Using decoys can be a bit of an art.
Making sure you set them up realistically to fool the incredibly intelligent animals that we chase after. It’s even more impressive using these things to further fool an animal and get within very close distances.
This video here is the ultimate use of a decoy, I don’t know many people who could pull this off and get within even a few feet of a wild turkey like this.
The video starts with it looking at a group of jakes walking in checking them out. After a couple gobbles, you see the decoy and realize there is a hunter behind it.
Over the span of a minute the hunter does his best turkey impression hiding behind the decoy and crawling towards the flock of birds.
Apparently, the show was very believable he gets within a couple feet of the birds, but… they still seem a little weary.
You see his hand start to come around the decoy. Just as the jake turns to run the man reaches out and snags its leg and pulls it in to get control. He grabs it by the legs and neck and holds it up like a championship trophy.
One might question why this would ever happen, and the two involved summed up the story:
“Due to the virus, Kyle and myself were working remotely. We were able to leave early, so we decided to turkey hunt after the passing rain.
When we finally heard the roar of the gobbles, we knew we were going to double. The jakes had full gobbles. When they came around the corner, we realized it was a group of jakes. Kyle had always mentioned catching one behind my decoy.
At that time, I grabbed my phone, and he grabbed the camera. The rest is history.”
I guess when you have been planning something and the opportunity presents itself, you have to pounce. And that’s exactly what this guy did.
Don’t try this one at home, it will probably not go this great every time.
