IndyHunter

For those of you that use dove decoy, what are the various setups you have used that seem to work? Also, what type of " contraptions" have you used/made to set decoys on to get them off the ground? I have a spot or two that allow me to set the decoys on an irrigation line, but there are also a couple fields that are huge with nothing natural to set my dekes off the ground so they can be seen. And with not enough hunters to cover some of the fields to keep them moving, decoys work good, as long as they can be seen.

psandhu

get an even number 10 foot sections of conduit, about $4 each. cut half of them in half. cut the other half of them in half but cut it at a sharp angle, like about 60 degs.

the pointy ends go in the ground. about 12 inches above the pointy end, drill a 3/8 in hole all the way through. put a 2-3 inch nut and bolt through the hole. you put your foot down on this to drive the pointy end in the ground. these pointy conduit sections are also good at deterring annoying people.

on the other end of the pointy section, get a big dowel rod that fits snugly inside, you need about 8-12 inches. glue half of it in the pointy dowel section.

now with the other sections of conduit, you can just slide them onto the dowel. drill some 1/4 inch holes near the top and insert some 1/4 x 36 dowels, these are your branches where the dekes sit. you might have to put some tape on the end of the dowel to make it snug. paint the whole thing flat black or brown or grey and your set.

to carry, get a few bungee cords and wrap the 5 foot sections. then get some 1 inch nylon web strapping and some d rings and loop them around each end. or you can make a big quiver, a big robin hood type of quiver.

if the ground is hard, you may have to pour some water on the spots you want the trees, or find some cracks and drive the pointy ends in there.

doveslayer

I like the fake " tree" idea. The August 2002 Outdoor Life magazine describes an easy way to build a fake " power line" as well. Was pretty easy to put together and set up. Only tried it once last year, though, and didn' t get that much out of it.
Probably poor placement on my part.
I don' t think I' ll worry about decoys on opening day, but plan to experiment throughout the season.

bobcat 10

on fence wire works great. get a fishing reel and pole get a swivel and some weights throw over power lines swivel comes down tie dove decoy and reel up to the line works great,we have had doves and lit next to um plenty of times.