I never used decoys either, but after I did start I have found that they do make a difference. I never used a strutter until 2011, as soon as the Toms saw him they came running in. My daughter shot a nice Tom at 9 yds right next to my strutter. He was out in a field strutting with the hens, there was no hope of calling him in. They were moving away to the right when I made a call, he looked over and ran in from over a 100 yds away. He stopped and said hello to a hen decoy and then challenged my strutter, that's when my daughter gave him a face full of #5's from a 20 ga.