Calling Ducks
By T.R. Michels, Trinity Mountain Outdoors
Hunters may
not realize that communication among ducks and geese is a
combination of sound, body posture and action. The meaning of a
call may be more related to body posture and action than to the
sound of the call. Because it is difficult to duplicate the body
posture and action of ducks and geese, you need to understand
the meaning of the calls in order to correctly recreate them.
Two thing to keep in mind when you are calling ducks is that the
pitch of the call, and the length of the individual notes ,of
the calls of different species of ducks are affected by the
relative size of the duck. Generally speaking, the larger the
duck, the deeper the call and the shorter the individual notes
are. While Mallards, Teal, Blackducks and Gadwalls all use
similar sounding Social Contact, Decrescendo and Mating calls;
the calls of Mallards and Black Ducks are deeper pitched than
the calls of Gadwalls and Teal. Because of their larger body
size Mallards and Blackducks also call slower than Gadwalls and
Teal. While most puddle ducks will respond to the calls of a
Mallard, if you are primarily hunting species other than
Mallards, you should use the right call for the species you are
hunting.
Puddle Duck Calling Sequence
When I first
see puddle ducks a long way off I use a loud, long hail or high
ball call (decrescendo) to get their attention and let them know
where I am. I also use loud, long calls on windy days, when the
ducks can't hear as well, especially if they are upwind; and
when I'm hunting flooded river bottoms, where sound doesn't
carry very far. If the birds don't come my way, or if they turn
off before the come in, I use a more drawn out version of the
decrescendo, to try to convince the birds to come my way. While
I call I watch the birds. If they respond to the call I'm using,
I keep it up. If they don't respond I try something else: a loud
decrescendo; a soft decrescendo; a long, drawn out decrescendo;
a string of short quacks; or a chuckle, whatever it takes.
Sometimes I quit calling all together, to see if that works.
Once the
ducks get within a hundred yards or so I use softer, shorter
hail calls and slow, loud quacks, trying to sound like a
contented hen. Most duck hunters have heard the early morning
quacks of a hen Mallard across the water; that's the sound you
should imitate when you're calling ducks that are in close. When
the ducks are close don't blow loud, fast quacks, that's the
sound a duck uses as it jumps into the air when its alarmed. And
don't overcall. If the ducks are coming toward you, put the call
down, grab the gun, and let 'em come. If they look like they
might swing off use slow, soft quacks or the chuckle to keep
them coming.
Calling Diver Ducks
Most of the
calls used for hunting diver ducks can be performed on a
standard mallard call by growling into the call to produce the
rrrr of the females. You can produce the scaup of
the males by cupping your hand around the call and blowing a
short eouuk while closing your hand at the end of the
sound. I use a Haydel’s MG-84 Marsh Guide Mallard for a high
pitched call, and a Haydel’s DR-85 Double Reed Mallard for lower
pitched calls. Lohman offers their Model 450 Diving Duck Call
specifically for hunting divers.
Think While You Are Calling
When you are
calling ducks, think about what you are trying to do. Initially
you try to get their attention, to let them know there are other
ducks in the area, and where they are. If the ducks aren't
coming toward you, you try to get them to change their course
and come closer. As the ducks get closer you try to convince
them that there are other ducks on the water, that it is safe to
land, and that the area is a good place to rest and feed in
safety. However, the calls you are performing are not used by
the ducks for those purposes. They are used to announce a
willingness to mate, used during courtship behavior, and used as
a threat. So, what you have to do is use the calls the ducks
use, but, use them in a way that will get the ducks to do what
you want them to do.
You can use a
loud decrescendo as a hail call to initially get the ducks
attention. Even though the decrescendo is a pair bonding call,
it can be used to attract ducks because they are accustomed to
hearing it in the fall. You can also use the decrescendo as a
comeback call to turn the ducks, and as a pleading call to
entice the birds to land. But, when you are calling, remember
that ducks are not very big, and they have small lungs, they
can't possibly call as loud as I hear some hunters blow their
calls. The closer the ducks get, the softer you should call.
You can use a
series of quacks and chuckles to convince the birds that your
decoys are real, and that everything is all right. Even though
the inciting call is a threat and not a feeding call; it is used
by ducks in a feeding situation. You can use the chuckle or a
diver growl to convince the in coming ducks that there are one
or more drakes harassing the hens in your spread. To add more
realism to your calling you can use the social contact calls of
the drakes, and the sounds of any other duck or goose species
that might be in the area.
Be Adaptable
I always
carry more than one Mallard call, each call with a different
pitch. If the ducks don't respond to one call I try the others,
until I find one they do respond to. I also carry several calls
so that I have a backup when the call I'm using gets wet and
won't blow. While I really like the sound of a good wooden call,
they sometimes have a tendency to freeze up on cold days. I
always have a couple of non-wooden calls with me. Plastic,
polycarbonate and acrylic calls may still freeze up, but you can
usually clear out the ice by blowing into them hard, or by
knocking them against your hand.
To keep from
sounding like every other hunter on the marsh, especially when
the ducks don't seem to be responding to my hen Mallard hail
calls, quacks and chuckles I use a drake Mallard call. When the
ducks won't respond to a Mallard call I use a
Pintail/Widgeon/Teal whistle or a Wood Duck whistle, which may
be all it takes to get the ducks to respond. If I'm hunting
lakes, rivers, sloughs or marshes that are big enough for divers
to use I also keep a diver call on my lanyard. I include decoys
of these other species in my decoy spread just in case some of
them show up. After being hunted for several days or weeks the
ducks often get call and decoy shy. When this happens I may stop
calling altogether, use fewer or more decoys, or move to a new
location.
Purchasing A Duck Call
If you really
want to sound like the ducks you've got to have calls that can
produce the right sounds. There are a lot of calls on the market
that don't produce the right sounds, or that can't produce a
wide range of tones. If a call doesn't produce the right sounds,
or is not able to produce a wide range of sounds, you won't be
able to reproduce realistic duck calls with it. If you have
limited experience with a duck calls stick with a double reed
call, although they are more limited in their range of tones
than single reed calls, they are easier to blow, and they will
get you blowing the right sounds more quickly, and more
consistently. After you become proficient on a double reed you
may want to get a custom single reed call.
Before you
buy any call I suggest you give it a try. Blow a loud high ball,
a softer quack and a chuckle, to see how the call performs. If
you are one of those callers who likes to tune their own calls,
ask before you start fiddling with the reed; some stores will
let you and some won't. If you're looking for good over the
counter calls Big River, Haydel's, Hunter's Specialties, Knight
& Hale, Lohman, Mallardtone, Primos, Quaker Boy and Sure Shot
all make good inexpensive calls. If you can't find what you want
at your local store, Bass Pro Shops, Cabela's, Herter's, Trinity
Mountain Outdoor Products, Wing Supply and several other
catalogs offer a good selection of calls and instructional
tapes.
As with most
things you pay for, the better the call, the higher the price.
The price of custom calls made of laminated wood, cocabola wood
and acrylics start at around $70. I don't suggest you buy an
expensive call through the mail, unless you know the maker,
because you may not be able to return it. The best way to buy a
custom call is to meet the maker at a show, and try several
calls, then choose the one you like. If you don't like the sound
of the call most of the makers will tune it while you wait.
Watching a call maker tune a call, and asking questions about
how and why they do it, is also a good way to learn how to tune
your own calls.
If you are
interested in more waterfowl hunting tips, or more waterfowl
biology and behavior, click on Trinity Mountain Outdoor News
and T.R.'s Hunting Tips at www.TRMichels.com. If you
have questions about ducks and geese log on to the T.R.'s
Tips message board.
This article
is an excerpt from the Duck & Goose Addict's Manual ($14.95 +
$5.00 S&H), by T.R. Michels, available in the Trinity
Mountain Outdoor Products catalog.
T.R. Michels is a
nationally recognized game researcher/wildlife behaviorist,
outdoor writer and speaker. He is the author of the
Whitetail, Elk, Duck & Goose, and Turkey Addict's Manuals.
His latest products are the 2003 Revised Edition of the
Whitetail Addict's Manual, the 2003 Revised Edition of the
Elk Addict's Manual; and the 2003 Revised Edition of the
Duck & Goose Addict's Manual. For a catalog of books and
other hunting products contact: T.R. Michels, Trinity Mountain
Outdoors, PO Box 284, Wanamingo, MN 55983, USA. Phone:
507-824-3296, E-mail: TRMichels@yahoo.com, Web Site:
www.TRMichels.com
