Advanced Duck Hunting Techniques

Try to sound like a contented duck when the birds get close. I use slow, loud quacks. Most hunters have heard the early morning quacks of a hen across the slough. That’s the sound you should imitate. Don’t blow loud and fast, that’s the sound of an alarmed duck that often jumps into the air.

The other call I use so I don’t sound like every hunter on the marsh is the drake mallard call. It sounds like a deep pitched, reedy “raeb.” Herter’s offers a couple of different brands of calls that make this sound. One of the best drake mallard calls I’ve used is Eli and Rod Haydel’s DR-85 Double Reed mallard call. To get the proper sound I blow softly while cupping my hand around the barrel of the call, and opening my fingers slowly while I blow.

I always carry more than one duck call, in case one gets wet or won’t blow. I also carry a goose call, a teal call, a wood duck call and pintail whistle. I include decoys of these species in my decoy spread just in case some of them show up. When the mallards get call shy I use the sounds of the other species. Sometimes sounding like a wood duck, wigeon or pintail is all it takes to get the ducks in close. For divers; scaup, ringbills, redheads and canvasbacks I use the soft “errr” inciting call. Divers also coo, mew, whew and whine. Next time the ducks won’t come to your calls don’t be afraid to try something new. What have you got to lose?

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