Top 5 Turkey Hunting Tips for Using Decoys

Decoys are a great tool for turkey hunting and can mean the difference between frustration and a successful turkey hunt. You can use these turkey hunting decoy tips to help you bag that tom the next time around.

Also see Turkey Hunting Tips: Pre-Season Scouting

1. Turkey Hunting Tips: Decoy Placement

Not all situations call for using your decoys the same way. Decoys are best used near the edge of cover close to a clearing. You don't want a decoy out in the middle of a field where it looks lonesome and alone, but you also don't want the line of sight for the turkey to be obscured by brush.

Try to look for a high spot that is close but not in cover. Try to make it look as though a turkey is entering or leaving cover. That adds a sense of urgency to a wandering turkey that spots the decoy and is curious.

2. Turkey Hunting Tips: How Many Decoys?

A tom and breeding hen setup is popular with turkey hunters, but there are times when a single hen will work better or just as well. Make your call based on the density of the woods and the local turkey population. In a sparsely populated area one hen is also enough.

You can also judge based on what type of turkey you are trying to bag. The hen and tom setup may entice a dominant gobbler to investigate, but younger birds may shy away if they think a dominant gobbler is near. For 2-year-old birds a single hen is a better gamble.

3. Turkey Hunting Tips: Decoy Motion

When set up properly in a turkey hunt most decoys will have some motion in the breeze, even in a very slight wind. Top of the line decoys contain real feathers that will sway with the wind. This type of realism really works, adding a hint of natural motion.

Stock-still decoys will work but most turkey hunting experts agree breeze-added movements add a huge advantage. Play the percentages and get decoys that show a little motion.

4. Turkey Hunting Tips: Decoy Distance

Decoy distance is a huge but sometimes overlooked turkey hunting issue. You want a decoy to lure your gobbler within range but you don't want to place it close enough to your position that it ruins the effectiveness.

Most turkey hunting experts agree about 15 yards is the minimum distance, while 35 yards is likely too much. You want to be able to lure the bird without them seeing or sensing you, but you also want to be able to get a good clear, close shot.

5. Turkey Hunting Tips: Decoy Variation

Finally, don't make the mistake of using the same decoys and the same setup over and over on the same turkeys. If you are repeating failure you need to change up your decoy or your setup.

Sources:

Bill Murphy, Decoy Tips For Turkey Hunting Trips

Harold Knight Discusses How Far Turkey Decoys Have Come