Spring Decoy Strategy

By Brian Lovett

Think before you grab those fakes this spring. Your decoy strategy should reflect the stage of the breeding season and mimic the natural social structure of turkeys at that time.

Early Spring

Turkeys might still be in large groups, and gobblers in many areas of the country will be henned up. Go with a larger spread, including two or three hens and a strutter or jake decoy.

Make sure the hen decoys look natural and relaxed. Use one or two feeding hens with an upright hen. That mimics a flock of contended birds. Conversely, a spread with two or three upright hens looks like a group of alarmed turkeys.

Strutting or jake decoys can provoke strong reactions from gobblers during this period. Pay close attention to how turkeys respond. If toms seem to shy away from gobbler decoys, consider pulling them from the setup. Likewise, if your hunting area seems to have a large jake population, you might want to stash the jake decoy.

 

Find out the rest of the decoy strategies here