I have a bunch of decoys. Hey, they were damn cheap. 3 sets of 2 hens and 1 jake and one tom. I've heard that 2 hens and a jake work well. When is the tom used? Is it a bad thing that they move in the wind? Just some basic questions for a noober. Oh, that's my BIG MIKE Baronette blind that I bought from Hank Tucker outdoors. It's a damn nice bind. I just threw the birds out there without fluffing them up...
I'm not much in the turkey hunting department, but I know when our decoys were moving in the wind the other day for the youth hunt my dad was all excited and he's anal about turkey hunting. So, I guess it's a good thing.
Yeah, the movement is not a bad thing IMO as it adds realism to the spread. Other than that, I don't know much about all this turkey hunting business, so I'll sit back and listen...
I've never put out more than two decoys for turkeys... mainly because it's all that I've had. lol I've had great luck with a hen and jake combo, with a DIY cardboard fan on the jake. You know what... I take it back... Last season while hunting with a buddy we set about 4 or 5 dekes out and we pulled in 4 jake birds. Here's my thing... I hate carrying a bunch of crap while turkey hunting. With the HS strut seat, a turkey wing, and a couple decoys, that's about all I care to lug around. As far as the tom decoy goes, you can use it whenever. I've heard that some longbeards and jakes will be intimidated by it, but you sure see a lot of the so-called "hunting pros" using full-strut dekes so they must be effective.
A little bit of movement in the wind is perfect. You never see live turkeys standing still like statues do you? Especially toms that are in strut... They're spinnin around, showing off their fans pretty much non-stop. That being said, I don't think the movement you'd get from a day like today with 30 mph winds would look very realistic.
A little bit of movement in the wind is perfect. You never see live turkeys standing still like statues do you? Especially toms that are in strut... They're spinnin around, showing off their fans pretty much non-stop. That being said, I don't think the movement you'd get from a day like today with 30 mph winds would look very realistic.
Huckleberry Finn
Senior Member
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I can't speak for using a tom, because I've never hunted with one.
If hunting solo, I normally use a 2 hens and a jake. A big tom will see a jake with two ladies and know that he can ruffle some tailfeathers! A large flock can intimidate a shy bird, just like that strutting tom. But, a party could attract a dominate tom too. There is probably someone more knowledgeable that would say that during different times of the season you should set up differently.
2-3 is the general rule as to what I've done, with the exception of hunting a corner with a buddy (so we had more decoys). We put out two sets (2-3 birds, so 6 total) on either side of the blind, so that if the turkeys came from one side or the other, they'd see decoys either way. Hoyt and I did the same thing last year along a path.
Here was an unsuccessful stand in a hay field on a windy day when they were moving around quite a bit. I have a jake/hen set of those exact foam decoys and they blow around quite a bit. I have an old bitch hen that's solid plastic (don't make 'em like that anymore) and she doesn't move at all!
(PS - those decoys look familiar!)
If hunting solo, I normally use a 2 hens and a jake. A big tom will see a jake with two ladies and know that he can ruffle some tailfeathers! A large flock can intimidate a shy bird, just like that strutting tom. But, a party could attract a dominate tom too. There is probably someone more knowledgeable that would say that during different times of the season you should set up differently.
2-3 is the general rule as to what I've done, with the exception of hunting a corner with a buddy (so we had more decoys). We put out two sets (2-3 birds, so 6 total) on either side of the blind, so that if the turkeys came from one side or the other, they'd see decoys either way. Hoyt and I did the same thing last year along a path.
Here was an unsuccessful stand in a hay field on a windy day when they were moving around quite a bit. I have a jake/hen set of those exact foam decoys and they blow around quite a bit. I have an old bitch hen that's solid plastic (don't make 'em like that anymore) and she doesn't move at all!
(PS - those decoys look familiar!)
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Only thing I have ready consistently has been do NOT use multiple jakes as sometimes they tag up on toms. I have no idea. Total newbie as well. Seems to be advice I am seeing repeated though.
That is one stud of a blind! Curious here: You going to carry it out in the field setup or did you figure out how to collapse it yet?
That is one stud of a blind! Curious here: You going to carry it out in the field setup or did you figure out how to collapse it yet?
Cool! Once you figure it out once it isn't so bad. First time folding one back up you are like "What the?"
Mao
Member
Like Jesse said, wind is great. Makes them look real. I believe they are more likely to commit with a little movement than just a deke on a stake. It adds realism. Might be just enough to pull in a leary bird. I personally use a Jake and two hens. I dont want to risk scaring off a bird if he is not a dominant tom, for me any tom will do so I could care less to wait it out for a hooked spurred bird while maybe running off some other shooters in my book. My dad just got a Thunder Chicken deke that we are gonna try. We put a jake fan in it and it looks like a young bird trying to strut. We shall see how that goes. Good luck!