DSD Decoys YES!! (Pic Heavy :)

[saverx]

I killed my 1st turkey over a decoy last year with a single decoy set up. Ive just never used decoys much in the past. I have some new clear cuts to hunt this year and I think decoys will help so I'm going to try it some more this year. Im new to the decoy game. What do you mean by setting them up strong side?

[MK M GOBL]

I killed my 1st turkey over a decoy last year with a single decoy set up. Ive just never used decoys much in the past. I have some new clear cuts to hunt this year and I think decoys will help so I'm going to try it some more this year. Im new to the decoy game. What do you mean by setting them up strong side?

So if you are a right handed shooter you are able to swing your gun/bow farther to your left (strong side) than right. I never position myself/others for a dead straight on shot to dekes, as a righty I set faced more to my right side as I can swing to the left easily. If you think of a clock and you are center pivot point, I face about 2:00, decoys at noon and can shoot all the way back till about 9:00. This also give you a good rest over your knees while holding on a bird, this would be just opposite if you are a lefty.

MK M GOBL

[owlhoot]

I have trouble getting the turkey to see the decoy when hunting in the woods. In my youth, I hunted mostly in Alabama where decoys were not legal so I learned to hunt without them. What happens now when I use a decoy is I get as close to the gobbler as possible before calling and can't get the decoy out in front of me very far. Call gobbler in, he takes a peak doesn't see a hen and splits. Any thoughts/advise?

Try a strutter .  They seem to pick it up good in the woods. You may half to back up a bit after you set it. Calling can start after you are set up and ready. Put decoy together,like attaching tail and stake a bit back and then sneak up.

[saverx]

Both good advice. I would have never thought of that.

[Greg Massey]

I agree the DSD decoys are number 1 and made in the USA and Avian x are number 2 and made somewhere else and 99 percent of all the camo we all wear turkey hunting is made over seas.  Funny .....

[Will]

https://youtu.be/qFTzko1EADM

This video was posted on a prior thread. Watch and not long into it you will see just how real DSD decoys are compared to the real thing.
Great decoys and great video.....both made in the USA!

[Cutt]

I have trouble getting the turkey to see the decoy when hunting in the woods. In my youth, I hunted mostly in Alabama where decoys were not legal so I learned to hunt without them. What happens now when I use a decoy is I get as close to the gobbler as possible before calling and can't get the decoy out in front of me very far. Call gobbler in, he takes a peak doesn't see a hen and splits. Any thoughts/advise?

If you learned to hunt without them, you probably learned they are not needed to kill a bird anyways, so why even bother with them now?

[ddturkeyhunter]

I have used the DSD decoy for years, buying one new one each year till I had the flock. One VERY INPORTANT thing to remember when Using any of the real good decoys. By very careful if useing on public land, especially if useing a Jake or Strutter. Years ago I had a person mistake a cheep Foam Jake of mine and shoot it. So I have the flock but seldom every use them all. Had terrific success with just the upright hen.

[snapper1982]

I agree the DSD decoys are number 1 and made in the USA and Avian x are number 2 and made somewhere else and 99 percent of all the camo we all wear turkey hunting is made over seas.  Funny .....

Avians are NOT number 2 they are 4th

DSD-1
Deception-2
Dakota-3
Avian-4

[Greg Massey]

I agree the DSD decoys are number 1 and made in the USA and Avian x are number 2 and made somewhere else and 99 percent of all the camo we all wear turkey hunting is made over seas.  Funny .....

Avians are NOT number 2 they are 4th

DSD-1
Deception-2
Dakota-3
Avian-4

You know what opinions are like.......ha ha ha ...just having a little fun...

[fallhnt]

I use decoys Fall and Spring. It's fun to watch turkeys interact with them. I had a hen lower herself down in front of my Feather Flex half strut jake one Spring. When it came out they painted the wings orange on it for safety. How times change.

[MK M GOBL]

So today at the store I was doing a number of seminars on turkey and of course the discussion of decoys came up. So I explained the why's to when I am using or not using decoys. I had one guy say that he absolutely refused to use a decoy, I was okay with that (his choice) but I did ask why. He told me flat out that they scare more birds off than you can ever kill with them and they were just a waste of money. (Me to each his own) As I continued the seminar, this guy stayed and I went over a number of different sets and how and why I have success, I had a number of pics from past hunts and detailed on why each of these sets were made to match time of the breeding cycle and within the season and at times the bird I am hunting. I talked about scouting, learning the ground and more. I helped a number of hunters asking questions afterward on bowhunting aspects and some guys taking kids out the first time. Then it happened, the guy who would not use a decoy came up and opened up a conversation about turkey hunting with me and he told me that I had explained a number of things he had seen turkeys do and never really understood why, then he said sorry about the outburst about the decoy thing... I said no problem I have nothing against a guy who doesn't want to use them. He said he could see that and thought I was just there to tell everybody you have to have them to kill a turkey. I said nope but I will help anybody that wants to learn about using them... we talked for bit longer and he asked If I had more seminars going on, I said yup next up was the scouting/locating pre-season. Started that seminar and he was back, end of the day guy gave me a handshake and thanks learned a few things he could use. I thanked him for coming by the store and said I have seminars every weekend till April 1st, then it's turkey season!

I always explain I'm not here to change your mind on anything, Calls, Decoys, Blinds or Hunting Styles or Tactics but I talk about what I have had success with, what works for me and what I have learned, the rest I leave up to you Pretty good day of "work" talking turkey with some fellow hunters!

MK M GOBL

[Greg Massey]

So today at the store I was doing a number of seminars on turkey and of course the discussion of decoys came up. So I explained the why's to when I am using or not using decoys. I had one guy say that he absolutely refused to use a decoy, I was okay with that (his choice) but I did ask why. He told me flat out that they scare more birds off than you can ever kill with them and they were just a waste of money. (Me to each his own) As I continued the seminar, this guy stayed and I went over a number of different sets and how and why I have success, I had a number of pics from past hunts and detailed on why each of these set were made to match time of the breeding cycle and within the season and at times the bird I am hunting. I talked about scouting, learning the ground and more. I helped a number of hunters asking questions afterward on bowhunting aspects and some guys taking kids out the first time. Then it happened, the guy who would not use a decoy came up and opened up a conversation about turkey hunting with me and he told me that I had explained a number of things he had seen turkeys do and never really understood why, then he said sorry about the outburst about the decoy thing... I said no problem I have nothing against a guy who doesn't want to use them. He said he could see that and thought I was just there to tell everybody you have to have them to kill a turkey. I said nope but I will help anybody that wants to learn about using them... we talked for bit longer and he asked If I had more seminars going on, I said yup next up was the scouting/locating pre-season. Started that seminar and he was back, end of the day guy gave me a handshake and thanks learned a few things he could use. I thanked him for coming by the store and said I have seminars every weekend till April 1st, then it's turkey season!

I always explain I'm not here to change your mind on anything, Calls, Decoys, Blinds or Hunting Styles or tactics but I talk about what I have had success with, what works for me and what I have learned, the rest I leave up to you Pretty good day of "work" talking turkey with some fellow hunters!

MK M GOBL

Great story....it's all about your hunt and what works for you...

[MK M GOBL]

Time for another pic, this was from a few years back. There were a trio of jakes that came off the ridge and down the "road" to us in this timber set. This was his first bird and he was the "boss" of those jakes, he came into this set with my Strutter, Feeding and Upright Hens.

MK M GOBL

[MK M GOBL]

This is just a copy from another post I made here, just wanted to get here too.

One thing I talk about (seminars) is "Learning How to Hunt with Decoys" and yes there is a "right" and "wrong" way to use decoys. I talk about use, positioning, season timeframe, where in the breeding cycle and such. I talk about bowhunting setup and shotgun sets and use for youth hunts. I also talk about the dominance game and how to use this to your advantage. I hear a lot about how a strutter "scares" off jakes/subordinate toms and such... If this is happening you have not yet learned how to hunt with those decoys, there is a lot more than just sticking a decoy in a field and think birds are always just going to be tripping themselves to get to you. As part of this you need to learn a turkeys body language and what it means, a tipped head on an approaching bird, snood, wing position flap/fold and more, dominance within a flock and what bird you are working. These are all skills I believe you need to learn and not just with decoys... It is part of the hunt, I know those that don't/won't use a decoy miss on some of those subtleties of a turkey. I for one have used a "Strutter Decoy" and put to use what I have learned about turkeys and has given me great success in using it, I won't get in to numbers but if I have dekes out a strutter is almost always the game plan and a jake is the fall back (run & gun hunts).

MK M GOBL