I'm interested in trying out a decoy setup for turkey hunting. Have you ever used decoys before? If so, could you share some effective techniques or strategies for luring in big toms? I'd love to learn more about how to set up the decoys and any tips you have for making them look realistic. Additionally, are there any specific types of decoys or decoy placement that have worked well for you in the past? Any advice or insights you can provide would be greatly appreciated!

I love using decoys.
my advice.
Pay attention to the flocks you see to what decoys to use. How to place. Decoys packed tightly together indicates a very leary bunch. Spread them out. I'm usually 4 to 5 steps apart. But watch your live flocks. I will place 2 hens 3 ft apart. Usually a hen erect, then one of my feeders.
I'm old. I can't run n gun anymore. So I blind sit.
My decoys are never more than 10 to 12 steps from the front of my blind. My blinds are never hidden.
If you use decoys without a blind don't place them directly in front of you. Some real yahoo's out there. I had a father and his boys stalk my decoys and they could clearly see my blind.

Brands or manufacturers.
You pay for what you get. Cheaper decoys do work but I can't say enough about my Dave Smith Flock.
I've beat the crap out of them. They've been shot by folks I've taken out and still look new.

Strutting Tom decoys. They work.
i do use my real tails. But understand you have 50 to 50 chance they won't.
Sub dominate Toms who have had their butt kicked will stay out of range. They will gobble, strut, get on their tippy toes all trying to entice that hen away. Then give up and walk away.

Jake decoys. A standing erect jake decoy will cause more trouble than its worth.
However my DSD semi posture jake has worked very well.

At times 1 hen is all that is needed or maybe 3 hens. Then other times a strutter, along with my semi posture jake, attending my laying hen, with my attentive hen and alert hen pushed further away works tremendously well for me.
I'll push my hens to the left spaced and my strutter out front close to my laying hen.

I've witnessed turkey porn, live birds beating the crap out of all my decoys. Hen strutting is fun to watch.

Keep your decoys clean. I wash with Dawn dish diapers.
Keep a bottle of black gloss nail polish yo Keep those eyes bright.

Experiment.if birds shy away adk yourself why. Ive had times that they sll stayed out of range so i pulled a few. Most times i pull my strutter.

DSD decoys can move with the wind snd look do natural. Read your state regs. Some states dont or didnt allow decoy use. Those mechanicsl or battery operation motion devices generally are illegal to use.

waving a strutted tail fan does work too.

I'll try to upload some pictures to help.

JW

i can't even pull they already start to fly away

I use decoys, and one time I was using decoys, a Tom and a couple of Hens a few paces away from each other and about 30 yards in front of my blind. I could move the Tom, spread and wave His fan. I used a combo mouth call for the Hens and slate call for the Tom. A flock came in Hens and Toms. The Toms were ready to fight. I hit 2 Toms with 1 shot as they jumped the decoy and got a 3rd and knocked some feathers off a 4th with a 2nd shot.


The 1st shot knocked 2 Toms down and started the others running. As the first 2 flopped around on the ground,the others stopped and started to come back stopping just out of range watching unsure what to do. Then 2 other Toms came back with 1 Tom jumping on 1 of the Toms flopping around on the ground, and the other Tom just a few feet further back unsure what to do. The 2 nd shot put the 3rd Tom on the ground and knocked feathers off the 4th, Who still turned around just out of range jumping around with the others unsure what had just happened. It was cool until I had to clean three Turkeys that day. Using that set up and decoys I filled all 5 of my tags that year. The calls bring them in and I believe the decoys get their attention and distract them from were the call is actually coming from and spotting you.