I use them, and while not 100% foolproof, I truely feel that they help out much more than not. The gobbler hears your calls and usually comes in silently looking for that hen he heard, then he spots the deek, and most times you never have to make another sound, because that deek will draw him right into shotgun range.
Just make sure to place the hen decoy facing away from your set-up, and the jake facing towards your set-up. A gobbler will usually approach a jake from the front and a hen from behind. Either way, if he's strutting, his tail fan will block his head, and enable you to make your move!!

thanks guys for the info, i think i'll start out with the tactics i was taught when i was young turkey hunter, since i've have had pretty good luck,on bad days i'll give them a try,usually thats when i'm hunting a pasture bird. good luck and be safe

I carry two- a carry lite hen and jake. I need to paint them , thanks for the tip Quiksilver.

ive used them with success. 2 times i had a pi$$ed off gobbler run in and smash the jake that he thought was breeding one of his hens. another time i had a coyote snatch the hen, spit it out and he had the funniest look on his face, like" hmm that dosnt taste like turkey". it was cool. i also have a video of a pregnant doe giving my deke a mule kick, dont know why she did that.

i generally only use em if i've got a stubborn bird thats hanging up in a field or if he's henned up. i got a great video once when i was calling for my dad. there was a big tom about 200 yds away with a half dozen hens, he bet me i couldnt call him away from them. i tried for an hour, then belly crawled 40 yds out, set up the dekes, and with some gentle yelping called him right away from his harem.

one of my better (read "luckier") hunts....
try em out i think you'll enjoy using them.
-good luck!
moose

Im sure they help to some degree, but i don't use them. I'd rather go after them and call them into range without the aid of a decoy. Just my opinion.

I get awful nervous using decoys. Seen too many turkeys spooked by them, and have never killed a turkey that I thought needed decoys to bag. The set-up is the key.

But if I hunted field birds much, I might use them more.


Hal

the space in my vest is very important,i carry enough stuff, im really stuffin if i carry several dekes.i took the advice from some veteren turkey hunters years ago,give them what they want.i carry a lone hen and that liitle girl is deadly on a field edge off the roost or any time of the day with some practiced calling.i have killed several birds getting them vocal up until a couple or so hundred yards and then being quiet,being patient,scratching the leaves,being more patient.whatever you decide on good luck.

I use them as often as possible, and have been very successful with them. I don't think I have seen turkeys I normally wouldn't have seen without one, however they help me position the turkey where I need for a shot, and allow me to get that bird in the last 50-75 yards without me needing to call and blow my cover. They also allow me to get away with small movements/weight shifts, etc when his attention is drawn to the decoy. Keep in mind, I never hunt fields as they are limited here and the fields are usually no good after the first day or so....most of the hunters are pretty lazy here and drive the birds into the woods.

I always use a single hen decoy because usually I would rather be mobile than worry about moving 3 decoys. 99% of the birds I kill (2 a year on average) I have to move on multiple times to get them to come in, so being mobile is more important. The property I hunt is usually got 5-6 hunters on 900 acres, and I consistently kill more birds than anyone there, and I am convinced that it is because these people don't cover enough ground, most of them sit in a single place with a huge flock of decoys and end up listening to me work birds.

I always setup my hen decoy facing away from me, usually the gobblers will come in and try to get behind the decoy and end up facing away from me very close. I would probably do the opposite if I used jake decoys as they would probably approach them from the front to confront the jake.

I think decoys are great if you know how to use them. If the birds are hot and are breeding heavy then place a jake with your hens. If it is towards then end then just put out 1 or 2 hens this way the bird will come in with little resistence just trying to get the last of them bred. DONT PLACE THEM OUT OF SHOOTING RANGE!! I would place the jake behind the hens as if to be following them to make it look like the jake is about to get the hen. GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!

I use the Sceery® flock of four (3 hens & a jake). This year I'm adding the Sceery® "FULL STRUT TOM". When used correctly they can be deadly!!! I set the flock up @about 20-25yds; will set the Full Strut decoy @about 25 feet! Below him will be my CassCreek® Speaker hooked up to my electronic "Gobbler Call". Behind that will be my finger on the trigger of a 20GA Mossberg Pump Gun launching 1¼oz of Remington Hevi-Shot® #6's at the Gobbler's noggin'!!!!!