My turkey decoys are over 20 years old and getting shabby looking and I was thinking of replacing them. Last year I had several Long beards hang up on me until I changed up on decoy. What is every one using?
Turkey have a variety of reactions to decoys, from turn tail and run, to ignore, to come charging in. This is with the exact same decoy. In general size and shape are the primary things you need. I've had gobblers strut for geese like they were hens. All the expensive life-like decoys provide no advantage. I even bought a taxidermy hen when I was young and foolish.
Depending on setup, movement can be beneficial. When a gobbler comes looking for a hen that has been calling, he expects to see her at a distance if the terrain and vegetation allow it. Her movement gets his attention at a distance and comforts him. If you use a fixed decoy and he comes looking for her and doesn't see her until she is right on top of him because the decoy is still, the surprise can spook him.
I generally don't use decoys unless I have to. I prefer a setup where terrain is such that a turkey doesn't expect to see the hen until he is in gun range. If I happen to be in a very open area where the gobbler expects to see the hen from a long distance, I'll use them.
Keep in mind, a turkey hanging for a decoy, or a hen for that matter is the norm. Hens go to gobblers in nature. When we call a gobbler in, we are reversing nature. So, having a gobbler either see a decoy or hear your call and hang at 50 yards or so and just strut back and forth and eventually leave is normal. He is doing what nature calls for to entice the hen to come to him and eventually gives up and goes off gobbling trying to find other interested hens. That is why I prefer a topography setup if one is available.
Best of luck,
Jack