The 2002 turkey season was my first as editor of Turkey & Turkey Hunting. Hen decoys had been in use for quite some time, and a few jake decoys were on the market, but I had never even heard of anyone using a gobbler decoy. Today, every decoy manufacturer offers a gobbler model, and the trend has brought several new players into the market. Love 'em or hate 'em, gobbler decoys are here to stay.

In Florida in 2006 I shot a gobbler that was charging my Montana Decoy full strut silhouette decoy. The next day I shot another bird with the help of Michael Waddell's "Road Trips Ralph" fake. But I've also seen toms spook at the sight of a full-strut deke. Then again, I've seen them spook at the sight of a hen decoy too, so it seems there are no guarantees.

Here are just a few of the gobbler decoys and accessories I saw at the NWTF convention in Atlanta in February.






The Spin-N-Strut decoy, displayed here by Ken Davis, imitates a bold jake. You can flip the tail up and down like a turkey popping in and out of strut, and the special stake system allows the decoy to rotate like a real displaying tom.

 

Ashley McPherson, daughter of Montana Decoys founder Jerry McPherson, shows off the company's full strut silhouette, one of the first gobbler decoys on the market.