For all you turkey hunters out there, what is you favorite set up for turkey decoys. Two hens and a jake, a full strut gobbler, nothing at all? I've struggled the last few years with getting a turkey and was looking for pointers for decoy set up. I've always just set up one hen and a one jake decoy but it hasn't been working for me.
In the past I have always used a lone hen, this year I got another hen and a Tom... are you sure your decoy set up is the porblem?? Just checkin
I've used lots of different set-ups with different results. The first time I used a full strut decoy I had a huge gobbler come running in and attack it. The next several times I used the full strut decoy I had mature gobblers shy away from it.. If there were one magic decoy setup, then turkey hunting would be no fun!
Early seasons I use 2 hens and sometimes a Tom. Later seasons just a single hen. I figured by then the Toms are tired of fighting and maybe got the beat down once or twice. I single hen may seem easy pickin'. Where to hunt (north/south, farmland/heavy timber etc.)? What season(s)?
I use 1 avain jake decoy with two hens. An avain breeder and lookout decoy. I place the hens at 10 yards and the jake at 5-7 yards. 9 times out of ten the tom will bypass the hens and come to take care of the jake. At 5 yards dont miss! I have used a strutting tom before but never had luck with it in several different states. Jakes wotk the best for me. Tyler Rector BHOD prostaff
Whitetail, I hunt south central WI. I turkey hunt on a 40 acre parcel, 10 acres of hardwoods, 5 acres of pines the remainder is farmland. We had corn on it for the 1st time in 25 years in 2013 so I am hoping that is a plus for me this year. I am hoping they will cruse our property looking for food come spring. I know the decoy set up is not my main issue, it's hard to turkey hunt just 40 acres. Not a lot of places to move around to if your not getting any action. I still love getting out there even if I am just hearing them. I seem to have a knack for picking the weekends with the coldest windiest weather.
I got a couple of hens feeding, one lookout, a jake, and a fanned Tom. With a titillating set-up like that how can any Tom resist? Last year we only had 1 feeding hen, plus the others... 3 jakes waddled in - 1 flew away
When I used a decoy it was a lone hen and it worked fine. The last 2 years what I have done is the night before opening day. I go in an hour or so before dark and do some scouting (I have all wooded property) and make some owl calls and find out where the birds are. I put them to bed that way I know what tree they are roosting in. In the morning I sneak in withing 100 yrds of the tree they are in and sit at the base of a tree that is wider than me. When they come down if they are heading my way I stay silent. If they seem like they are going to go away from me. I make a few hen calls and BAM! opening day turkey within an hour. Two years in a row now.
I always use a strutting Tom and two hen decoys, or just a strutting tom. It's pretty fun watching the tom get beat down so hard that the 1/4" stake gets bent into a 30 degree angle
i'd have to take a picture…i'm pretty sure i've gotten way too complicated…lol…it's starting to look like i'm waterfowling this season, i'm gonna go with a tom and hen and probably sell my other ones lol
Early season I use two hens and a jake but later in the season those big Toms start to get wise to decoys so your call selection really starts to become important!
Had good success with a breeder hen, feeder hen and a jake. Have had big mature birds shy away from my strutting tom.
