# Turkey decoy recommendations?



## bowhunt4life86 (May 5, 2012)

Hi all, this will be just my 2nd year turkey hunting and I'm in the market for decoys now that I know I like it.

My question is what dekes do y'all swear by?

Is it worth dropping the coin on Avian X, or can I buy some cheapo $10 deke?

Let's hear your opinions!!! That's what this site is for!

Thanks.


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## slwayne (Aug 27, 2009)

Boy, you're going to get a lot of differing opinions on this one. I use decoys in most situations and my decoy buying philosophy generally is "buy the best you can afford". And the "best", in my opinion, is Dave Smith decoys.

Pros: Incredible realism and durability.

Cons: Expensive (although not much more expensive than the Avian X) and a little on the bulky/heavy side compared to collapsible decoys.

The heavy/bulky part becomes more of an issue if you are typically a run-and gun hunter. I run-and-gun about half the time and almost always have my decoys with me. I have a jake and an upright hen. They do get heavy during a long day of walking but I just want to have them with me. Sometimes I will leave the jake in the car to lighten the load a bit. 

A lot of people will tell you that you don't need high-end decoys and that they have all kinds of success with cheaper decoys or no decoys at all and I can't argue with that. To each their own. I enjoy hunting over decoys just like I enjoy hunting over duck decoys. For me it just adds to the overall experience.

Good luck to you this season.


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## GrtWhtHntr (Dec 2, 2003)

After doing some online research last spring, I bought a DSD hen decoy and a Dakota Jake decoy. Both are amazingly life like and I can't wait to get them in the woods this spring!!! The past couple years I've used cheap decoys and have had a lot of hung up toms using them. I don't know if the cheap decoys were to blame, but I'd rather put as many things in my favor as possible, so I bought the best dekes I could find!


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## SWMbruiser (Jan 25, 2012)

I use the primos b-mobile and a hen for the most part. Have had good luck except the last 2 years. I had a couple toms hang up. They give you a fan holder to put real feathers in and I think it makes a big difference. I can't speak of the cost for the others but all in all I like my b-mobile and cost isn't terrible. It is light and realistic enough for me. Could use a better stake though. Have had the bottom portion come off and not notice and had to go looking. My fan holder is starting to fall apart now after 5+ years as well so I will be replacing that this year.


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## BUCK/PIKE (Oct 24, 2011)

I have a cheap fold up feeding hen and a jake decoy,there always in my vest.
sometimes I wonder why I cant remember the last time I used them.had way too many hang ups with decoys.the last couple times I did use them I put them like 30yards behind me in case of a hang up I may still be in range.not trying to start an argument,there are some awesome looking decoys.
I have just used a real tail fan on a stake and had that work quite well before.even belly crawled into position holding fan in frt of me in tall grass.


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## gmacmillan (Feb 16, 2015)

if they get hung up
as a rule its the setting aka tom to close to hen
thats what I have been told and it seemed to work for me
gmacmillan from north of border


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## TheLionsFan (Dec 20, 2011)

Like SLWAYNE said, buy the best you can afford. Turkeys are a lot smarter than people think. Sometimes its the design of the decoys eyes that might make the difference. Or the color. Or the detail. The thing is, a decoy isnt something you need to buy every year, so why not get a good one or two that not only last longer these days but are easier to set up and look VERY good. 

DSD decoys.....nothing can mess with them. They are the best no questions asked. You will forget they are fake when you have them out there. However, they are very expensive and they dont collapse. For ME, the collapsing part is what keeps me away. I had one non-collapsible decoy and sold it the following year. Just personal preference. My wife got me an Avian-X feeder hen last year and i LOVE it. Looks very real and is easy to setup/take down. I gotta tell you, I've turkey hunted for a lot of years and the way I had some hens act around this decoy was something I've never seen before with cheaper ones I've used.


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## BUCK/PIKE (Oct 24, 2011)

gmacmillan said:


> if they get hung up
> as a rule its the setting aka tom to close to hen
> thats what I have been told and it seemed to work for me
> gmacmillan from north of border


really its there mating rituals.When a tom sees a hen he starts strutting spitting and drumming and showing off for the ladies.when she is ready she goes to him and that's why I believe they hang up.there waiting for her to come running.
that said sometimes sweet calls from the hunter make him so crazy he forgets the rules of nature,cant take it anymore and runs in.
but for me ive had more luck calling blind(no decoy),and make that tom come in looking for her.usually by the time he realizes shes not anywhere to be seen he has a load of 5's to the head/neck


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## Callinalldeer (Jun 25, 2009)

The two best decoys have been mentioned. most believe it's the jake that draws in the gobblers because of the submissive head position. I use a single bobble head hen decoy all year.My last hunt,we doubled on the last day of the season.
I know the travel patterns of the turkey on my farm and never get a Tom hold up out of range because my decoys are 30 yards past me. They hold up at 50 yards but are only yards from my blind.


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## timbrhuntr (Feb 4, 2009)

Callinalldeer said:


> The two best decoys have been mentioned. most believe it's the jake that draws in the gobblers .


If you have ever seen a tom, group of toms or even a tom with hens enter a field and see your DSD jake and come on a run keyed directly to that jake you would know for sure that it is the jake that brings them in and not a hen. If anything a hen will cause most toms to hang up and strut waiting for her to come over to him. I have messed around with a lot of decoy setups and will say the most deadly are the full strut full mount toms (not even fair if you just want to kill a turkey use one of these). The next is the realistic jake semi-strut decoys like DSD. And the third is set up the jake right over a squatting hen and look out.


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## Ack (Oct 3, 2004)

Do it right the first and only time......DSD


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## ezcaller (Feb 21, 2009)

Definitely go with one you like and suits your style of hunting . Turkeys see UV light and I don't think anything beats real feathers. I would do a little research and find out which decoy makers are using UV paints on their decoys. Parker produces decoy UV paint for waterfowl decoys. Regardless of how a decoy looks to humans a turkey sees it differently. The whites although not a primary color on a turkey are important in attraction. Flambeau also is marketing UV paint and I think one series of their dekes uses it. Im not sure if DSD has changed their materials but I have had one break. It was fixed with epoxy but it did break.


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## Ack (Oct 3, 2004)

ezcaller said:


> Im not sure if DSD has changed their materials but I have had one break. It was fixed with epoxy but it did break.


Old style were hard plastic shell.....as of a couple years ago they are all the flexible ACE material.


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## ezcaller (Feb 21, 2009)

Thanks Ack- yea that old one was hard.Anybody have one of the old hen decoys that were hard plastic and 1 1/2 times the size of a normal hen. Don't remember the brand but when it rained it sounded like a drum. Got one in the attic somewhere always chuckle when I see it.


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## dmrbigeshott (Apr 18, 2010)

No decoys for me. The couple times I've used them, I've had birds hang up. 

I'm going to try using the fan off the tom I shot last year. We'll see how it goes.


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## Gobblerman (Dec 19, 2004)

I've moved onto DSD. I've killed birds with the cheapest dekes and no dekes, I think the realism of the DSD may offer an advantage. Personally purchase what you can afford and are happy with. Nothing beats good woodmanship and great set ups. 

Good luck and have a great year. If you want to purchase some slightly used dekes let me know. I have some extras.


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## bowhunt4life86 (May 5, 2012)

Thanks for the replies everyone!

I think I'm gonna go with Avian X. I like the idea of being able to collapse them down, if I wanted to change set ups and not have a couple bulky decoys in tow.

Now, I'll just have to tell the wife that I found a super good sale and they were only $20! :lol::lol::lol:


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## bowhunt4life86 (May 5, 2012)

Also, are there any places you guys recommend I buy from? I'm in the Grand Rapids area.


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## GrtWhtHntr (Dec 2, 2003)

The obvious places around GR would be Gander or Cabelas. Al and Bob's might have them, but I'm not sure.


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## d_rek (Nov 6, 2013)

Hey Everyone,

This is my second year turkey hunting and am ready to purchase my own set of decoys. I'm looking for everyones preference on deke combo. The guy who got me into hunting swears by jake/hen breeder combo but an old timer (my uncle) I know says a single or a pair of hens will work every time and to not bother with the males. 

Just curious what everyone's preference is here. Thanks!

d_rek


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