Photo Courtesy US Fish & Wildlife Service – Midwest Region
As summer heat begins to wane and the cooler days of autumn approach, hunters clean their guns and practice their custom duck calls while their waterfowl prey head for fall flyways. The phrase custom duck calls refers not only to calls that are manufactured to mimic the sounds made by specific species and sexes of ducks but to certain types of calls ducks make for different purposes and reasons. Hunters need to practice to perfect the use of their store bought calls but they also need to practice making the best duck calls they can of the types of calls they will use during duck hunting season.
Using Custom Duck Calls Requires That You Know The Basic 8
Every hunter should master the following eight best duck calls types used for attracting ducks to come closer in almost all hunting situations. The first call is the Basic Quack. It should have a clear, crisp “ck” sound on the end to finish the sound completely. The second is the Greeting Call. The call for greetings is five to seven descending tones in a steady rhythm of “kane…kane…kane…kane……”
The Basic Duck Feeding Call Is A Very Important Call
The third of the eight duck calls is the basic Feeding Call. World Champion caller Mike McLemore advises hunters to say the phrase “tikki tukka tikka” into your call. Be sure to raise and lower your volume some while calling. The Hail Call (or highball call) is the fourth one and the one most pros say is the most overused. When you do use it, blow loud and hard and high. It should sound out as a strong, long “aaaink”. The fifth of the eight calls is the Comeback Call, used when ducks have not responded yet or you want an instant response to a greeting call when you are in timber.
The Reasons For The Lonesome Hen Call Are Obvious
The sixth call is known as the Lonesome Hen. Often overlooked, this call is very effective with call-shy ducks. Master your Basic Quack, then stretch it out and drop the pitch some. Now you have the Lonesome Hen. The Pleading Call is the seventh out of eight calls. Used to gain the attention of ducks up to 200 yards overhead, it is a drawn-out faster version of the Comeback Call. You are begging them to land or return. The eighth and final call is the Whistling. Whistling is very effective for mallards, pintails and widgeons. It is an excellent first call to teach children and newer hunters because it is foolproof.
You'll Want Duck Calls That Fit Your Mouth Correctly
The best duck calls for you are the ones that work. To find these, you need to try potential calls out to see how they fit your mouth. You need to find calls you like by blowing on them, experimenting to see what they can do. Call makers expect you to want to try them out. Some hunters get stuck in a rut and use the same call year after year while other are constantly changing theirs. One of the biggest mistakes hunters can make is to use the wrong call. Some of the companies that make custom duck calls are Echo, Haydel's, Duck Commander, Primo's, Gardner, and RNT. Other companies that make some of the best duck calls are Southern Game Calls, Zink, Quack Head, Hobo and Devastator.
Practice, Practice, Practice Is The Way To Be Effective With Duck Calls
The DR-85 and Echo XLT are two custom duck calls that are highly recommended by users to be consistently easy to use. Other calls with high reviewer ratings from hunters are the Duck Commander calls, RNT Short Barrel, Hobo ICU2, Lares Hybrid, and the DC 200. No matter which call you choose, you must practice to be effective with your calls. Just as a skilled, experienced musician plays the blues through a well-used trumpet in a dimly-lit Chicago blues club, you too must play the music that the ducks hear as close to a natural sound to them as you can. Proficiency comes with practice and bagging your limit when hunting comes about because of skill and proficiency with your custom duck calls.
A Great Place To Start Duck Calling Is With The Mallard Call
The most prevalent of all the ducks species hunted in the United States is the mallard duck. The mallard is, after all, the duck that makes the distinctive mallard duck call “quack” sound that most people associate with all ducks. They also make wide varieties of their mallard duck call for different purposes, ranging from whistles that are high-pitched to low-pitched grunt-like quacks. All these sounds can be replicated with each individual mallard duck call type from various manufacturers. DC Mallard Drake Calls, and Murf's Mallard Calls (both Drake and Hen) are great custom duck calls for attracting mallards. The DCM Drake Calls are constructed especially to lure late season mallards who may be call-shy.
Custom Duck Calls Can Be Both Useful As Well As Highly Collectible
The Callmakers and Collectors Association of America is an active group of over 5,000 members. Many quality-made duck calls are collectible older handmade ones and they can sell for impressive prices. Whether you collect custom duck calls or use yours in the hunting field, take care of them to keep their both their hunting and collector values intact.