ORIGINAL: GMMAT
If you have spot to get a bowshot on a bird that has Jakes with him... Just put a hen out there... I point her towards me so it look like she is walking away from the gobblers no matter if they come in from the left or the right.
This is exactly what I've been doing.
And I'm assuming (if NC turkey act like VA turkeys, which they usually do) that the gobblers are strutting about 80 yards out and gobbling and carrying on, but staying well out of that magic 25-30 yard window you need for the bow?
Early in the season is the time to challenge the dominant bird!!!!
Sight unseen Jeff, here are a couple of options that I'd consider in your shoes:
1) As far as decoys go, my experience with Mid-Atlantic field turkeys is either go all the way or not at all. A single hen tends to be a receipie for "turkey 100" (thats a hung up bird.... at 100 yards). In your case I think a jake decoy or even a full/half strutt decoy would be just the ticket. I am assuming that the gobbler(s) are keeping the jakes in line and not letting them strutt correct? Nothing harder to kill than a gay turkey.... I chased one for 5 years in my late high school early college years and never really even came close. I'd go with one, or perhaps even two jake decoys flanking a contented hen. If you know how to fight purr with a pot call or mouth call (or if you have the old "fighting purr" call), this is the time to break it out. Simulate a fight and as long as the turkeys are out of sight when you do so, I suspect you'll have them come a running your way. Feel free to pour on some wing flapping, or chest thumping to simulate the wings being flapped as the boys duke it out for the hen... stuff like that really makes a huge difference, just like leaf raking does.
2) Sans decoys totally. If the birds are normally walking/traveling in range of your set up spot, then let them come on in. Try maybe a few soft yelps early, but limit your calling. If you pour it on too strong, the gobbler will think the hen is coming to him. When it comes to calling, you're an old waterfowler, so you have the advantage of understanding when to call and when not to call.... there are massive similarites between waterfowl calling and turkey calling, but with ducks, you have to be MUCH more tone, pitch and cadence specific.... you can call turkeys with some pretty poor noises... but not ducks.
Do you have the roost/flydown and destination spots pretty much nailed down?