Look, I’m not opposed to going to great measures to ensure we get kids involved and let them pull the trigger. You won’t hear me say a thing about it. But every man,18-80 out there in a blind with his decoys hunting for him is not what turkey hunting is about. It has evolved into “look how many I can kill”, and IMO most of those types are using decoys to aid them and has helped tremendously in reducing the population to a point where our days are cut down, and a lot of days are spent not even hearing a turkey, much less getting to fool with one.

When I was in walmart today I saw a bunch of those $9.98 foam decoys. It triggered me and I had to go to seek a safe space.

Ben I’m sure you know a turkeys eyes are keen on movement but if you have to skill to beat them in open field then I take my hat off to you
For me dekes are only used when a bird constantly hangs up out of range while craning his head around looking for the bird that’s been talking to him
This is the tell tale sign that lets me know what to do with him

Some guys feel comfortable using dekes and ground blinds all the time….as for myself I don’t, it just depends on the situation with the particular bird im hunting as to what when and how I hunt him

Some mean folks in here too…

I understand but turkeys can absolutely be crawled up on and killed. I would take my chances everyday on killingvone crawling vs decoying. I have spooked a bunch of turkeys both ways but have killed more crawling than decoying by a large margin

But at various points in time (some pretty recently) all these were legal. I remember well shooting turkeys legally with a rifle in deer season. And decoys were illegal a couple years back. I am sure when the GFC proposed to make it illegal to - kill turkeys over bait, kill turkeys with a rifle, set season dates, and/or have a limit on the number of turkeys a hunter can kill, there was some angry cuss complaining about "let people hunt how they want", "these regulation changes are selfish and short sighted" and "the government shouldn't propose more regulations in hunters". So I guess you are saying the regulations currently in place are fine and not government overreach but any changes to them are ..... Hmmm, question still stands - Hypocrite or not.

What Deadeye said!! 97% of time I hav my back to tree - usually in the dark. I hav hunted w guys that hav killed 100s of birds - and if they ever wanted to use a deke - who gives a crap. One guy that’s Kin to me - he use to kill 30-35 a year in Bama - i told him that was bull crap and wrong several times - kin to me so I couldn’t turn him in - every once in a blue moon - he would use a deke on an open field bird that hung up and I hv seen him use a strutter on really old bird - he could hunt most of u guys under the table - but who cares and if he wanted to use a decoy r a blind - so b it. He awesome at killing either way. I hav hunted all over the country w tons of people and I never seen so many people concerned on how somebody hunts if they doing it legal. To say it looks and sounds ignorant is an understatement. Here is a tip - you got an outlaw law breaker - there something to get pissed about. Anybody abiding by law - get over it or tuff titty r suck it
It’s a freaking bird - we not splitting atoms r launching rocket ships - we just fooling a freaking bird. And when I tagged out on wmas w out dekes or killed one on private land w a deke - it all the same to me - nobody impressed - it freaking hunting - do it legal - last tip - stop being Dick head if somebody abiding by law - u ain’t that special anyway !!!!!

Depends on the situation and what the heck I want to do if it’s legal

^^^ lol knows a guy that kills 35 legal birds in Alabama and then goes on a legal rant.

I know right. 😄

Decoys have done the same thing to turkey hunting that crossbows have done to deer hunting. You used to never see many people bownhunting. But now the woods are full of people. Same with turkey hunting. You hardly seen many folks in the woods chasing them longbeards. When you dumb down any game or sport and take the competitive challenge out of things you're gonna bring in more people who thinks it's easier now. It happens in everything and not just hunting. Now everybody thinks they can kill a deer or turkey and all they do is phuck up the woods.

Exactly how does a deke mess up the woods ??
Biggest thing to ever mess up the turkey woods is amateur calling and walking around calling when you don’t hear a bird at all
Dekes will give two reactions
1 the birds will come in
2 the birds will run away
As far as the crossbow remark, I can’t figure how a crossbow will mess up the woods either ???

You missed the point. The decoys won't mess the woods up. The dumbass that doesn't know how to turkey hunt that thinks the decoy is going to turn him into Eddie Salter will.

This ^^^^. The same idiot that starts every hunt with non stop owl calling from his “listening tree” followed by a double dose of crow calling only to bitch and moan about the gobblers being “henned up” again and not wanting to cooperate. You know, Tommy Turkey with the 30lb vest stuffed with 8 pots, 12 strikers, 43 mouth calls, 4 Lynch boxes. Avian flock & an ol’ wing bone for Hail Mary shituations. Ain’t killed 5 birds in the last 10yrs but damn he looks good trying don’t he? 🤣🤣🤣

I didn’t miss you point because your post clearly says people that use dekes or crossbows are only out there because they’re stupid and sport has been cheapened to suit them

Posted this in the deer forum thought it fit here also

The State of Alabama sold 452,400 hunting license in 2021. The State only consists of 33.5 million acres, that also includes all cites and water ways. When you take that in consideration that’s only roughly 73 acres per hunter and way less then that when you consider the less acres the cities and waterways take up, not to mention all the exempt hunters and outlaws that don’t buy licenses. We all say we like to see more kids and young adults get involved in the outdoors me included, but honestly can we afford it ? Looking at those numbers I don’t think a decoy is our problem.

Only person here that used the word stupid would be you unless your reading comp is as bad as some of the others here. When somethnng is made easier more folks will get involved even if they don't know what the hell they are doing. And for the killers, it allows them to kill more or kill em quicker.

When you refer to someone who uses dekes as phucking up the woods you’re saying they’re stupid

I’m sure everyone on this site started off knowing everything and made no mistakes while in the turkey woods
Instead of backstabbing and bad mouthing folks who are learning….why don’t you take them under your wing and teach them the fine art of turkey hunting

I'll continue to let you put words in folks mouths. As to taking them under my wing, how bout you take em since you don't make any mistakes. I'm not gonna take em cuz i don't want em phucking up my hunt.

Nah , you said that , not me. Grasping at straws now aint ya? Hmmmm.....

So we change the regs based on one mans " Dominant Gobbler THEORY "?

Webster definition of a THEORY:

: an idea that is suggested or presented as possibly true but that is not known or proven to be true

So we all should just blindly agree with the moronic Dominant Gobbler Theory? I guess the "not known or proven to be true doesnt mean a thing."

Yeah, Dr Fauci had a theory too. Several of them. That masks stop the spread of COVID, that shutting down the country and locking down would stop the spread of COVID, that getting an experimental vaccine will stop the spread of COVID, that mandates were what was best for us all to stop the spread of COVID...and the list goes on and on. How has those "Theories" worked out?

But like YOU said ,I guess we all just need to blindly agree with and follow all these "Experts" and their " Theories" So sit down shut up and get yer dam mask on!

I for one have had enough of idiots with their silly arse Theories. Especially when they fly in the face of all known observations. But go ahead, go right along with them.

But then dont complain about the ones YOU dont like ; like masks , lockdowns, mandates and vaccines. As from your applied logic we all just need to listen to these ONE arsehole and their silly theories and follow them blindly because the govt says so. So you better have your mask on when you leave your house today. It is for public safety for goodness sake!

Pretty sure the state had a "theory" too that we all needed to kill as many does as possible to better the hunting and for the well being of the deer. Hows that worked out? People complaining about not having any deer because they listened to that theory and decimated their deer herd.

Yea...the state and federal Govt has a steller record with their theories dont they.

Whos the hypocrite now gobbler...hmmmm...