A Guide to Turkey Decoys: Tips, Selection, and Strategies

Turkey decoys have been a staple in the spring woods for decades. When nothing else goes right, the perfect decoy setup can fool a wary old gobbler into range or keep him occupied just long enough for you to line up a shot. Whether you’re a beginner looking to understand the basics or an experienced hunter refining your technique, understanding how to use your turkey decoys is crucial. Let’s break down the types of turkey decoys, considerations for selection, the best times to use decoys, how your decoy strategy changes throughout the season, and tips for arranging decoys in the field.

Types of Decoys

There’s no shortage of turkey decoys on the market, and each one serves a different purpose depending on your hunting situation. Here are the most common types of turkey decoys you’ll encounter:

• Hen Decoys: Hen decoys are the most common type used by turkey hunters. They mimic a female turkey and are typically used to attract gobblers looking to mate. Hen decoys come in various poses, including feeding poses, breeding poses, lead hens, and lookouts. Each of these different poses signals a different type of body language to other hens and gobblers, so it is critical to understand when to use each type of hen decoy.

  • Feeder hens: Used to show contentment, as turkeys will typically feed when their surroundings are calm and they feel at ease. Feeder decoys are used to help convince a gobbler that there is no danger present. 

  • Breeder hens: Used to show that a hen is ready to be bred by the gobbler. Breeder hens work well in combination with a jake or gobbler decoy to cause an aggressive challenge from the gobbler you are hunting.

  • Lookout hens: Often used as a distraction or an additional decoy to provide realism to the setup. In a flock of turkeys, usually, there are a couple of birds that are looking out for danger. The lookout hen adds to the realism of a multi-bird flock, and can direct a gobbler's attention towards a certain direction. You should not use a lookout hen on its own, as it may send the wrong signal of a nearby danger and put gobbler on edge. 

Image courtesy of the National R3 Clearinghouse

• Tom and Jake Decoys: Male turkey decoys (also known as jake or gobbler decoys) are used to attract gobblers by challenging their dominance. A tom or jake decoy can mimic a rival male, which can elicit territorial or breeding behavior from an approaching gobbler, especially when paired with a hen decoy. Gobbler and jake decoys also come in various different poses that convey different body language messages.

  • ½ Strut jake: The ½ strut jake is a more submissive pose that is likely to attract more attention from jakes and less mature gobblers. It is commonly paired with one or two hen decoys, but can also be used on its own. 

  • ¾ Strut jake: The ¾ strut jake is similar to the ½ strut jake, but exhibits more aggressiveness in the posture. It can be used in most of the same situations as a ½ strut jake, and may be a good choice if you know that you are hunting more mature gobblers in the area that will respond to a more aggressive challenger.

  • Full strut jake or gobbler: A full strut decoy can be used to mimic either a strutting jake or a mature gobbler. These decoys are best utilized when you want to challenge the dominant gobbler in an area. A full strut decoy can be intimidating to jakes and younger gobblers, and cause them to avoid coming into your setup rather than running right in. Use a full strut decoy with one or more hens to create the appearance of a mature gobbler that has a flock of multiple hens with him to ramp up the aggression from another mature gobbler. 

• Reaping/Fanning decoys: “Reaping” or “fanning” is a tactic that utilizes a dedicated reaping decoy or a tail fan to give the appearance of an approaching strutting gobbler. It can be an effective tactic to get close to a stubborn gobbler who won’t respond to calling or other decoys. These decoys are often used to reach gobblers in open fields, where the hunter crawls behind them and waits until the gobbler is closer to take a shot. It is important to note that using a reaping or fanning decoy can be dangerous to use when other hunters are nearby. These decoys should only be used on private land where you know that you are the only one hunting! They are not advised to be used on public land. 

Considerations for Decoy Selection

Choosing the right turkey decoy depends on several factors, including the behavior of the turkeys in your area and the specific hunting conditions. Here are a few important considerations:

• Time of Season: The time of the season is one of the biggest factors in decoy selection. Early in the season, gobblers may still be establishing their pecking order, resulting in more aggressive behavior. Turkeys can also still be in large flocks early in the season, so a decoy spread of multiple hen and jake or gobbler decoys can be effective in mimicking these flocks. The early season is also the best time to use a full strut gobbler decoy to key in on the aggressiveness of other gobblers.

• Terrain and Visibility: The type of terrain you're hunting in can also affect which decoys you should use. If you're hunting in open fields or areas where visibility is high, you can use multiple decoys to create a more realistic flock. In timber and wooded areas, it is better to utilize a single decoy to get a gobbler to focus in on a single point where you want him to go. In some situations, especially in very thick cover, it may be better not to use a decoy at all and to get a gobbler to come in from only your calling. 

• Hunting Pressure: If you're hunting in an area with heavy pressure, turkeys may become more wary of decoys. In this case, using a more subtle, lifelike hen decoy or a single hen decoy rather than multiple decoys can keep the turkeys more at ease and less prone to being startled. 

• Realism: Decoys come in varying levels of realism, from basic silhouettes to highly detailed, 3D models. The more realistic the decoy, the better the chance that it will fool a gobbler. However, keep in mind that high-quality decoys can be heavier and more expensive, so you may need to balance quality with convenience based on your hunting style. If you’re a run-and-gun hunter, consider decoys that are lightweight and easily packable. If you’re hunting out of a ground blind, then you can opt for more realistic, heavy-duty decoys that you can keep in your blind.

Turkey Decoy Selection During the Season

Knowing what turkey decoys to select is an important consideration in improving your chances of success. Different decoys excel at different points in the turkey season, so knowing when to switch up your decoy spread can be the difference between coaxing a gobbler to your setup or seeing them skirt away at the edge of your range.

• Early Season: Early in the turkey season, gobblers are often still in bachelor groups and fighting among each other to establish dominance in the flock. Hens will also still be in flocks, so having a decoy flock with multiple hens and a gobbler decoy can create a scenario that mimics an intruding gobbler among a group of hens. This can key into the aggressiveness of these early-season gobblers. 

• Mid-Season: During the peak of the breeding season, turkeys are more active in courting and breeding. A hen decoy in a breeding pose or a hen with a tom or jake decoy can be very effective. If you’re targeting a specific gobbler, setting up a decoy to simulate a hen that is just out of reach can create frustration and draw him closer.

• Late Season: In the later part of the season, gobblers are often beaten up from a month’s worth of fighting over hens and territory. Jakes and younger gobblers are often weary of other gobblers who have been fighting them, so utilizing a gobbler decoy in the late season will likely only scare turkeys away. By this time in the season, hen flocks have broken up, and many hens are sitting on nests off by themselves. The few hens that are left that have not yet been bred will be on their own, so using a single hen decoy is the most natural presentation to entice a gobbler. 

How to Arrange Your Turkey Decoys in the Field

Arranging your turkey decoys correctly in the field is just as important as choosing the right decoys. A poorly placed decoy can look unnatural and spook turkeys, while a well-placed decoy can make them feel comfortable and encourage them to come in.

• Positioning the Decoys: The best way to position your decoys is usually to place them within shooting range (typically 15 to 30 yards) and slightly off to the side of where you expect turkeys to approach. Don’t position a decoy directly in front of you. This helps reduce the chances of an approaching turkey looking past the decoy and seeing you in your blind or on the ground. If you have hen decoys, have them set to look away from where you expect the turkeys to approach. A hen looking directly at an approaching gobbler will often cause that gobbler to stop and go into a strut, expecting the hen to come to him as she naturally would. 

• Create a Natural Scene: Aim to make your decoy setup look as natural as possible. Place the decoys in areas with some natural cover (like trees or bushes) for concealment. Additionally, if you’re using multiple decoys, avoid clustering them too tightly together. A spread-out arrangement of decoys will make them appear more realistic and less threatening to approaching turkeys. Try to keep 5-7 yards of space between decoys to allow turkeys to maneuver throughout your spread. The only time this changes is if you are using a breeding pair, in which case a jake or gobbler decoy should be placed directly behind and above a breeding hen decoy to create the appearance that the hen is about to be bred and trigger an aggressive response in an incoming gobbler. 

• Adjust as You Go: Be flexible with your decoy setup. If you notice gobblers showing interest but not fully committing, you may want to reposition the decoys or switch up your decoy types to create a different impression. Movement, position, and even the number of decoys can all be adjusted during the hunt to adapt to changing turkey behavior. Just make sure you do this when the turkeys have walked away and are out of sight!

Image courtesy of the National R3 Clearinghouse

Turkey decoys are a powerful tool in your arsenal, but understanding how to select, position, and use them is key to success. Whether you’re just starting out or you’re a seasoned turkey hunter, implementing these strategies will improve your chances of bringing in a gobbler. By considering the type of decoy, the time of year, and the behavior of the turkeys in your area, you’ll be able to create more effective decoy setups and increase your success in the field.