Bowhunting.net
Decoying Wild Turkeys
By T.R. Michels
Apr 11, 2006, 22:28
Decoying Spring Turkeys
Before dawn I'd set up a flock of Feather Flex
turkey decoys just off the corner of an old fence line between a field
and the woods. Then I'd propped myself up in front of an elm tree and
waited. About a half-hour before sunrise I tree yelped softly on my
Haydel's Split Reed Hen in Heat mouth diaphragm. A tom turkey thundered
a gobble in response. The birds were roosted in a group of white oaks
on the about 75 yards behind me, right where I'd left them.
Last night I'd driven to the field and parked
the Suburban on the county road a quarter mile from the trees just
before sundown. Although I hadn't seen the birds, or heard them fly up,
I did get them to "shock gobble" in response to the call of a Barred
Owl. Knowing where the birds were roosted and where they flew down from
watching them for the last two weeks I planned a hunt for the next
morning. Now that I knew they were still in the oak trees I let loose
with a flying cackle; and used a Lohman's Wing Thing to make the sounds
of a bird flying down and waited. Shortly before sunrise I heard the
birds fly down., then I saw them land in the field about 50 yards away.
I gave them a few minutes to settle down, then I blew a series of soft
yelps. Ten minutes later one of the toms saw the hen decoys and the
strutting jake decoy and came in to investigate. If I hadn't wanted my
son Dallas to get some good pictures the tom probably wouldn't have
lived another five minutes.
The idea of attracting animals to you is to
give the illusion that there is a real animal near you. You want the
animal you are hunting to react to the stimulus of the Sight, Scent and
Sound you create. If you recreate the proper stimulus then you can fool
the game into thinking there is another animal in the vicinity. One of
the problems hunters have when turkey hunting is that turkeys have a
habit of "hanging up" out of range where they can't be shot. The birds
hear the sound of a turkey when the hunter calls but they don't see a
turkey. Turkeys rely to a great extent on their sight in surveying
their surroundings. Because they are susceptible to predation from
predators turkeys are keenly aware of everything on the ground, when a
turkey hears another turkey it expects to see another turkey.
Many hunters don't use a turkey decoy because
the old hard-body decoys were just another piece of bulky, unwieldy
equipment to haul around. But, with the new collapsible decoys that
easily fit into a turkey vest or day pack the problem has been
eliminated. I have used hen decoys and brought in birds, I have used
jake decoys and had excellent success "positioning" toms for a shot. I
have seen the effectiveness of using a strutting decoy to get a
dominant bird to come in and challenge the intruder. There is no
question that turkey decoys work, but there is a right time and place
for every type of decoy.
Because I thoroughly scout the area I hunt and
"pattern" the birds I know where they roost, travel, feed and strut. I
try to be in an area that is used regularly by the birds. On my first
hunts in an area I am conservative, I use a turkey flock from Feather
Flex. I place the two hens where they can be seen by approaching birds
and make sure that I have a suitable place for myself and my hunters to
sit, preferably brush or large trees to break up our outlines. Any
shooting position I choose must have a good view of the area, must be
within fifteen yards of the decoys and offer concealment. Next I
position the jake decoy in the "shooting lane" so that the hunter has a
clear shot. I position the jake so that it is attracting the tom while
it is distracting attention from myself and the hunter. This is easily
accomplished by placing the jake away from the shooting position, not
in a line from the bird to the hunter. Any movement the hunter makes
while getting ready or making a shot will go undetected.
Early in the season before the birds have been
"educated," or if I am hunting that part of the season when there are
few hens around, a few well-performed calls and the flock of decoys is
all that I need. Once the birds get smart, or if I am after a
particularly wary, dominant tom I might switch to a semi-strut jake or
full strut jake. These decoys should be reserved as a last ditch
effort. Like gobbling, strutting can drive away a jake or non-dominant
bird. When I have been working a tom that will not come in to my
regular setup I use the hens with the semi-strut jake first, if that
doesn't work I use the full strut decoy. Because I seldom hunt without
a client I use the most conservative methods before trying special
techniques.
I pattern the bird and set up in an area he
frequents. I put out as many as four hens and one semi-strut jake to
get the tom to think that an impertinent jake is with a flock of hens.
Most toms won't allow a jake to get near any hen in their area. They
usually attack and drive off the jake before attempting to mate with
the hens. Once I'm setup I start with conservative yelps, clucks,
purrs, whines and the soft sounds of a feeding flock. If I don't get a
response I try louder calls; fast cutting, maybe a fighting purr, and
as a last ditch a gobble if I am sure no other hunters are going to
sneak up on my position.
The "fast cutt" is the sound of one turkey
telling another if they are going to get together the other bird will
have to do the walking, it works well to bring in reluctant toms.
Fighting purrs often bring in any bird in the area because they are
curious. They want to see which birds are fighting and if there will be
a change in dominance in the flock. A gobble works to get the attention
of any dominant tom in the area. It tells him another bird is in "his"
area and he may come in to investigate.
The easiest way to get a turkey to come to you is by being in a spot
the turkey is used to, comfortable with, and is going to anyway. If you
create the illusion of other birds in the area, and appeal to a tom's
breeding instinct, or it's impulse to exert dominance, there is a good
chance that it will come in. But, if you don't put in some time and
effort and use the right decoys and calls you may go home empty handed.
If you are interested in more turkey
hunting tips, or more turkey biology and behavior, click on Trinity
Mountain Outdoor News and T.R.'s Hunting Tips at www.TRMichels.com.
If you have questions about turkeys and turkey hunting log on to the
T.R.'s Tips message board. To find out when the rut starts, peaks and
ends in your area click on Whitetail Rut Dates Chart.
This article is an excerpt from the
Turkey Addict's Manual ($14.95 + $5.00 S&H), by T.R. Michels,
available in the Trinity Mountain Outdoor Products catalog.
T.R. Michels is a nationally
recognized game researcher/wildlife behaviorist, outdoor writer and
speaker. He is the author of the Whitetail, Elk, Duck & Goose, and
Turkey Addict's Manuals. His latest products are Hunting the Whitetail
Rut Phases, the Complete Whitetail Addict's Manual, the 2005 Revised
Edition of the Elk Addict's Manual; and the 2005 Revised Edition of the
Duck & Goose Addict's Manual. For a catalog of books and other
hunting products contact: T.R. Michels, Trinity Mountain Outdoors,
E-mail: TRMichels@yahoo.com, Web Site: www.TRMichels.com.
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