the cheap foam decoys. None of them have worked, but in all fairness it is most likely my terrible calling and locations where I hunt.
    I am really impressed with the DSD series of decoys but at $120 each I have a hard time justifying the outlay of cash.
    I'm sure the cheap decoys will work in the right situation and no decoy will work in other situations. What does your experience say?

    I`m NOT a vetern turkey hunter, and my success has been modest. I`ve killed 7 birds to date, and my experience has been that success is exponentially related to the area you hunt, i.e., areas that have a good bird population are the most likely place to call, and kill a bird. I`ve hunted mostly private ground, but did call in a bird for a buddy at Owen-Putnam several years back.
    All that being said, I believe you want the most realistic looking deke possible. You`re attempting to create an illusion that there is another bird, or several other birds, depending on your set-up, and their eyesight is off the charts. Likely, birds have been called to the gun, and killed with less than top of the line decoys, and the deke is only one piece of that illusion you`re attempting to create, but I feel the better the decoy, the better the chances of having a bird respond, by coming in.
    Calling is the biggest key. You do NOT have to call frequently! For the most part, wild birds do not call terribly loud, and certainly not ALL the time. They understand they are hunted by predators, and they call only as much as necessary to communicate with others from the flock. I`ve heard guys call literally NON-STOP from the time they sit down to the time they get up and move. Learn to identify what the different calls are saying, what "emotion: if you will, that translates to for that call, and learn to imitate that sound, with the understanding of when you actually use that call.
    It`s ALL part of that illusion you`re trying to create, and the dekes are just one part of it all, but like with most things, the best you can afford is what you want.
     

    phylodog

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    We've had good luck with the Avian X decoys. We had a jake show up by himself and ended up bedding down for a nap in the middle of our spread (2 hens and a jake).

    The best luck we have is hiding behind a strutter decoy and advancing (if necessary) on the birds. This is obviously not a good idea on public ground but its incredibly effective on private.
     

    gregr

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    We've had good luck with the Avian X decoys. We had a jake show up by himself and ended up bedding down for a nap in the middle of our spread (2 hens and a jake).

    The best luck we have is hiding behind a strutter decoy and advancing (if necessary) on the birds. This is obviously not a good idea on public ground but its incredibly effective on private.

    Oh my! NEVER even consider using any type of decoy on public ground. It`s risky enough on private land!
     

    Hookeye

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    Public or private, I only use a hen deke......if I use one at all.
    Killed a few toms off a lone Featherflex hen.
    Killed some with no deke.
    I like to be mobile, so want the least amount to carry.
     

    sugarcreekbrass

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    I use a full strut decoy with a moving fan. It is similar to the Primos, but this one spins on a stake when u pull the string. A guy in KY made them using Flambeau decoys years ago before Primos came out with theirs. I have also just used the fan and crawled into a field when there was already birds out. I'm sure the expensive, real looking decoys would help, but I have had luck without spending a lot of money.
     

    clfergus

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    My dad has had success with just the cheap foam hen combined with the flextone funky chicken. I think it sells for 30 bucks and it is suppose to be a wimpy Jake that they can't resist coming in to whip up on.
     

    DEC

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    So here is my take on turkey decoys. Take this for what it is worth because everyone has an opinion and really no way of hunting turkeys is anymore "right" than any other. I get tired of comments that say if you don't hunt them this way or that way then you are not a real turkey hunter. I have killed more turkeys than I care to even count and I have killed them every way conceivable with both guns and bows. All methods are fun. However I prefer to bow hunt them over DSD decoys.

    The huge advantage to an ultra realistic decoy is obviously the drawing power, but even better is the HOLDING power. Turkeys lock in on them, come right in, and generally stay in the decoys. This is very valuable when bow hunting birds, videoing hunts, and exposing new hunters (especially kids) to turkey hunting. I have used every decoy you can imagine and nothing works as consistently as an ultra realistic decoy, short of a real turkey mount.

    These decoys are not for everyone. Yes they are expensive. But they are a buy once cry once purchase. Most don't collapse like a foamy, so run and gun can be tougher. Yes they will fool not only turkeys but other hunters, so be sure of where you are hunting.

    If you are a run and gun shotgun hunter then a foamy or collapsible or even no decoy might be better. But if like most of us in Indiana, you have limited property to "run" then I'd recommend an ultra realistic decoy and sit tight.

    My favorite spread is a DSD Jake and 2 or 3 DSD hens. I sometimes swap out my DSD strutter for the Jake decoy. I have tons of videos on my YouTube channel that show the drawing and holding power of these decoys spreads. There is nothing better than watching a Tom trash your spread at 7 yards for 10 minutes before you decide to shoot.
     
    Last edited:

    DEC

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    Here is some of the magic that happens over an ultra realistic decoy such as a DSD. These are not 1 in 100 hunts either. This type of stuff happens on most hunts. I have photos and video logs of hens, jakes, and toms that go nuts ... a lot of the footage will never even make it to video there is so much of it.













     

    AGarbers

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    I have been doing a little more reading on this, It seems most prefer DSD decoys, closely followed by Deception Outdoors decoys, and then Avian X. (Both DSD and Deception are made in the USA.) I was surprised to read that many hunters just take a jake decoy because that is what the toms key in on. I have always carried a hen decoy and a Funky Chicken jake, but then again I have never called a turkey in, so what do I know? What do you guys do, if you're not hunting from a blind?
     

    phylodog

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    We don't spend a lot of time in blinds. Most of the time we're behind or close to a strutter which holds their attention pretty well. If they won't come in we go after them and have a had a lot of luck with that approach (private land only).

    This is from three seasons here in IN and in KY. The music isn't for everyone so feel free to turn down the volume.

    [video=youtube;VVTdekncUac]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVTdekncUac[/video]
     

    AGarbers

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    Nice video. Seems weird that turkey would be drawn to that music... I'll have to try that this spring. At 1:36 I see the guy wearing a vest with a thick pad that appears to be a Fatboy Scout or something like it. Who made the vest?
     

    phylodog

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    That's a vest I bought from Cabela's, their brand. I think they called it the Tactical Turkey vest or some stupid crap like that.
     

    Willie

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    I have Avian X Jake and feeding hen that works for me very well. My son uses a "stuffer" jake made by Dean Stallion of American Taxidermy in Boonville IN. The "stuffer" is almost a guaranteed draw on a longbeard when he sees it.
     
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