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Pretty Boy: To use or not to use...

Iowabowtech

Iowabowtech

Active Member
...that is the question. I'm wondering if it's a bad idea at this point or if I'd be better off to go with a jake/hen setup or possibly just a hen or two. Any opinions?
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: DoubleDropTines</div><div class="ubbcode-body">After last weekend, I am done using it. </div></div>

Did you have spooking problems or did you just decide it seemed like a good time to put it away?
 
I have had birds come with in gun range with it but not bow range. It has run more birds off than anything.
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Iowabowtech</div><div class="ubbcode-body">...that is the question. I'm wondering if it's a bad idea at this point or if I'd be better off to go with a jake/hen setup or possibly just a hen or two. Any opinions? </div></div>

I am using just three hen decoys right now.
Only thing that scares me is that he will stop 40 yards out waiting for the hens to come to him.

I have had birds spook with the B-Mobile and had four toms spook off of the three hens and a jake (not strutting decoy). So what is a guy to do?

I think that the toms are sick of getting beat on and just want to find a hen. I have never had any luck with B-Mobile but know it will work on the right day. I have one bird that it will work on and he is the dominant one. Just need to have the right situation come around. Good luck and let us know what you do.
 
When they spook at the prettyboy or b mobile there has got to be one or two big gobblers running around beating everyone into submission.

Is gobbling heavy or sporadic? I've heard that when a very dominant bird is in an area many of the 2 or 3 year old birds won't even gobble hard in the mornings.
 
The birds have been hammerin hard in the mornings until flydown. Then it is just a select few. I have had nothing but negative results with the prettyboy. I dont know what the hell the deal is but they aint liking my setup one bit. After the last bird Saturday morning came in to my set and tucked tail running, I am done with him. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/confused.gif
 
DDT, are you setting up in a clear field or in the timber? If you are in the timber does the pretty boy startle the incomming tom when he spots him so close? Sorta like a deer decoy in the woods?

If they spot him from afar and won't come in I would guess its a dominance thing, but if you are set up in the woods it could be a startle thing. We had one in KS working into the hen decoys. When he came around a dead fall and spotted the PB he was gone. There is always teh posibillity that this bird saw us move in teh blind too, but we'll never know. Just a few more inches and I coulda had a shot.

Take it for what it is worth, I've got a whopping eight hunts under my belt. Thats not eight years, but eight times in the blind.

The 'Bonker
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: DoubleDropTines</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The birds have been hammerin hard in the mornings until flydown. Then it is just a select few. I have had nothing but negative results with the prettyboy. I dont know what the hell the deal is but they aint liking my setup one bit. After the last bird Saturday morning came in to my set and tucked tail running, I am done with him. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/confused.gif </div></div>

Are you using it with hens or by himself? Everytime I've used my B-Mobile by itself the birds have spooked, but the times I've had hens they come in. Try placing a hen decoy in the mating position without a stake and put your Pretty Boy behind her. You may be suprised with the results.
 
I have only had bad experiences with my Pretty Boy and Pretty Girl. I have had better luck with a jake and hen decoy. As a matter of fact, I think I am going to sell mine.

I did have a buddy using his on the first day of the season and had three toms come in. He and his son killed two, and he said that he thought that the third had pretty boy in his sights and wanted to whoop it. But that was early in the season. Maybe all of the birds in my area are just wussies.
 
As of Saturday morning, there was good gobbling but they all shut up once they fly down. One came into the PB on Saturday morning but something didn't feel right. He got within 8 ft of the decoy but then started walking the other way and I had a bad feeling. I'm not sure though, he may have come right back in because there was a small washout in between them that I didn't notice until it got light and he may have just been avoiding that. I ended up taking the walk away shot and missed and now I'm just not sure what the heck to do. I really like the realistic look and the fact that it stands out well in the field. I don't know, maybe I'll toss a coin.
 
I'm just gonna put the submissive hen out this weekend and see what happens. It's gettin' down to crunch time and I'm lookin for any longbeard at this point.

Heck, yesterday even the jake was scared of the jake decoy - must be some real a$$ kicking going on out there /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif.....
 
I use the b-miobile. So far it has worked great. I used the plastic molding to make my own tail and accidentilly broke off one of the four sections of the tail so it is only a 3/4 tail. This weekend I had 4 jakes, 1 tom and 13 hens all come into my spread which included the b-mobile and 2 hens.
 
Have nothing but negative with the Pretty boy. Rios hated it and easterns do also. Guys I was with in kansas a few miles away had great luck with it.??????? It's probably just a farm by farm situation. I want it to work soo bad and I'm done haulin' out this year. Had a lot more young birds come in since I quit using it a few days ago.
 
I think it's such hit and miss with full strut or jake decoys. One day they work, the next they don't, they're turkeys who can figure out an animal with a walnut sized brain.

I had zero luck with PB for the first year or two I used him then this year all I had was good luck. Go figure.

Anyone who is selling their PB an PG let me know! I don't need another PB but I'm in the market for a PG!
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: muddy</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
Anyone who is selling their PB an PG let me know! I don't need another PB but I'm in the market for a PG! </div></div>

If the price is right, I'd buy a PB.

Do I think the PB can be a detriment sometimes? Sure, I think it might scare off subordinate toms. Still, I'd like to have one to experiment with.
 
Well there we go, if someone is wanting to sell their PB and PG there's a sale between Bronc and myself. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: DoubleDropTines</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The birds have been hammerin hard in the mornings until flydown. Then it is just a select few. I have had nothing but negative results with the prettyboy. I dont know what the hell the deal is but they aint liking my setup one bit. After the last bird Saturday morning came in to my set and tucked tail running, I am done with him. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/confused.gif</div></div>

Same thing here. I want to kill a bird over him BAD. But with limited hunting time and nothing but bad experiences with him earlier this year. I'm scared to bring him. Just don'w want another hunt ruined. Used three hen decoys Sat. morning and had three longbeards come in. All birds were within 20yds and my buddy's arrow nicked the DB blind. Next day he took a guy out in the same spot and had a Tom come in to a flock of four hens. Lets just say Texas Heart Shot. Cool Video.

I don't know what the deal is with the PB. Might bring him out late but we're seeing great results with just a few hens out now.
 
I am going to use the PB and have a big stick laying in the blind with me as well /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif Anything within 70yds is in trouble!!
 
Nothing but BAD luck for me. I am still going to use him, but I haven't been impressed so far. The biggest problem is that I have yet to see a Tom without a hen. It is still a tough go up here.
 
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