Decoy or not 2 decoy
Contributors to this thread:Turkey
From: Teeton
17-May-24
I'm setting in my double bull t5 blind typing this post.. s3ason going ok. I'm almost at the end of PA's second week, of the month long season. So far I've had hen at 8 yds twice. Gobbles first day at 8 yds but hen were by. Three times this season I had gobbles between 37 and 27. Too far for hood shot. I'm not using a decoy as I've done well with out. But the gobbles seem to be hung up looking for the hen (me).
So tomorrow I'm thinking of bring a decoy. But should I bring a hen, two hens or a gobbler or a gobbler and a hen. The last three or four years no decoys for me and I've gotten bird. Mostly taging out. I'm hunt a woods setting in the corner where the wood comes out to a grown-up field, not cut in 3 or 4 years. I'm back in the wood about 60 yds. Turkeys go in field, but to brushy for a shot.
So what decoys should I try tomorrow, gobbler and hen or gobble only or hen only. To get these bird to Is committed to 20 yards or less?
From: RD
17-May-24
I'd try a hen and jake
From: RD
17-May-24
I'd try a hen and jake
From: Bowfreak
17-May-24
I have never hunted this late in the season but by the end of April I think most gobblers aren't too keen on jake/gobbler decoys. Going into the 3rd week in May it would be hen only for me.
From: Brotsky
17-May-24
Always a jake and a hen, doesn't matter what time of year. I've had toms attack my jake decoy after memorial day. Always the same set-up.
From: Paul@thefort
17-May-24
I might expect some hens have been breed and are on nest but the toms are still trying to find hens, so you might try a hen decoy so the tom can see it. Place 10-12 yards from your blind. Tie a string to its tail or neck, and back to the blind so you can add some movement to the decoy when you pull the string. Do not over call. If that does not work, do what RD suggests.
From: Dale06
17-May-24
Ive had great luck with a jake decoy set at 10 yards (not further) from my pop up blind and one or two hens closer, 5-7 yards, to the blind. The gobbler comes to the jake 100% of the time . I killed a nice Mn eastern gobbler this past Monday and three weeks ago, a Merriams in South Dakota with that set up. And I’ve killed numerous others the same way.
From: greg simon
17-May-24
If I'm in a blind I've always got decoys out. Jake and a hen is deadly any part of the season. Gobblers don't like groups of jakes but they can't stand a single jake with a hen. As in they come in to kick jake's ass and steal his girl!
From: Teeton
17-May-24
Well stay tuned. They made a pass by about 30 minutes ago. 9:30 I got a shot. There all just Hanging around right by where I last saw the bird I shot at. Don't want spook them I got another tag. But only one a day. Plan on hunt this spot tomorrow. Don't need spooked birds.
From: Scoot
17-May-24
GL Teeton! I hope you recover the bird and maybe even get a crack at another.
From: JTreeman
17-May-24
I really can’t imagine hunting turkeys with a bow without decoys. I think they make a HUGE difference. From attracting them, to getting them where you want them, to distracting them for the shot. They are integral in my turkey hunting. Plus I really enjoy the interaction of the live birds and decoys. A couple places I hunt if I had the choice between a call and decoys I’d probably choose decoys.
I set basically the exact same as Dale pretty much every time. Jake and a couple hens. Nothing more than 8-12 yards. Shoot them all at the Jake decoy basically.
—Jim
From: Starfire
17-May-24
You hear guys say the birds are decoy shy. I think most of the time it is just turkeys being turkeys (remember in nature the hen is supposed to go to the gobbler). I always use a decoy, especially when hunting in the open like a field or pasture. At this time of year, I would use an upright hen or an upright hen paired it with a feeding hen. a lot of people do not like upright hens thinking they are on alert, signifying danger, but an upright hen also indicates she is looking to breed.
From: Dale06
17-May-24
Starfire, yes, the hen goes to the gobbler in the turkey mating world. That’s why I always have a jake in my decoy set. It then appears to a gobbler that the hen(s) have gone to the jake and are not coming to him. So he goes to the jake to take the hens. At least that’s what I’ve seen.
From: scentman
17-May-24
Think of you being outdone by some youngin especially with the ladies... it's a man's world in the wild like it or not... Jake's take a beating, go with a Jake decoy. scentman
From: Starfire
17-May-24
Dale06 - Normally I do use a half strut jake and paired it with a hen for most of this season. It just seemed like it wasn't getting the attention it usually does. So i dropped it about a week ago.
From: TonyBear
17-May-24
My biggest bird came by me when I was not using a decoy, however for consistency I usually have a hen and a jake out there. Modified a commercial decoy by putting real wing feathers on it and modifying the tail so it wasn't a nice arc. Jakes usually have uneven feathers in the back. Also created a spring hinge so I can pull the tail down with fishing line.
Calls usually are a series of soft yelps, clucks and kee, kees along with light popping or mewing with my mouth. mmmmwha, mmmwha, mooop, mooop, ippp,ihpp. Also lip motorboat or raspberries with a call in my mouth. Basically, imitating the hens I have seen and heard over the years.
From: Dale06
17-May-24
I killed a gobbler earlier this week, near Brainerd. I called it from a long distance. When I thought I was about 100 yards away, based on my hearing it gobble, I stopped calling. Five minutes later it walked over a small hill 40 yards away, saw my jake decoy and made a bee line to it. I arrowed him, he trotted off 10-15 yards and dropped dead. I was feeling pretty good and was putting my calls and other stuff away and into the decoys walked 11 Jake’s. I guess they were following the gobbler. They walked around in my decoys for five minutes, examined the dead gobbler and left. This kill was probably the latest in the season that I’ve arrowed. I hunt them in multiple states and lost track of my bag total but it’s closing in on 50 turkeys. The Jake decoy has been tremendously helpful in my turkey hunts .
From: TonyBear
17-May-24
Congratulations Dale06
From: VAMtns
18-May-24
Great Hunt WTG
From: Teeton
18-May-24
Ok pictures are working this way. Here's one of how I found him. Maybe 18 yds from where o shot him.
Ok pictures are working this way. Here's one of how I found him. Maybe 18 yds from where o shot him.
Well I found my bird yesterday. It was one of my best. It's whole in my freezer. I'd like to get it mounted. I was using a 3 blade expandable, with no pass thru. I called my taxidermist before putting it in the freezer. But he just had surgery and can't do it.
I'm trying a new way to post pictures as i was trying to post on my home state forum yesterday and kept getting error code 500.
Ok it working with pictures. That blowing up tree in the background is a hemlock. It was hit by lightning last fall.
From: t-roy
18-May-24
Grats on the bird, Teeton!
From: nchunter
18-May-24
Congratulations, i was amazed at how expensive it is to get a turkey mounted.
From: Teeton
18-May-24
Teeton's Link
If you'd like to read more on my hunt yesterday, hit the link. The thead is called "Gobble Gobble Time"
Its a thread I started before the season started. Yesterday story is towards the bottom. Thanks everyone, Ed
From: buckeye
18-May-24
Guess you didn't need a decoy after all! Well done. Nice bird.
From: Zim
18-May-24
What's a lot more important is pressure. If you hunt late season public land exclusively, like I do, behavior is usually heavily influenced. Used to hunt WI and after others discovered the new property I was hunting, nothing worked. Birds did not come to calls, and avoided decoys by 50 yards. Two special draws in low pressure areas and I had two toms down on each within two hours. One ignored my decoy but I had him setup to allow for that. The other had two toms race each other to my jake. Nice mature birds both 24#. I've had more come in than avoid. However, I only hunt late season when toms are more aggressive because I'm walleye fishing until April 30.
From: Teeton
18-May-24
My bird weight was 21.8. I didn't measure the beard or spurs yet. Hunting Northest PA. We had one of the mildest winters, warm with little to no snow. This spot had a bumper crop of beach nuts. Green up was fast, my guess bug activity was sooner. I'm sure that helped keep the weight on.
From: 4nolz@work
18-May-24
I hunted with the Mossy Oak guys once in Nebraska they put the whole bird head first into the leg of a pair of ladies nylons then freeze to take to taxidermist.
From: Paul@thefort
18-May-24
Nice, Lightening strikes twice.
