has traditional calling become worthless?

[shnelson]

I got to thinking about it and it seems that any point in the season the advice is always "don't call" - as it's either ineffective or will produce horrible results.

Early season/opener - calling isn't needed, ducks will decoy into anything. It's even recommended to go light on the decoy spread.

Mid season/cold snaps - Ducks are conditioned and weary of aggressive calls, cut back and/or don't call at all.

Late season/close - Ducks will respond to any type of calling by showing you their tail feathers and hit the high road out of here, they know the hail call will result in steel rain.

So I ask, what's the point? Especially when you consider public waters or anywhere that gets a lot of pressure. When you hear a series of 8-10 hail calls coming from different locations across a slue, you'd think the natural reaction of any flock is to get out of there because of all the racket.

Does anyone still get ducks to lock in and commit as a result of calling? Between this season and last, I'm seeing more and more negative effects as a result of calling - all season long (not just from my hunting parties, but while observing others across the pond/lake or what have you).

[Finlander]

Call when they are turning away from you. Or what most experts say: "Call them on the corners"!

Case in point this last weekend, I see ducks off in the distance and give them a hail call just to get there attention.

Then I do short kinda quiet quacks with an Illusion Mini-Mag duck call and do the feeding chuckle inter-mittantly.

As long as they are headed my way I stay quiet, otherwise call them on the corners to get them to come back!

Can't lose anything if you don't try.

Now on sunday, I left my calls in the truck and alot of ducks that I knew I could have gotten turned around, but with no call, no ducks. I did quack at one duck with my voice and it worked!

With new ducks arriving you should do good with your call. Ducks that have hung around your area for a while won't give you the time of day with your call and if that's what your hunting then go with 5-6 of you best quality decoys and a couple Canada goose decoys off to the side. That is a weary duck killer!

[Quackaddict9]

Quote:

Does anyone still get ducks to lock in and commit as a result of calling?

Yes, at least 1/2 of the flocks we shoot at are from calling to get their attention and come in the spread.

[169Sportsman]

I think calling pays off if it sounds good. I never had much luck calling until I bought a quality duck call and spent some time with it. Now I can get ducks to respond fairly consistently. I am by no means a great caller but I can turn a few birds here and there. Like was said earlier call on the corners or only call at wing tips and tail feathers.

[nate larson]

Hey 169, What kind of call did you buy? I have been thinking about getting a new one...

[169Sportsman]

I bought an RNT. Only call I have ever blown that I had hens quack back at me. Figured that was a good sign. lol That and a Mojo are the two best duck hunting investments I have made.

[Bdog]

Call to their tails or hit 'em on the side. I will also call them all the way in if they look like they will light wide. Just enough to keep them on the string. Wear a headnet and hide well. How much calling is enough? Only experience will tell you. Buy call that sounds like a susie. Not all do, and price is no guide. Good calls out there for $30, also lots of junk. I have at least 8-10 that sounded great in store but sounded like [PoorWordUsage] in the slough, or had other issues that cropped up during use. The best education I have had in duck calling was listening to several hundred mallards that landed 100-150 yds up wind from us one day. A great ear-opening experience!

[Superduty]

I condider myself to be a good "meat" duck caller. I certainly wouldn't win any calling competitions, but I can make the right sounds at the right time when needed. I know when to shut up when needed also. I have had the privilege of hunting with some excellent callers and former guides. That being said, I honestly believe that more ducks are saved by the call than killed by the call.

[shnelson]

I guess my problem must be hunting congested public waters? Superduty said it best - more ducks being saved than killed by the call.

What are your strategies on public waters with a crowd? It seems there's so much racket going on around the entire lake from other callers, that any attempt you'd make is worthless. Most of the time I see the ducks do a quick pass and get out after they've been convinced not to land by anyone else. How do you persuade them in these situations?

I do have a few places I hit that it's rare to see anyone else around, but the ducks are just as scarce as the people so the opportunities are limited.

[wooduck26]

Calling is effective IF...and I say IF you know how to use a duck call. Im not saying just going out there and making the sounds you hear on the latest CD you bought, but actually knowing what cadence, and lengh of notes to use on ducks. Having a call that sounds a bit different than every other call on the swamp is a plus as well....99% of the Mallards I shoot are called into the decoys.

[Bdog]

Crowds are tough. Some days ducks will flare with every quack on a call. About all you can do is hope someone recognizes what is going on and shuts up. All of our water hunting is on public land, mostly WPA. We had a group move in on us one day and they highballed and flared everything that flew by. We sat quietly, shot our limits, but only after the other group quit calling. Other things to try are jerk rigs, motion decoys, something to get their attention. We usually put out min. 5 dozen decoys, this also helps,in my opinion. Areas we hunt only have room for 2-3 rigs, that is if everyone respects each others space. Used to hunt Marsh Lake quite a bit, so I know exactly what you're talking about!

[Muthagoose]

Having a call that sounds a bit different than every other call on the swamp is a plus as well...

Got that right...

[benbosh]

The best education I have had in duck calling was listening to several hundred mallards that landed 100-150 yds up wind from us one day. A great ear-opening experience!

agreed. i had a hen mallard swim up to the spot i was hunting laster year. i didnt see her there until i heard her quacking/calling 5 yards from me then peeked through the reeds and seen her. she swam around for a while and i called back and forth with her. in that short time i learned lots of tips from her

[Muthagoose]

That's the secret....LIVE birds.

In 10 years of raising mallards and having wild birds land with them in my pond it was easy to learn what,when and how to call. A drake whistle is a excellent call when mallards get call shy. Not to many hunters using it...

Comp calling is a great way to learn control and increase vocabulary BUT like the Ol'e Commander said" Aint never heard a duck sound like that"..

Must be why wooduck 26 is so good he has PETS in his back yard....................

[dan z]

If everyone knew how to call ducks it would be lights out on ever slough when the wind is blowing. If you have one guy blowing a laughing clown it will mess up the whole lake... and the guy that uses the long honker baa rink baa rink goose call doesnt help either, this aint freakin canada so them things dont work down here... the ducks we have shoot have all fell to our calling I couldnt call long enough over the weekend I was calling and the other guys a firing away thats how they worked this weekend... if you sound like a duck and call at tails you will be better off, callin on the corners is a plus too

[bobbymalone]

A Buck Gardner quote I found on the DU HSOforum:

“If I had to choose between a duck call and a jerk cord, I'd choose a jerk cord 100 percent of the time.”

[MN Greenheads]

Over 99% of MN duckhunters don't call ducks. Some get lucky now and then but overall can't call ducks. Buck Gardner is a great personality and world champ but he is not a great caller of ducks he lost to eli haydel and Mike McLemore in working real birds in real situations years ago. The Videos you see most of the time do not show great calling, there are spinners going in the back and you don't see the ducks actually turn to the call.

Well, how do you get to be the less than 1% that call ducks consistently? You start by not over doing what you know. Stay with a 5 note greeting call, single quacks and a cluck or two. Use the 5 note easy greeter when the ducks are sideways or quartering you at a moderate distance. Do not do what they say and call at there butts as they will be to far gone and you will lose them. You use that one at closer range to turn them into the dekes without them seeing you. Then read the duck and if it looks like he's sliding hit em with a hurry up (5 notes done faster) to keep him on line. Then don't call or a very light chuckle, quack or 5 note.

That is the basic set up for a lot of ducks. Keep it simple at first. There are other things like single quacks spaced, hard fast calling that demands the ducks in, Highballing to break high ducks, loud Feed chatter the whole time,calling like ducks on the water without seeing any flying and on and on but a good well timed (where the duck is in relationship to you) greeter works most of the time.

As for different calls a lower raspier call works better and a xr-2 or olt cutdown generally force the call to go high to low by making you push more air.

Truly calling and working ducks is an art that takes the willingness to call and lot's of ducks over the years to call at.I would love to go on and on as this is one of my favorite things but I hate to type and you've got to learn it on the water over the years. Good Luck.

[MN Greenheads]

Oh yea, one thing to remember is migrators on migration days be loud and agressive they will work . Local ducks go with a softer low key aproach. The funny thing is there are so many details on good calling it's tough to remember them because you just know what to do and when after doing it a while.One more thing is most peoples blinds or boat stash or whatever you call it stinks. You have to be covered up or they will bust ya.

[shnelson]

Lots of good advice here... I guess my initial post was kind of a rant but you guys are definately steering me in the right direction.

I'll be honest, I can't call - I'm just starting out and not happy with how I sound. I know my calling will be ineffective so I rely on the good callers that I hunt with, which so far it appears the birds don't even pay attention to them (and most of them are quite good at calling). I'm definately agreeing with the jerk string, the few ducks i've shot this year were locked into the decoys before we even saw them to start calling, I could only imagine the results if I added some action to the spread.

Guess it comes down to making the right sound at the right time when the ducks are at a distance, it's just tough to have any confidence when you've got people blowing what sound like party kazoos from across the pond - why would a duck want to come anywhere near that noise let alone land in that body of water?

Next summer I've got a goal to hang out with the hens up at the cabin and see if we can have some conversation, I think I have much to learn from them still..

[MN Greenheads]

Calling will work and consistently too. It's just a long road most people don't walk. You can pull them right away from the kazoo's. Bad calling never bothered me unless they were very loud, fast and aggressive. As the shaolin priest said to grasshopper :wisdom is through many, many mistakes that you are smart enough to recognize as mistakes.

[broken_line]

ducks at distance, 2 fast honks, 1 long then 3 quacks one whistle till they are turned then shut up, cover up, pop u, round up

[wooduck26]

That's the secret....LIVE birds.

Must be why wooduck 26 is so good he has PETS in his back yard....................

Not really pets, but more like Teachers. You learn with your ears, not your mouth, they've taught me well!

[MN Greenheads]

Wow, Real ducks now that's being serious. You got to admire that. If you don't have pet ducks and your time on the water is limited get a tape of live ducks from Johnny Stewart. You'll hear the natural tone and more important the rythym and relaxedness of real ducks. Listen to that tape and you'll hear the pace of real ducks that most "good call operators" don't have. It's kind of like when your out there in Nature hunting and fishing you realize the animal world has a different rythym than man's world. Although, sometimes you do have to do things that are crazy fast or loud to get them. Good Luck.

[honker23]

Short answer....NO

When I see a duck/flock I grab for my calls before my gun.