The Art of Tom Foolery
Those who have a passion for chasing spring gobblers truly live in the Golden Age of Tom Foolery. For many years, hunters wanting to stake a deke were limited to a handful of foam or silhouette models that in hindsight were pretty crude and lifeless. These days hunters can choose from an array of ultra-realistic models, and for anyone with a fatter wallet, decoys that are basically taxidermy. Here are some of the best, right off the floor of the 2018 NWTF Convention in Nashville.
Avian-X Trophy Tom
New from Avian-X in 2018 is the unique and versatile Trophy Tom. Sittin’ pretty on the wall one day and in the field drawing the ire of dominant gobblers the next, the Avian-X Trophy Tom serves double-duty as an affordable and beautiful way to display the tail fan and beard of your trophy gobbler, as well as the ultimate portable strutting or stalking decoy. Molded in intricate detail and finished with a striking, true-to-life paint job, the Trophy Tom looks just like the real thing. The one-piece design holds the dried tail fan and the beard from any gobbler and is easily hung on the wall. Better yet, the Trophy Tom takes up little space, extending from the wall only slightly farther than a large, framed print. This means hunters can proudly, beautifully and easily display their trophy gobbler just about anywhere in their home or office. The attached carry handle and included collapsible mounting stake make transportation and field use easy.
Visit: www.Avian-x.com
H.S. Strut Lite Turkey Decoy Series
Getting in close to a wary gobbler requires a quick, silent set up and the new Strut Lite turkey decoys from H.S. Strut deliver that and more. A totally new body design improves on other models by making Strut Lite decoys lighter and easier to set up. That, along with ultra-realistic body detail and convincing head coloring, gives you the advantage every time.
Three new body designs feature lightweight, foldable, hollow body construction for easy transportation and storage. An open bottom design reduces weight without compromising realistic body appearance. Setup is quicker and easier than ever when affixing the included two-piece ground stake to the easy access body cavity. Best-in-class detail in the decoys’ flake-resistant paint makes for extremely realistic decoys that fool even the wisest old toms.
The Strut-Lite Hen’s upright position is perfect for positioning as if she is ready to be bred, and the Jake’s semi-aggressive position brings in toms for an easy fight. The Feeder Hen’s relaxed feeding position lets other turkeys know that the area is safe. Use individually, as pairs or use all three Strut-Lite decoys together for the “flock” effect.
Visit: www.HunterSpec.com
Mojo Skoot-N Shoot Turkey Decoy
- Impressive Boss Gobbler strutting posture with wide, flared wings.
- Lightweight design with built-in handle and stake.
- Real fan hub for mounting your own turkey tail.
- Hunter orange strips for safety.
- Works well as a stand-alone decoy.
Visit: www.MojoOutdoors.com
Kill Gear JakeFan Decoy
Dramatically increase your odds of harvesting a bird by using the JakeFan as a traditional stationary decoy or a run and gun fanning decoy all in one, to trigger the territorial response of a dominant tom against an adolescent jake.
Features:
***Built-in stake and 3D head, carrying bag and TurkeyFan face mask.
***Manually functions to mimic an adolescent bird going in and out of strut.
***Folds up to be easily portable and durable for safe transport in the field.
***Custom window for shooting or filming.
***Built-in ground stake recesses into the handle when not in use, so you never have to worry about losing it.
Visit: www.KillerGear.com
Flambeau King Strutter
Modeled upon the design by award-winning Master Carver Dave Constantine, the King Strutter dictates the captivation and enraged spite of lurking gobblers with an anatomical accuracy that is only missing a heartbeat. Featuring an innovative keyhole stake plate that permits a fixed position or a natural side-to-side full strut rotation of 60 degrees in a breeze, when mounted with either Flambeau’s high-definition synthetic fantail or a real fantail, the realism becomes so alive that dominant toms respond with fury — right into your sights.
Includes:
***Turkey Decoy.
***Heavy-Duty Powder-Coated Steel Stake.
***High-Definition Synthetic Fantail.
***Synthetic Beard.
***Carry Bag.
Visit: www.FlambeauOutdoors.com