Tom or Jake decoy

[Gary Logsdon]

"Roger" on that Don.  Calling is definitely overrated.  As in deer hunting, there are a lot of things that can work under the right conditions, but in the long run consistant success usually involves a substantial shot of basic woodsmanship,something that the "industry" can't package, promote, and sell to the masses:^)

[wisconsinteacher]

Well I am now thinking that the jake decoy is what I want.  I understand the woodsmanship part and that calling is overrated.  I still think when hunting ag fields on land with no other hunters a decoy like this can help.  I don't plan on using it in the woods while hunting.  Our birds head right to the fields after fly down and travel in open areas all day.

[smoke1953]

I saw this show recently hunting on reservation lands in Nebraska I believe.  The guys would actually hold fans at eye level or higher to attract long distance birds and they came from distance. It's a method they used often for long distance open areas.  Showed me the effectiveness that a fan can have in certain circumstances.

[Gary Logsdon]

Wow Matthew, I just saw where you are teacher.  With your schedule you need all the help you can get:^) . . . been there, done that.  I retired nearly 3 years ago after 30 years in the classroom.  There was one good year or two in there though -  as far as hunting "privileges", the period when we had a principal who also hunted.  I would hit the woods at dawn about 10 miles from school for a quick hit or miss hunt at fly down.  The "agreement" I had with the boss was pretty nice; he would watch my class a few minutes if I ever bagged a bird and needed extra time to get home and change clothes.  This was HIS idea.  The only stipulation was that I had to call him on the way back so he could slip around back and check out my bird as I came through the school parking lot:^)!!

[Gary Logsdon]

Where's Bryce Lambley when you need him?  I bet he has a few teacher-hunter secrets he's perfected:^)

[Gary Logsdon]

Here's spooky story to ponder.  A conservation officer friend of mine told me about catching two guys who had been reported poaching turkeys from a county road that ran along the border of a national park. These guys would travel the roads on rainy mornings with their 22 varmint rifles, firing away at anything with a fan.  They actually caught the rascals by stacking turkey fans in the fields and lying in wait.  Apparently the idiots didn't take the time to verify that the "turkeys" had bodies.

[Guru]

Originally posted by Don Stokes:
successful turkey hunting is 10% calling and 90% being where the turkeys want to go anyhow.

Agreed for the most part, but I'd have to break it down with a few more factors...But scouting(knowing where they want to go) is without doubt the most important.

Smoke,  I saw that show as well. Although I wouldn't dare do that around here. It was good to show just how effective the big "fan tail" can be at a distance to draw birds.

[Guru]

Matthew, Primos has a new strutter caller the "Killer-B", that with the help of an attached string, the fan tail can be moved up and down....should be "killer"!!

[maineac]

I have not used a full fan decoy yet.  Had some luck putting a standing jake right over a low hen so it looks like he wants to mount her.  
We are so far East here I can get three hours of hunting in before school.  I just wear coveralls over my school clothes.

[Gary Logsdon]

One teacher I know uses the custodian's closet to change into his work closes before class. Just like Clark Kent. On an unrelated note, a couple years back Barry Wensel discovered a new technique at the Vinson Ranch for keeping turkeys within bow range.  Whenever they got close he would stick his hands out of his blind and wave frantically in an attempt to drive them away . . . it didn't work.  They kept hanging close. Remember my dumb turkey comment Curt?  There ya go:^)

[Don Stokes]

In most of the places I hunt, holding a turkey fan would be equivalent to dressing up as a buck in rifle season. Remember Murphy's Law!

[Spurs]

Don, I couldn't agree more.  We have quite the collection of outlaws in our part of the state.Lol!  It is funny to talk about, but when you really think about it, it's not that funny.  We really do have a problem up here.

[Marvin M.]

OK, I'll muddy the waters here.  I may be showing my ignorance, and will gladly defer to the experts on here that have taken more turkeys than me, but in my very limited experience, decoys work better in the woods.  

I don't want that "dumb" bird to have a long time to look over my decoy.  Given enough time to look over the set-up he might realize that there is no movement.  I want him to come over a rise, or round some brush and be surprised to see another "bird" right there on top of him.  I want him to react to an invader or interloper without thinking.  If he thinks about it, I've lost.

Again, limited experience on my part, but my hunting partner is pretty savvy and he's the one that taught me that.

What say you?

[Gary Logsdon]

Kentucky boy, eh?  I say that you (or your buddy:^)) know something about how longbeards can react to decoys!  I NEVER use fake looking decoys in the open as I have found them far less effective than taxidermist mounted decoys.  I save my "fake looking" dekes for the woods - as you suggested. While I prefer to hunt over the more life-like birds, sometimes the REAL ones will throw you a curve and slip back into the woods following a LIVE hen.  When that happens I sometimes throw on my Shaggie suit (I always have one with me when sitting in a DB blind watching a field)and slip ahead of them for a quick ambush.  When I do that I have one or two Feather Flex (collapsible) dekes in one hand and my bow in the other.  When possible I set them up exactly as you described Marvin.

By the way, I just returned from a morning drive to check out the fields around here.  As predicted there are a ton on 2 yr. old gobblers this time.  The ones I saw were still in bachelor groups, however the 3+ years olds are already beginning to strut among the flock. The perfect weather that protected the hatch of 2008 is paying off!

[Don Stokes]

Gary, I'm jealous. We've had five years in a row of bad poult survival in MS, and last year was the worst of all. Populations in most of the state are way down. I'll probably have to go to MO for my turkey hunting this year.

[Gary Logsdon]

The KY F&W biologists were predicting a banner season this year as far as larger numbers of two year olds.  Considering all of the jakes roaming around last spring (after the big ice storm) I think that they've hit their prediction.  I saw a "small" group of 11 gobblers in one field last week.  The next field over had about 50 birds with several more mature longbeards fanned out among them.  On the way home I stopped by the hardward store and the owner showed me a photo he had taken behind his house of at least 100 birds grouped up in a big picked corn field.  Impressive!

[Marvin M.]

Gary,

I'm still a relative newby to this and learning.  I took my first two birds last spring in my third year hunting but it's a blast.  I almost like it better than deer hunting.

I've got three calls in the Ford right now and I practice on the way to and from work.  There's a lot to learn, but it's a fun trip.

I'm seeing a few small flocks on my commute (Scott, Harrison, and Bourbon Counties), but have yet to see a bird strutting.  I've got the fever bad!!!!

[Guru]

Marvin, That's excellent advice bud!

[Gary Logsdon]

Curt, do you ever work or are you just good at multi-tasking??  HHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!

[Gary Logsdon]

Bourbon County?  I taught with a lady from Paris, KY.  Heading out for a hike at the local city park.  I've been seeing a big group of gobblers each day within 100 yards or so of the track. The farm's usually closed to hunting except I hear that the owner may allow bowhunting this year due to too many birds:^)