Dekes or no dekes...that' s the question
 

Even tho I' m guessing the results will be 50-50...what is the answer? You guys use them or no. And those that don' t....why?

RE: Dekes or no dekes...that' s the question
 

This year I believe I am going to opt to not use them. My reason is because many hunters are successful without them and I' m not willing to have a tom get hung up or even spooked because of the decoy. This does happen on occasion. But if I were to use decoys I would try to do get the decoy to sit lower on the stake and a little closer to the ground (many dekes sit too high and don' t look lifelike), and I would attach a string so I can give it motion. I think toms get hung up or spooked when they don' t see the damn thing moving. So my answer is opt not to use them.

RE: Dekes or no dekes...that' s the question
 

Kitsap makes very good points, they do get spooked occasionally and if you use dekes ,sit them low like he said and also find 1 or 2 that don,t raise their head, a raised head can mean that the turkey has spotted danger and that may spook off a tom thats coming in.

RE: Dekes or no dekes...that' s the question
 

Two replies over the whole weekend?? Guess most guys don' t have an opinion either way like me??

RE: Dekes or no dekes...that' s the question
 

I' ll use them. However I usually only use them 50% of the time at most. Using in the more open areas I hunt.

RE: Dekes or no dekes...that' s the question
 

There have always been times i had wished i had them with me but never a time when I had them with me that I wish I didnt. (Hope that makes sense).
In other words, I carry mine with me now all the time whether or not I plan to use them.

RE: Dekes or no dekes...that' s the question
 

I always use em when bowhuntin, and most of the time when gun huntin.
decoys will help you get a turkey 95% of the time.
I' ve never had one not come in after he has spotted my deeks.
I know some hunters have, but I' ll take my chances with my decoys.;)

RE: Dekes or no dekes...that' s the question
 

I use them when I bowhunt and leave them at home when gun hunting. I think they help. I have never had a turkey run from them or act as if afraid of them. I have had several jakes attack them. Always worth a laugh.

RE: Dekes or no dekes...that' s the question
 

Thanks guys...gonna get me some.

RE: Dekes or no dekes...that' s the question
 

I have a set of Buckwing' s (hen & jake combo). They are brand new and never been used. This season will be the first for them. The collapsible " umbrella" inside them is a cool feature.

Buckwings are wicked shiny, but are still real nice looking. What I did to sort of tone down that irridecent bright shine, is CAREFULLY take some #000 steel wool and go lighly down along the feathers. Believe it or not, it worked. The Buckwings are still shiny, but, at least they don' t have that blinding glow to them.

I have the jake in a standard position, and originally had the hen in an upright position. But I changed that, after reading that an upright, alert, decoy means danger, and will spook a gobbler.

I turkey hunted last season without decoys and it was a bust. Total, complete, skunk. [:' (]

Turkeysrule, I think the rule of thumb is a hen/jake combo, or two hens and a jake. There' s hundreds of varieties of decoys out there. The coolest, but probably most dangerous decoys are the inflatable ones called Sceery. I saw them over the weekend at a store and couldn' t believe the appearance. I mean, you do a double take when seeing them. Yes, they are that real!! But, they inflate like a balloon. {BAM! - oops, sorry pal, I shot your deke. Oh man, sorry... it' s in shreds now!} Or worse, you could have another hunter see the Sceery decoy, think it' s actually real, and get waaaaaay to close for comfort, if you know what I mean! [:o]

Butch