I am looking at buying decoys for next year...this year was my first year of spring turkey and I didn' t expect to like it(boy was I wrong). I was wondering what brand you guys prefer for realism and simplicity setting up. And also what is your favorite setup(jake and a hen, 2 hens....etc.?) .....thanks in advance guys.

Ive been turkey hunting for 23 years and been using decoys for 18 or so. They definatly can be an asset in the right conditions. I use two hens and a small jake.
This combination has proved the best in my experience. I do emphasize a small jake. Place them 15 to 20 yards in front of you with the jake directly behind one hen and the other hen about 6 ft away. Making a sort of triangle. Dont face any of the decoys towards you. Have the lone hen looking in the direction of the other two.
I use two foam hens and a rubber jake. Most brands will work fine. Ive had better luck with the duller finishes though. Stay away from the shiny stuff.
Oh and one more thing. Have something rigged to the decoys to give them some movement in case the old gobbler locks up on you. Sometimes a little twitch or wiggle is all it takes to bringem the rest of the way in. Cabelas sells a motorized
decoy stake that runs off a 9v battery that works very well. I tried it out this year
and killed an 18 lb bird.

BuckWing is some of the nices and real looking Decoys out there...BT

I got a Delta hen this spring that I really liked. It was smaller, good color, retained its shape pretty good.

I' ve been carrying Carrylite or Flambeau, I forget which, big, cumbersome things, but realistic appearing, for several years, and I still do from time to time. I also like the Sceery inflatables. I have a full set of them and rely upon them the most, I' d say.

Finally, Glen Lindeman' s shiny BuckWing decoys work wonderfully, benhuntin, according to my buddy who used them this past spring to kill three toms. He says, and I agree, that the " real" turkeys appear shiny, so the shiny decoys are more lifelike!!

As far as setup, it depends on time of season, and can vary from none at all (rare) to a single hen, to 2 hens and a jake, to 4-5 hens and a jake, depending on what I think will work, but mostly I use 2-3 hens, or 2 hens and a jake, or a single hen.

After season I got a " passive jake" I plan to try sometime next spring.

A guy told me a jake & hen pair works well for him. He figures the tom will see the youngster checking out the " his" hens and come in to run the jake off.

I use 1 jake and 1 hen from Feather Flex when I decide to put out decoys. They work well for me, are lightweight and easy to carry.

The only time I use decoys is usually the first week of season and thats if the birds are still establishing dominance.Buckwings here also jake and 2 hens!

He is right in that real turkeys have a natural sheen to them but some of these decoys dont just have a sheen they have a shine and almost a glare when placed in direct sunlight. Ive tried them and have killed a couple of birds with them
but I ended up rubbing them down lightly with fine sandpaper or emory cloth to take the glare off of them after many problems in the field with birds getting very nervous and shying away from them. Never had a problem since.

Two feeding hens and a jake decoy by Carry-Lite.

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