Set-up advice needed, includes photo map

[returnofsid]

In order to not clutter up the Silent Up North thread, I figured I'd ask my questions and seek advice, here...

So, I'm archery hunting in a farming area, on some family owned property.  My issue is the turkeys are roosting on an adjacent piece of property that is off limits to hunting.  The turkeys do respond to calls and do come in, just not close enough to where I was set up.  I'm thinking about changing my set up some...Here's a photo that might help.  This photo is oriented properly, with the top of the photo being north.  This area does not receive any turkey hunting pressure at all, other than myself and I have only turkey hunted there once, yesterday morning.



The upper portion of the map is the area I hunt.  The area between the yellow and red asterisks is approximately 100 yards.

The bottom area of clearing is approximately 100 yards across.  The red asterisk to the east indicates where my blind was set up, with my decoys about 20 yards into the clearing, facing me.  The yellow asterisk to the west indicates where the Toms hung up, yesterday morning.

The turkeys roost several hundred yards to the south-west, near the bottom of the photo and just inside the trees from the dirt road. 

Yesterday morning, just after daylight, I set up.  By 6:00AM the Toms were answering my calls and coming my direction.  At about 6:30, they hung up about 100 yards from me, just inside the tree line.  They wouldn't cross the clearing.  They continued gobbling like crazy, pacing back and forth and strutting around.  At about 7:00, at the home you see, a truck started up and towed an empty trailer up that road.  It was really noisy.  After that, the Toms went absolutely silent.

My question is, would I be better off setting up my blind on the west side of the clearing, just inside the tree line, putting my decoys 10-20 yards from me, in the clearing?  If so, the turkey would be coming in from behind me.  In this situation, should I face the decoys towards me or away from me?  My concern is, if the Toms think the hens are facing them, they may hang up, expecting the hens to come to them.

My decoys now consist of:
1 Strutting Tom archery target that I use as a decoy
4 Hens (1 upright, 1 feeding & 2 that I can change from upright to head angled down)
2 Jakes



The weekend prior, I shot my very first turkey, using just the Tom target/decoy with a single hen directly in front of it, 10 yards in front of me.  This was at a different location.  At the time, those were the only decoys I owned.  I've since received the remainder of the decoys that I purchased off Ebay. 3 of those decoys (feeding hen, adjustable hen and jake) I just received this morning.

Yesterday's hunt, my decoys were configured with the Tom 20 yards away, facing me.  A hen directly in front of the Tom.  A hen 5 yards and slightly in forward to the right of the "couple" and the jake about 10 yards to the left and slightly behind the "couple."  All facing me.

Next question:

How many decoys should I use?  What type of configuration?  Is it better to use more decoys, as a way to make the toms feel more safe?  That's been my thinking but that's probably a left over idea from my past years of goose/duck hunting.

I'll be heading out Thursday evening, with plans to hunt Friday and Saturday.

Any and all help/suggestions are greatly appreciated!!

[Russ McDonald]

If it were me I would setup in the south west corner of the clearing just inside the tree line just slightly east of your yellow dot.  I think that is pretty much where you are thinking.  As far as decoy set up I am still new to it but I don't think Tom's are hen'd up anymore so I wouldn't put out more then 2 decoys maybe 3.  I would face any hens towards your stutting tom.  Make the other tom's think that your decoy is the man and the hen's are enjoying his show.  Good luck. 

[270Shooter]

I'd setup right about where your yellow dot is, it looks to have enough cover to hide easily enough, yet is still open enough for them to see the decoy. I'd probably only use a strutter and a hen decoy. Call once for every two or three gobbles and don't call very loud.

[Rainier10]

I'd setup right about where your yellow dot is, it looks to have enough cover to hide easily enough, yet is still open enough for them to see the decoy. I'd probably only use a strutter and a hen decoy. Call once for every two or three gobbles and don't call very loud.

[turkeydancer]

As far as the setup, the advice above is good ... but you can also set the blind 20 to 25 yards out in the clearin facing west (toward the yellow dot) as the blind doesn't bother the birds.  Set the dekes about 10 yards in front of the blind ... a hen and the strutter (or jake) should do the trick.   Face the "male" deke toward the blind, because normally a tom will come in to challenge his opponent face toface and his back will be towards you as you draw (you'll be in his blind spot).  As mentioned call softer and sparingly.  Good luck ...

 

[returnofsid]

Well, this morning was a wash, thanks to a family member's dogs...haha.

By 4:00AM turkeys were gobbling, which was much earlier than I expected.  By 4:10, I was in the blind, at the yellow dot.  I had the Tom decoy and a hen in the field, facing me.  Behind me, further into the trees, I had a jake and 2 hens.  By 4:30 gobblers were responding and closing on me, from 3 different locations, southwest, east and northwest.  At 5:00, 2 Toms were very close, directly south of my blind, working his way into the clearing and another west of me...when my aunt let her dogs out.  They came bounding into the field, from the north, barking at the turkey that was approaching from the south.  They barked for about 20 minutes...Ugghh!  SO, I left the blind and walked into the woods to the south a few hundred yards.  I spent about 45 minutes watching a group of deer feed, then slowly made my way back towards my blind.  As I approached the bottom of the clearing, I heard two loud gobbles.  Looking out, 2 toms and a hen were about 5 yards from my decoys.  There was no way I could approach them without spooking them, but I tried anyway.  No luck...

Guess I should have put up with the barking dogs a bit longer and stuck it out in the blind!

I'll be back out there Thursday evening, to move the blind and decoys south about a hundred yards.  This will put me in the area of a smaller clearing, with plenty of forest between me and those darned dogs.  It'll also put me on the route that the turkeys usually take, from their roosting area to where my blind was located today.  Then I'll hunt that area Friday morning and possibly Saturday morning.  If nothing pans out Friday, I may go back to the area where I killed my first Tom, the week prior.

Thanks for all your amazing help and suggestions!