I am suffering a terrible turkey jinx. I went yesterday morning before the rain and had 2 gobble close by as I got out of my truck. I went toward the closest and saw him on the road side edge of the plot. I backed off around a bend in the road and set up a pretty penny decoy.I setup about 20 yds further down the road and called. He immediately came in only to stop about 55 yards away in the road. He went back strutting and gobbling but would come no closer. After about 5 minutes of this he turned and walked away. I called and he gobbled once and then shut-up. I went to check what hung him up and there was a water puddle in the road where he had stopped. I couldn't believe he didn't walk around the puddle. That's the first time I've ever seen this happen on a road. The puddle was as wide as the 4 wheeler tire marks. Has anyone had that happen to them? What did I do wrong?

Probably nothing... He may have gotten close enough where he should've seen the hen... When there was no "real" hen.... He walked away... Sometimes it has nothing to do with you...

probably didn't get hung up on water puddle he saw the hen decoy and wanted her to come to him just my $.02

Using a decoy anywhere other than BIG fields in Alabama is pretty much a no-no. Ive actually seen decoys spook more birds (even in big fields) than I have seen them bring them in. If he saw the decoy at 55 yards, unless he is in the PERFCT mood, he's not coming any further. Make him search....thats what gets them in trouble.

Why move back? And if you move around a curve, set up on the long side of the curve and bust him when you see him. I always try to set up to where when I can see the turkey he's in range.

Probably saw that decoy and got a little spooked. Happens a lot.

Sounds like you should have just set-up just around that curve in the road. Set-up so that when he rounded the corner, then he was in gun range. No need for decoy in that situation.

I agree that there is often no need to insist on using decoys, but they are certainly more useful than you're giving them credit for. They'll work in a big field, small field, road bed, open woods ,or thick woods...I can bear witness to all of the above. I've had birds hang up with decoys and have even seen a couple spook off of a strutter, but those instances are rare...at least they have been for me.

Some turkey populations may well be more wary of them...be it from extreme pressure or some other variable (maybe you have ugly decoys). What I will allow to the OP is that you likely set up your hen too far from you, and you probably could've done without it completely since the tom had the road there to approach your calling on. If you had any kind of straightaway at all you might've considered putting your hen behind you to encourage him to come farther before hanging.

The overriding facts pertaining to decoys for me are that they give you the option of continuing to call when the tom can see your location and they often distract a bird's attention long enough to swing on him if he gets on your off side. These issues arise in all terrain types and I've been glad I've had decoys much more often than not.

I concur.

X2

^^^^^wat he said

Turkey's are not that smart.. Don't over think it to much. They are scared of everything, but not very intelligent. They will walk through neck deep water when they want to, he just didn't want to get any closer.

Sounding too big for your britches...you're beggin for a mess of hexes with that disrespectful "not that smart" talk. Best sling some salt over your left shoulder and sacrifice...I dunno...something appropriate before your juju gets outta whack.

Just stating the obvious. They are just birds, ever since I quit worrying about trying to outsmart them and just going to kill them where they want to be killed at I have had much greater success. I should be sitting on 12 or 13 birds this year, the reason ain't because they are smart, it is because I dropped the ball on my end.

Sounds pretty logical, but I'd rather stay superstitious and fickle...seems like more fun.

I'm really liking your double reed call. Not usually my thing, but it's my favorite of the bunch so far.

Ghost or v cut?

V