Have you seen the decoys some people are using to hide behind, and crawl up to toms? I've seen some in action online, and they work unbelievably well, but that's CRAZY! Looks like a great way to get shot to me. I can't even imagine using one.
We have some folks here that like to use rifles, even though they're not legal. Some of them "hunt" from their vehicles.
I doubt I'd last long crawling around in one of the fields I hunt, holding up a tom turkey decoy. Posted signs don't mean much to some of the people around here either, so that wouldn't be much insurance.
Bob
I was just talking with a friend about this risk the other day. Rifles are legal here. And used a lot.
I used a fan I kept from a gobbler I shot yrs ago, and it has worked twice for me this yr....although I screwed it up both times. The first time I didn't expect it to work and was totally surprised when the gobbler came running at me. The 2nd time my brother held the fan in front of him while I was behind him....we were both crouching and duck walked 200yds towards a strutting gobbler with 2 hens. We got within 30yds before they got sketchy and walked off. I'm a believer in the fan for a decoy....definitely exciting.
They obviously work. I remember reading of native americans using them too. How cool would it be to have boss toms running at you like that? A lot of time they'd come in to just a few feet. Or to be able to basically walk right up to a bird that won't come to your call. It must be a rush and a half. As exciting as it must be, I just couldn't bring myself to use one. If I had a place where I could be absolutely positive nobody else was around, maybe.
Bob
I just recently heard of a hunter near here getting shot while using one. Survived it, but I doubt if he'll try it again.
I'm not that brave!
That's akin to wearing a deer suit and antlers in the fall.
I have a Heads Up turkey decoy. Basically a picture of a turkey's face then you attach a fan on the back. I've heard they work great (and so far no accidents) but I haven't found a fan to try it out yet. I will defiantly give it a try once I get a fan.