The key to calling ducks is practice, practice, practice. Good callers learn to master the techniques used to make quacking sounds on a call, but great callers study real ducks in their natural environment and learn to mimic the quack. Volume, tone, rhythm and technique are critical to your success. Before you blow your first note on a call, take a field trip to the local duck pond and spend some time listening.

After you begin to identify the vast variety of sounds ducks make, you are ready to learn the basic calling techniques.

The Basic Quack

Hut, Hit, Whit, Dwit, Kwit

The basic quack, a single note, is the foundation for every other sound you will make on a duck call. There are several mental words callers use to mimic a duck quack. Hut, hit, whit, dwit, or kwit are among the most successful used.

To begin, hold the duck call in one hand and place your mouth on the call like you are drinking out of a coke bottle. Reach deep into you diaphragm and push the air through the call while saying one of the keywords. Try the various sounds until you strike the sound that most mimics what you heard on the pond.

For several weeks do nothing other than practice the single note until you have mastered the sound and have developed control over the volume and tone.

The Lonesome Hen

Hut, Hit, Whit, Dwit, Kwit

The lonesome hen is simple, slow three note call and is often the most effective sound in your calling arsenal. Imagine you are blowing six notes, skipping every other note. Picture yourself as the hottie hen of the duck world, seducing the big, bold drake. Each note should be slightly drawn out and have a gravel tone, but still remain crisp and clean.

This is often one of the most effective sounds a caller can make, often drawing in call-shy ducks even at a distance.

Practice.

The Greeting Call

Hut, Hit, Whit, Dwit, Kwit

The greeting call is a series of 5-7 clean, crisp notes in a descending, steady rhythm used when ducks are still at a distance. Never use the greeting call when you can see wing tips or tail feathers. You will likely scare the birds away and miss your opportunity for a good shot.

World Champion Caller, Buck Gardner of Buck Gardner Calls describes the rhythm as a mimic of the old nursery rhyme, “Three Blind Mice,” with a couple notes following to finish it up.

Again, practice until you have mastered the cadence and once again sound like a duck. Learn to control your volume and tone while focusing on the rhythm.

The Comeback

Hut, Hit, Whit, Dwit, Kwit

The comeback is basically a greeting with a sense of urgency and speed. Again focus on 5-7 notes and keep it simple. The comeback is used when the ducks simply will not respond to your greeting. I prefer to save this call for tail feathers and imagine that I am yelling, “Hey you! Over here! Comeback, comeback, comeback!” Often you will see the birds begin to turn back for a second glance. Don’t get over zealous and learn to control your excitement at this point.

Again practice. Combine your greeting practice with your comeback practice and learn to control the rhythm between and intensity between the two calls.

The Hail or Highball

Hut, Hit, Whit, Dwit, Kwit

The hail or highball is the screamer of the calling techniques. It should be loud and bold. It is the sound made most famous at competitions and can easily be over used. Most experts would agree that you should never use this call when ducks are within 100-200 yards.

To produce a proper hail, blow between 15-30 notes beginning with a long, loud note and tapering off in volume at the end. Make sure to keep each note crisp and clean cutting off air between each note.

Practice, practice, practice. The most common error callers make is to lose control out of the blocks and squawk the first note on the call.

The Plea

Hut, Hit, Whit, Dwit, Kwit

The plea is a short version of the hail, between 5-7 notes and is used to get the attention of high flying ducks. The first note is drawn out followed by shorter, crisp notes. It is a plea to draw ducks out of the sky and into your decoy spread.

Practice this call with your hail call until you master they volume, tone and rhythm.

The Feed Call

kitty, kitty, kitty or chucka, chucka or ticka, ticka, ticka, or dugga, dugga, dugga

A good hunting scenario feed call can and should be simple. Remember the exercise at the pond and the tone and pace you heard live ducks make as they fed at the pond. A simple and broken up “ticka, ticka, tocka, tocka, ticka,” was realistically what you heard. Learn to mimic the pace and control your rhythm. Try the various keywords as you learn what works best for you.

If you struggle with its mastery continue to practice, but save it for another day. A feed call or lack thereof should not keep you from enjoying the hunt and enjoying the thrill of calling birds into your spread.

The Rolling Feed Call

The rolling feed call is the Cadillac of the calling techniques. It is most often heard at competitions by pros who spent countless hours into developing and working on their technique. The rolling feed call is among the most difficult to produce. It takes a ton of practice and with intention, why I left it for the end.

Much like the regular feed call, you put together the kitty, kitty, kitty or chucka, chucka or ticka, ticka, ticka, or dugga, dugga, dugga to produce the sound. The difference here is speed. With practice you will be able to produce the sounds in a machine gun fashion, creating the illusion that your sound is rolling. Make sure to not allow your tongue to roll like you are pronouncing an “r” in Spanish. Listen to the pros and stick with it. In time you will be capable of producing the sound at will.

Lastly, leave your rolling feed call technique at home when you hunt and save it for the competition.  On the stage is great for adding variety and showing your mastery of your call, but on the pond the only response you are likely to get is from other hunters who will view you as a showoff rather than a sportsman.

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Lance Cherry serves as Communications Director for New Era Championship Calls and is on the Pro Staff for Tanglefree. A native of New Mexico, Lance has worked several years in the outdoor industry, with New Mexico Department of Game and Fish and the New Mexico State Parks Division.