ORIGINAL: superstrutter
There is no special art to putting dekes out. I just put a hen or two about 20 to 25 yards in front of me. I have had great success with dekes, but they are not going to work every time. As for leaving your dekes if you get up to go somewhere else, I agree with r33h. I wouldn't leave them. If I'm chasing a gobbler or trying to cut him off, I'll just leave my dekes hidden in the woods. I don't always take dekes with me on my hunt. A lot of it depends on the situation. They can be a great tool though.
to one extent i would have to disagree with you...as a beginner i had thought it didn't matter but in relation to how you call it really matters how you set up a decoy...if you call hard and have a decoy feeding on the ground to a gobbler this looks weird....i have found the best set up, for me anyways, is to have two hens (if possible) one feeding and one up...this way if i change my calling to softer calls it could be from the feeding bird and if i get loud it could be from the standing decoy...this seems to bring birds in from distances more often then just having one decoy out...if i know a bird is to my left and i need him to come out i will usually put the decoys facing the direction i want the bird to go...as he will usually go directly to them or towards the direction they are facing......like it has been stated you really just have to geta feel for them and there activity that day..sometimes i use no decoy...it will change from day to day