How to call ducks

[TwoShot]

I've been waterfowl hunter for a few years and do some calling. I've turned some birds flared others away, so where or how can I improve my calling, both for ducks and geese.

Got some of those tapes with calls I have bought through the years, but calling waterfowl seems sure different out here in the refuges than where these good old boys hunt in the south.

I use both a mallard call and pintail whistle most of the time, and try and pay attention to what call is working that day. And I try to call sparingly unless the birds are really reacting to the calls. This year I'm going to carry a drake mallard call for the first time and see what happens.

Anyone got any ideas,

maybe a JHP clinic.
It could help from having a lunatic in the next blind from you calling like he has a trumpet in his hands.

 

[mouthcallinmatt1]

TwoShot,
It sounds like you are doing it correctly. There are so many variables to calling that you can only learn through practice and time in the field. I think a lot of those "How To Tapes" are to give people a starting point.

It also depends on where you are hunting. If you are hunting a refuge and there are other guys around you that think they are in a contest calling situation then I would lay off the calling as much as possible until the birds swing your way and then that is where experience will kick in. You will get to know the body language of the birds as they are flying as to when they are interested in your spread. Try different calls and see what they want. Every day is a different situation. Even the most experiences callers are having to adjust from day to day and hour to hour.

I hunt Wister almost exclusively and I use a Haydel's DR-15 which I can get the deep quack of a hen Mallard, a loud highball, or by pearcing my lips together and restricting some of the air, I can make the high pitched quack of a teal. I also use a Maurillio pintail whistle, probably more than the Haydel's. When you have a pintail working your spread you can see them react to each call on the whistle which I try to use sparingly.

If you hunt where there is a good population of Mallards then I'm sure the Mallard Drake call will be an asset. Many who use them swear by them.

Personally I think there would be a lot more working birds if there weren't so many guys going nuts on their calls. You may want to find an area where there aren't as many hunters even if there aren't as many ducks because the ones you do see may be more apt to working into your spread with well placed or no calling. Like I said, it looks you are doing everything right. If there was one magic thing to do then everyone would be doing it and this sport wouldn't be quite so challenging

I think a JHP clinic is a good idea to teach some basics and also some things that seem to work in most situations.

 

[duckdogdad]

One of the biggest mistakes is calling to much, MY OPINION is to pick a few simle calls and practice, take them in your car. I like phil robertson philosophy.I think the most important thing is to read the ducks, the best time to do that is in the off season. Remember by the time ducks get here they have heard a few calls, so to me Ive got to really convince them. I use a lot of 5-7 note what I call a "comeback" I dont use the feeding chuckle only because I cant. I dont use the 15 note highball. Im only saying this because I have my own style. Hope that helps.

 

[chavarriamj]

I would have to agree with Duckdogdad. I have been calling for about 15 years and have hunted with Phil Robertson. Like he says seeing is believin. You need to listen to what ducks sound like and then learn to sound like them. People teach approximately 4 to 5 different calls. Ducks don't do that many sounds. I personally don't even use the so called feed call as the way it's taught. I can blow the call but when have you ever heard a duck do that. I use a variation of the so called feed call and only when I am hunting in a feeding area. I use 2 different calls most of the time when using a mallard hen call. I try not to over call & let my decoys do the work. Go out and listen to ducks then try to sound like what you year. 5 & 7 notes is good. Sometimes I call in mallards using a hen teal sound. Wha ever works. Mixing it up with support calls such as mallard drake,widegeon,teal,gadwall,sprig etc. is good. More than one duck on a pond sounds more realistic. Good Luck and keep practicing. Like Phil Robertson says: " The duck stops here".

 

[mouthcallinmatt1]

Well said, I couldn't agree more.

 

[TwoShot]

Thanks for the advice guys, If you see me flying down the 15 in my p.u. blowing a duck call, give me a honk.

 

[duckdogdad]

Its alittle emberrassing at first but a nice limit is well worth it.

 

[hunthog]

Ah yes, Refuge hunters. They call too much, they call to loud, they LOVE highball calls. All of which flare all the birds away. The most important thing to do is go to a Refuge and listen to the birds on the water during the day, evening or morning. You'll be surprised at how little they actually call. You'll hear a few Hen Mallards highballing and greeting every so often and a lot of feeders. Nothing like what you hear the majority of hunters doing out there in the marsh. When the shooting starts, what birds are left on the water clam up and hide, so overcalling is a sure clue to most of the birds that it "ain't no lonesome hen down in that there marsh" it's someone trying to give them a steel poisoning.

Best advice. Call to get their attention, greet them, shut up and use a low quack or feed call sparingly after that. Once they commit, shut up. If they commit to someone else let them go. If you try and highball them back to you (like everyone seems to try and do) then no one gets a chance because they flare and leave. When hunting a club last year I rarely called except to get their attention. After that I just waited and, the ones that wanted to, set up and commited.

If you get stuck in the middle of a bunch of highballers, move, find a nice quiet hole and do your thing. You'll be more successful and a hell of a lot less stressed. I hate Refuges more because of the incompetent callers than for any other reason. Please don't fall into that category. Call smart, not often, you'll be more successful overall and get better birds.

hunthog