spring gobbler decoy questions

[egall816]

i just started turkey hunting last year and i hunt a corn field in the spring and fall my first time out last spring i forgot to get decoys and lost a shot at a big tom so newbie question but during the spring in a corn field with a tree line on 3 sides which is where i was positioned at and the birds were roosted across the field but aside from that my question is how many decoys, the placment of decoys and what type of decoys should i use in the spring in an area like that ill draw a picture so you guys can understand the area and give me better suggestions

[redarrow]

Your set up looks like the place I hunt except the upper left has a farmhouse and the left treeline is a highway.Kinda a reverse of your set up.I don't use decoys and have killed birds when they step out of the trees.How long and how wide is the cornfield?

[egall816]

from where they roost and where i sit in the tree line that part of the corn field id say is about 120 yards across and from the west tree line to the east tree line is about 200 yards and thats the area i hunt the corn field is way bigger but its split into 2 properties one i cant hunt thats why i hunt in that area but last season i had them come off the roost the first tom came from that western tree line the area i worked he came right into the field and then heard the calls and cut in the tree line behind me the other bird came from the eastern tree line and held in a hump in the field about 85 yards away and didnt get any closer and after talking to a couple guys they said use decoys but didnt go in depth to what kind and the spread and amount

[vaturkey]

I hunt farm fields & use these two DSD decoys ! Poster Jake & upright hen. They are a little pricey but IMO well worth the money ! Good Luck !



vaturkey

[egall816]

Thanks for the tip how far do you put them from you and have you ever used a strutting tom or wounded tom.decoy? I heard those can be effective too

[egall816]

and im 22 and go to school and work part time i dont think i can afford the dsd decoys thats a little bit "pricey" for me ha

[milkman]

You don't need decoys to kill turkeys.

[guesswho]

Some people do.

[hawglips]

Get in the woods between their roost and the field, and go get breakfast at Waffle House after you kill him.

[Shooter]

Get in the woods between their roost and the field, and go get breakfast at Waffle House after you kill him.

Sounds good to me!

[timbrhuntr]

I hunt an area very similiar to that. I can access the field treeline like where you have the me. I can shoot into that side of the field and recover an animal but cannot access the other parts of the field or the woods surrounding them. In my case the birds roost in the woods opposite in the corner of the woods. They usually fly right down into the field. It is 200 yds across the field. I also can only hunt with a bow here. I have had luck using aggressive calling and decoys. I have used a single strutter and a group of a jake and 2 hens both have worked at times and and not at others.I set my decoys about 10 yds out as I need them in close and distracted to get a shot off. It is hard to get them to come all the way across the field most days but on the right day I have had a tom separate and come to see me set-up. Good luck!

[egall816]

thanks guys for all your help im waiting for bps to get back in stock hopefully for their 3 pack for 25 dollars the reason i wanna use decoys is i hunt strictly the field and the woods around are very dense which would make it tough to get a clean shot and that field from the looks of it from what ive seen is a major feeding area and since its private property minus some people poaching there is a lot of birds and just want an upper hand since im very horrible with mouth calls and use almost always slate with the occasional box call so decoys imo are needed for me ha

[timbrhuntr]

Once you are done messing with them with the decoys try getting back in the woods and calling them in tight to you with no decoy. Its another way to hunt them and almost as much fun as with decoys .

[egall816]

Im still a newbie to turkey hunting so this spring ill go with decoy then maybe next fall use them too than maybe go without just last time had bad luck without decoys and I missed a rather large tom

[Stinky J Picklestein]

There are no set rules on decoy counts and/or types when hunting field birds. Sometimes a strutter works, sometimes it scares them away. Sometimes a single hen works, but not much if he's got one (or ten) of his own. The key is to get set up as close to where they pitch down as possible. If they roost right on the field edge, don't bother putting out decoys...they'll see you. As you mentioned with that bird hanging at 85 yards, this is very common for field birds that don't see a hen (or decoy). Every once-in-a-while, a tom might come in for a closer look, but more often than not, he'll hang out at the highest point in that field and strut until an actual hen comes along. Good luck with those field birds. They suck.

[egall816]

The thing is I had a bird come in about 30yrds away if that but kept moving into the wood line I was in so I thought maybe if I had a decoy or 2 that might draw his attention in since he was working the left side of me and I could tell he was an older tom his beard was pretty damn long but since it is private property I thought of maybe run and gun any suggestions on that

[timbrhuntr]

Not sure what you mean by run and gun. I usually run and gun when I am not sure where the turkeys are and I am moving around trying to get a response. If by run and gun you mean that you should have moved on the turkey that came in and then went past you into the woods I would say yes. If you had one come into the woods looking for you but would not commit it could be that something was wrong with your set up. I have had hunts where toms came in but hung up for one reason or other. I waited until they went out of sight then moved. I have had toms come back 3 times to different moves before they committed and came in close enough to shoot.

[Stinky J Picklestein]

The thing is I had a bird come in about 30yrds away if that but kept moving into the wood line I was in...

Oooo...he could been looking for you (good), or there was hen tucked in there that you didn't see (not so good). This is when you move on him, accidentally spook him, and cuss at yourself for not staying put....AND...it's also when you stay put, he disappears, and you cuss at yourself for not moving.

[egall816]

Ain't that the truth I mean I didn't hear anything behind me so im pretty sure I was the reason he ducked into the tree line

[Johndoe]

Go in while dark. Stay on the same side they are roosted. Get as close as you can without spookin birds. Set decoys so you are closer to birds than decoys are. Say you sit on edge of the field and bird are on your right, set decoys to your left. Call in the direction of the decoys. Nice and soft. Dead birds await you.

[drenalinld]

Take it from 70 year turkey hunting legend, Colonel Tom Kelly. He gives some great advice with regard to decoy use in this short video clip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDL2J7XkCdc

[timbrhuntr]

Take it from 70 year turkey hunting legend, Colonel Tom Kelly. He gives some great advice with regard to decoy use in this short video clip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDL2J7XkCdc

That actually took longer than I thought it would

[MKW]

Take it from 70 year turkey hunting legend, Colonel Tom Kelly. He gives some great advice with regard to decoy use in this short video clip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDL2J7XkCdc

That actually took longer than I thought it would

LOL...yeah, took longer than I thought too. I would have said something earlier, but I've given up.
I've realized that it's just human nature for folks to take the easy way out when one is available.
To the poster, good luck...I hope you kill those turkeys...however you do it.

Mike

[davisd9]

Read "The Old Pro Turkey Hunter" and it will give you good information on using decoys.

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk 2

[egall816]

thanks everyone im waiting for the video now and gotta google old pro hunter and see what that says