Speaking of B Mobile & other decoys.....

[FSU_Seminole]

Sorry, this may be a silly question this is just my second season hunting turkeys. But does it matter when you use decoys? I mean the time of season? Are decoys good from beginning middle or end? Or does it really matter? And do you guys use 1 tom or a tom and some hens or just hens. I bought a B Mobile decoy about a month ago & I must say I'm impressed with the way he looks.

[Guest callman]

You can use them anytime your hunting

[Squirrelhunter91]

It all depends. It depends on what kind of land you're hunting (public of private), it depends on the amount of pressure the birds are receiving (you and other hunters) and it definitely depends on the time of the season.

I have only ever hunted private land so this is my experience..

Early on, with unpressured birds, large spreads of dekes will typically work because they are social animals. I will use up to 8 dekes this time of the year. Usually one or two jakes with the rest hens.

Mid season, the birds are somewhat wary now and can be spooky. Here is another situation where it depends, once again. This situation, you need to look at where you'll be hunting (field vs woods) and how the bird you're looking to work is reacting to your calling. I typically trim my flock down to 3 or 4 dekes by this time of the season. But keep in mind, mating is at it's peak now and a strutting tom deke and aggressive calling may attract gobblers.

Late season, birds are usually beyond pressured by this time and decoys often will scare them when combined with calling. They've seen it all by now and because mating is winding down, they can be harder to kill. But this isn't true in some cases. In some cases, a flock of a bunch of willing hens may attract a lonely gobbler because most hens have gone to nest by now.

There are people out there who will tell you that you don't even need a decoy to kill gobblers. And you sort of don't. I've killed birds with and without decoys before. It just depends on the situation. I'm pretty sure Rhino on here doesn't use dekes and he kills toms every year.

I know in this post I've said it depends a million times, but turkey hunting is a type of hunting that has many circumstances that dictate the outcome of the hunt.

I too bought a B-mobile deke a few months ago and I'm looking forward to putting it to use this May. I'll be going bow only so the action will be up close and personal. Also possibly on film.

Good luck this season!!

[The Kid]

like said from above it depends on where you hunt,, if you hunt private land i think your chances of getting away with a decoy are greater because everyone on state land where i live uses decoys, and it only takes one time for someone to bump the turkeys and then there educated

[the one]

From what I am reading I need to buy more decoys.

[Guest longspur69]

I agree with most of the responses above. However, I have seen absolutely no difference in the effectiveness during the different phases of the season. 4 of the 6 videos on my website were filmed in the last 10 days of the season last year. Two of them were puny 2 year olds, one was a monarch, and the other appeared to be the king, but we may never know. The other 2 videos were in the first week of the season. I've used the decoy twice this year. One three year old flogged the decoy for 15 minutes before being hammered, and the other occaision had 3 gobblers chasing hens for 20 minutes without even acknowledging the decoys prescence. One thing you can bank on . . . . it won't be the same result every time. One more note, I don't know that the decoy shy gobblers are going to be any more excited about seeing nothing as they would be about seeing a decoy. By the time they're decoy shy, you've got your work cut out for you regardless of the method.

[maytom]

I agree with most of the responses above. However, I have seen absolutely no difference in the effectiveness during the different phases of the season. 4 of the 6 videos on my website were filmed in the last 10 days of the season last year. Two of them were puny 2 year olds, one was a monarch, and the other appeared to be the king, but we may never know. The other 2 videos were in the first week of the season. I've used the decoy twice this year. One three year old flogged the decoy for 15 minutes before being hammered, and the other occaision had 3 gobblers chasing hens for 20 minutes without even acknowledging the decoys prescence. One thing you can bank on . . . . it won't be the same result every time. One more note, I don't know that the decoy shy gobblers are going to be any more excited about seeing nothing as they would be about seeing a decoy. By the time they're decoy shy, you've got your work cut out for you regardless of the method.

Ditto!!!

Turkeys are turkeys, and will try to group with other turkeys.

That's why I personally feel that decoys will work anytime during the spring seasons. The only issue is decoy movement, since some older gobblers may shy at motionless decoys.

[Ethan Givan]

I dont think that you need a whole flock of decoys to ever kill a gobbler. A couple hens or a hen and a jake will usually bring in a gobbler. I dont like to use a strutting tom type of decoy because of two reasons. Number one is because you might get shot at if some crazy hunter sees your strutting decoy, and if the gobbler you have coming in isnt a dominant bird, when he sees your decoy it might frighten him off.

[FSU_Seminole]

Thanks for the info guys.

[Turkeygirl]

I've probably killed more birds without a decoy then with, and when I have had a decoy, it's been one hen stuck out there. I did pick up a jake decoy for this spring...think having a jake with a hen might entice those big ol gobblers in, but you never know.

[Guest longspur69]

I've also killed a lot more turkeys without a decoy, but it's mainly a function of convenience. I don't use them the first time I hunt a turkey. Once the turkey's been almost close enough for the shot, spooked, been shot at, or had his buddy shot in front of him; that's the time to pull out the decoy. I use a real mounted strutting jake and an artificial hen. As for the safety issue, I ALWAYS try and set up in the safest manner possible. For instance, where another hunter would have to come past me to get a shot or cross a pasture, cropfield, etc.