In the East, this is certainly the case where the two share the same habitat
(which is not often, since E. Screech like dry deciduous forests, while Barred
Owls prefer riverbottom swamps). During my birding adolescence in Florida,
many older birders told and demonstrated to me how you could get call responses
from Barred owls with Barred owl calls, but if you wanted to see a Barred owl
you needed to mimic a Screech Owl and watch carefully for the silent
larger owl coming in for the attack.
Rob Thorn, Tacoma (rthorn at ups.edu)