Duck Calling Tips for Beginning Hunters
If you are just getting into duck hunting, then you can probably use some duck calling tips. The key to getting your ducks in a row is luring them in. Inexperienced hunters tend to blow it in lots of amateur mistakes that tip ducks off to their presence and make for a frustrating day. So here are some ducking calling tips you can do to set up a full on duck massacre every time.
Choose a Good Blind
Even before you start calling you want to take the time to find a good blind. The key to a good blind is coverage, of course. Nevertheless, you also want to make sure that you are not so covered that you don’t have clear shots at the ducks as they come in. (Don’t forget to also take adequate precautions to make sure other hunters are not dangerously close.)
Patience
The worst thing you can do is to get into a blind and start calling right away. The ducks have seen you going into the blind and if you start calling right away, they may be quickly on to you. Often they will leave the area for a good long while if you do this and you may waste the first couple of hours waiting for them to come back.
Leave the Chatter with your Wife (at Home)
The blind is no place for chitchat about the latest episode of Glee or how you need to change your front rotor. One of the best duck calling tips is to reduce the amount of noise that you make and know when to call. Ducks have good hearing and they will sniff you out and leave you to your gossip. If you have a friend whose vocal chords are never on idle, leave him parked at his digs. Make sure to fill your hunting party with guys that could have gotten by in a Charlie Chaplin movie.
Practice Your Duck Calls at Home
The blind is no place for amateur hour. If you really want to down some quackers, you should practice. Practice on the ride to work, practice during your breaks, and practice in the living room (or the garage if you don’t want that divorce). Practice different kinds of calls: short calls, long calls, aggressive calls, meek calls. Practice different rhythms: slow and steady, like birds just flying overhead and excited calls like birds frolicking about. Practice different volumes: weak for far away birds, strong for nearby birds. Practice changing volumes: remember the Doppler Effect, sounds that are getting stronger are approaching; sounds that are getting weaker are exiting. All of these can help you in the right situation.
Do Some Research
You can find several sites on line where they will demonstrate different calls for you. This can certainly be helpful. Also helpful is watching some of those nature shows about ducks. Studying how ducks call in the wild is one of the best ways to help you get their language down. Remember, duck calls are a system of communication. Different calls mean different things to birds. So try to get the right call for your situation.
Let the Ducks Show you the Way
You should carefully watch the flocks when you are out there. If they are approaching your decoys, then you want to be as quiet as possible. A misplaced quack and you are likely to tip them off. If you see all tail and wings, that means they are heading away—that’s when you should try to call them back with loud aggressive calls. If the birds suddenly change direction when you call, this means they are hearing you, but if they go away from your call that means they are call shy from too many hunters. Less calling is required in this situation. If they go towards your call, you got some green ones, keep calling them in.
Follow your Instincts
The best callers follow their instincts. With more experience, you will be able to tell when your calls are working and when they are not and be able to adjust accordingly.
Happy quacking!