Decoys help, hinder turkey quest

By now, most turkey hunters have traveled to their favorite patch of land to listen for a few mornings and hear some gobblers sound off for the hens.

Some may have watched their favorite outdoors shows with scenes of anxious birds strutting around groups of decoys just before the host of the show squeezes the trigger. Decoys are a beneficial tool for today's turkey hunter but turkey program, but need to be understood to be most effective, according to the Arkansas Fish and Game turkey coordinator.

Jeremy Wood is an avid chaser of wild turkeys. He's hunted mature birds in many states, including Massachusetts, Georgia and Florida. He has already been sitting on ridgetops in the Ouachitas this year quietly waiting for some birds to give up their location to be ready for opening day. Spring turkey season started Monday.

"I'll carry a decoy, but it depends on the situation on whether or not I set it out," Wood said. "In some cases putting out a decoy can even cause a bird to hang up."

Wood explained the natural order of turkey biology is for the male to gobble and receptive females come to him. Turkey hunters are trying to get nature to work in reverse by having a gobbler come to their hen sounds. Sometimes gobblers can be stubborn if they see a decoy from far away, especially if they have other options nearby.

"She's supposed to come to him, so he can hang up if he pops out and that decoy won't come to him," Wood said. "Sometimes it can be better if he doesn't see anything and comes closer looking for that reluctant hen that's been calling."

Wood also said the decoy may stay in his vest if he's trying to head off a bird on the move.

"I really prefer to 'run-and-gun' and stay mobile, especially on public land," Wood said. "Trying to set up a decoy can be just one more thing that can go wrong if you have a bird moving that you're trying to intercept."

But that doesn't mean decoys aren't an incredibly effective tool. Wood said some situations can benefit from putting out a hen decoy or even a little fake flock.

"When the hens have started to build their nests, gobblers will see less receptive birds to breed and may be more apt to come to a decoy," he said. "Arkansas's opening day is timed to be closer to this period, so that's why I'll still keep that hen decoy in my arsenal."

Wood explained that with Arkansas's current declining turkey population, it's extremely important to let as many hens be bred as possible before hunters start chasing the gobblers, That way there should be a successful hatch if the weather and habitat conditions cooperate.

"As a hunter, it's painful to have to hear birds gobbling and wait," Wood said. "But those gobblers really need to breed before we start hunting, to make sure we have turkeys two, three and four years down the road."

Sports on 04/09/2019

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