The past two Sat I've been very close to a gobbler, but haven't been able to get him into range. It's in fairly open hardwoods, would setting up decoys help bring him in the rest of the way? I guess my calling isn't sweet enough. Just wondering if anybody had any luck with setting up decoys in the woods. I have two hens and a jake. Any advice would be great. Thanks.

I've used them in big open woods with success

never had alot of problem with decoys in the turkey woods or fields either. Jakes, strutters or hen decoys help to calm em down and take the attention off you! BUT..... been having heartburn using any form of gobbler decoys this year. Did kill one bird opening week using the strutter but since then... birds have been shying away for anything male..... I'me leaving the gobbler decoys in the bag and using hens only.... Seems to be having better luck "closing the deal" Just my $.02

i have killed and help somebody else kill 2 dominant gobblers in thick woods on a steep ridge with 2 hen decoys and a jake decoy! and i am very very convinced if it wasnt for those decoys.. and my little half pop up blind i wouldnt have killed either of them! i live in the woods where the turkeys have a bunch of coyotes around apparently.. i've killed 2 this year, so they get spooked easily, i think the "comfort" of seeing the dekes settled them down enough to come in!.. the gobbler i helped the young man killed... right before the shot he looked right at the jake decoy from about 5 yards out and let out one of the loudest most dominating or threatening gobbles i have ever heard! i nearly messed myself! lol!

Killed the one opening day in the hardwoods over b-mobile and avianx hen

In my experience in the woods half the time i don't believe they even see it. I don't believe they recognize inanimate objects in the same way they do not recognize a camoed hunter in plain sight. I have watched gobblers strut around displaying only to the caller or then, as if suddenly, recognize the decoy after much time. Many times in the woods at least we think a gobbler reacted negatively to a decoy when in fact he simply did not see it and behaved the same way he usually does if the hen was not where he expected. m2cts

You'ved tried without, try with. Can't hurt.

Vic

Everytime I've used a decoy in the woods (NF) the turkeys take off running the other way as soon as they see it. So I stopped using them.

skimerhorn, I am new to turkey hunting so I have the same question as you, but from the opposite perspective. In the past week I have had five gobblers come to my calling but fail to come within range, and I believe the common denominator was that in each case, the bird came exactly as far as he had to in order to get eyes on my decoy, then stopped.

The first was a week ago today, in hardwoods with some thick underbrush. The bird surprised me with a gobble at less than 50 yards while I was on the move. I planted a hen decoy and crawled to the nearest tree. He came in and gobbled again from behind brush, then inched up within 25 yards of me, but did not present a shot because of the brush. I needed him to continue on his path for about another 2 feet to get a clear shot. I had the shotgun up and did not move. He stopped, stared at my decoy, then turned casually and walked away clucking.

Three days later, I was in open hardwoods, decoy just below the crest of a knoll, me on the forward slope of the knoll overlooking the draw beneath and the opposite slope. Two gobblers came to within about 70 yards of my decoy, about 60 yards from me, stopped and looked in our direction for a few minutes, circled around me and the decoy for a long arc while keeping the distance about the same, then headed back into the woods.

The following day, another tom came on almost exactly the same path as the day before, stopped within 5 yards of the same spot where the pair had paused, gobbled, stood there and preened his feathers for a while, then turned away and left. Half an hour later, another gobbler did pretty much the same thing from a slightly different direction.

After seeing it happen four different times in a span of four days, my theory is that these birds were all coming to my calls and looking for the hen. They closed the distance until they saw the hen, then they expected the hen to come the rest of the way to them. They gobbled, clucked, or just waited around a while, then walked away when the hen didn't respond. They were not so fired up as to come right in and start trying to interact with the decoy.

Maybe if I were a better caller I could break the ice and get them to make the final move. But my calling is what it is at this point, and I don't think it will improve a whole lot this season. Plus, it was impossible for me to use my box call or slate call with these birds staring right at me. The fact that they are trekking to my location to find the source of my calling is more encouraging than I expected in my first week of spring turkey hunting ever.

On the other hand, they are reacting to my decoys, and that could create opportunities by pushing them into somewhat predictable lanes where they have line of sight to the decoy. I walked the ground where they hung up and verified that they were stopping/gobbling at pretty much the first spot where they could see the decoy through the trees. I thought about moving myself down the knoll and setting up within gun range of that spot, but the drawback is that it commits me 100% to one and only one direction of approach, and if they come from any other angle, they'll be behind me.

Another alternative would be to just pull the decoy altogether and count on them to stay curious and keep coming in to find the source of the calling. It seems like the decoys hung them up when they were inbound to my position. If everything had been the same except the decoy was absent, I think these birds would have kept walking straight towards me and come within shotgun range.

I planned on trying both approaches, with and without the decoy, then this lousy weather moved in and I haven't heard or seen a turkey since Saturday morning.

Sounds like you should try without the decoy. My problem is they come in, like yours and won't close the distance. I was hoping that a decoy would draw there attention, I'm not sure just gonna mix it up a little.

I don't hesitate to use decoys in the woods... but I always want to make sure that the turkey is not startled by the decoy when he finally sees it... which can be tricky. Open hardwoods is about the only time I will use them. If there is ground cover, you're just as well off to make him look for you.

Building on what Freddy said try using the terrain when hunting in the woods by setting up such that you can only shoot as far as you can see. I realize that isn't always possible but it is possible more than some realize. I have very few fields to hunt so almost all of my hunting is in hardwoods, which is why I don't personally use decoys much, but the way I get around it is by setting up like I mentioned. If the bird is within range before he can see your calling position 1.) you don't need a decoy and 2.) it keeps him around a little longer looking for the hen he can't see giving you more opportunities for a shot.

That's just my opinion; I hope it helps.

-Eric

I've used them in the woods with and without success, open woods is your best bet with decoys. If you can use the terrain to set up where a gobbler will be in shotgun range then the decoys stay in my vest.