OK so I'm trying to figure out what decoy setup I want to use on my boy's hunt. I saw 4 toms together today with one strutting and another in half strut. The area we will be setup in is close to the roost and is a field with open woods around it. My question is should I use my avian x strutter with a real jake fan and breeder and feeder hen? Or should I use my Dakota jake with the hens?
I would use the jake, strutters are hit or miss for me!
What about strutting Jake? I have a jake fan for the avian x and I think the avian is smaller than the quarter strut dakota.
Half a dozen of one and 6 of the other... I think a strutter might elicit a stronger reaction at times, but sometimes it is not the reaction you want! Sometimes it will make em' run in, and sometimes it will make em' run away...
My biggest advice on the decoys is if the boy is right-handed put the decoys to his left (easier to swing and shoot to the left for a right-handed shooter), and make sure you are sitting to his right (the non-shooter should sit to the right of a right-handed shooter and to the left of a left-handed shooter).
Well I ended up using the strutter with a jake fan and a breeder and feeder hen. Birds where fired up Sat morning and my boy ended up shooting his first bird just 30 min into legal shooting time. His bird weighed 24 1/2 IBS with 1" spurs and a 10" beard a great first bird or a great bird anytime for that matter. He's looking forward to getting out next year.
The Gobbler my boy harvested was roosted 150 to 200 yards in front of us. He was triple and quadruple gobbling right before he hit the field and once he saw the decoys he came running in. He stopped right before the strutter deke and was about to jump on it when my boy hammered him. A hunt we both will remember for ever and look forward to many many more with him.
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Awesome!!
Did you get any pictures?