And if he couldn't find the hen, he would have gotten nervous, drifted back into cover, and disappeared. Instead, the decoys worked their magic, pulling the gobbler from behind me and putting him right in the center of my open shooting lane out front. Turkey-hen decoys give an approaching gobbler a visual explanation for the sounds of your calling. A small, standing jake decoy arouses his jealousy. Both decoys take the approaching gobbler's eyes off you and give him something to look at as he draws near your calling position.
Closer shots mean fewer cripples and more dead birds.
Proper Placement Be sure to place your decoys where an approaching turkey will spot them from a distance. Field edges, logging roads, and small forest openings are the best places. If you are in thick woods, make your decoys more noticeable by putting them up on something higher than the surrounding terrain. Turkeys often step up on objects to gain a higher vantage, so you can be assured that your decoys will look natural when placed up high. Put them up on humps of earth, stumps, or rotten logs whenever possible.