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The "Breeding Hen" Set-up

The latest trick among decoy users is to make a "breeding hen" by shortening the decoy's stake so you can easily set her with her belly touching the ground.  That's the posture a hen assumes when she's ready to be bred.

A breeding hen by herself may lure in a gobbler, but if you add a jake right behind her, as if he's about to breed the hen, it should drive the tom nuts, especially early in the season.

Turkeys have a rigid flock pecking order, and no adult male turkey will tolerate the sight of a jake breeding a hen.

If you don't mind shooting a jake, add a second hen, 5 yards further away and off to the side.  The theory here is that a real jake will shy away from fighting the jake decoy, and he'll go to the single hen decoy instead.

If you use this setup, make sure you have a clear field of fire at the jake and the second hen decoy.