I think one of the most difficult challenges in calling ducks is their last 75-100 yards before landing. It is what duck hunters call ”Finishing Ducks”. I want to share with you, my techniques for finishing ducks. My calling is a little bit different than what most duck hunters do to finish them. Most duck hunters use a feed call to finish them off. The feed call is a light call, which if you can blow, rarely flares ducks. I like to use natural contentment sounds of ducks to finish them. These are the sounds ducks make when they are on the water. I like using either a light quack, light comeback, and if you combine the two together to make one call, I like to use what I call the the contented hen. If I have some really good callers with me, everybody will have their sounds to make when finishing ducks. The combination of calls says, “okay, everything is fine down here if you want to come in, come on.” I like a system of calling that’s a little more proactive, a little more aggressive.
One sound I always blow or have one caller blowing is a series of quacks. When ducks are on that final turn, and they are downwind, and they cut back towards the blind, I make a series of single quacks. I get them lined up with the quacks and coming towards the call. It is like a pilot flying an airplane to the runway on a final approach. The series of quacks give the ducks a “duck radio beacon” that they can follow into the hole.
Mixed in with quacks, I will get other callers to add some light comebacks, lonesome hens, or contented hen sounds. It just gives the hole realism. The one thing I try to teach any caller that hunts with me is to watch the ducks. Watch the reactions of the ducks to your calls! Wing beats will tell you a lot about what is working and what is not. If it is a large group of ducks, watch the lead duck. Watch his body language to the calling in the hole. If they are falling in, don’t change a thing. If they are not finishing, change something in the calling technique.
If you are reading this, I want you to remember these two things about finishing ducks:
• Always, watch duck’s reactions to your calling techniques. Watch the body language they are throwing off at you.
• When finishing ducks, be aggressive, but light. If your loud and proud with your calling, I think finishing ducks is going be a tough thing.
