Dec Sneak
Spring turkey hunting is a sure way to get your adrenaline pumping! Over the past decade and a half I have pursued gobblers with a gun and bow, from a typical ground blind set up to a spot and stalk technique. Sometimes I bring my whole closet of gear from decoys to chairs and a tent blind to a packed lunch. Other times I bring nothing more than my turkey vest with a couple of calls. Many different techniques have proven to be very successful over the years but there is one that I have never tried myself, the Dec Sneak. I’m not sure if that’s the technical term or not but my clever cousin called it that and it sort of stuck with me. It’s a technique that utilizes a decoy or a fanned out silhouette and you literally walk behind it right up to a gobbler! It sounds crazy but it is strikingly similar to what my dad and I had done when I was a kid with waterfowl. We had made a cow decoy and by walking with that in front of us we were able to get unbelievably close to a field full of snow geese. I had decided that this year, if given the opportunity, I would try to do the Dec Sneak on some gobblers!
DISCLAIMER: Disguising yourself as a turkey during turkey season can be extremely dangerous as you may become the target of another hunter. This technique should be used with extreme caution and it is never recommended to be utilized on public land. Be very certain there is no chance of other hunters being in the area before ever attempting this technique.
Late Start
Sunrise was at 6:18 am, which meant shooting hours were a half hour before that and I had a 15 minute walk to my turkey spot – not to mention set up and drive time. To account for all these things I went to bed Friday night with an alarm set. As I drift out of slumber the next morning I can tell my bedroom is already filled with sunlight before I even open my eyes. I am fully awake within a second of realizing I have more than just hit the snooze button. Before I panic – which would be pretty easy to do since the turkeys have certainly flown down out of the roost – I decide to calmly gather my gear and simply go turkey hunting!
The morning is still fresh and I have a good feeling as I drive to my hunting spot. I arrive around 7 am and the conditions are perfect. I am happy to be out in the woods today and I will play out whatever situation I’m faced with as best as I can. After crossing a dirt field I come up to a large grass pasture that has small 3 to 4 ft rolling hills. I move very slowly and scour the area with my binoculars. Then I see them. Three big toms with some hens about 250 yards away. I had found my target.
Plan Of Attack
As I analyze the landscape and make predictions of their movements, I begin to devise a plan. I will belly crawl over each rolling hill to close the distance, then set up my decoy and call them into me. After a quick review of plan A, I know I’m fooling myself to think those toms won’t spot me. Turkeys can see 3 times as well as humans and have a 270 degree field of view.
Then it hits me – the Dec Sneak! I won’t try to hide from them, I’ll make sure they see me! This technique has successfully been used many times on TV but this was MY perfect opportunity to put it to the test. I hunker down in a small divet and shed my vest with all my gear. I slide my slate call into my pocket and get out Ol’ Pretty Boy decoy. Years ago I took the time to fully feather this strutting decoy, which has added immense realism. For a little more information on my own decoy set up check out this post. I don’t have a fancy rolling stand to slide along as I move so I just set my decoy on the stake and carry it along a few feet before stabbing into the ground. I’m at the top of a small hill sprawled out flat. My head is pretty much right underneath my decoy and I take a slow glance through my binoculars. Sure enough the toms see me so I spin my decoy slowly back and forth, then I throw in a few yelps. I clearly can see I’ve captured their attention but they’re still not too sure what to make of me. I lift the stake out of the ground and crawl forward about 10 more yards to the next hill. Not much has changed so I repeat this action one more time.
The Perfect Scenario (Almost)
At my slight vantage point I study the turkeys out in front of me, still approximately 200 yards away. There are two big toms off to my right and one big tom that has broken off to visit a hen in front of me. I hit my slate call with some soft yelps and I get a reply from the hen. I strike up a conversation with her and in doing so I hear a very distant gobble way off to my left. I’m starting to feel really good right now as the potential for a harvest boils up quickly. My next move is to continue on towards the toms off to my right, and if something goes wrong I’ll still have a chance at the gobbler far off to my left. I pick out my next ridge top a few yards off and slowly lift up Ol’ Pretty Boy to move along.
Just as I begin to crawl, I scan to my left and there he is. I immediately shift gears and my plan B becomes my plan A so I do a 90 degree turn and lay in army prone position directly under my strutting decoy. A big mature gobbler is about 150 yards away all fanned out and lasered into my decoy. Apparently that gobble I heard “way off to my left” wasn’t that way off after all. I do a few more content yelps and clucks before spinning my decoy side to side. The big tom is hooked. He remains in full strut but comes swiftly in, showing that he’s clearly the bigger and better bird. Within seconds he is at no more than 50 yards and coming in fast. My heart beats hard as adrenaline is consuming my body. He is all fanned out and now not more than 15 feet away coming directly at me! To save myself from being caught between a spur kicking battle I raise my gun up and shoot.
I am in shock when I realize I have missed! I pop up and quickly the most perfect situation turns to a story about the one that got away. My gun is jammed. The tom is still very confused but begins to run away. Two things are actually going through my head right now: 1) I can’t believe how perfect this all worked out and I couldn’t seal the deal and 2) DON’T panic! Focus and get this shell unjammed. Somehow I managed to follow thought #2 and by focusing I was able to rather quickly get my gun unjammed with a live shell reloaded. I pull up and line my sites with a bouncing turkey head about 30+ yards off. I squeeze the trigger and he drops!
Hard Earned Work
As I see my big tom flop after my shot I let out all my excitement. I throw my fist in the air with a loud yell and run up to my harvest! My heart is thumping like an old Indian drum and my hands are still shaking from the thrill. The experience of having a gobbler come at me full strut literally just feet away, missing and having my gun jam, then to still somehow pulling off a kill shot was a 60 second roller coaster of emotions!
As with every kill, I am extremely thankful. It is in these moments of harvesting an animal that I feel a strong connection with the universe and feel grateful for the animal, the hunt and experience, and every little thing in my life. This is why I have such a strong passion for hunting. I admire the beauty of this bird and know that there is hard work ahead of me now. I have about a half mile walk back to the truck and part of it is through a muddy flooded field, and this time I’ll have an extra 20+ pounds to carry. Then, I know once I’m home it’ll take time to clean him, pin up the tail, and tack the feet. It’s hard work ahead, but as with any animal or bird harvested, I welcome it dearly because I have earned it. I have earned the reward of putting meat in my freezer for my family and I. I have earned the sweat that pools underneath my shirt and sore muscles to come after my hike back. But there is just something special about being able to pursue and provide that makes the hard work so enjoyable.
My Takeaway
1) Precise aiming is critical when your target is a couple yards away and you’re using an extra full choke in your shotgun. Because I was laying so flat on the ground I raised up my gun and tried to line my site to the turkeys head but I did not get my cheek flat on the butt of the gun. I was thinking that since he was so close I’d definitely get him – and boy was I wrong!
2) The Dec Sneak definitely works! I’m not a very big framed man so I was able to hide well behind my strutting decoy, but the Mojo Scoot N Shoot would be more ideal for this technique. I believe one of the key factors in my environment was the grass. It was only about 10 inches tall but it absolutely helped conceal me as I laid flat under the decoy. I also studied the toms’ reactions and I noticed that they became most intrigued as I slowly spun Ol’ Pretty Boy back and forth. Which leads me to also believe that this motion system in a blind set up would work incredibly well. I think it’s a subtle way to capture their attention and their natural instincts will take them over.
3) It’s important to stay positive and adapt to your hunting scenario. Waking up late was not my ideal way to start the morning, but I didn’t let it get me down and I changed my hunting plan accordingly. Looking back on it, I wouldn’t have had the same awesome experience I did if I had woken up on time. It’s not that things always have to happen for a reason, but you can certainly choose how to perceive it and react to it.
4) Turkey hunting is still one of my favorite things to do. It allows you to think in the moment and forces you to constantly change your plan of attack. You can experience highs and lows very quickly as I did on this hunt. I certainly have put miles underneath my boots while chasing gobblers before and it is that hard work and persistence that makes a successful hunt so enjoyable. Whichever technique you choose for turkey hunting, it is sure to always provide you with a thrill!