By Kyle Swart - KS Outdoor Productions
In Part 1 of this series, we talked about the effectiveness of a gobble call. If that alone isn't enough to get a bird on the ground for you, here is another "Secret Weapon" that will help you even more and increase your chances of killing a nice turkey this spring.
The second "Secret Weapon" is a full strut tom decoy. My favorites include the
Primos Killer-B and the
DSD Strutter Decoy. However, it doesn't matter which strutting decoy you choose, they all work the same way.
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| DSD Strutter Decoy |
It is likely that you have seen a full strut decoy being used by turkey hunting professionals on TV shows. This is because they work! I have found success many times using a full strut decoy when all else failed.
These decoys trigger an aggressive and territorial instinct in tom turkeys. The toms will usually charge in to show the decoy who is boss and to assert their dominance. Because of this, non-dominant toms and jakes will often times stray away from your decoy.
The best way (in my opinion) is to set up the decoy in some sort of clearing such as a field edge, in a 2-track, or just in a small clearing in the woods. It is natural for turkeys to strut in clearings and open areas and this will also make it easier for a real turkey to see the decoy.
You should always have one or more hen decoys with your full strutter. From experience I know that it helps a lot. If a dominant tom turkey thinks that your decoy is stealing his harem of hens, he will be there as fast as he can to get his hens back. When he does that, it puts him right "in your lap" where you can get a shot at him.
Hopefully this series will help you bag your first or best turkey ever! Let me know if you would like a review or advice on any turkey hunting gear.
* NEVER USE ON PUBLIC PROPERTY BECAUSE OTHER HUNTERS MAY MISTAKE YOUR DECOY FOR A REAL TURKEY *
