Do you remember Matilda, Gertrude, Minerva and Minnie, the favorite names of the first decoy we all bought decades ago?
It was bulky, gray and lifeless, but we thought it would be a magical way to attract the gobblers to us. For the most part, that was the case.
The year I went to the Poconos to hunt spring turkeys with my best buddy Buck Alt, we were very excited to have this decoy with us and it sometimes brought us good luck. But by the end of his sophomore year, the fascination with Henrietta (Buck’s name after his venerable, gray-haired friend) had waned.
More birds avoided or ran away from the decoy than approached it. Over the next few weeks, we watched the gobblers approach the gray decoy, then stop and stare for a moment, then turn and run away. It took us some time to realize that the gobblers that had come to the field realized the gray patch was false.
Like being embarrassed by the phone, hearing the same calls every day taught the turkeys that the bulky, gray blob was a suspicious thing, not a hen looking for romance.
However, soon producers offered modern types of decoys. Some even moved in the wind, and colorful false decoys became fashionable for a while. Every year modern types of decoys appeared on the market. And they all worked fine.
Still, hunters began to notice that if Matilda was planted in the same way, in the same place, every day, gobblers quickly learned to avoid it. This is still true. The first time you release a few decoys into the field, gobblers will come to them.
However, we made the mistake of putting the counterfeit birds in the same fields, in the same formation, day after day, and wondered why the gobblers wouldn’t come to them after the third day. Used in this repetitive style every day, the decoys became a hindrance.
I was hunting in Missouri a few years ago. The guide told me he had dynamite decoys at a popular field, so off we went. He had cover in a huge field and a set of decoys about 100 yards away.
Soon the turkeys appeared in the field, stopped to look at the decoys, then turned and walked away. “They do this every day,” he complained to me. I suggested that once the coast was clear, he go get some decoys, set them up close to where we were, and see what happened.
So then he sneaked up to the top of that field, grabbed the fakes, brought them down to the bottom of the field, and put them in this corner.
After half an hour of calling, a gobbler emerged from the nearby weeds and one shot did the trick.
Another time I met a hunter friend who showered me with his decoys. Could I tell him why the turkeys don’t pay attention to his decoys? – he asked.
As we walked to the tiny field, he explained that he had carefully placed it in the ground. He actually had. One decoy was parked in each corner of the field.
I explained to him that it was crucial to place several decoys in a natural formation – so that the real turkeys in the field would stay quite close to each other. I don’t know the outcome of this endeavor because I never thought of it again.
I advise hunters to have several sets of decoys so they can easily change them out if they want to hunt the same area for several days in a row. If that’s too pricey, borrow your buddy’s decoys for a day and let him operate yours for the day.
This could work for both of you. Or if your budget can handle it, buy a second set for yourself.
A few seasons ago, my hunting partner Joanie Haidle of Dayton and her brother Curt went out to a huge field and set up some decoys. Just after dawn, a gang of gobblers entered the field, and Curt caught the large boy as he approached the decoy.
The next day Joanie and I went back there and set up the decoys. Soon the same band of gobblers appeared in the field. They stopped, looked at the decoys, turned right and headed into the woods, too far away to shoot.
When we realized what had happened, Joanie slipped over to the decoy and removed it. But as perfectly as she called, the birds did not return.
If you spook a gobbler near a lure, don’t come back the next day with the same lure. This is definitely an obstacle to success. If you must return there the next day, take a different decoy and place it in a different place in the field or forest.
In the summer, I visit yard sales and rummage through hunting and fishing equipment and find it for much less than it costs in a specialty store. Decoys are paramount, often simply because hunters think they don’t work when they offer the same decoys to the same turkeys. Now it’s an obstacle.
Remember to place your decoys about 30 meters away from where you are setting them up. This will give you time to relax your gun painfully slowly, so it’s helpful.
Make sure the decoys are displayed naturally. In a grassy field, the belly should touch the top of the grass. Don’t operate too high bids. Turkeys don’t stand 6 feet off the ground. It will feel unnatural and will definitely be a hindrance.
My most unique experience with decoys was many years ago while hunting with Buck Alt in the Poconos. We set up the decoys, then hugged a group of pine trees and started calling softly.
From the other end of the forest, a devourer answered. After a while, several hens emerged from the forest. They looked up when they noticed the decoys. They ran across the field and began attacking the decoys.
Grumbling and pecking, they knocked the pair to the ground. Then I looked up and saw eight gobblers rushing towards the hens, all in a pack. Neither of us shot because we knew we would hit more than one bird. Finally one gobbler left the furious pack, so I took aim at him and fired.
Success!
Right now, mixing up your decoy offerings is the best tip I can give you. Try it if you’re having difficulty. I promise it will be very helpful.
