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I just got back into duck hunting after a 10 year hiatus. I just ordered a dozen mallard decoys, weights, and bag from Bass Pro. I'm considering another order of mallards and a dozen teal decoys but not sure if I need many more since most of my hunting will be done on very small streams and oxbows. I have most of the rest except for calls. Can someone recommend some good beginner calls? I'll be honest I don't have a lot of $ to spend. "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then is not an act, but a habit"--Aristotle (384BC-322BC) | ||
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My personal favorites, and I think some of the easiest to work with are in the Duck Commander line. The "Smoke", "Duck Picker", and original are some of the easiest blowing and duckiest around if you ask me. Another easy blowing and ducky one is Haydel's DR-85. All of these should be available at Wal Mart for under $20.00. One of my favorites is actually the Duck Commander mallard drake call. Especially in the late season. Caleb | |||
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One of the first calls I bought was a Buck Gardner single reed that came with a instructional tape. It's been a while but it was only about $20. The call is still one of my favorites. If you have the chance, try out a few. It's pretty easy to tell a good call from a sorry one. If it sounds good to you, it should sound good to a duck. I'd for sure go with a single reed. As cable said, Duck Commander makes great calls for the money and as I said I like Buck Gardner calls. I have two Zink calls and think they are great. But I never heard a Haydels that I didnt think sounded sick, but I know a few folks that swear by them. 30+ years experience tells me that perfection hit at .264. Others are adequate but anything before or after is wishful thinking. | |||
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I've had a Haydel's for roughly 16 years and can't wear it out. Its a great call, a great value, and tough as nails. I also have a wood duck call I use when hunting in thick timber. The trick to duck calls I'll pass along is don't over use them; you just want the call to get their attention. Don't call them when they're facing you. And don't make a big deal out of the feeding call. I hunted ducks for fifteen years and in all that time, I never heard one mallard make a feeding chatter. I picked this up from the original "Duck Commander" video and in my experience, Robertson is right. To quote Phil Robertson: -"You don't have to blow the call till slobber comes out the end of it. Just hail'em." -"Call at their butts till you see the blue on their wings." -"You don't need a feeding call. The only time I've heard a duck make that noise is when they're flyin' and corn and rice don't grow that high." Jason "Chance favors the prepared mind." | |||
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A Yentzen is the easiest to learn in my experience. Read the customer reviews in the attached website: http://www.cabelas.com/prod-1/0027869220100a.shtml I note you are from Montana and assume there are less trees than in Arkansas or Missouri for instance. It also is at its best on open water and open fields. It works in the trees too but not as good as other calls that are developed such not to echo as bad. ALLEN W. JOHNSON - DRSS Into my heart on air that kills From yon far country blows: What are those blue remembered hills, What spires, what farms are those? That is the land of lost content, I see it shining plain, The happy highways where I went And cannot come again. A. E. Housman | |||
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I would try a double reed call as opposed to a single reed "Arkansas" style. More forgiving. However, the softer models such as Mallardtone, Haydel etc., may be easier to begin with. If your hunting quiet areas where ducks slip in on a regular basis, the Mallard drake call previously mentioned is outstanding. You can Mallard drake "grunt" Pintail and Widgeon whistle, including Teal. I would avoid the Teal dekes. Use Mallard with maybe a few Pintail in your spread. Why? Bigger size/easier to spot from long distance. Teal are usually gone except Greenwings and they will push out with a hard freeze. Pintail drakes show a lot of white, making them easy to spot. Just my 2 cents worth after 40 years of busting their arse, and I still get a charge from it. Good hunting, David Gray Ghost Hunting Safaris http://grayghostsafaris.com Phone: 615-860-4333 Email: hunts@grayghostsafaris.com NRA Benefactor DSC Professional Member SCI Member RMEF Life Member NWTF Guardian Life Sponsor NAHC Life Member Rowland Ward - SCI Scorer Took the wife the Eastern Cape for her first hunt: http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6881000262 Hunting in the Stormberg, Winterberg and Hankey Mountains of the Eastern Cape 2018 http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/4801073142 Hunting the Eastern Cape, RSA May 22nd - June 15th 2007 http://forums.accuratereloadin...=810104007#810104007 16 Days in Zimbabwe: Leopard, plains game, fowl and more: http://forums.accuratereloadin...=212108409#212108409 Natal: Rhino, Croc, Nyala, Bushbuck and more http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6341092311 Recent hunt in the Eastern Cape, August 2010: Pics added http://forums.accuratereloadin...261039941#9261039941 10 days in the Stormberg Mountains http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/7781081322 Back in the Stormberg Mountains with friends: May-June 2017 http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6001078232 "Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading" - Thomas Jefferson Every morning the Zebra wakes up knowing it must outrun the fastest Lion if it wants to stay alive. Every morning the Lion wakes up knowing it must outrun the slowest Zebra or it will starve. It makes no difference if you are a Zebra or a Lion; when the Sun comes up in Africa, you must wake up running...... "If you're being chased by a Lion, you don't have to be faster than the Lion, you just have to be faster than the person next to you." | |||
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thanks for the info guys..keep it coming. The more the merrier. Yes I can say there aren't near as many trees as Arkansas. We are hunting in small streams, oxbows, and the occasional pond. I think I'll hold on the teal since they don't stay long in the area and when they do I'm archery hunting. We have been hanging out in the willows on a very small oxbow with about a half dozen dekes and a roboduck (that thing seems to attract some decent attention). Hardly any calling, but necessary when they turn away (call to their butts they say). I got my Redhead "Promo" decoys. They look good, but are a little cheap feeling ($29.99 is a good price). I even got a pair of "duck butts" (those look pretty good too). "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then is not an act, but a habit"--Aristotle (384BC-322BC) | |||
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Yep I had forgotten about the Yentzens. I agree, that's the easiest one to highball on. I've just found the Mallardtones are easier for drake quacks and feeding chuckles. This call from Primos is practically foolproof. It only chuckles but it's fabulously realistic. When the ducks get call shy, I often will only chuckle. They don't seem to ever be turned off by that. Primos Feeding Mallard Call | |||
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Tex, I'll second that, as I personally know the Haydel family and game calls very well, 1st rate.  http://haydels.com/ | |||
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