How to find the right turkey decoy combination

Dec 10, 2023

Hunting with decoys during spring gobbler season is often like trying to open an old combination safe.

We turn the tumbler this way and that way, just like the directions say, but when we yank on the handle, our dial spinning and following the correct formula has been for naught ... all in vain.

So we try again ...

And again …

And again …

Each gobbler season legions of turkey callers, I mean those with their experience counted by decades, can't find that elusive correct combination.

But sometimes a decoy will do the trick … make that lock click.

So when this turkey season draws near its inevitable end … bottom of the ninth, two out ... end of May. Being skunked, tag soup is a real possibility.

But one afternoon a few years back, actually while hunting for morels, I came upon an inordinate amount of turkey scratching in one of my favorite wild 'shroom spots.

The next morning at dawn, right there, like clockwork, a bird sounded off from the roost … but would not come in through the wide-open woods.

So the following morning, a hen decoy was positioned on top of a log so that any gobbler within 100 yards could see her coyly perched.

And as things unfolded, three hens came in; talking, cutting and yelping to get with that plastic hen who had (in their minds) already gotten into the choice feeding area in the morel patch.

And like on a leash, there was Mr. Tom in tow, in full display, strutting right into my 12 gauge's wheelhouse.

But there is a lot to this decoy thing.

Back in the late 70's, when spring gobbler hunting in the northeast was in its infancy, and before turkey decoys were on the market, we had the idea of using a decoy.

Heck, we use decoys for ducks and geese, why not turkey?

And since I had a couple mounted toms, couldn't they earn their keep a bit and stand in full display in a field instead of in the house?

Would a mounted tom pull in a long-beard, at least within gun range?

We learned through trial and error (along with a now rough-looking mount) that some toms are just not inclined to fight, just like some people (or some bucks, for that matter.)

Some are lovers and some are fighters.

In fact, subdominant toms and jakes (yearling toms) are intimidated by big old boss birds and hightail it out of Dodge for the next ridge.

So what about using a hen decoy? That should work right?

Well, back then (30 years before the internet) there were no hen decoys on the market that we knew about.

But finally, we did find a couple of plastic pheasants at a discount store that were on sale as lawn ornaments.

And with a little creative spray paint, they did touch up to make a passable impression of a hen turkey from a distance if you squinted just right.

A good spot to set up a decoy is at a turkey dusting spot, often an old anthill. Turkey will hollow out an anthill, and leave telltale feathers.

The big tom that roosts in my dining room fell for that setup.

The two hen decoys were placed in the torn up anthill and Tom Strutter was gobbling off the roost and coming in.

Just like clockwork.

The anthill setup was down below, about 40 yards away. The tom came in quiet from the back, having circled and walked past.

His bad luck was he snapped a twig. A quick swing of the gun tumbled him.

So decoys do work, but for every successful story, for me, there are many more failures.

The newest decoys utilize psychological ploys to fool the longbeards. And undoubtedly, they would work at least some of the time. (At least better than those old spray-painted plastic pheasants.)

Topping the list of new decoy themes is the decoy that is a subdominant tom, mounting a hen. Supposed to make any dominant tom strutting down the ridge insanely jealous.

And there are dominant tom decoys sold too, with submissive hens. Not just regular hens, but submissive ones. At least the marketers label and sell them that way.

And there are hens sold as floozy hens, sure to draw in any lonely tom.

Any discerning turkey hunter has to ask what does a floozy hen look like, compared to righteous one? And how would you know?

Getting pretty deep here.

Anyway, we can make turkey hunting in the spring more and more complicated as we plumb the depths of the tom turkey's walnut-sized brain.

But one thing will remain true about springtime in turkey woods ... he'll come in when the planets are lined up right and the tumblers on nature's dial fall just right.

Oak Duke writes a weekly column appearing Sunday on the Outdoors page.