Advice Hen decoy or No decoy.

I am fairly new to turkey hunting, and am looking for some input. I am only equipped with one flambeau hen decoy, with all the stores being closed hard to get my hands on a Jake quickly as I just set up a new blind and am going out in the morning. I am only able to hunt the one field which is pasture behind my house, turkeys roost in the bush next door which is a no hunting property. Opening day set up at the further corner at the back of field from the roost only because I had a little spot set up already and I had seen a hen and jake or tom earlier in the week there. Opening morning had 1 hen wandering around and 4 turkeys come out at far corner I didn't want to move to much so didn't pick up the binoculars to get a good look, but could see them keep looking over at my decoy and after about 15 minutes they went into the bush. I stopped any calls as soon as I seen them but when I could see they were leaving I let out a couple yelps. Now today i went and setup a blind in the ditch about 40 yards from corner where they were, I am debating if I should put the hen decoy out or not, just wondering if they will remember the suspicious hen from the other day. Thanks in advance for any help. I tried to post a picture of spot but it's not working out for me

Attachment 40069 there is pic of where blind is set up just past that tree on far left is electric fence that they come through which is currently off. And bush directly behind blind

Sorry not sure why it is upside down when I post here.

Each circumstance is different. For example I had decoys our yesterday and the toms that did come out were tied up with live hens so didn’t really pay much attention. Today though, only a few hours ago I had 5 toms come in!! But I was just run and gunning a new farm I have permission on and I was in a pine forest. Well they came in and just were looking hard for any sign of a hen. This time I didn’t have one set up and it cost me for sure! No visual for them. It cost me today. It’s still early so I would use them. At least a jake and hen.

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Originally Posted by marky.mark

Each circumstance is different. For example I had decoys our yesterday and the toms that did come out were tied up with live hens so didn’t really pay much attention. Today though, only a few hours ago I had 5 toms come in!! But I was just run and gunning a new farm I have permission on and I was in a pine forest. Well they came in and just were looking hard for any sign of a hen. This time I didn’t have one set up and it cost me for sure! No visual for them. It cost me today. It’s still early so I would use them. At least a jake and hen.

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Thanks for the input, sounds like you had some fun anyways. Yes I will have to try and get my hands on a jake but for now all I have is a hen. I have the day off work tomorrow looks like a nice morning.

There's no right or wrong answer really. What works one day might not work the next. I've shot a few birds where the decoys helped, but far more without using decoys at all. Calling without decoys can entice them to keep looking for the hen, or sometimes they don't buy the calling if they can't see a turkey.

Flip a coin and see how it goes. If you don't have any luck, try the opposite next time out. I've always liked the no decoy approach when hunting fence lines between fields, because the Tom will come close to the fence to try to see the hen on the other side.



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Like others have said some days decoys work sometimes they don't . when ever you see a tom with a bunch of hens with or with out a decoy copy what the hens are saying. This should piss off the boss hen and she will come in for a fight. That being said the Tom will follow

I saw 7 hens and one huge Tom yesterday. One hen came investigate my hen and Jake decoy. The Tom stayed 100 yards away with the other girls. Try again another day.


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Thanks for the help , I guess it seems there's no right answer . You get used to what certain animals do, I am still figuring turkeys out. I guess i will flip a coin in the morning, it seems like trying to pick what stand to hunt deer and than watching the deer underneath your other stand. I guess that's hunting lol will post if I get something close enough. Congrats to everybody else having luck.