Dove Decoys

[Troggy]

Any of you use dove decoys? How do you use them and do they work? I ask because I just got 1/2 a doz. of 'em to try out.:confused:

[sm]

I have and your posting reminds me I need to share something.

I take note of the Natural Order of things, meaning critters best can. Before the season , take note of doves and habits.

They come off the roost early to get water, and get gravel/sand to "grovel" , return late in the day again. Early season they have flight paths, like most birds, when season starts and having to fly past all the "distractions" of not only lead...they may change paths. Take note of these changes after opening day. One reason some do not hunt fields , or allow access to field on opening day...just like other migratory hunting.

Gives birds "rest areas" and hunters being responsible allow for this.

Decoys around water sources, around gravel/ sand , fences near tree lines, or in the trees work.

You want to try and have sensible paths, and shooting lanes. For instance for kids especially we have set them out where a farm road come to a "T" , or wide area b/t fields with a big old mud puddle so the kids hopfully will have easier shots and easier to find birds when felled.

Just looks like four or five doves around a mud puddle, rut full of water with sand and gravel handy. We set out range markers too to guage shots.

Kids sit in buckets with seats, or those with seats with backs in bush we clearned and sprayed for ticks, chiggers, and in sit still. Near tree lines we arrange for kids to be in shade with decoys out on the road leading to that tree line.

I have put these on farm sheds , irrigation sprayers and used the cover of sheds , then shoot as they come to me. I'll stand under the irragation sprayer and unless I shoot straight up, I am not going to shoot it. For some reason the doves like to fly at these things, and I like incoming shots. :D

I just these out where I see the doves and Kildeer naturally come out and act.

My best "sneaky" was setting out two cardboard full size cut outs of the Girls on Bikinis, putting the some decoys on my truck, and out in front of me...

Well the doves saw these bikini clad gals moving in the wind, and headed my direction. :D

That was me with a limit of 15 doves and two beer bikini cut out gals in the bed of a truck.

I should have patented that..
Next day..a lady shooting partner limited out as well, she was on the other side of the truck, and used the beer cut out of Cowboys with beer and tobacco diverting from the other side.

Hard part figuring out if the lady cut out went in the truck bed first or the cowboys, or ...guess you had to be there. :D

The folks asked why Yellow bikini was on top and I referred them to ask the lady as to why ...

I got another real easy , too easy trick on decoys...

[sm]

I am dead serious.

Tie a loose knot on one corner of one, and toss it on the ground, set on on a fence. What does it look like? What happens when a slight breeze hit it - it moves - correct?

:D

I learned this before I was big enough to hold a shotgun.

These are light, take less room, can go in the laundry if soiled, will not break...

Just them gray shop rags. Them old gray wash cloths, hand towels work too.

If the wind is blowing too hard, put a rock in the loose knot. Striing attached to about 3 or 4, and then tied to stick, and them gray shop rags look like they are moving around that grovel spot or watering hole. Pick up the stick , and all the decoys are easy to tote back.

Long enough string, toss into trees, ready to leave, yank them down.
Afix to a fence , or near one...

Understand I was not big enough to hold a shotgun, game laws were different. I was born with a Nine Shot .22 revolver.
My maternal grandmother got that for me, and she was so antsy about me coming into this world, I think the reason I arrived a bit early - well that gun was waiting on me, "hurry up and get here".

I was somewhere not yet 4 when I 'helped" grandma shoot that gun. Trying to figure this - my birthday is in April...[getting a timeline] Yep I was 3.

Grandma, and other mentors had used the shop rag trick , I had seen it, and I had tossed rocks at doves after setting out decoys as a brat ... still getting the hang of walking and I am trying to run to catch a dove ...
typical me, I was something else then...still am. I liked doves for eatin'. I got a kick out of watching them and pretending to shoot them with a stick, like big people did with shotguns.

"You would "hunt" outside with a "stick shotgun" for hours. Trying to do just like Mentors and Elders did with shotguns". I heard that and other stuff a lot...

My first doves were taken with a .22 revolver using .22 shorts with gray shop rags out and about. Grandma was there, I was showing her "how it was done". With the timeline being thought out, and the Fair that came to town, I was 3 1/2 years old.

Had an uncle that worked at the Plant...one place we got the rags. Fillin' stations had them too, though most folks only recall seeing the orange ones...
now you know what they and others were doing with the gray ones...;)

Gee - thanks for letting me have some great old memories surface.

Steve

[Dave McCracken]

I've a pair of Mourning Dove dekes, used to have three but one took a full load of 8s. I don't want to talk about it....

I had a couple fence lines that I'd put them up in or in the inevitable chokecherry trees that grow up in fencelines. Often these will pull moving doves in close enough for an open choke if one sets up on or near a route being used.

[Okiecruffler]

About a week before season we'd all get together with a few boxes gathered from the liquor store. We'd cut out dove patterns and paint them with grey spray paint while grilling the last of last year's dove. The old fellas would tell the same stories they told every year and the younger folks would laugh just like they did every year. Dove season, does it get any better?