Duck Calling Questions

[Big Goose]

Hey guys, I am fairly new to duck hunting and my brother in law gave me a duck call for Christmas. It is a Haydel's Variable Redleg (VR-00). I was going to wait for a while to learn how to call but since I now have one I might as well start to learn. My hunting partner takes care of the calling and I have been listening to him to try and learn how it is done. I am wondering if anybody has any tips. Thanks in advance for any help and have a happy new year. Micah C.

[Drakeshead]

I cannot call good, but I too am learning as my wife gave me a RNT acrylic short barrel for Christmas. I had been using a cheap Southern Game Call. No, I am not saying that SGC calls are cheap, just the one that I bought to learn on was cheaper than this RNT call and was only a beginner call.

Anyway, back to my point, I have RNT cd's 1 & 3, Mike Keller's, aka Big Guy, cd "Breaking the Silence" and Shane Roten's "Fowl Language" VHS cassete. I would get the Fowl Language if you can find it or order it straight from him at http://www.rotencalls.com as he teaches you out in the woods in a hunting situation and gives very good step by step how to's. Next I would suggest "Breaking the Silence" as he takes you through each call, then demonstrates the call and gives you added time to duplicate the call. Kind of like taking lessons from a teacher. The teacher plays the note, then you play the note. I have not been all that overwhelmed with the RNT cd's. It is more like people sitting around and they tell you how they would call in the duck then they give you a quick demo. Pretty good to listen to as you are heading out to the blind, but not very informative if you are just starting out, like me, and do not know much at all about blowing a duck call.

No matter what route you take, have fun, practice and good luck.

Brad/Drakeshead in Vicksburg, MS

[Dutch Dog]

Go to a refuge near you and listen to the ducks. Take a tape recorder with you, and listen to their cadence. They start strong and get progressively softer. Not every duck quacks the same, but for the most part they are close. Usually a sequence should be anywhere from 6-8 quacks once again getting quieter towards the end. DONT ever think about trying to sound like one of them idiots on the stage in Stuttgart. That will never work in a real live hunting situation. Try grunting the word QUIT into the call for the quack. Play with it and eventually you will get the hang of it. If you are going to call at the ducks, don't be timid about calling, a buddy of mine is so afraid of messing up when he calls that after each quack in the sequence he pauses kinda like "did I do that?" Lock yourself in a closet so as to not bother anyone, and just blow your duck call until you feel comfortable with it. Take it with you when you go to the store (by yourself) and blow it then too. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!!! Hope this helps.

[greenheadhunter2000]

I'm not an expert caller,kinda fair at it,but like Dutch,I also use the word quit and it works good for me.You might want to try using other words such as dit,dut,hut,cut and the list goes on.Pick the word that works best for you and remeber to bring it from your larynx or voice box like the quarteback calling cadence behind the center.Also,practice,practice and then practice.I practiced all the way to work and back when I was learnin.Glad nobody rides with me lol Hope maybe this will help ya some and good callin.

[no angel]

learn to push air from your mouth in different ways til it sounds close to a duck. also tune call to where it is easy to make notes soft. the loud call and hard blowing is too much trouble. i learned from a chick majors tape. just keep trrying til you sound like a duck. try calling outside because inside changes the sound of your call.it takes years of practice but the key is keep trying til you get it sounding close then work from there. i take my calls with me when riding around and just practice air pressure and then i work on the way it sounds in comparison to ducks on water calling to others.

[injun_23]

I decided I needed to learn to call ducks after a week of public hunting in the Delta several years ago. Not many hunters, but the ones killin ducks could really sound like DUCKS. It took me 6 months (kept an El Cheapo call in my truck) and several videos ("Legends of the call" is GREAT by Greg Hood, Rick Dunn and Big GUY) and a new call to feel like I was makin progress. The best way for me to describe how to QUACK is to say "GWACK" with a VERY quick grunt. Do that till it starts sounding like a duck. The G in gwack is started from the stomach/diaphram muscles not the lungs. The K simply cuts off the air flow. After the quack sounds ok then string them out and up and down on the pressure to learn how to control the sound. I personally believe that a person that learns correctly on a single reed will rarely go to a double reed because the sound of a single is more variable. I aint the best but Im far from the worst and really enjoyed the challenge. Best of luck and have fun. BTW dont do it around wife or kids. They are terrible honest at times and can be very intolerant. the INJUN

[Big Goose]

Thanks for all the help guys. I have already driven my wife crazy so the call has been confined to the truck. I guess this is like anything else you want to be good at, just gotta practice. Thanks again for the help. Good luck this weekend and be safe. Micah C.

[Bustin' Ducks]

Big Goose..Get a tape recorder and record yourself callin'...try different things and as you go through different series of practices rewind the tape and listen to what was good or bad from your callin' this will help you learn from it...I used to do this will different calls to see how the sound varies from call to call...ie. timber calls/single versus double reeded cals etc..good luck

[gadwall2]

Don't kick that "cheap Southern game call".

Just because it is cheaper doesn't mean that it won't tell the news like the $100 calls.

Its not the type of call, its the blowhard on the end of it

tikka-tikka, dugga-dugga

[no angel]

cheap southern game calls??? that is all i use and 100 bucks ain't cheap. i love the way they sound and tune easily!! i will go up against anyone with mine and i am not a pro but i know how the ducks like it. i don't parlor call but i do meat hunt!!!

[RedEyed Duck]

Everyone has pretty much covered the topic, just a couple of comments that I would like to add. You will learn to relish the looks you get at a red light from other motorists. Secondly, if you record live ducks with a tape recorder ( I highly recommend this) go one step further and record yourself also. However, make sure you are the same distance from the recorder as the live birds were. Good luck and happy hunting! Did the fellas mention PERFECT PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT!

[Big Goose]

Has anyone ever used the cassette by Roy Rhodes?

[injun_23]

Cheap Southern call? My favorite is the Nasty Boy that came with a renewal membership to DU. I just put a better reed in it and a little chap stick to help with moisture lock up and it sounds great. I just wish I had saved the $200 dollars I wasted on calls before I got this one. The moulded Nasty Boy sells for about $30 ...replacement reeds about $5. Get reeds that you have to cut and trim yourself they are better quality than the "stamped out" reeds that go in the cheaper calls. the INJUN

[privb9121]

Good to hear you had a good hunt the other day (thanks to delta). It's kinda hard to believe that i like to blow a light blowing call, My friends say I'm full of hot air, but I can't blow the harder calls (Mallard tone's Rich n tone's yenson's etc.) I have a friend that makes calls here in Jonesboro that is very eash to blow. His name is Chris Charette and he hand builds each one in his basement. He makes mostly single reed calls, but makes a short reed and a half call that sounds just as good. A man by the name of Thermond McCann taught him to make them. I have used McCann calls all of my life and Chris makes calls of equal quality. they are around 45 bucks and he stands behind them.

[SoftCall]

I am with injun 23 and no angel. Greg Hood turns a mean call. I am about to have to replace my original cocobola banded little joel. Had to break out the old "Southland" call from an old fella in Leland today to get it rolling again as a back up. I will say that the wooden calls sound better to me but the acrylic is more reliable on in to the season.

Here is the trick...if you can call in one of the ducks in Mississippi right now...you have mastered the art. These birds are end of season call shy. The best thing to do in my opinion is to give em a bump and let them do their own thing. If they swing wide or start to leave, bump again real easy. The birds that I am calling at are the same ones that I called at three weeks ago. I am getting no response whatsoever. And trash that twirlie bird!

Need some fresh birds...I am starting to get a calling complex!