dekes in the dark?
 

Hey just wondered if a bird will spook if he can see a decoy from his roost tree... As in... normally I place my decoys out when it is still dark, but if a tom is roosted on a field edge and can see the dekes as it gets light... Will it spook him? Or will he think nothing of it...
10 days to go!!!
Gerard V.

Place mine in the dark - have never had a problem.


I have more to add so I edited.

I have one area that usually always holds a Tom and is a tough place to get to. Set-up there is defienitley in the dark around 2:30 AM in the morning! I am not kidding. I found no other way to get set-up to get a crack at this bad boy and since have seen a pretty good bird each time I scout. Wide open field with a few trees - some of which are roost trees. the bird likes to drop out of the tree to the base of the field and walk up to the East end where he hens gather.

The field is a Ridge top field with no really good places to set up with out a blind anywhere along the edge. Most of the wooded edge it don't take much and it drops 60 ft almost straight down!
I tried for a few years to sneak in from several different ways. Well long story short the 2:30 AM approach works.
Hard thing is the last 2 years I refrained from whacking a coyote at Oh dark thirty and they came threw the decoys but never took one out yet.

I walk right down the center of the field without a lght of any kind. I have even set-up the blind, placed he decoys and sat back for a rather good nap.




JW

As long as he doesn't see you place the decoy out, you shouldn't have any problems.

We've placed our decoys in the dark, where I'm sure birds could see them clearly when it got day light out, and we've had birds land directly in the decoys.

thank you for posting this ive been meaning to ask just kept forgetten i was worried about this to

Alrighty guys thanks for the responses... I have taken one tom by doing this, but just wondered if it could potentially spook birds... But yeah every critter has its weaknesses... Low light visibility is one for turkeys among others i guess...
take care,
Gerard