Decoying Field Turkeys
I know that spring turkey season is fast approaching and from time to time we will offer up tips and how to guides from experts in the field. Today I am going to offer up a nice article entitled “Decoying Field Turkeys” by my buddy Chuck Roberts.
Many veteran turkey hunters consider field birds to be among the toughest to kill. “Difficult maybe, but not impossible,” says award-winning outdoor writer and turkey hunting expert Bob Humphrey. “One of the major disadvantages of hunting field birds is they can see a long way,” he says. “You can exploit this however, by using decoys, which also focus the bird’s attention away from you, increasing the odds you can draw on them at close range.”
“The position, pose and sex of your decoys are all important,” says Humphrey. A typical decoy flock consists of one jake and two hens. “When using this trio, I always try to place the jake closest to me - well within gun range - and put the hens another ten yards or so farther out. My experience has been, the tom will almost always approach the jake decoy first, trying to separate him from the hens.”
“I also try to face my decoys in the direction I want an approaching tom to travel,” Humphrey says. “Consider this. You see someone you want to talk to standing on the other side of a large room. If he’s facing you, you may try to catch his attention, and wait for him to come to you. If you see he’s headed the other way though, you’re more likely to cross the room to get to him before he leaves. While I don’t believe turkeys go through the same reasoning process, I do believe they react similarly, based on which way the decoys are facing.”
As previously mentioned, where you set up can be critical, and the key to hunting field birds is visibility. “Whenever possible, try to set up on a high spot, so your decoys can be seen from any direction, and from a long way off,” says Humphrey. “Another good set-up is at the point, where a finger of woods juts into a field. With a flat woodline at your back, you have180 degrees of visibility. Set up on a point, and you and your decoys will have greater visibility.
