I've been hurt by decoys I'd say about 60 percent of the time and I'm thinking about giving them up.

My typical scenario goes like this....

I'll set up in an area where turkeys enter a field. I've had no luck calling in a mateless Tom and then a hen with a tom in tow will come along. She will spot the decoys and head off in another direction. This usually happens with the Tom out of shooting range.

This scenario happens to me quite a bit and I'm thinking about leaving the decoys at home.

Anyone else have this happen to them?

Well GN and a couple others talked me into decoys, no did not break my arm. I got the DSD standing hen and jake. This year used it 3 times and 3 dead birds. 2 of them were with first time hunters and the decoys held the gobblers attention for them to make a final adjustment. The one time I used it the gobbler shied away but made the mistake of passing 30 yards to my left. The other 3 birds I got were in the woods so did not use them. I think they help but can depending on the bird may not help. Folks here at the Q are saying a lot of their birds are shying away from the jake and strutter decoys so they are using only the hen and killing birds both woods and field.


Earl

I used hen and standing jake for a number of years with very modest success. Started using a jake with real fan attached and found it extremely effective. Frequently the gobblers attracted have been 3 (or more) years old. Decoys aren't useful in the woods but in the farmland I mostly hunt they have helped a lot. I find it hard to get a gobbler to come within shotgun range without them when the gobbler approaches me through a field, as their normal behavior is to stop and strut when they are in view, and normal turkey behavior is for a hen to go to a gobbler which is in her view. Using a hen (with or without a standing jake, which may be perceived to be a hen from a distance) just reinforces the gobbler's assessment that the hen which he can see can also see him so there is no need for him to go all the way. Using a decoy which is clearly perceived by the gobbler as a rival often (there is no always in turkey hunting) brings him in to fight. Also, as pointed out by Greyghost, the decoy is very helpful when you are calling for an inexperienced hunter, as the gobbler's attention is more focused on the decoy and the shooter may be able to get away with a little movement.

I've had mixed results as well. I've had hens get close to foam decoys, feed and walk away un-alarmed, while at other times they've spooked and ran off putting from 50yds away. I have had good luck with an avian-x hen (the past two years) without any spooking (so far).
I'm using a homemade stuffed strutter this year and, well, the jury is still out on that one. A major downside is I can't get it wet.

I'm interested in hearing other members responses to your query as well.

I think they are really 50 50 as far as success goes at least on the farm I hunt. I've had a bunch more success with my single DSD hen then I have with my strutter or jake decoy coupled with the DSD. I used B-mobile for years and I honestly can't recall that I've killed a bird over it that came into fight. I have killed gobblers that came in to the hen and jake combo and killed them. However even then many times the gobbler ignores the jake and heads right for the hen.

PS. The 3 year old gobbler that I killed on Tuesday came in silent and headed right for the DSD hen. If I had had a Jake with the hen I don't believe he would have come in as he certainly was not the dominant bird on the farm.

Double PS. Even in Texas we would have gobblers that had not been hunted turn around and walk away from a B-mobile and hen setup. One time we had two gobblers that turned around and walked away that were coming in on a rope.

Lastly, I once had b-mobile and the DSD hen set up in Nebraska. Mid morning I fired up a gobbler and had him come in full strutt. He saw B-mobile and continued to march across the field until he got within 30 yards of b-mobile. He then broke strutt and turned around and walked away.

I think they really have their place in fields, but in woods not so much.

DoubleD, regarding the problem of not being able to get the decoy wet, here is what I do. I use Primos Jake-Mobile with a real fan. The fan is made by using an accessory Primos sold, a "fan holder," which was a small plastic base into which are inserted 16 feathers from a real fan. The reconstructed fan folds, for transport, to 1/4 of its deployed width. I think the smaller body of the Jake-Mobile is less intimidating to gobblers than the larger body of the Primos B-Mobile. The body of this is waterproof, and the fan isn't damaged by getting it wet (just feathers and a little piece of plastic). Unfortunately Primos, so far as I can tell, no longer makes either of these products, although you might find one on ebay or amazon. I think the closest thing to this set-up is the DSD strutter, which does accept a real fan (don't know if they have the fold-up feature).
For field hunting, I have found this decoy to be very effective, although I can think of one instance when it probably did scare one off (nothing is 100%, especially in turkey hunting). I believe that it is the real fan that accounts for the effectiveness, and details of the body of the decoy probably aren't too important. In fact, I think that the somewhat scraggly appearance of my decoy and its fan may make it seem less intimidating but still provocative.

This could be a book length answer.
Here's the short version. Since this board was created there are hundreds of topics on the birds killed with full strut Decoys. B Mobile and a real fan is what I have used almost exclusively. my first full strut decoy was a home made one with a 2/3 head and body of a cheap foam jake and a real jake fan on a stake that served as the legs for the thing. ST that time no one made full strut Decoys unless it was a taxidermy mount. Jeff D'Agostino was ahead of the game on the full strut decoy and l teased him a lot about " bobber watching ' hunting but once I tried it myself and saw how effective it was I've never looked back. I ve posted stories here about birds coming several hundred yards on a dead run to fight the things. I don't know why some of you have had issues with the effectiveness but I truly have never seen a bird shy from one. Fwiw.

I became interested in the avian x jakes a few years ago because of their incredible realism. , particularly the head details. I m not sure they are a lot less effective, if at all, than the B mobiles. They are heavier. They can be ruined by pellets deflating them. THey do break if gobblers really clobber them and break the air inflation system. I've lost one that way.

As to hens the avian are super realistic and interesting the smaller ones tend to draw the ire of dominant hens five times this year I've watched hens attack these smaller hens and over the years I've used them ( maybe 6-7) I have never seen the larger avian hen get that treatment.

playin' hookey -
That folding fan gizmo is sweet, for weather and portability both.

Ravot22 --
What kind of decoys are you using?

They do work, and I like the jake because it is easier to deal with, no fan to play with. However, last year my son missed a couple birds and I kept using the jake decoy. I scared birds off 3 or more times. So I think birds will shy away if they have seen something bad happen and associate it with the jake (decoy). I told friends where to sit last year and not use a jake and they killed one of the birds that shied away. Also, if you have a band of bully jakes running around, my not want to use a jake decoy.
V