Got a HS Strut hen turkey decoy in the mail today. Dead colors are very faint and the red and light bule are hardly visable from 10'. Have seen pictures of hens and they show very bright red and light blue on the head. Should I touch mine up with gloss paint or leave it as is?? Would post a photo but don't have an hour to jump through all the hoops required to get one photo with a post.
Hen might have very faint red in her waddle. Head is gray mostly. Maybe a hint of pale blue. At least Easterns.
As happy hunter said, their heads are mostly gray. I've never seen a hen with bright colors on her head. One way I decipher whether it's a hen or Tom coming in (besides strutting or seeing a beard) is the bright colors on a Tom's head versus the drab grayish color on a hen. I wouldn't paint the the head of your decoy.