I fail to see the difference here. Both can be finishing techniques, and yet both can be used without calling/woodsmanship skills. When I do use decoys (which is very rarely), I call the birds into the area, then use the decoys to bring stubborn field birds into range. The same scenario plays out sneaking with a fan or gobbler decoy.

In my opinion, which is simply that, not THE way that defines turkey hunting for everyone, is that the true essence of turkey hunting is using your calling and woodsmanship to bring turkeys in close for the kill. There is nothing more satisfactory than that. I have done it plenty of times without decoys. However, I like killing turkeys. When you hunt big pastures or food plots, you can bring in a stubborn gobbler by using decoys. Sometimes it's the only way.

Nothing stirs up debate like a good turkey decoy thread. Happens every year. You have the "Holier than thou" guys who snark at decoys and those who use them, you have those sit in a shooting house and bushwhack them, you have those that sit over decoys and wait, and then you have those that do use them sparingly. I doubt one side will ever agree with the other, but the least we can do as hunters is not divide ourselves over petty issues such as this. If it's legal, and it's the way someone likes to hunt, who are you to say it's not hunting? For that matter, who defines what is turkey hunting?

I agree that they are finishing techniques, but you don't have to use any skill in being a less than average caller and even less of a woodsman to sit in a ground blind with decoys in front of you until a turkey comes into a field to see it. My point was you have to be able to sneak, and use the terrain to your advantage if you are using a fan sneak or gob decoy sneak. I hunt plenty of fields and pastures that stubborn birds hang out in, but to be honest, I feel like if I can see a turkey, he's dying.. I can play off of his reactions and push his buttons to make him commit and I don't need a decoy to do so... whether it be advancing to get in front of him or to make him break to come to me. I was just brought up with decoys being frowned upon and considered cheating so that's why I feel this way. to each his own, if it's legal go for it. My point is that anybody, with little to no experience, can go sit in a field where turkeys hang out with their push button calls and decoys and kill a turkey. That is what I don't consider to be the true art of turkey hunting

sneakin turkeys with a fan ain't real turkey hunting....just sayin...

I've had to bite my tounge on fanning on other forums so ill continue with this one as well. Fanning isn't turkey hunting in MY OPINION. Look at the video posted above, there's an amish/Mennonite guy in his regular clothes fanning a bird in and shooting it. No camo, no calls, just a fan or decoy with a fan. I'm sure it requires some kind of skill, and one guy might know how to do it better than the next but if I had to resort to this to kill a turkey, I'd take up golf.

I do agree that just sitting in a ground blind over decoys doesn't require much skill in the way of calling or woodsmanship. My only point is that fanning is on the same level, in my opinion. I don't think using fans or strutter decoys to kill turkeys requires a good knowledge of terrain or sneaking. Just like using decoys and sitting, it requires you to know where turkeys are and using their sexual aggression to deter their normal waryness. I've seen people almost stand up on two legs walking to a turkey with a fan and the turkey still charges them.

The truth is, if you think you're mastered turkey hunting, you may want to re-evaluate. I firmly believe no one will ever master turkey hunting. You may be good at it, but you never know enough to where you can't learn something new.

I guess we'll just agree to disagree.

It doesn't matter to me if you use them or not, nor do I think 1 is better than the other. Both styles have proven to be effective, it's just technology is moving on and you either jump on the band wagon or not. If I would have grown up using decoys I might think differently, but I didnt. I've used decoys in the past, they've helped me but mostly hurt me. After the last spooking I decided I was better off using my own skill than relying on a decoy. But if you use them and they work man that's great, it's just not for me. Having hunted the way I have I can firmly say that if I had to rely on decoys or fanning to kill a turkey, I'd rather not.

I completely agree with the last paragraph. Anyone on here who thinks they have mastered turkey hunting hasn't been doing it long enough.

I will always take a hen decoy in my vest every hunt I go. Depending on the birds I am hunting on my turkey lease (I have had for 15 yrs) determines if I will turn to using my decoy. If hunting a field bird and he hears calling and sees nothing in the field I believe that will spook him more than little calling and a decoy.

Saying using a decoy is not hunting is ignorant. You never know how it will hurt or help you on any given day even if you have hunted the bird all year and you think you know what he is going to do.

Has nothing to do with turkey hunting, but the last weekend of duck season in Arkansas me and 5 other buddies went into the most famous public land(been hunting all year with decoys) and killed 6 limits of mallards with no decoys by just kicking water and strategic calling. Birds were sitting on the water before we would even shoot. They were used to being shot at while landing into dozens of decoys and mojos. Point is im sure other people there limited out with decoys. Their is a strategic way to go about killing certain animals like ducks and turkeys,, and saying a legal practice is not hunting is ridiculous.

this quote here tells me all I need to know

I have turkey hunted for 40 years and had the fortunte opportunity to learn from some turkey legends as well as getting to hunt on prime land. Just when I think I have mastered turkey hunting, a gobbler will find away to bring me back down to earth. I agree 100% with your last paragraph, you can always learn something new.

But he is the turkey master? Read his screen name.

I don't use decoys. But do not care what other people do. I do not agree with the way some of the people on tv do it. Sit in a blind and wait on a turkey.

Do people not get enough of sitting and waiting while deer hunting?

Like others have said theres no right or wrong answer to this question, it's all preference. I hear a lot of the holier than though talk referring to the guys that choose not to use decoys, I don't get that either. Because I dont use decoys doesn't mean that I'm better than the guy that does. There's been many times in the woods where I've thought "man I wished I had a decoy right now", but more than likely probably wouldnt of made a difference. I've read plenty of articles from well known turkey hunters that talk about decoys and decoy strategy during different stages of the season. I'm not saying it doesn't take skill of some kind when using decoys, it's just a skill that I don't work on. But I'm not a calling purist neither. I'm a situational turkey hunter. Whatever the situation calls for I adapt and make it happen in that situation. These threads do happen every year and some take it more personal than others. I can go out and kill my 5 birds and never pick up a decoy, another guy can kill his 5 and in all 5 kills he used a decoy. Guess what when it's all said and done both hunters tagged out and accomplished the seasons goal they set forth to. Ones no better than the other, it's preference. If you use them, then by all means use them proudly, if you don't then by all means don't!

No dekes in the woods if hunting big open fields I will use a dsd jake. Had great success with dsd..

Wait....... But Micael Waddell scrawls behind his gobbler decoy and sneaks up on em at 5yards!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL

Wow,


You can count me firmly in the "who gives a hairy rats ass what you think" group. There's only one kind of turkey hunter that most of us don't like, and that's the douche who rolls in rocking the holier than thou attitude and telling all the turkey killers around here that they "need to nut up and learn how to turkey hunt".






Nice logic.

Bwhahahaha

A lot of holier than thou type responses on here. I dont care if you use a decoy or not, but i will tell you they work. I've killed them using decoys and killed them without. I don't feel like using decoys is any less ethical, than sneaking up on one in a food plot. Next thing we gonna here is, oh well i wont shoot a turkey unless he's gobbling and coming in to calling and strutting. If he comes in quiet, i refuse to shoot him, OK, good luck with that. IMO, anyway you kill one, as long as its legal, is fine with me. I will admit, calling one in struutin and gobbling is the most fun, but don't thinki i won't shoot one coming in quiet.

Never used them,don't plan to in the future

My biggest problem with decoys is that I aint got the patience to endure the boredom of sitting there looking at them and waiting on a turkey to show up. This is what happens when I try to hunt with decoys. I get bored, go running and gunning, and come back to find my jake has toted an arse whipping and is full of spur holes.