When should you not use turkey decoys? (2023)

Should you use turkey decoys late season?

To avoid the chance of running him off, use a low-key late-season decoy setup that is simpler, more subtle, and exhibits less dominance. Your goal is to simply to get his attention instead of bringing him in for a fight. During the late season, the only decoy I leave at the house is a full-strut gobbler.

Many modern hunters prefer to hunt from a pop-up blind in an open area. In such circumstances, decoys are almost a must. When you call to a turkey that's visible from your setup, the bird instinctively knows it should be able to see the source of that calling. That is, it wants to see another turkey.

Decoys can be another great fall tactic, but during this period, iIf you're targeting hens, use hen decoys. If you want males, use the appropriate age male decoys, jakes or toms. And if you're setting up in an open area, use more decoys.

If a subordinate gobbler comes in, and he's already been beat up by a dominant gobbler, there's a very good chance that he's won't come in and get his head bloodied again. Many times, a turkey won't come to a decoy, because the hunter has made a mistake in where he's placed the decoy.

One hunter shouldn't attempt to carry more than 18 standard, rigged decoys in a backpack. You might physically carry more than this, but too many decoys (plus shotgun, shells, etc.) lugged through marsh or muck can be a killer.

Waterfowl hunters use blue heron, seagull and crow decoys to convince wary ducks and geese their setup is safe. This idea works well with deer too. A blue heron decoy may work, but only when water is nearby. However, almost all deer respond well to a hen turkey decoy.

While calling and camouflage are very important pieces of the puzzle too, effectively using decoys can make or break your day in the woods. There's no doubt that turkeys are easier to call in when they see a “live” turkey near the commotion.

There are times when three or four hen decoys in various poses paired with a tom or jake is a fail-safe option. However, if you bunch them together too closely, it can impair your ability to take a clean shot.

If he's looking to feed near another deer, set up a feeding doe decoy. If he's aggressive and ready to dominate other bucks, get him riled up with a young buck decoy. And if he's looking to mate, entice him in with an estrus doe decoy.

“In the late season, I often leave my jake decoy at home. Usually, a couple of hen decoys is enough to get him to commit because he's expecting to lure hens into that spot already.” This is an important late season lesson, so pay attention.

What is the best way to hunt turkeys in the fall?

Fall Hunting Strategies

As strategies go, there are two primary fall turkey hunting approaches: you can passively wait for patterned wild turkeys to show up in range. That's a good blind-and-bow tactic. Do so either on the ground, in a blind, or from a treestand, or find a flock and attempt to scatter them on foot.

For example, during the rut, estrus doe and young buck decoys are typically the most effective for luring in a buck. Estrus doe decoys attract potential suitors, and young buck decoys pull in mature bucks that want to assert their dominance over their territory.

Turkeys prefer an open forest floor covered in leaf litter for easy forage. Creating openings: Turkeys like open, brushy space and grasslands rich in forage. Grass-rich areas also provide safer nesting sites. These can be created by clear-cutting one- to five-acre patches through the forest.

The Afternoon Turkey Hunting Setup

Movement is the key to success when it comes to decoys. Young birds will often be duped by a stationary decoy, however, older birds will typically stand at a distance and watch for movement of decoys he encounters. I've had too many birds skirt by me when my decoys did not move.

When to use a lone hen decoy. There's not really a bad time to use a lone hen when you are turkey hunting because it's a safe visual. It shouldn't deter a tom, but at the same time it probably won't bring him in running like an intruding gobbler might. Bottom line is it's safe and effective.

So, you always want to face the decoy toward your stand, with the wind blowing directly from your decoy toward your stand. It is equally important to set the decoy 25-30 yards from the stand.

A decoy spread situated too close to the hunting blind or hideout doesn't invite ducks in to a convenient landing zone that's well within shotgun range. Fix: Move the decoy spread farther away, offering a gap or slot between you and the decoys that shows the next flock an inviting place to land.

A radio, activated by a motion detector can scare off deer. Pie pans, metal cans, or wind chimes suspended by strings make noise when they rattle in the wind, and have also been used to deter damage.

By far the most popular and widely used bait for attracting whitetails is corn. Not only is deer corn highly consumed and well received by whitetails in almost every habitat across the continent, but it's also one of the cheapest options for hunters.

Should you use turkey decoys on public land?

Most of the time it's unlikely to call in a bird from a mile away on public land. And getting a turkey to gobble over and over from long range will only draw other hunters to him. Be ultra careful with turkey decoys on public land. Do not use reaping decoys while hunting turkeys on public ground.

How many decoys should you use? While spring turkey hunting, I always use one hen and one jake decoy. This is because I can attract hens or gobblers. If a dominate hen comes in, she can help bring a gobbler into range by her being present.

The best time to use this decoy setup is early on in the season when birds are still sorting out dominance. Later in the season it may scare off more birds than bring in because more of them have gotten their butt whooped and they're more focused on finding hens.

General Weather Conditions: As a general rule of thumb, turkeys are most active during calm, clear days in morning and early afternoon hours. Turkey activity generally decreases with bad weather conditions including wind and rain. During extremely wet and rainy days, turkeys are neither vocal nor very active.

There's one frustrating scenario every turkey hunter is familiar with: a gobbling tom comes in on a string, but hits an invisible wall at 75 yards before shuffling away. There are plenty of reasons why a longbeard will change his mind and pull a 180, but the most common involves some level of decoy shyness.

Rather than put the scent directly on the decoy, I believe it better to place a small scent bomb on the ground between its rear legs. Don't leave your decoys in position overnight. When I leave mine in the woods, I carry them a little way from the stand and stash them in a blowdown, brush pile or small depression.

Using a grunt call is a great way attract the attention of mature bucks. You should look to only grunt periodically, every 15 minutes to 20 minutes. 'Blind calling' can work but it is best to make the calls subtle and sparingly because you don't know how close a deer might be to you.

According to an article in Hunting Lease Magazine by Ben. H. Koerth, human urine does not frighten deer. On a large lease, mock scrapes were created and different lures were used to attract deer.

Late Season Hunting Strategies

Dominant bucks especially need to hit food sources as much as possible to re-build their body mass and fat supply that was spent during the rut. In some cases, you can even see mature bucks feeding in crop fields or food plots during daylight hours.

Don't be afraid to hunt over a food plot in the late season. Mature bucks will be searching for green food sources. Don't be afraid to think out of the box when trying to lure a big bucks within bow range. It may take a decoy, deer scent and a rattling bag to pull a whitetail within bow range.

What time of day are most turkeys killed?

Time of Day — Many hunters are in the woods before dawn, and most turkeys are killed before 8 a.m. However, turkey hunting after 8 a.m. can be rewarding.

Never wear red, white, blue or black clothing while turkey hunting. Red is the color most hunters look for when distinguishing a gobbler's head from a hen's blue-colored head, but at times it may appear white or blue. Male turkey feathers covering most of the body are black in appearance.

Eastern Turkey

Easterns have the most thunderous gobbles, and are both the most wary and most hunted turkey. Tons of both public and private land opportunities exist to hunt an Eastern.

Most times a buck will approach the decoy from downwind so place it about 30 yards upwind of your stand which allows the approaching buck to pass in front of your location. Have the decoy face you so that the buck doesn't rush in from behind.

Some bucks will come in to a grunt call, some to a doe bleat, some to a wheeze, and others will respond to some combination of those vocalizations. This is part of the reason that many hunters don't believe that grunt calls work — they've been in line of sight with a buck that, upon hearing the call, didn't respond.

During the rut, there is no better scent to use than a doe estrous. Simply put, doe estrous is the urine of a doe that is in heat, or ready to breed, and when used correctly during the rut can lure mature bucks from a long distance.

Turkeys tend to travel the same routes or circuits to the same areas every day, as long as those areas provide what turkeys need and want. Hunters can use this information to place themselves right in the path of the birds, or at least pretty close to where those birds typically travel on any given day.

A camouflaged blob making turkey noises attracts a coyote….. no surprise there. Because it is the pup season for coyotes, it is perfectly normal for a female with hungry pups to become interested in a continuous turkey noise coming from a single spot.

Turkeys prefer thinner vegetation when foraging and strutting. Some of the most popular and well known plants for turkeys include agricultural crops like rye, millet, oats, wheat, soybeans and sorghum. Chufa, a plant which forms small underground tubers, is also a favorite of wild turkeys.

It's easy to scare turkeys away by making noises (try waving your arms and yelling or blowing a whistle), popping open an umbrella, throwing tennis balls, or dousing the turkey with water from a hose or squirt gun. A leashed dog may also be effective in scaring a turkey away.

Why do gobblers go silent?

In fact, many gobblers never utter a peep on a typical day. The birds are there, but they just aren't talking. “They might have been hunted hard, they might be with hens or it just could be one of those days where they don't gobble for whatever reason,” said Strelec.

The gobbler wanted to be where you were when you spooked him. So, after he thinks you're gone, and he hears a hen softly calling, there's a very good chance he may come back in that direction. Remember — the gobbler has a limited number of days to breed.

The single hen decoy is ideal for all day hunting during the late-season. It's important to know exactly what your decoy setup is telling other turkeys. Like always, the birds are still wild and every scenario is different.

Use Those Decoys

It's best to use multiple hen decoys. Less dominant gobblers have been whipped throughout the season and aren't likely to approach if they think a fight will ensue. Even dominant toms may hang up and try to coax a hen to them instead.

Post-Rut – Just the Doe

A feeding or standing doe deer decoy on a food source will be enough to attract the buck, but you'll want to add in some estrous doe urine for good measure. Add in an estrous doe bleat to really bring in the big guns.

Late season is a great time to intercept bucks cruising for that last receptive doe. If breeding has been finished for some time you may be better off appealing to their curiosity or hunger, but estrus scents like Special Golden Estrus or breeding scents like Active Scrape can work well this period.

For example, during the rut, estrus doe and young buck decoys are typically the most effective for luring in a buck. Estrus doe decoys attract potential suitors, and young buck decoys pull in mature bucks that want to assert their dominance over their territory.

There are times when three or four hen decoys in various poses paired with a tom or jake is a fail-safe option. However, if you bunch them together too closely, it can impair your ability to take a clean shot.

Afternoons in the Turkey Woods Can Be Productive

Birds can be taken at any time of the day as long as you're in the field and vary your approaches. Self-discipline and a larger dose of patience comes into play.

There's no doubt a deer decoy works best during the whitetail rut. Playing on a buck's robot-like trance as he is roaming forests and fields, a decoy not only attracts deer, but also helps set up a shot, makes calls and scents more attractive, and adds a layer of excitement to an already exciting time.