The Basics: Calls Every Duck Hunter Must Master
Listen and learn
There are eight calls every serious duck hunter should have in his or her repertoire.
Learn these, and you will be able to bring ducks closer in nearly every hunting
situation.
Click the icons to hear champion caller Greg Brinkley, maker of Drake Brake Duck
Calls in Marion, AR, demonstrate each call sound.
Know Your Calls
1. Basic Quack
As easy as it sounds,
some callers never master a basic quack, and then wonder why the ducks don't come
into their spread. Todd Heidelbauer also stresses the importance of learning to
end the quack. "One of the first things my grandfather [Frank Heidelbauer] taught
me was to end my quacks. People use 'qua qua qua' when there needs to be a clean,
crisp, 'quaCK' instead. Stick to the basics and end your quacks, and everything
else is second." The Heidelbauers should know; Frank Heidelbauer designed and began
making their popular calls in 1952.
2. Greeting Call
"I use the greeting
call when I first see ducks at a distance. It's a series of 5 to 7 notes in descending
order at a steady even rhythm, Kanc, Kanc, Kanc, Kanc, Kanc," says Rod Haydel. Rod
Haydel should know; he's part of Louisiana duck calling royalty-the Haydel family
of Haydel's Game Calls.
3. Feed Call
For a basic feeding
call, say "tikkitukkatikka," into the call raising and lowering the volume slightly.
"I don't feed call a lot," says three-time World Champion caller and call maker
Mike McLemore. "Callers should learn to use it to add variety, but it sounds better
to the caller than it does to the ducks." Haydel adds, "Most mallards I hear feed
calling in the typical 'kitty, kitty, kitty' fashion are flying, while ducks feeding
are more broken up and erratic sounding, like 'da-dit da-dit dit dit, da-dit dit.'"
4. Hail Call
The
hail or highball call is an overused call in the minds of the pros. "Don't use a
highball within 100 yards of the ducks," says Jim Olt of P.S. Olt Company. "But
when you do use it, blow high, hard, and loud. However, nobody should use it unless
they know how and when. Hails are the loudest of the lot." Rod Haydel agrees. "I'm
not much on 30 note hail calls," he says. "I have yet to hear a real hen call in
this manner. I try to sound as natural as I can." If you decide to try your hail
call, start with a long, strong, Aaaaaaink...Aaaaaink.., aaaaink, aaainkaink and
taper off as it progresses. But remember to use the hail call sparingly, and as
Haydel says, "If the ducks are coming in, forget calling."
5. Comeback Call
"The comeback call
is used when ducks don't respond to your greeting or you want an immediate response,
such as in timber. It's more urgent sounding and faster, like Kanckanc, Kanc, Kanc,
Kanc," says Haydel. "Also, I have found live hens only call to others after they
have flown over the pond or passed their location. Usually she'll give them only
one comeback call." Olt adds, "Just remember that a comeback call is fast and hard,
with about 5 to 7 notes. Don't overcomplicate it."
6. Lonesome Hen
The lonesome hen is
an often overlooked call that can be very effective, especially when ducks are call-shy.
The call is nothing more than widely spaced, irregular, nasal, drawn-out Quaaaaink
quacks. Some callers have used it to pull birds sitting on the water for long distances.
"You can derive your lonesome hen call from your basic quack. Learn to quack correctly
and the rest will come from that," says Jim Olt. "Your lonesome call should be spaced
out, and quick, with several seconds between. If the quacks are too close together
it scares the ducks. And keep in mind that the lonesome hen is somewhat low and
throaty."
7. Pleading Call
"The pleading or begging
hail call is used to get the attention of ducks flying 75 to 200 yards above you,"
says champion caller Greg Brinkley. "This call is a series of 5 t o 6 quacks that
are really dragged out to sound like you are begging the ducks to land. A pleading
call is a Kaaanc, Kanc, Kanc, Kanc sound, and its first note is usually held a little
longer. The pleading call is a drawn-out, slightly faster variation of the comeback.
Many callers save the pleading call for stubborn ducks that refuse to come in. It's
the caller's way of literally pleading with the ducks to come into or return to
the spread.
8. Whistling (Mallard, Pintail and Wigeon)
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Mallard Whistle |
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Pintail Whistle |
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Wigeon Whistle
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Whistling works! Rod Haydel swears by a whistle. "Most of our most successful hunts
last year were late in the season using whistles in conjunction with our mallard
calls.
We try to identify the ducks before we call to them so that we can speak their
language," he says. "Whistles are also a great way to get youngsters involved in
hunting, because there's no way they can mess it up." |
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