Duck Calling Tips & Tricks

As all duck hunters new or weathered we carry two things on every hunt: a gun and a duck call. To blow a duck call there is no sure fire way to easily learn to call ducks. Otherwise I would not be writing an article about it. No matter how good someone can blow a duck call it does not guarantee you will kill ducks. It does in fact sometimes increase the chances of killing ducks. 

I wish I could tell you if you blew a call this certain way you would kill every duck you saw. It unfortunately does not work like that though, which in my opinion makes people eat, sleep, and breathe ducks. The best way to learn to blow a duck call is practice, practice, and  practice. 

Once you have learned to blow a call there are certain things you can do in situations to help your chances. It is all situational which can be learned throughout years of hunting or some through this small article. 

Tips for Calling Ducks

1. If ducks are coming at you with their wings set, do not blow the call. Most people only blow their call at tail feathers; it is a good rule to follow. 

2. If ducks do something erratically when working the decoys, do a comeback call immediately. 

3. Most pressured ducks will not respond well to hail calling at them. Instead try soft quacks and chuckles. 

4. Not all ducks are workable and not all will come in so do not beat yourself up. 

5. Blow the same species as the ducks you are working.  Example blowing a blue wing teal call at a bluewing teal.

6. Do not be hard stuck doing the same thing. If something is not getting the ducks in it won't hurt to change it up. 

The more you are out in the field the more you learn. I find it best to go watch ducks and see how they communicate with each other. Later in the year ducks are pressured because they have been shot at. Sometimes later in the year less is better than more.