Tom / Jake Decoys

[matchbook454]

Who here uses tom or jake decoys?  I've hunted over both with very little success over jake decoys (plastic cheapos) and some success over full strut toms (pretty boy).  Last week the toms were really henned up where I hunt and did not seem to respond well to either calling or my hen decoys.  I'm thinking that they might have responded better to a full strut decoy.  In the past I have had some birds shy away from a tom decoy but it was later in the season too.  For that reason I have only been using hen decoys recently.  Can any share some of their experiences and thoughts?  I'm considering mounting up a tom or jake for a decoy for next year in case I encounter conditions like I had this year.

[TRKYHTR]

This was this morning. Jake all the way.

TRKYHTR

[njdevilsb]

My dad and I have had great success with our Pretty Boy.  In about 3 years of using it, we have only had 1 tom shy away from it.  He was actually in range and I had a shot at one point, but I was wanting my dad to get one since I had already tagged one.  He never had a clear shot and the bird skirted around at about 35 yards.

Funny part is, we caught up to him in the field a few minutes later.  I clucked and purred and he came across the opening of the logging road and my dad missed him.

[Houndstooth Game Calls]

I have had a bmobile since they came out but I never had any confidence in it but never toted it alot either but this year I tried it and the three turkeys that have looked at him that truly saw him in fields we had to protect the decoy haha! I have had turkeys infront of us that I wondered if they saw him but I really think he blended in with woodline at a distance so when using him the number one thing is visibility! I also always set the hen on ground in a ready position for breeding! It has been a added extra to the open terrain hunting! I also use a real fan on him I dont pluck the feathers and do the fan holder like they want you to do I just drilled a hole at the top of of where the fold out fan goes us a bolt, big flat washer and wingnut takes no time to put up in the field have fun and good luck!

Lyle

[matchbook454]

It sounds like a strutting tom is the way to go.  I've used one twice and had 1 tom come in to kick arse, and another skirted me at 40 yards (still killed him though).