ESPN Hunting

Decoys come in several styles ranging from photo-image silhouette decoys to fold out and inflatable ones. There are even ones that move via pulling a string.

For one, they give a suspicious tom a turkey to see.

And, if the decoy is set in an open area such as a mature oak bottom or along a field edge, those decoys can act as a visual call to birds that may spot them from a distance, but has yet to hear you call. This is especially effective when you are calling sporadically — or, like many hunters are prone to do on a slow day, napping).

Decoys come in several different styles ranging from photo-image silhouette decoys to fold out and inflatable ones. There are even ones that move via pulling a string.

Inflatable decoys are among the most recent to hit the market and are great because they can be quickly inflated for setup and just as quickly deflated to store compactly in a turkey vest.

All of the decoys on the market offer a good dose of realism and have been used successfully to bring turkeys in close.

One key to remember when setting decoys out, however, is that wild turkeys are not like geese; just because they tend to gather in huge winter flocks, you don't need a massive spread of decoys to entice them in your direction.

In fact, the opposite often is true.

A good decoy spread for turkeys amounts to no more than more than a pair of hens and a single jake, like the Buckwing's Lifelite Flock Decoy Set.

Place the jake facing you, so when the jealous gobbler rushes in to square off on his younger competition, his back will be to you offering a chance to make any last-minute adjustments in your aim.

The breeding jake and hen decoy is another great setup that has hit the market in recent years.

Like every aspect of hunting, safety is a key concern when using decoys. Here are a few safety tips: