When it comes to turkey hunting it’s hard to beat their eyes. They rely on their vision much like a whitetail relies on his nose. With this in mind I set out to find what I thought was the best turkey decoys possible to fool a tom this spring. I have tried several different decoys from all the big-name companies like Primos and Flambeau. Many of them resembled a turkey but none looked like the real thing, until I saw Avian-X decoys.
While at the ATA show this past winter I stopped at the Avian-X display and was blown away by how realistic the decoys looked. I couldn’t help myself I wanted every decoy in the HDR line up and a few in the LCD line up. I have everything from the full strut tom to the lay down hen. Let’s break down why these are must haves for any turkey hunter as well as some decoy placements that seem to really work.
The Tom decoy.
This has to be my favorite of all the decoys because they just look badass. Avian- X left nothing out when creating this decoy either. It has 2 different heads that can easily swap out from a fully white head to a red head. The beard slides in and out to the length you want, and the tail fan can be set anywhere from a quarter strut to full strut. As cool as the Tom decoy looks there is only a short window of time that it can be used. I am sure some will argue this with me, but I believe the best time to use a tom decoy is the first week of turkey season.
I say this because once the dominate tom in the area has been set you may do more harm than good. If a sub dominate turkey has been on the wrong side of a spur a few times this spring the last thing he wants to do is get into another fight. When I use my tom decoy it is usually with a hen of some sort, I have them face each other like he is trying to impress her. I like to set them in an open field where other toms can see them from a distance. This setup can be awesome if you have a bird fired up first thing in the morning and he gets a glimpse of your decoys.
The Jake decoy.
When it comes to jake decoys I look at them as if they are that annoying kid at the family get together. You know the one that runs around knocking things over and yelling at the top of his lungs. I believe toms view jakes the same way. There’s a time and place for jake decoys. I like to start using them around the end of the second week of the season. Once the pecking order has been established among the local birds, most toms know their place. Jakes on the other hand will try to breed anything they can so I like to capitalize on this.
I will place a jake decoy right on top of a lay down hen as if he is attempting to breed her. This is enough to bring in any mature tom. I like to set these up on travel routes I know toms like to use. I know this from scouting and running trail cameras. If you don’t have a lay down hen, you can use an upright hen as close to the ground as possible. This set up can lead to some awesome turkey decoy hunting. Avian-X jake decoys have multiple heads that easily swap out and an adjustable beard.
The hen decoy.
If I could only afford one decoy to turkey hunt with it would definitely be a hen decoy. With that said I would buy the most realistic hen decoy possible. Let’s face it she may not look as cool as a fully strutting tom decoy, but a real tom is only looking for one thing in the spring, a hen. They make hens in several different positions. They have lay down hens, feeding hens, and a hen with multiple heads for an aggressive posture or relaxed posture.
The single hen is perfect for run and gun setups or to use any time of year. My favorite way to use a hen is place a feeding hen out in an open field after roosting a tom the night before. I then will make some subtle yelps as the sun comes up to draw his attention to the open field. This is a for sure setup if you have birds roosted. One last thing on hens, keep in mind a feeding hen gives off a false sense of security with her head down. This signals to other turkey that the coast is clear as she is relaxed and feeding.
In closing a few words of advice. Avian-X decoys look so realistic be mindful of that especially on public land. The last thing you want to happen is have someone shoot your decoy or worse yet shoot you. All Avian-X decoys come with carrying bags and it’s important to store them in the bags out of sunlight. This helps to not fade the paint. Lastly decoys can be effective but don’t rely just on decoys. There is no substitution for scouting and good calling. If you want more information on turkey calling and tactics check out some of my published articles.