Are they necessary? I mean do you really actually need them to be affective killing a turkey? I will be hunting turkeys for the first time this year and i will have some questions about turkeys, I will probably buy one just to be safe, but have you had more success with them or without them, have you ever had them scare a bird? thanks for any information on this guys.
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No, there not necessary. I usually put them out just for "eye candy". Show them something where my calling is coming from. I've had them come storming in and then again I've had them totally avoid coming close. Try without and then if that doesn't work maybe go out and get one.

No & Yes or Yes and No!

I know many who would rather not hunt with a decoy and they are just as effective of a turkey whacker compared to those who do use decoys.

I use them but only when situations dictate it. Especially if I am camped out in one spot for the day.

And I have thrown my Jake decoy away as I am convinced it caused me more trouble than it was worth, However, I have have decnet success using a struttiing Tom decoy.

Decoys if more of a matter or preference. Some use me - some don't.

JW

JW

Knowledge of your birds patterns are far more important than a decoy in my opinion. I've killed with and without, but the scouting is a constant.

Do you need them? No. Do they help? Sometimes. Do they hurt? Sometimes. You'll need to get some experience and form your own opinions. There were times I didn't have decoys out that I wished I did, and vice versa. Sometimes they come in on a string, sometimes they avoid them. Sometimes putting them out is a waste of time just because of the terrain you're in. I typically use a jake and hen decoy when I do use them. I should probably add another hen to the set-up but I do okay without. If I'm trying to call a bird into a fairly open area, I typically use the dekes. If he's coming in and doesn't see that hen he's been hearing, that might not be a good thing. If I'm in an area that is a little thicker and he has to come in to get a peak, chances are he'll be in range eating a load of #6's before he knows what hit him.

I quit using them a couple years ago because the toms kept hanging up out of range waiting for "her" to come to him rather than the other way around. Im a firm believer that good calling is far more important than using decoys.

I hunt more without decoys than with them. They are not necessary, but can be useful. There have been days I was glad I had them.I have killed severaltoms using them. When I do carry a decoy(s) while hunting, I carry one or two hens.

I think it depends on the situation and the setup. If you are hunting in the woods where visibility is low then you don't really need them. But when i'm hunting on the edges of fields or logging roads or anything where they can be seen from a distance then i like to use them. They have helped alot and also times have been a pain. It also depends on the time of the season when you use them. Here in NC the beginning of the season you can use them pretty effectively. But towards the end the birds have gotten alittle skitish and are hesitent in coming it to them. IT ALL DEPENDS ON YOUR SITUATION AND AREA.

if you're bowhunting, decoys help ALOT. Not necessary by any means.

Whether it is just coincidence or not, butI have found the Eastern subspecies to be attracted to decoys more thanthe Rio subspecies. I have had far more Rio's hang up to the decoys than Eastern birds. I think the distance at which the gobbler first notices trhe decoysmay be a factor here, as the country I hunt Rio's is considerably more open than where I hunt Easterns.