There is a common misconception amongst hunters when it comes to decoys, that involve a too-simple thought process. This goes for turkey hunters, but also whitetail hunters, and western hunters who deploy a fake to entice a critter into range.
The thinking goes like this: If a real animal sees your fake animal, it will come to you. While that pretty much explains decoying in a nutshell, it’s not quite so simple. Take whitetails, for example. If you put out a doe decoy outside the rut, you might succeed in scaring all of the real does while not drawing in any real bucks. A buck decoy at any point of the season might scare all of the real does, as well.
Seasonal timing and individual setups will dictate the best choice for deer decoys, but what about turkeys? While the number of decoys will vary, one thing should remain constant—you should use a non-threatening jake decoy as much as possible. In fact, other than on public land where there are safety concerns or really late in the season (the last week or two of May), a quarter-strut or breeder jake is the ticket.
A few years ago, I shadowed two longbeards for half of the Minnesota season. When I finally called them off of their hens and arrowed the dominant tom, I hit him low. He went from strutting to limping in half of a second, and in the other half of the second, his submissive buddy turned dominant.
It was an incredible thing to witness, and it speaks to turkey behavior. As the members of wintering flocks notice the longer daylight hours, they start to test each other out. Eventually, they’ll tussle enough to figure out who is the king of the flock. This hierarchy stands until someone knocks off the dominant bird, and a turkey power vacuum is created.
They then figure it all out again and get back to making little turkeys. Throughout this, the one thing that all of the top toms and lesser birds won’t tolerate is a lone jake who seems to have his own little harem. That’s not how the natural order shakes out, and it almost seems offensive to wild birds. This is a good thing for you if you tap into it.
There are a lot of jake decoys that will work, but if you want an option that won’t let you down, just get a quarter-strut jake or a breeder. Either posture shows a bird that wants to present a studly but also appears small and timid. If you take your jake decoy and position him close to the ground so he looks even smaller, you’ll give real birds even more confidence.
Add in a laydown hen below him, who looks like she has just swiped right, and the reaction from most real birds follows the same script. Toms and jakes might walk in cautiously or strut in slowly, but when they see the hen below a tiny rival, there is usually an obvious change to their body language. This is because there isn’t a bird out there that doesn’t think he has a chance at that point, too.
Turkey hunting with decoys can be an extremely effective strategy for bringing in wary toms during the spring season. However knowing when to use decoys and what types of setups work best can make all the difference on hunt day. In this complete guide we’ll cover everything you need to know about using decoys for turkey hunting success.
Why Use Decoys for Turkeys?
Decoys can serve several purposes when turkey hunting
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Attract Toms From a Distance – The sight of hen or jake decoys can pull in toms that are hung up out of range. Thedecoys pique their interest and pull them in closer.
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Bring Birds in Faster – Often, toms that were already responding to calls will come in much faster when they can see other birds The decoys give them visual confirmation
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Pull Toms Away from Hens – Late in the season, decoys are extremely helpful for enticing lusty gobblers away from hens to your setup. The sight of a lonely hen is often irresistible.
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Spark a Competitive Response – Aggressive poses, especially from jake decoys, can sometimes trigger a competitive reaction from dominant toms who want to drive off the intruder.
So decoys definitely have their place in a turkey hunter’s bag of tricks. Now let’s look at when and how to use them…
Early Season Decoying
During the early part of turkey season, flocks are starting to break up but many birds are still grouped up together. This offers some great opportunities for decoys:
The Full Flock
Setting out a full flock of 3-4 hen decoys and one jake or gobbler decoy is extremely effective at attracting the attention of early season toms. They will be drawn to the small flock, hoping to join up or drive off the competing make decoy.
Be sure to use realistic full-bodied decoys and set them up where they are visible from a good distance away to get the most response. Try to place the decoys where approaching toms will be in range as they come to investigate or challenge the decoys.
The Solo Jake
A single jake decoy with an aggressive pose is another good option. Early season toms often travel together and will gang up to drive off a lone intruder. Place the jake decoy on the edge of a field or opening that toms are using and make your setup nearby.
Avoid Too Many Decoys
While full flocks work great early on, avoid using large groups of 6-10 decoys. Large spreads will look unnatural this time of year. Keep your sets to 3-4 hens or less for best realism.
Mid Season Approaches
As spring wears on, turkey flocks continue to dwindle in size. Adjust your decoy tactics accordingly:
The Paired Decoys
A jake and hen pair or even just two hens together can work well as the season progresses into late March and April. As real turkey flocks get smaller, your decoy spread should follow suit.
Make sure to use an aggressive posture on your jake decoy. A submissive or relaxed jake may not elicit the reaction you want from a testy tom.
Setting Up On Roosted Toms
If you locate a roosted tom, avoid setting updecoys the night before or directly underneath the tree early in the morning. This looks very unnatural and can make them hesitant to fly down.
Instead, listen for fly down and set up just outside the tom’s expected travel path with a jake/hen pair or two hens. Let him fly down normally, then call sparingly to pull him in.
Solo Toms
For solitary toms, especially on fields and open areas, a single hen decoy can work well. Keep calling to a minimum and allow the decoy to draw him in silently. Use a realistic pose – feeding hens work best.
Late Season Tactics
As the season winds down, toms are covering more ground trying to find any receptive hens left. This is a perfect time to use decoys:
Pull Toms From Hens
Nothing makes a tom abandon his real hens faster than the prospect of an unmated hen ready to breed. Use a single hen decoy and make occasional soft clucks and purrs when you know a tom is nearby. Avoid aggressive calling.
Strutting Decoys
Late in the year most real gobblers have stopped strutting. A full strutter decoy with fanned tail will draw in any tom fast and furious to drive out the competition. Use a submissive hen and set up 25-30 yards away.
Open Fields
Food sources like fields get more use as the woods dry up late in the spring. Set up a jake/hen pair 30-40 yards into the field from the edge and use a blind to conceal yourself well. This is deadly on strutting toms skirting the field edge.
Roost Sites
Target known roost sites late in the day by setting up a hen decoy on the expected travel route 15-20 yards from your blind/setup. Toms are very vulnerable as they return to roost towards dusk.
Decoy Tips and Tactics
Beyond just when to use decoys, proper decoy tactics and placement are critical too:
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Set up decoys where they will be visible at long range – take advantage of clearings and high ground. Avoid close-in placements.
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Use realistic postures – feeding, breeding, or aggressive strutting. Avoid over-the-top unnatural poses.
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Make sure to sit off to the side, not directly behind your decoys. You don’t want to be in the line of fire.
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Use minimal calling once you’ve attracted the tom’s attention, and let the decoys seal the deal.
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Stake your decoys low to the ground so they don’t stand out. Use brush to partially conceal for added realism.
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Paint or decorate your decoy heads to make them more visible. Contrasting white or red works extremely well.
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Add decoy/fanning movement with decoy fans or fishing line to mimic real birds and increase effectiveness.
As we’ve shown, decoying turkeys can be extremely effective when done properly. Follow this guide on realistic decoy use for the season stage, and your odds of success will definitely increase. Don’t underestimate the power of decoys for bringing in and sealing the deal on those finicky old longbeards. Use them to your advantage and you’ll tag more toms!
Beta Birds & Alpha Bullies
Fortunately for hunters as a whole, we leave the trophy BS to big game. While turkey hunters have always flirted with trophy hunting, it hasn’t quite caught on. Sure, bagging a 28-pounder or a bird with a 12-inch beard and 1.5-inch hooks is cool. But no one really cares. Turkeys are meant to be hunted for the challenge and for the fun of it, and the rewards come not from bragging rights but the experience.
Most hunters really just want a turkey to do what they hope a turkey will do. Gobble, strut, put on a show, and mostly, work into the decoys. If you want to increase your chances of this happening, use a decoy that will intimidate no one. Spindly, late-born jakes that tip the scales at 12 pounds will come into a quarter-strut fake just as easily as a boss tom on a midmorning stroll will. That’s the beauty of the right decoy, it welcomes all without discriminating.
That’s what you want. Because the more birds that are willing to commit, the more fun you’ll have this spring. Whether you pair him up with a laydown hen or a whole gaggle of feeding and preening hens, the truth is that the linchpin to the whole setup is a weakling jake, who looks like he’s about to have the best morning of his young life.
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Tips to Setup Your Turkey Decoys – Michael Waddell | SCHEELS
FAQ
How many turkey decoys should I put out?
Why won’t turkeys come to my decoys?
How to use decoys for turkey hunting?
Can decoys scare turkeys?
Should you buy a Turkey decoy?
Jakes is perfect for riling the anger in nearby toms. If you make it appear as if it’s trying to woo a hen, toms rush to the kill zone. The stakes aren’t tall enough. Hunting using a turkey decoy brings the wild gobblers in your kill zone without so much hassle. Before buying a decoy, consider the features that make it lifelike.
What are Turkey decoys?
This week Slayer Calls takes a look at turkey decoys — hens, jakes, half-strut, full-strut — and how they might be used to better your chances at giving ol’ Mister Tom a ride home in the back of your pickup. What’s the ‘right’ number of turkey decoys? What’s the “right” number of turkey decoys?
Are Turkey decoys a territorial thing?
The use of jake (year-old toms) turkey decoys is a territorial thing. A dominance thing. No adult gobbler worth his 12-inch beard is going to let any young kid wander around his ground putting the moves on his girls.
Why do you not use a decoy when hunting turkeys?
Another reason I don’t use a decoy when I’m hunting turkeys in the hills is because most of the time I have to set-up quickly to get in position to shoot the gobbler just before he tops over the hill. I don’t want to be setting up decoys when the gobbler tops the hill because he’ll see me.