High end vs bargain decoys?

[syoungs]

Fixing to buy some turkey decoys and a blind for this coming year, hoping to get a shot with my bow, and get a friend into his first bird with a shotgun.

I've been looking at the nicer turkey decoys, dsd's, avianx dakotas etc. I can't tell if the decoy is selling itself to me better then it would to a bird though!

My current idea is to buy an avian x jake, and a couple cheaper hens to go with it, no idea what hens to go with.

Do I need more then a few decoys? I've got a budget of about 200$ right now for them, but I can swing more money if that means a drastic improvement while hunting.

[JKEEN33]

Like my avianx decoys. If I was just getting one, I would get a hen over a jake.

[Mfowl]

https://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/spo/d/turkey-decoys-for-sale-set-of/6470614148.html

This should be right in your ballpark.

[Dan-o]

I have a flock of the cheap foam ones.....  The $20 ones.

Turkeys come up to them every year.

[syoungs]

https://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/spo/d/turkey-decoys-for-sale-set-of/6470614148.html

This should be right in your ballpark.

That'd be about perfect, might try to find that same pack. I'm on the east side or if go grab those ones!

[syoungs]

I have a flock of the cheap foam ones.....  The $20 ones.

Turkeys come up to them every year.

How many is a flock? I don't know if I need a bunch or a few honestly. Eat hung videos on YouTube it seems like 1-4  is typical?

[biggfish]

I use a Jake and a hen I just bought a set of primos gobble stoppers. I used to use a single flambeau plastic hen and it's seen its share of action. If your calling gets the birds worked up by the time they realize the decoy is fake it's to late.

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[Russ McDonald]

I have used anything from a Primos inflatable hen decoy which worked great in CA to the foam decoys with 2 herbs and a jake.   Right now I have 2 Flextone hens one is a feeding hen the other is an alert hen.  I will get a jake this spring.   The Flextone is like Avian X but half the price. Setups Ann's how many you put out just depends on what time of the season.   Early you can be successful with a flock which is usually 2 hens and a jake or a strutting tom.  Mid to late spring a single hen would work better.   Some hunters are successful with no decoys.  Another decoy that had had some successful by a couple guys I know is the funky chicken. http://www.cabelas.com/product/Flextone-Funky-Chicken-Turkey-Decoy/1581146.uts?productVariantId=3303706&WT.tsrc=PPC&WT.mc_id=GoogleProductAds&WT.z_mc_id1=03555086&rid=20&gclid=CjwKCAiA47DTBRAUEiwA4luU2TyoNwiKL9MOWWHo_5Vgzf_mu6PTxKtb3SfeCxubUooFA22ysslTrRoC5NoQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Good luck

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[Dan-o]

I have a flock of the cheap foam ones.....  The $20 ones.

Turkeys come up to them every year.

How many is a flock? I don't know if I need a bunch or a few honestly. Eat hung videos on YouTube it seems like 1-4  is typical?

I probably have 10.... but I have grown kids that hunt with me.

I usually take 4 up the hill with me.   2 jakes and 2 hens.

I set up two separate hen/jake pairs to be seen from different approaches.

I'm not saying that's right.    It's just what I do.    And turkeys like coming in and dying by my dekes.   

[syoungs]

Thanks for all the help so far guys, sounds like this us one area I can save a bit of money and not go the most expensive. I'll probably check out what sportsmans has on hand and decide from there!

[Dan-o]

Thanks for all the help so far guys, sounds like this us one area I can save a bit of money and not go the most expensive. I'll probably check out what sportsmans has on hand and decide from there!

The cheap foam ones I use I got from Sportman's.

Pretty sure they're Flambeau brand.

they are soft foam and they come rolled up.

Just be sure to puff them up WELL in advance.   You don't want to take them hunting rolled up.

I actually ended up wadding a bunch of news paper in mine to make them stay puffed up.   Don't need the paper anymore, but at first they wanted to roll back up some and not fully open.

[MerriamMagician]

I have always just used the cheap feather flex decoys made of foam and have never had problems getting birds to come in. Occasionally I do use a strutter deke with a real turkey fan, but it was a fairly cheap model also. I like the realistic features of the newer decoys, but don’t care for their bulk and inability to break down, particularly when I’m mountain biking 8 miles in trying to kill an Eastern 

[northwesthunter84]

I got a set with jake and lay down hen. Avian x at Cabela’s bargain cave, hen was cut just had to aqua seal her. $65 out the door. They had three more boxes after I left. This was at the Tulalip store.

[tlbradford]

Same here with the foam decoys being my favorite.  Super lightweight, easy to use with a hot glue gun and modeling paint to make them more realistic with real feathers.  I have some of the rubber ones, but I don't enjoy packing them in.  If I hunted from a 4-wheeler, I might use them more often. 

[Evil_EdwardO]

I just bought one of these last fall. Folds up flat and super light and you can set up a couple of different ways.

https://www.montanadecoy.com/hunting-decoys/turkey/miss-purr-fect-3d-hen-decoy

[syoungs]

I just bought one of these last fall. Folds up flat and super light and you can set up a couple of different ways.

https://www.montanadecoy.com/hunting-decoys/turkey/miss-purr-fect-3d-hen-decoy

This caught my eye. They have a jake/hen combo that may follow me home from sportsmans next time I'm there.

[Machias]

I used to always use a decoy or two.  I rarely use my decoys anymore.  I try and set up so when the gobbler comes into view, he's already in range.

[jennabug]

Honestly, we tried the "funky chicken" decoy last year (bought at sportsman's) with calling and got a nice tom with it. The other decoys we have were bought off craigslist.

[kevinlisa06]

I have yet to kill a bird using dekes. Not a necessity.


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[tlbradford]

I have yet to kill a bird using dekes. Not a necessity.


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Like many things in hunting, it is not really a necessity, but a tool.  In this case he is wanting to archery hunt.  I can with 100% certainty state that using a decoy correctly will improve his odds of killing a turkey with archery equipment, by drawing the birds attention away from the hunter.  I can also state that a ground blind would also improve his odds in that it hides a lot of motion associated with drawing your bow.

You can make things harder or easier depending on how challenging you want to make the experience.

[kevinlisa06]

Ahh I didn’t see the archery part sorry bout that. Lots of guys and gals use the DSD and Avian X decoys.


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[MonstroMuley]

I have a flock of the cheap foam ones.....  The $20 ones.

Turkeys come up to them every year.

How many is a flock? I don't know if I need a bunch or a few honestly. Eat hung videos on YouTube it seems like 1-4  is typical?

...
I'm not saying that's right.    It's just what I do.    And turkeys like coming in and dying by my dekes.   

[cryder]

I've had ,Jed n Henrietta , two rubber decoys from the 80's ,never thought about buying others , these alllllways work , they look more like moshpit divers at this point but all birds come running , so I'll never change , but all those news things are great I got dragged out of the isle at Cabela's by my significant other cuz I was so involved I was told. , Neet stuff,id say the more compact the better for moving around

[ctwiggs1]

I bought the $30 set from basspro last year just to try out during the later season.  I was just curious more than anything else.

I killed a big Tom and a Jake off those decoys.

Curtis