Decoy Height

[tonyotony]

Only doing this a few years, my friend, who has been hunting turkeys a lot longer, tells me that I should replace the 27" inch stakes that come with my decoys with higher ones, so the birds can see them from farther away. I bought some 4' high bamboo stakes at the hardware store the other day. When(if ever) is a decoy too high off the ground? Would they then look unnatural to the birds?

[retranger]

I do not place decoys in that manner. If possible I place the decoy so that when the tom can see the decoy he is also in gun range. Because in nature the hen is suppose to go to the tom for mating so if he sees the decoy from a ways out he may hang up on you. This is what has worked best for me. Never had a bird hang up because of the decoyl.[right][/right]

[WillowRidgeCalls]

I have revampt all of my decoy stakes. Mine are adjustable in height, so I can use them in different situations. That way if your hunting in a woods or hayfield you can set the heigth of your decoy accordingly. I bolt my top half to the decoy and slide the bottom of the stake up over the top half , the bottom has different holes drilled in it and a bolt through it to adjust the heigth. I cut a V in the bottom of the top half so it slides over the bolt and doesn't spin in the wind.

[Everyday Hunter]

I think putting decoys on longer stakes is a good idea. I wish I'd had a longer stake last week, when I had three gobblers in a field looking toward my calling, but they couldn't see the deke. Six to eight inches should be enough -- I wouldn't go overboard. I'll be using longer stakes next year.

Steve