Spring Turkey Hunting: 3 Popular Arrangements for Decoys

Some absolutely despise turkey decoys while others swear by them. As long as you have the right decoys and have them placed properly, it’s going to be surprisingly easy to trick the Toms. Here are three placement strategies for this spring:

Walking Arrangement

For this arrangement, you will place your turkey decoys in a row so as to seem like they are walking. They need to face the same exact way with the hens leading the pack and the males at the back. It’s important that these are set up close to the edge of a field so that eager Toms understand the urgency of catching up to the hens before they’re gone.

Feeding Arrangement

This is a very random arrangement, as turkeys don’t always eat in the same pattern every time. The decoys need to be head down as if they are picking food up off of the ground. Make sure male decoys are facing you and the hens are in front of them. However, if you prefer to not use a male decoy, that’s fine. 

Mating Arrangement

For this arrangement to work, you need to place your decoys as if they are about to mate. The hen should be on the ground with a male decoy standing directly behind her. This shows that the hen is ready to breed because it has become submissive. As a general rule, older Toms will come in ready to fight for the hen. However, young turkeys will likely steer clear, as they aren’t quite ready to be so dominant.

Ultimately, it is important to remember that there isn’t just one single magical arrangement in the woods that is going to get birds out in the open for you to shoot. You need to adapt and learn from the behaviors that you experience while in the field. If one arrangement doesn’t work one day, try another one a different day. In order to be successfully, you’ll have to learn how to adapt to the situation and understand the game that you are pursuing.