Trad Gang
Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: Msbow on April 05, 2015, 02:11:00 PM
-
This was my first year going trad for turkeys and i did lots of research about decoys after several months i finally broke down and bought one of these Dave Smith decoys. Ive done a lot of turkey hunting with a shotgun and had many encounters with turkeys, but i never once had anything like this happen and it all took place 8 yards from me!
(http://i.imgur.com/mJzmMNul.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/IgKgu7sl.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/Ope2xMdl.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/HRvMD5tl.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/Wuf1Yq1l.jpg)
-
I filmed the whole thing and i have no idea how you make or post videos so i took screenshots of the battle with my camera while i paused the video
-
Thats a good looking hen. Bet that was alot of fun to watch.
-
It is very life like. Did you get a shot on it?
-
Yes it was very fun!! We can't shoot hens in Mississippi it's a mad strutting hen. I watched her scratching in leaves for about 30 mins from about 75 yards away. I let out a string of loud cuts and aggressive purrs and she saw the decoy and ran those 75 yards in about 20 seconds. Then the battle was on!
-
The decoy took the beating like a champ her eyes were scuffed up a lil bit, but I was surprised that none of the paint came off.
-
Hey Msbow, glad to see you're getting your moneys worth out of the decoy! Those DSD decoys are supposed to be pretty tough. They have a video on their website where they shoot 'em with shotguns!
-
Cool. Ive never seen a strutting hen before.
-
Nice picks! I've had the same thing happen to my AvianX upright hen several times in the last few years. No damage either but fun to watch, the usually settle down and act like friends after a while.
Tracy
-
It was very exciting to see up close like that and luckily I had my camera and got the footage I doubt anyone would have believed me. It was the funniest thing watching her bob and weave when she would smack the decoy and it would spin around on her.
-
Up load the video to your PC and then use windows movie maker to edit it in length. then up load it to You tube... then its easy to post.
I'll bet that was fun!
-
Msbow, I've had that happen several times. The boss hen
Just can't stand an upstart in her area. Now if you want to see
The Gobblers do the same thing, add the DSD Jake to this hen. I can't begin to tell you how many times I've had Gobblers
Charge in and Attack the Jake. Very exciting. Just about as good asit gets.
RW
-
That was neat!
-
I have a jake I just haven't put it out yet, I had a long walk so I just took the hen. Both of them will be coming with me this weekend!!
-
I've been thinking to upgrade my dekes. The Avian and the DSDs both look very good too me. Surely tboth work equally well?
-
The hen will fit in the same carrying bag as the Jake. I keep them in the bag together all the time, I NEVER go Bowhunting without them.
Now Roy, I know you own every top end bow ever made, why
Even consider anything but the best. The DSD decoys are the
The most anatomically correct decoys made, talk about lifelike
Painting, look at those pics again, you can't hardly tell them apart.
Good luck to everyone this spring.
RW
-
I don't think you can go wrong with either one, they are both painted very life like and there both very tuff and hold up to the abuse. I've never used the DSD's but haven't needed to try them we have had nothing but awesome responses from hens, Jakes and gobblers since using the Avian's the last couple of years. They have been constantly beat up almost every time we have used them and have held up well no complaints, I'm sure the DSD's are just as good. Use what you can afford but I would say these two are defently worth the extra money.
Good luck everybody!
(http://i904.photobucket.com/albums/ac248/TmPotter47/tipi%20picks/turkeys3.jpg) (http://s904.photobucket.com/user/TmPotter47/media/tipi%20picks/turkeys3.jpg.html)
Tracy
-
-
R.W.,
So you carry the hen in the same bag together with the jake?
-
Bowwild,
When I was researching which decoy to get. That was pretty much the conclusion I came to was one will work just as good as the other, but I wanted to get the one that looked the most like a real turkey. I thought the DSD looked as close to real as you could get and the Avian wasn't cheap either so I figured ide spend a little more money and get the one I really wanted.
-
Yes, the Jake bag is very large, you just have one bag to tote
And you won't notice the added weight. I'll try to get some pics of my "run & gun" Bow set up for you. You might find it interesting.
RW
-
both are nice! Had a strong gobbling jake climb and stand on top the avian for about 5 minutes, filmed it all from 15 yards. He balanced like standing on a rolling balloon, never slipped off!
Man we were about to explode with laughter!
-
Great pics. I never had a turkey come in and attack the decoys until I started using those Dave Smith ones now they almost always do. Fun stuff.
-
Those things look great!! I don't quite have the money to drop on a DSD yet but those Avians look mighty intriguing. Cant wait to give them a try. Thanks for the awesome pics! Our opener is Saturday, this doesn't make it get here any faster lol
-
R.W.
How do you set up your decoys when using the jake and hen? I am very much interested in seeing your "run and gun" set up!
-
I had been thinking about a new decoy or 2 when this thread appeared. After going through way too many mental contortions I ended up ordering a single DSD hen. If I like it enough I might add a second hen or a jake. I'm definitely not a hardcore turkey hunter any more, and all my hunting takes place right where I live. I mainly chose the DSD because my longtime friend (and too-dedicated turkey man) has used a variety of decoys for almost 20 years. He got a DSD when they were first available and still uses it. He tells me his DSD easily out-performs his other decoys when the birds get touchy or difficult. I can't opinionate on that, but Dennis' word is good enough for this man.
-
I have a DSD Jake on hold for me at the Cabelas I'll pass tomorrow as I return home. I will probably buy a hen as well.
I used to be eat up with bowhunting turkeys but have not been very active the past 5 years or so. I'm hoping to fire up again starting next Saturday!
-
I used to use Cherokee inflstable decoys, not as lifelike but the heads are amazing. I've had quite a few hens come in and strut, peck at the eyes and beat them with their wings. It always makes for a good show. Last year I switched to Avian but never really got out. I can't wait until May
-
Msbow, here is how I put my two decoys out. Jake is 8 to 10
Yards facing me. The hen is off to one side a few yards and about 2 yards deeper facing away.
The reasoning behind this is simple. Jake faces me because
Most Gobblers will come in and face the Jake, head to head.
This gives me a shot with the Gobbler looking away and a great shot at his back, which is were I prefer to hit them.
The hen is facing away from me because her business end
Will be where the Gobbler will head. Again when he moves to her rear end to mount her, his back is facing me and his head is looking the other way.
This set up was in Nebraska last year, I shot two birds in two days here. I had seen birds feeding in this field two different times and they were roosting within 1/4 mile.
It may be a few days before I can get some pics of my run&
Gun set up, on the road now.
RW
(http://i1291.photobucket.com/albums/b560/roywmackey/imagejpg1_zps6beb075e.jpg) (http://s1291.photobucket.com/user/roywmackey/media/imagejpg1_zps6beb075e.jpg.html)
-
i picked up a DSD jake and an Avian breeder hen, thanks to the very convincing threads here. 1 week til my season opens,,,,,, I can't wait
-
Thanks R.W. for sharing and explaining your decoy setup. When you say the hen is " 2 yards deeper " do you mean she is 2 yards further away from you than the jake is?
-
R.W., I use the same dec set up and it works well for me. Good luck.
-
Yes, about 2 yards farther away than the Jake. Lots of people
Do it different, other ways will work, this is just how I set them up. It's worked multiple times for several years in different states. I don't think the hen placement is as critical as the Jake. Basically I have a hen decoy because I'm making hen sounds to attract the Gobbler, once he sees the Jake he usually forgets the hen. All he can think about is some disrespectful Jake has challenged his dominance, he will not stand for that.
I have a buddy hunting in Nebraska now, called me last night,
Told me a big Tom came into his set in the afternoon, never gobbled, marched straight in and attacked his Jake. Knocked it off the stake and continued to attack it on the ground. Put a serious butt kicking on him, of course he missed the shot.
Good luck to all.
Roy
-
I have been using Dave Smith Decoys for yaers and while some of the other makers are doing a lot better job and getting close to Dave Smith....I still think Dave Smith has the best out there.
-
R.W.
Do you have the upright hen and if you do have you ever been able to tell any whether putting her on the ground like she's about to get bred makes any difference or not?
-
No, I have never tried that. I guess at some time during the season the breeding hen might work, but like I have said before I mainly have the hen because I'm making hen sounds to attract the gobbler. I do think it could be used to add a different look to a set if you were hunting in the same area
For several days. Or maybe you shot and missed and wanted
To give the birds another look.
I hunted once with a guy that used four hens and a Jake.
The set looked great, but a real pain carrying them in.
RW
-
So you are saying in your experience the gobbler is the main attention getter once the longbeard can see your setup? Sorry about all the questions, but my experience with public land Mississippi turkeys once they got into gun range I never gave them a chance to really interact with the decoys. The few that snuck up on me and actually got close within ten feet or less of my cheap decoys ALWAYS quit strutting and tried to find the quickest way out as fast as possible. When I started trad hunting them this year and used that DSD hen and had that bird beat up my hen at 8 yards after 20 years of bird hunting! Has had me rethinking this whole decoy setup deal. When I gun hunted I didn't care how they were setup. I just stuck them in the ground and that was it.
-
Ms bow, i still like to gun hunt turkeys, I go about it completely different, I don't use decoys at all, simply because of what you said, once they get close its usually over.
I guess I haven't made myself clear with these few posts, I
Am saying the "JAKE" not to he gobbler is the main attention getter. I'm gonna say in the last 5 years me and my hunting partner have had appx 30 to 40 birds come in to our sets and only twice have the Gobblers been more interested in the Hen than the Jake. They usually come straight for the Jake, never paying any attention to the hen. Now at times we have called
In a group of birds, usually the lead hen comes in and the rest follow. She will usually go straight to the hen as the one did you have the pics of. Sometimes the Gobbler will get close enough for a shot other times he is content to stay with his willing hens. It is usually the lone gobbler that will really Attack the Jake, sometimes there will be two grown birds come and take turns killing the Jake. Have had groups of Jakes come in as well, they get pretty brave in bunches. Won't really Attack the decoy but will display around it and try to determine who is the baddest.
RW
-
Thanks R.W. I appreciate all your input on the decoys and how to set them up. Maybe I'll have a longbeard try to do the same to my jake and see if I can quit shaking long enough to make the shot lol. Good luck to you this turkey season.