Turkey decoys???

[AJDodgerf]

How many turkey decoys do you typically use and what sex(s)?  I have been a amatuer turkey hunter for years(just ran them down and shot them) but would like to draw in better birds this year.  Do you put out a spread like goose and duck hunting, or just a couple of hens and a jake?  Let's hear what everyone does!

[HD]

I ussually run with 2 hens and a jake.

But depending on hunting pressure and the weireness of the birds, I'll drop down to 2 hens on sliding skids to bring those skiddish birds in. 

[Joe@deerhunters]

More and more I choose to use nothing. Make the bird look for me.

If I was going to use just one it would be a hen and I try to use the terrain so it is not visible from more than 50 yards or so at the most.

I am not a big fan of the gobbler decoys and sometimes even jakes especially on public land. Male decoys can keep other males from coming all the way in particular towards the later season dates. They will hang back out of range.

You will probably get a bunch of opinions.

[Go Big Red!]

At least a hen at minimum.  Usually will bring a hen and a jake.

[glenn57]

i usually use a hen deke. what about what they call a safe decoy. put a crow decoy out a ways away from where your set up at. heard if a tom sees a crow sitting they feel safe cause there so spooky.

[MTCOMMER]

I use a 2 hens and a jake - sometimes just one hen, depends what I feel like.

I can tell you in 2 weeks what is working.   

[kenhuntin]

I will usually use more than 1 hen and jake set. One set in the field, one in the woods only visible to the North and a third set only visible from the south and west. I set the jakes behind the hens and the jakes perpendicular to the blind I am in. The Toms will often approach the jakes nose to nose offering a good head shot.

[walle1]

Have only turkey hunted a couple times, I have not shot one but my son has got a couple. The set up that worked for him was 2 hens and jake. In two hunts a big Tom came in and went straight to the jake, never got to kick the jakes butt.

[Outdoors Junkie]

This is my first year and we have been using two hens and a jake.  We had a hen come in last week and a gobbler just out of range.

                  

[nbaker]

a hen and a jake combo or 2 hens depending how aggressive the Tom's are being.  I had a Tom come into both set ups last week.