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What's everyone's experience with strutters? I've used one with a hen during the first week over the last 3 seasons. Its pulled in one tom, one coyote and one hunter, but its mostly ignored. My strutter has a full-size body, on which I've installed a real jake fan and I've shortened the beard. Every strutter decoy I've seen is made to look like a big mature tom. Too big perhaps?
At last I got a decoy a few years back cause I want to see the butt kicking of a Tom. Tried various options even used a jake fan that had unusual shortened middle feathers almost looked like a heart. Never got the fight I was hoping for. Its tucked up in the garage as lugging it along got to much of a hassle.
Last year I had a Tom with 6 jakes come check it out. The Jake's wouldn't come closer than 40 yards of it and the Tom came about 20 before he turned tail and ran away. They would approach it from behind and if my decoy would move they got scared and ran away. I had a breeder hen a foot away from the strutter, The Tom would stand back and gobble trying to get the hens to follow him.
Year before that I had 2 big Tom's come running in, They strutted around my strutter for 5minutes before they finally split enough for me to shoot one of them. The other one stuck around for another 30minutes walking on top of his dead buddy and kept strutting with my decoys until I had to piss so bad I had to stand up and spook him away .
Pic is of when I stood up. Strutter decoy, dead Tom beside him, hen couple feet away and live Tom about 40 yards away looking at me having a piss.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...ec9553a2c3.jpg
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It will all depend on the mood of the bird. I have a King Strut that has been pretty well destroyed a couple times, by big gobblers. I’ve also had gobblers stay away from it. I have a remote control stake, that lets me rotate the decoy to face any birds coming in. That usually starts a fight !
I had two big gobblers come on a dead run and attack old “King”. They flattened him out, leaving lots of spur holes. My buddy had the tag left, and couldn’t get a shot off with all the action !
I have never used a strutter. My early season field set-up is usually a hen with the stake deep in the ground (trying to get her as low as possible) about 20yds out and a jake behind her about 12-18" like is about to mount her, then another hen out 15-20yds out from those two. I like to put them quartering in from where I am sitting (facing me). If a Tom comes in he will go nose to nose with the jake meaning he will swing right in front of me.
That is my opener morning set-up in Henry's north field. Pete bought one of these decoys this year and I want to try it out - https://www.snareshop.com/prodinfo.asp?number=FGDCOY310
Ha! I too have been thinking about the funky chicken. Was chatting with a guy here who says they work well for him.Quote:
Originally Posted by 410001661
Full Strutt decoys are great.but you have to know where and when to use them.
If you have a place were there are three or more big Tom's hanging out or if you have a big bad boss tom .
These cases they will challenge the full strutt decoys and come running