It's never too early to begin thinking about spring gobblers. I never stop. Thoughts of strutting, lovesick longbeards linger in my mind all year long. So, you'd better believe I was super stoked when I received word today about the latest development in the Avian-X line of Lifelike Collapsible Decoys: the Strutter.

A hunter waits to fold a longbeard lured-in by the Avian-X Strutter decoy.

Here's a bit about the new decoy, directly from the Zink crew: "Created with incredible detail and lifelike realism, the Avian-X  LCD Strutter is 15 percent smaller than a real turkey, making it less dominate and more effective, in addition to being lightweight and easy to pack for any turkey hunting scenario. Avian-X  LCD Strutter comes with a one-piece collapsible stake, carrying bag and Turkey Time DVD."

I've hunted over all the other decoys in the Avian-X line. They're exceptional. In fact, I killed my Rio gobbler as part of my single-season Grand Slam this spring while hunting over the Breeder hen. I don't always carry a decoy, but when I do it needs to be ... Lifelike and Collapsible. All of the Avian-Xs meet that standard, and because of their Dura-Rubber construction, the shell doesn't poke you through your turkey vest like some of the other realistic turkey decoys on the market.

Shown here is the entire flock of Avian-X turkey decoys.

I can't wait to see gobblers go ballistic on my Avian-X Strutter next spring. Maybe I'll use it to try and arrow my first limb-hanger.

The Strutter isn't available yet, but NAHC members who follow my blog will be the first to know when it is.

Zink Calls' Walt Gabbard took a longbeard over the Avian-X Strutter prototype.