Has anyone ever used high quality turkey decoys? Have you noticed if they work a lot better than the lower quality decoys? I've always used they cheap Feather Flex foam decoys and have had some success with them but have also had a lot of birds not that interested in them at all. I was considering upgrading my decoys if its worth it.
Turkey Decoys
- Thread starter bigsky2
- Start date
I have a Dakota jake that works very good.....but ive killed several with the feather flex after I added more red to the head and some white to the rump. I only use them for archery though. If u have to walk very far the Dakota is bulky.
pointingdogsrule
Well-known member
I thought I would never buy high $$$$ decoys..... until I saw my friend and his decoys. Truly game changers. I am fortunate to have lots of turkeys here in northeast Iowa and tag out every year. The difference is those birds that get "hung-up or balk". You can tell that the birds are a lot more aggressive with my DSD decoys. Also used them in Kansas, Nebraska and Wyoming with the same success. I see that there are some "newer" decoys on the market that have more life-like movement: "wind-drifter". Life-like action is always a big plus!
good luck to all
the dog
good luck to all
the dog
DaveHawk
New member
I bought the Avians Deke's Tom's $toms jumped all over him.
I also painted two of my old Styrofoam jake's using metalic powders mixed with color toning powders. Matching up the Avian deke's. My friend used it and pulled a nice Tom a couple hundred yards to him. My color tones are much better. and the decoy is A LOT lighter. You can paint them yourself and I can give you all the list of products you'll need to buy if you'd like.
I didn't put much into this one. Just enought to catch the Tom's eye. Bright red, White and Blue and the shimmering feathers.
I also painted two of my old Styrofoam jake's using metalic powders mixed with color toning powders. Matching up the Avian deke's. My friend used it and pulled a nice Tom a couple hundred yards to him. My color tones are much better. and the decoy is A LOT lighter. You can paint them yourself and I can give you all the list of products you'll need to buy if you'd like.
I didn't put much into this one. Just enought to catch the Tom's eye. Bright red, White and Blue and the shimmering feathers.
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sneakypete
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 19, 2014
- Messages
- 1,909
I have an avian x hen but this worked well last week, two toms ran to it
Outdooraddict
Active member
DaveHawk,
That looks amazing. "I didn't put much into this one"- money or skill? Because I don't have much money, and I have even less artistic skill.
That looks amazing. "I didn't put much into this one"- money or skill? Because I don't have much money, and I have even less artistic skill.
Very interested in the answer to this. If I could pull it off, dressing up a couple of cheap decoys is more up my alley than the price for the "good" ones.
I started out with Feather Flex decoys and killed a couple of toms with them. It was hit or miss on how they'd react and I couldn't seal the deal archery hunting with them for the life of me. They'd always stay just out of bow range while strutting around the decoys.
I hunted with a guy who had a Dakota jake and DSD hen a few years ago and absolutely could not even believe how the birds reacted to them. Two mornings and I was sold. I had a DSD jake and hen the following year. I can honestly say that it is night and day difference. Rare is the bird that doesn't come and try to stomp the living crap out of my jake decoy. Buying those decoys was painful, but I can say they were worth every penny and I have no regrets. I'm heading out tomorrow morning and can't wait to watch the birds react to them again.
I hunted with a guy who had a Dakota jake and DSD hen a few years ago and absolutely could not even believe how the birds reacted to them. Two mornings and I was sold. I had a DSD jake and hen the following year. I can honestly say that it is night and day difference. Rare is the bird that doesn't come and try to stomp the living crap out of my jake decoy. Buying those decoys was painful, but I can say they were worth every penny and I have no regrets. I'm heading out tomorrow morning and can't wait to watch the birds react to them again.
DaveHawk
New member
Yep, it's that Bright Red that get the TOM'S ATTENTION. Then the coloring holds it as they get closer. A little movement added would not hurt but I have not added that feature.
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bigdonniebrasco
Active member
Am I the only person on here that doesn't use decoys? I've killed a "few" birds in my life, and I feel that altho dekes MAY bring in a bird in some cases, they also MAY be one more thing to cause your bird to hang up.
It's my personal opinion that if you work on your calling, and you have a good location to sit, that's all you need. Once again, just my opinion, but I think being a proficient caller, and being hidden with NO dekes, gives those birds no reason to hang or be spooked, they just keep coming in looking for the "hen" that's been talking to them.
I like being able to sneak into the woods with a shotgun, and a mouth-call.
I have friends that haul in a huge blind, chairs, backpacks, sitting hens, toms, jakes etc. just not my thing.
Whatever puts the bird in your truck works! If it ain't broke, don't try and fix it!
Good luck to all.
A few Toms that have fallen without dekes.
[video=youtube_share;EQmYzquBRZc]https://youtu.be/EQmYzquBRZc[/video]
It's my personal opinion that if you work on your calling, and you have a good location to sit, that's all you need. Once again, just my opinion, but I think being a proficient caller, and being hidden with NO dekes, gives those birds no reason to hang or be spooked, they just keep coming in looking for the "hen" that's been talking to them.
I like being able to sneak into the woods with a shotgun, and a mouth-call.
I have friends that haul in a huge blind, chairs, backpacks, sitting hens, toms, jakes etc. just not my thing.
Whatever puts the bird in your truck works! If it ain't broke, don't try and fix it!
Good luck to all.
A few Toms that have fallen without dekes.
[video=youtube_share;EQmYzquBRZc]https://youtu.be/EQmYzquBRZc[/video]
Yea don't bother with them with a gun. But they help focus the toms attention when bow hunting and proper deke position with put the tom in perfect shot position for an arrow. I wil say when they work, its very cool to see some of the things the turks do to and around decoys that u just don't see them do otherwise.
bigdonniebrasco
Active member
I agree 100%!
I have seen some pretty awesome antics by Toms and Jakes alike when decoys were involved.
I have seen some pretty awesome antics by Toms and Jakes alike when decoys were involved.
publichunter1
Well-known member
Montana seems to work pretty good. Wouldn't come in Tuesday, bought the Montana hen that night, came in Wednesday.
DaveHawk
New member
I've killed 90% of my birds with out decoys. Moving to where the birds are, running and gunning. But to switch things up a bit I'll use a decoy. Specially when I'm sitting on the edge of a big field and birds have hens with. There's not a darn thing wrong using a decoy, sort of like hunting from a tree stand for deer. It's a tool.
publichunter1
Well-known member
By the way I should have mentioned that I rarely ever use a decoy back in MS as it is typically in big timber. Out here in CO I quickly found out that I could call a bird fairly close but due to the mountainous and mostly open terrain I was hunting out here, that visual made a huge difference.
bigdonniebrasco
Active member
I agree!! In fact my second biggest bird ever, came to a hen decoy, and I'm convinced he would have kept walking had I not had a deke with me.
