ORIGINAL: Strut&Rut

I was a firm believer that "early" in the season was always better to use dekes, the more the merrier. Then, "late" in the season, I would leave the dekes at home. As I've gained some wisdom, it's really about the current breeding transition, the activity of your birds, and the bird population in your area.

If you saw two strutters with one hen each a week ago, the percentages are in your favor that the hens are now nesting fulltime and those boys are lonely. In that situation, I like to make the tom get aggressive and really look for that sweet-talking hen, hence no dekes.