HOW TO DECOY AND CALL DOVES

Decoys and Loafin' Trees

EDITOR'S NOTE: Decoying and calling doves makes for an exciting, fun-filled sport. This tactic allows the landbound hunter to experience the thrills of waterfowl-type hunting, calling and decoying while actually hunting doves. The decoying and calling makes the sport of doveing more than a shooting sport and more than a hunting sport -- putting it on the same level as good waterfowling without the bad weather. With the proper equipment and knowledge about doves, outdoorsmen can enjoy one of the best wing-shooting sports in America today.

A"When you take a stand under a loafin' tree, place at least two of the decoys on the same limb sitting side by side," Harold Knight of Cadiz, Kentucky, says. "If you'll look at doves when they sit in a tree, you almost always see two birds sitting close together on the same limb. So if you want to use your decoys effectively, place them to look as lifelike as possible."

When I tried decoying doves in to my favorite loafin' tree, I set two of the decoys side by side as Knight had suggested. Backing off and looking at my setup, the scene did appear much more natural than having birds scattered all over the tree. After putting the decoys out, I moved in close to the trunk of the tree to look for incoming birds. When I saw doves passing close by, I cooed on the owl hooter and watched what happened to the doves. Although I couldn't say for sure whether the calling or the decoying worked most effectively, by using decoys and calls, I brought in many more doves than if I simply had sat down next to a tree and prayed that doves would fly overhead.

TOMORROW: MAKING YOUR SPREADS