Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff

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Are Turkey Decoys An Unfair Hunting Advantage?

February 27, 2012 | By Steve Hickoff

We got to size up a number of turkey decoys at the recent National Wild Turkey Federation Convention. If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve used turkey decoys or are interested in carrying them during a hunt. You’re likely a “beards in the spring and antlers in the fall” type of hunter or even a hardcore two-season turkey chaser. You’re serious about your hunting traditions.

Spur Collector Decoys offer realistic turkey decoys combining taxidermy and technology. So I wonder what you think: Are modern hyperrealistic turkey decoys unfair? Should states impose legal use limits on turkey decoys? Do you ever think a time will come when wildlife agencies prohibit them? Should decoy use just remain a hunter's choice?

This strutting longbeard from Spur Collector Decoys provides yet another turkey hunting option. Let’s back up a bit. As recently as 20 years ago, turkey hunters began to take serious interest in using fakes to lure in spring gobblers. Sure examples of turkey decoys existed before then, but the early '90s saw a rise of turkey products, coinciding with the trap-and-transfer success of the wild turkey by state management agencies. Since then, especially in the last handful of years, the hunting market has been dominated by turkey decoys. Unfair advantage? Early turkey decoys (and some these days) might just scare off gobblers as often as they lured them in. This can still happen, depending on the situation and decoy used, even if the latter fake looks real.

Mississippi Decoys makes a highly portable yet offbeat turkey decoy. Some birds probably die of curiosity and breeding desire as much as anything. That’s true these days as well. Plunk anything out there resembling a hen (or dominance challenging jake or tom) and you might pull a gobbler in. Clearly some of the decoys on the market today look so real it’s difficult to tell a fake from a feathered bird.

Some hate this trend. A hardcore turkey hunting buddy of mine with decades of experience recently told me we’ve entered the age of blinds and decoys and that some hunters have forgotten our tradition’s roots. Hidden in blinds, some modern hunters let the fakes do the work and lure real gobblers to the gun or bow. But he’s old-school about the whole thing and will never carry turkey decoys in his vest. How about you? Let us know how you feel in the comments section below and we'll get some online turkey camp talk started.

Fair or Foul Turkey Hunting Regulations?

February 19, 2012 | By Steve Hickoff

In Maine turkey hunting regulations clearly state electronic calling devices are legal for fall wild turkeys. It’s legal, but is it ethical or sporting? Does it qualify as fair chase? While I’ve never known any Maine turkey hunter to use electronic calling devices, it’s one of those turkey hunting regulations striking me as unfair.

In Maine you can legally use electronic calling devices for fall turkeys. True enough, electronic calling devices are common for spring snow geese during conservation order hunts. The aim is to reduce species numbers to conserve this bird – an oxymoron? Hardly: Snow goose numbers are so high they find difficulty surviving on spring and summer breeding grounds. It’s not the same for the wild turkey. In the end, many turkey hunting states prohibit electronic calling devices; not Maine.

In New York, where you can’t use an electronic calling device for turkeys, you can shoot a spring gobbler out of a tree – legal because it isn’t illegal. Legal New York spring shooting hours begin a half-hour before sunrise. As turkey hunting regulations go, the state requires fall turkey hunters to wait until sunrise for legal shooting – after flocks have likely flown down and assembled.

In New York it's not illegal to shoot a spring gobbler off the roost. Picture yourself minutes after legal New York shooting time, but a little before springtime fly-down activity. A gobbler sits on a limb in range. You raise your shotgun and drop him – a hollow victory or a reason to celebrate? Some would argue it took some effort to get up early, and slip in there secretly in the predawn hours. Others might see this as not opting for fair chase hunting methods, even if it’s legal.

So what’s the worse of the two, realtree.com turkey hunters? Shooting a spring gobbler off the roost? Using an electronic calling device instead of calling the fall turkey in on your own? Are both rules equally unsporting or okay as hunting options no matter the season? Should it be up to us turkey hunters to decide?

Do you have unsportsmanlike turkey hunting regulations in your state? If so, what are they? Let’s get some turkey talk started. Share your comments in the section below and thanks.

Turkey Calling Video Tip: The Kee-Kee

February 17, 2012 | By Steve Hickoff

Scott Ellis of WoodHaven Custom Calls offers this turkey calling video tip for making the kee-kee. Known as a fall call, and a juvenile turkey vocalization, it's also heard from young spring hens.

Avian-X Turkey Decoys and Lifeline 360

February 15, 2012 | By Steve Hickoff

Realtree turkey blogger Steve Hickoff gives tips for using Zink's new Avian-X Turkey Decoys, the Jake Quarter Strut and Breeder hen, in tandem with the Lifeline 360 Turkey Decoy Motion System.

NWTF Convention Coverage Video: New Re-Stick Turkey Sight-In Target from Champion

February 13, 2012 | By Steve Hickoff

J.J. Reich of Champion talks about the new Re-Stick Turkey Sight-In target. These targets are in full-color and come in 25 count pads using the 3M Post-it® Note technology for fast and easy placement.

Steve Hickoff is the Realtree Turkey Hunting Editor and Blogger. He’s been beaten by more birds than he can remember. Still he kills enough to eat well, and fool with beards, spurs and fans until the next season. Pennsylvania born and raised, Maine is his home base now. A full-time outdoor communicator with a couple university writing degrees, he chases spring gobblers and fall flocks around the country. It's "all turkeys, all the time" on the Realtree Turkey Blog.

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