Decoys

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killdeer19
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2009/02/06 11:52:21 (permalink)

Decoys

Now that deer season is over for me, I'm turning my attention towards Turkey season. After some research, I'm considering using decoys this year. Any tips from those of you who use them? set ups, styles, brands, etc? Thanks in advance.

Some people are like Slinkies...not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you see one tumble down the stairs.
#1

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    SteelieWheelie
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    RE: Decoys 2009/02/07 13:11:20 (permalink)
    im only 14 years old..but u can trust me on this one..ive been turkey hunting forever with my dad..when i turned 12 i started to hunt with a gun...i have always used a decoy or 2..i have a hen and a jake..i normally set them about 30 yds away..with a clear shot at them if a bird decides to come in to the decoys..the hen is feeding and the jake is in an upright position..i usually have them about 5-8 feet apart..the jake looking one way..and the hen(not completely opposite) looking the other way..my jake almost got destroyed last spring by a nice bird..i missed him

    Early to bed
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    #2
    SteelieWheelie
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    RE: Decoys 2009/02/07 13:16:25 (permalink)
    u gotta be careful on public land too..they look real

    Early to bed
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    Fish like hell
    And make up lies!
    #3
    killdeer19
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    RE: Decoys 2009/02/07 22:04:20 (permalink)
    What model of decoys do you use?

    Some people are like Slinkies...not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you see one tumble down the stairs.
    #4
    Big Tuna
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    RE: Decoys 2009/02/08 10:20:40 (permalink)
    I have two hens and a jake,I've killed birds over one hen,and the flock,but have had mixed results the last few birds I've shot over no decoy,If the birds have seen a lot of decoys before the season,they get a little spookie around them but if they haven't seen them before it's better. I hunt high pressured birds that are easy to see by everyone( stutting before the season in fields),they've had everything thrown at them,I will hunt later in the season when everyone is burnt out,and kill a good long beard by doing very little calling,a few purrs and clucks,most of the time less calling is better but sometimes a two year old will just about gobble to any call you do and it's a lot of fun give it to them hard and make them gobble before you pull the trigger.
    #5
    SteelieWheelie
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    RE: Decoys 2009/02/08 10:27:09 (permalink)
    i have no clue what brand my decoys are...but i have also had mixed results with one hen...but seeting up a jake with ur hen works too sometimes..but be careful..if ya call in a jake or a 2 year old they might not like what they see

    Early to bed
    Early to rise
    Fish like hell
    And make up lies!
    #6
    RELAYER
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    RE: Decoys 2009/02/09 08:51:47 (permalink)
    I always always use decoys 1,2,3,4, early more later less,rather have their attention focused on the decoys than looking for me!!!!! As far as 2 yr olds they are like a teenager with a hardon,gobble there heads off and sometimes will run you over coming in LOVE EM!!
    #7
    krott243
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    RE: Decoys 2009/02/09 10:31:03 (permalink)
    Only turkey decoy you will ever need.  They have a jake coming out also.  I know there pricey, but the realism and quality of these decoys are unreal.  I've hunted geese over dsd's and there are as real as it gets.

    http://www.davesmithdecoys.com/shop/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=31

    The Lord has blessed us all today... It's just that he has been particularly good to me.
    #8
    SteelieWheelie
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    RE: Decoys 2009/02/09 15:22:09 (permalink)
     i have a decoy similar to that..it was my grandfathers..its as real as real could be

    Early to bed
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    Fish like hell
    And make up lies!
    #9
    SteelieWheelie
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    RE: Decoys 2009/02/10 19:25:33 (permalink)
    just get the right set up and u will have success

    Early to bed
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    Fish like hell
    And make up lies!
    #10
    RELAYER
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    RE: Decoys 2009/02/17 22:07:30 (permalink)
    ORIGINAL: SteelieWheelie

    im only 14 years old..but u can trust me on this one..ive been turkey hunting forever with my dad.
    Trust me very young one 14 years old is NOT FOREVER but your headed in the right direction.
    post edited by RELAYER - 2009/02/17 22:10:21
    #11
    SteelieWheelie
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    RE: Decoys 2009/02/18 17:35:26 (permalink)
    turkey hunting is my passion

    Early to bed
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    Fish like hell
    And make up lies!
    #12
    RELAYER
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    RE: Decoys 2009/02/19 07:32:08 (permalink)
    Yep when the turkey hunting bug bites you it bites you very hard! One very old timer told me once can't call yourself a hunter until youv'e called in and  killed a longbeard
    #13
    SteelieWheelie
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    RE: Decoys 2009/02/19 15:38:37 (permalink)
    then i guess im a 3/4 hunter..ive called in too many birds to count..never came close enough..missed one

    Early to bed
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    Fish like hell
    And make up lies!
    #14
    RELAYER
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    RE: Decoys 2009/02/20 08:24:18 (permalink)
    HAHA Keep at it you'll do fine!!! 1 little trick I use sometimes if the bird comes to you from say 300yds,200yds when he gets within 100yds I stop calling he came this far he'll come the rest of the way sometimes silence is golden. I think when they are far off they know where within a radius of say 20yds where the calling is coming from the closer they are they know the exact tree where you are at. I go by the saying every deer thinks a hunter is a tree and every turkey thinks a tree is a hunter,or gobblers are like an old woman on the rag sometimes they are tuff to figure out why they do what they do. I hunt turkeys the right way and I hunt them the wrong way and I'll continue to hunt them that way LOL!!! 
    #15
    SteelieWheelie
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    RE: Decoys 2009/02/21 09:07:09 (permalink)
    These Eastern birds are harddddd birds to kill...u cant calll non-stop like u think u should because thats what they do on tv...u gotta stay quiet when u kno hes comin..but getting him convinced is the hard part..MAAAAAAAAAN I LOVE TURKEY HUNTING!!!!

    Early to bed
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    Fish like hell
    And make up lies!
    #16
    RELAYER
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    RE: Decoys 2009/02/21 12:38:01 (permalink)
    Most everything you see on tv is bullsh-t all they are trying to do is sell videos. You see them calling their ****es off and the bird is standing 2ft away from the deke gobbling their heads off. You want a good video get a Denny Galvas video none of this yak yak yak gobble gobble videos junk just VERY GOOD INFO videos the man know his sh-t he does it right!!!
    #17
    SteelieWheelie
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    RE: Decoys 2009/02/21 14:24:29 (permalink)
    i love turkey hunting the right way..haha

    Early to bed
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    Fish like hell
    And make up lies!
    #18
    gooseman
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    RE: Decoys 2009/02/25 02:22:14 (permalink)
    No pun intended but I never use a decoy. I've had to many mature gobblers hang up as soon as they see them. I run and gun all the way. If a bird doesn't commit, I wait till he's gone and move on him. Don't get me wrong, I have bumped birds doing this but always remember the hen is suppose to go to the gobbler......IMHO
    #19
    RELAYER
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    RE: Decoys 2009/02/25 08:46:15 (permalink)
    That's why I set them up close,he only sees them when he's within shooting range. I've killed numerous mature gobblers from the same 2 trees year after year. They seem to like this area alot,I think they hang up cause the minute a guy sees them he calls to him and the bird stops and starts strutting,me the minute I see him I'll stop calling,he came this far he'll come the rest of the way. I do beleive there are some gobblers that can't be killed they just refuse to come to the hen,just my experence
    #20
    Big Tuna
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    RE: Decoys 2009/02/28 15:51:57 (permalink)
    Deney Galvas is the man,but he has a good friend by the name of Fred Nugent,that makes the world best box call (best cutting box),they hunt and film together,Mr Nugent made me a box many years ago,and its my fire up call,that call will get ANY bird to gobble,I always start a roosted bird with my box,tree yelps,followed by the wing (beating agaist my leg) fly down, then(slate) clucks,and purrs,then followed by BANG. Two more months.
    #21
    jimhalupka
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    RE: Decoys 2009/03/02 05:59:07 (permalink)
    ORIGINAL: SteelieWheelie

    These Eastern birds are harddddd birds to kill...




    Totally agreed... I'm iffy on decoys as well.  I shut up the moment I hear a bird unless he was quiet coming in, which usually isn't a great sign anyway so I'm still quiet.  A lot of birds seem to hang up around 60 yds for me, leave, then come back an hour later gobbling in the same strutt zone.  Most likely saw some actual hens or were more convinced by their calling.  Hunting public gamelands is some of the most challenging when it comes to turkey hunting IMO.  These birds deal w/pressure from small game to deer season as well as the idiots calling preseason while scouting.  Heavily-hunted-area birds have street smarts and are always on their toes compared to private or less pressured ones.

    Without hearing how other hens are talking after the roost, how many clucks and purrs do some of you throw out, and how do you synchronize the two? Maybe I'm being too agressive or not enough.
    #22
    SteelieWheelie
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    RE: Decoys 2009/03/02 07:18:37 (permalink)
    for me.....early morning
     
    purr..cluck..purr...cluck...cluck cluck...purr...u gotta find a sequence that u like and get used to it..u will eventually get good at it and it will produce

    Early to bed
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    Fish like hell
    And make up lies!
    #23
    akitadog
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    RE: Decoys 2009/03/02 08:09:08 (permalink)
    i use 1 jake decoy. i have used hens in the past and when the real hen would come out she would run strait up to the decoy and many time get spookie before ol tom would come out and take him away with out getting a shot. when using 1 jake the hens dont pay much attention and most of the time dont even go close to the decoy, but when ol tom comes out he will run strait to the decoy cause he thinks that jake is there for his women. i have had jake decoys get ruinded from tom jumping on them and ripping them wide open. its neat to watch but can get exspencive so i take there heads off when they get with n about 5 steps.  1 jake works the best.
    #24
    PAFISHERMAN1981
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    RE: Decoys 2009/03/08 14:21:30 (permalink)
    I prefer no decoys.....

    Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.

    I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
    #25
    DanesDad
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    RE: Decoys 2009/03/08 22:48:46 (permalink)
    ORIGINAL: RELAYER

    ORIGINAL: SteelieWheelie

    im only 14 years old..but u can trust me on this one..ive been turkey hunting forever with my dad.
    Trust me very young one 14 years old is NOT FOREVER but your headed in the right direction.

     
    Yeah, you are just at the very beginning of forever.
    #26
    PACOFRANSICO
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    RE: Decoys 2009/03/16 00:44:32 (permalink)
    I USE A HOLE FLOCK SOMETIMES DEPENDING ON SITUATIONS. BUT I ALWAYS SET A JAKE OUT. IT MIGHT BE A SINGLE JAKE OR A HALF STRUT BUT THERE IS ONE OUT. AND POINT UR GUNTHERE IF A DOMINATE BIRD IS CALLED INTO SIGHT OF IT HE'LL WANNA THRASH IT.

    "If, when you pull a fly out you
    dont hear drums and cant smell
    chicken blood in the air, put it back
    in the box, for if it is evil you seek,
    then it can only be conjured with the
    same.
    #27
    chicken27
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    RE: Decoys 2009/03/16 07:35:47 (permalink)
    My daughter killed her longbeard off of a full struter last year.Once i called him into sight of that struter it was game over.We had a real tail and beard on it.
    #28
    MuskieBabe
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    RE: Decoys 2009/04/07 23:31:11 (permalink)
    its all situational, and has a lot to do with confidence. i am 36 on friday, have been at it since 13, self taught, as my dad is a hunter, just not a turkey hunter. at an early age i killed more birds with one hen decoy when falling asleep then i did when i called while using a hen decoy, and stayed awake. so if you know what yer doing and understand cadence when calling, and using decoys in any combination, you will kill birds more consistently when you are confident. since the the "intruder jake" has been around, they really seem to focus on that life like head, i like that one a lot...

    #29
    MuskieBabe
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    RE: Decoys 2009/04/20 14:27:28 (permalink)
    hey, if yer in the market for a gobbler decoy, go with the pretty boy from knight n hale. i have a b-mobile, since it has come out, but im wishin it was the pretty boy. they seem to be a touch more realistic, the fan wic its the fake or realistic one looks easier to set up, and the body mold is more durable and keeps its shape longer. you have to heat b-mobile up to return it to its propper shape after storage. hope that helps ya...
    #30
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