I like to use decoys if I'm using a bow, other wise I do just fine without them.
Turkey must have water, so you'll almost always find them within a 1/4 to 1/2 mile form the source. Locating them is probably the easiest of task IMO. I'll stop every 1/4 mile or so and either gobble or use a cluck or putt. If I don't get a response, I let out a coyote howel to shock gobble them. Once you've gotten a gobble from him, don't continue to force him to gobble.
As for calling, I call as little as necessary, call as softly as possible. If you've gotten a response, stop calling and just listen in between gobbles to see if he is closing the distance. If he is, just let him be until such if that he stops, then, and only then make a very soft couple of putts.
And the best possible condition would be putting them to bed right around sun set. you can shock them at sun set, and when they gobble that is where they are going to be roosted for the night. Mark the spot and come back in the morning while it's still dark and get set up 50-75 yds, above the roost. Then wait until it is good and light before you bring them off the roost. And when you do, the first call you use is what I refer to as a tree call. It's when you just barely and softly scrape the call in one single continuous motion, it should be barely audible. Only do this one or two times, they will often just fly down right in front of you, or in your lap. So when bringing them down always have your shotgun up and shouldered, ready to shoot. Another little trick I use is I make a sound that mimics wing beats, this also gets them down off the roost.
If one hangs up, don't start calling harder or louder, at this point silence is often more effective, along with some scraping of the leaves on the ground to mimic some birds feeding or dusting. In fact, don't ever call loud and hard, keep as light and minimal as possible. I've called birds in from over a mile away with only two or three very light calls. Kee Kee runs and all that exotic calling is non sense and has never been necessary for me, and I've killed more than 50 birds in my life, and successfully guided twice that number. Calling them in mid day is just as easy, if not a bit easier than early morning IMO. The way I see it is the hens have finished with them in the morning and now they are all alone and just walking around feeding and watering, so when they hear a hen,(you) they often come in fast and hot. So the key here is to be ready for them to bounce right in on you in a moments notice.
Good luck and don't ever think of turkey as being smart. They have incredible vision and hearing, but they are dumber than a box of rocks. I have called a gobbler in before and managed to spook them, only to turn them around 2 or 3 minutes later just by changing my location by 50 yards or so.
GS
