April 10, 2008It's Alive! The legend of Tuff Bobby Gobble starts now
Gobbler decoys aren't exactly cheap. Plastic ones, to which you can attach a real fan, can run upwards of $75. If you want a real one, like the one my buddies Freddy McGuire and Jeff D'Agostino are using in this video from last season, you either have to sacrifice one of your own mounts, hope you can acquire one that's no longer wanted, or buy a real mounted pen-raised jake decoy from someplace like Hazel Creek for $445. Or you can make your own. Which is what I did. Now, as you look at this gobbler, you may be surprised to know that I am not an experienced taxidermist. This is the first turkey I've ever "mounted." Really. OK, seriously, I know this thing looks a little rough. OK. Maybe more than a little rough. But my friend Barry Arrington killed a huge gobbler last year over a decoy that wasn't this pretty. I really think the keys are the fan and the head. And they both are fine. (I'm actually hoping to get another skin this spring so I can redo the body.) To make this I used a skin from a jake shot by a friend last fall. I bought a foam gobbler body from a taxidermy supply company for about $15, and spent another $45 on the painted head, which was by far the biggest expense. The tail I had lying around. It needs a beard. Our cats got ahold of most of mine (except the 11.5-incher from the first gobbler I killed, and I'm not going to sacrifce that one) and killed them, but a buddy said he's going to hook me up. Anyway, my total investment has been about $65. Plus, it was kind of fun. Will it work? I don't know. But we'll see. (Don't worry -- I don't plan to use this anywhere there's a chance a hunter, who would have to be half-blind -- could mistake it for a real thing and shoot at it.) Oh, the name. One of my girls suggested Gobble and the other Bobby (because that was the name of my friend who gave me the skin and wings).Another buddy suggested Tuff because this boy clearly isn't afraid to mix it up with the big boys. So, there you go. Does anyone else have experience with gobbler decoys? Tips? Suggestions? Good luck to everyone this season. Be safe and keep me posted. |
About this blog
While growing up in rural Southern Oregon, Mark Taylor developed a passion for the outdoors while he and his younger brother tagged along with their father on fishing, hunting and camping adventures. Graduating from Northwestern University in 1988, Taylor spent four years as an officer in the U.S. Navy based in Norfolk before moving into journalism. After five years writing about the military for a Norfolk-based publishing company, he became the outdoors editor at The Roanoke Times in 1998. He lives in Roanoke with his wife and twin daughters. .....Advertisement.....
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Comments
[April 11, 2008 9:34 AM]
DonnieI hit a turkey with my truck one time. Didn't look quite this bad.
Find someone grooming their horse for the spring and have them save you the part they trim from the tail or mane. Use that for the beard
[April 14, 2008 10:05 AM]
Mark TaylorToo funny, Donnie! I saw a dead turkey next to the road this weekend and was thinking the same thing.
A friend had mentioned the horse hair thing, too. But I actually got an offer from a reader for a real beard, so that's probably what I'll do.
Thanks for reading.
mt