Turkey hunters: How often do you use decoys?

Odd concept of rarely using a decoy. The woods I hunt are much more open, and it would be tough without at least a hen. When using a decoy though, I rarely call after the Tom has seen my decoy. I only call if he hangs up.

In Mississippi, I rarely use Jakes or strutting decoys but I always have a hen out.

I go to Kansas every year and I have found the more the better. I may have 3 hens and 2 Jakes out at any given time. It is much more field/crop hunting, though, so visibility is a big deal. In Kansas those big birds hate a half strutting Jake - I have seem them pounce many of time.

If I hunted in my visible locations, I'm sure I would use them more often. I definitely could have used them in NM last year. All the birds kept hanging up at 75 yards.

i keep a hen with me, but i have killed only prob 25% of my turkeys with it. i generally only use it in the early mornings if im setting up in a big plot or field. mainly just to make the birds pinpoint it coming out of the roost. usually, if im callin in the middle of the day and one responds, i forget/dont have time to set it up while finding a good set up spot

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DSD hen decoy

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Had never heard of these until now. Just looked them up. Ho-lee-schitt. The gobbler would get shot around here. Those are the finest looking decoys (and rightfully so for $100-200) I think I've ever seen.

Last year had a big bird come in hammering and hot. He was below me working his way up a steep ridge. When he got about 75 yards out he hung swinging back and forth for 45 min or more.
Finally got tired and he walked away gobbling the whole time. If he would have had something to look at he would prob been on my wall.

I have a couple of Zink Avian X that I really like.

I left them once chasing a gobbler and when I cam back had a couple of hens and a jake around it. The jake was strutting and bumping it and one of the hens was pecking at it.

So i didnt need to buy all those stupid decoys

If I'm hunting our pastures I use one every now and then.. If im in the swamp (which i prefer) I dont use one.. I like to run and gun

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there is nothing like hearing that thunder!

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SOON

I have never had any luck with decoys myself. The turkeys I hunt seem to be allergic to decoys. I have seen them veer off doing the scared turkey walk when they saw the decoy. I have hunting buddies that have had excellent results with decoys in other areas so who knows what a turkey is thinking.