If varies state by state I'm sure, but I know in PA if you are participating in the hunt, you have to adhere to all of the rules just like an active hunter, gun or no gun. That said and somewhat related: I collect the FED stamps and prefer my sig not to be 'obnoxiously large'. So one year I got a blind draw and I asked a Deputy Warden who was singing me in if my sig was "legal" -- it was across the very bottom of the stamp, he said "Yeah". It was clearly legible and my legal name. Two weeks later I'm near that blind area (in a public field) and the Chief Warden walks up to me, checks me out, says my stamp is illegal b/c it wasn't "across the face" (from lower left corner to upper right corner)... I told him the discussion I had with his colleague two weeks prior. After a 5 min discussion and him seeing my Federal law enforcement ID I'm convinced that was the only reason he cut me a break... he finally said "Well sign it again", I did and that was the end of it. People wonder why the sport is losing participants...

In the Wisconsin State statutes hunting is defined as:

“42) “Hunt" or “hunting" includes shooting, shooting at, pursuing, taking, capturing or killing or attempting to capture or kill any wild animal.”

I would put calling as falling under “pursuing” or “attempting to capture.” I.E. you are facilitating others to shoot and kill the birds you call. Since you are “hunting” when with others with a gun you would need to be fully licensed for waterfowl hunting including a state and federal waterfowl stamp. If you were all by yourself without a gun, not in camo, etc. I suppose you could argue you were merely practicing calling with no means to capture or kill any bird.

Same concept would apply if you were participating in a deer drive but not carrying a gun. By walking and driving the deer you are attempting to capture them by virtue of the shooters with guns.