hardcorehunter

How many of you find that usingno decoys works better then decoys when bowhunting? We have found that the decoys cause the birds to hang up and with no decoys the birds come in looking for the hen that was calling. We have quit using decoys after several years of using them. Would like your BOWHUNTERS opinion.

maytom

Well, I haven't tried bowhunting for birds yet, but I always used decoys for gun hunting. The other day was the first time I ever had a gobbler hang-up at my decoy!!! I know if I didn't have one out he would of come much closer!! I'mgiving it some serious thought to leaving them at home from now on as well!!

mauser06

im done using them for a while.....last year was the first year i used one...just a hen to give the gobbler some insurance of what hes hearing...used it again this year...just dont know if its a helper to me or a hurter.....a 30 or 40yd shot would be about the max in most spots i hunt...so im guessing gun hunting right now how i do i really dont need one.....just need birds to cooperate....

GregH

I would never not use decoys. They are what cause the birds to run in for me. For the last 4 seasons I have been placing the decoys closer to my blind. I put them at 10 and 13 yards. It seems rediculousely close but its not. By the time the toms hang up, they are already in bow range. 28 yards or less.

Howler

This was my first year of bow hunting them exclusively, BUT we used one hen decoy on every set. We put her right at 10 or 11 yards every time. My closest shot opportunity was at 22 yards. The other shot opps. were at 35 yards! The one thing that I think the decoy does is keep the gobblerINFRONT of you and the blindlonger. MAYBE!
Without a decoy, do you find that the gobbler will stay around, and does he move around the blind looking for the hen. Strutting, or just looking for the hen?

One thing too, I am going to look for some very thin black gloves before next season. I got busted by one bird. The decoy wasdirectly between him and us, so we were directly in his line of sight. When I drew real slow and raised the bow,he caught the movement. So I am going to put a piece of black tape on the face of my bow and wear black gloves next year, and that won't happen again! Your hands really are visible in the blind, as is the face of the bow!

Campo

I used decoys until my last set-up today.
Till then, I had 7-8 birds hang up at 50-80 yards.
Last set-up, no decoy, and I hammered one at 35 yards with my shotgun.

Arrowmaster

I use decoys all the time. I havent had too many hang up. All 3 this year were killed with 1 to 2 decoys.

snowdog2

Before I broke my leg and ended my turkey season, I used the K & H Pretty Boy and Pretty girl decoys @ 22 yards. I had a three-year old tom stand in the decoy setup, and five jakes also surround the decoys. This was early season, when the turkeys were still establishing dominance, though.

I've taken many turkeys with no decoys, especially mid-season.

Late season I've never found anything that consistently works, decoys, no decoys, hen noises, gobbler noises. My best late season approachhas beenpinpoint roosting, getting in close in the black (like 25-30yards), a single(motion) decoy andno calling/calling once only, soft and subtle. Of course, that only works for the first bit of a day.But I think the decoy gives the tom direction for his flydown.

If I could have gone late this spring, I was planning to try a flock of passive and aggressive jakes and gobblers as decoys (if I didn't get under a roosted tom and nail him right after he flew down to my decoy) to see what happened when Idid the cutt and run routine, trying to get a tom to come in on a bachelor flock. But I can't, so who knows.

hardcorehunter

We set upon an edge of an area that gives a tom plenty of room to strut. He comes into the area and usually struts or we shoot him before he has a chance too. 90% of the time when a tom has seen our decoys in the past they would hang up at 50 yds or more and only stay for a little while and move on. With no decoy to see they seem to come in and search for the hen that made the noise. We even tried one of these setups this year. A hen came in; looked at it at 35 yds and took off. Makes you think the hunts on TV where the toms are attacking and breeding decoys are tame and in a pen. I know they aren't, but 5 yrs of trying decoys has never had toms coming in and making love or fighting with my decoys.So until the ones around here get worse eyesight or retarded our decoys stay behind.

GregH

When I set up, I use between 2 and 4 decoys. Either a jake and a hen or 2 of each. I put the hens at 10 yards and the jakes at 13 yards. I make it look as though the jakes have the hens pinned in. Doing this seems to rile up the gobblers and they usually rush in to chase the jakes off then get shot!This has worked for the last 4 years for both my son and I. We've got a good streak going, I don't think I'll be changing anything until the need arises.