To Call or Not Call
Having spent nearly 30 years stomping fields in search of small-game birds, I'll be the first to admit that pulling out gamebird calls to locate pheasants — let alone doves — sounds a bit corny at first. However, when I began raising pheasants, I found I could get them to call back using an old wooden Haydel's pheasant call. Despite this success, when a fellow dove hunter first told me what an awesome weapon Haydel's D-90 Dove Whistle was, I was a little cynical. But, as happens with some trivial ideas, I let the idea of buying a D-90 Dove Whistle get the upper hand. The idea gained enough momentum that I soon found myself standing at a Cabela's cash register buying one out of pure inquisitiveness. I found that when I was posted up near some decoys that I put on some branches of a dead tree and gave the D-90 dove Whistle a little toot, my odds of seeing incoming birds seemed to improve.

Perfecting a Realistic "Coo" Sound
As with all calls, practice makes perfect; it certainly takes a little talent to emit a noise worthy enough to sound like a genuine game bird. Mastering the classic mating and territorial four-count "coo" of mourning doves (sounds like "coah cooo cooo coo") using the D-90 requires ample practice and definitely more explanation than is provided by the instructions on the back of the box. It helps to hear a sample of the call being blown by a pro, and one can be found at this link: http://www.haydels.com/sounds/D-90.mp3. Holding the call with your middle finger and thumb is also essential, because you'll need your index finger to regulate the airflow out of the whistle's hole to produce as authentic a sound as possible. Take it from me, you'll need persistence and patience blowing the D-90 before you sound more like a dove than a choo-choo train.

Maximize the D-90s Full Potential
I believe you'll get the best results using the D-90 Dove Whistle closer to the opening of the season, as doves tend to get pretty wary by the second or third week. Early mornings and late afternoons also garnered better results with the call. It's helpful to use the call with a setup of stationary and motion-activated decoys. Ideally, you will also have better luck if you hunt near established trees, as well as near water and food plots.

Good luck and happy hunting with the D-90 Dove Whistle.