My Dave smith 1/4 strut Jake has had his butt whooped by Toms each of the last 4 years. Love that thing. A couple inflatable avian x hens round out the flock. They’re much more portable than the DSD.
Realistic decoys can be a game changer. DSD, buy once cry once, I guide turkeys and hunt many states myself each spring, when i use a decoy 99% of the time it is the DSD 1/4 strut jake.
I can not tell you how many birds have been shot off that dudes back, still good as new! Other decoy I use is a mounted hen, pain to carry but deadly!
I used Primos Photoform decoys the past 2 seasons. They are perfect for “run and gun” type of hunting. I like them because they are light and I can fold them up and place them in the game bag of my turkey vest. They look realistic too.
DSD is by far the best I’ve used. However if budget is on the mind. I’ve probably killed 20 or so over the primos pocket hen or PHD. when I’m running and gunning in the mountains I still take a phd. If I’m not walking miles I’ll use the DSD.
Those Dave Smith Decoys look GOOOOOOD. Last two birds I've killed have been lazer focused on the DSD jake with hen.
Dave Smith is a heckuva nice guy, too. I'd hunt his decoys anyway because they look better than anything else I've seen, but it's a bonus to know you're buying an American made product from a small business owned by a good dude.
I personally don’t have any DSDs, but have hunted with them at my brother in laws and they are awesome. Personally I have avian x. A feeding hen, a bedded hen, and a jake. When i position that Jake over the bedded hen he gets his a$$ kicked. This exact setup worked with my 3, 6, and 7 year old daughters in the blind last year.
When I use decoys, I've been using Montana fold up hens and jake. Have used the 2d ones and picked up two 3d hens last year. For run and gun they work great pack up small and don't weigh a ton. This year I am going to try some home made gobbler fans (like meateater) we'll see how that goes.
DSD. 3/4 strut jake and the upright hen make an incredible combo. The jake gets a ton of action, my son shot one tom off the top of it last season. That upright hen just seems to trigger other hens too. I've had hens fight it, 3 strut around it, and one gobble at it! (I caught the gobbles on video, it happened!).
I've shot turkeys without decoys and I've shot turkeys with cheap decoys. If you're going to use a decoy, use DSD. They got the posture perfect and the turkeys just respond to them better.