Please, is anyone SURE that ducks and geese flying overhead can really hear a call?

Seems that would be difficult to hear much of anything unless it was right next to you.

Has anyone just killed waterfowl with out decoys and just by calling?

I CAN tell you this..............some folks I've heard calling out in the field would do much better if they just put the call away........just saying!!!

DUCKS
All ducks are not created equal.

One needs to balance calling and decoys depending on what kind of ducks you will be hunting.

SEA DUCKS:
You get away with without having to call...major requirement are decoys. Will calling help ? Yes maybe .. a little. Some old timers in New England used to hunt seaducks with old plastic jugs tied to each other with a string...so they hunted without calling.

DIVER DUCKS:
Decoys mandatory...calling helps quite a bit more for divers when compared to seaducks.

PUDDLE DUCKS:
Both decoys and calling are equally important. Biggest example where calling is more important than decoys is flooded timber hunting in places like Arkansas. They excel in calling ducks in that flyway, calls get the puddle ducks' attention and then you close the deal with decoys. If the decoys were not there could you still get puddle ducks in flooded timber ? Yes, absolutely. You can splash your feet and create ripples in water. The ducks flying over hear the calls, see the ripples and come in close to take a look.

With the amount of money required to go hunt waterfowl these days, decoys are a minimum investment that will ensure your success.

GEESE
All geese are not created equal.

for some you don't stand a chance without decoys (Snow Geese). Some you do not even need to call (Brant Geese) and for some you can possible get lucky with calling only (Canada Geese) depends upon how many birds are in the area.

Thanks guys! Sometimes I get weird notions and just need answers!

Brant will respond to a call though it's not entirely necessary. Brian Lefay of Reedy Creek Outfitters in NJ teamed up with Haydels calls and they offer a brant call.

Without a doubt they hear the calls. A prime example is "green timber" hunting of mallards. You are hunting mallards in "live" woods. In a lot of instances there is not a "hole" in the timber and the ONLY attraction for the ducks is the call! You will kick water and create ripples in the water that the ducks can see, but they cannot see the water well enough to notice decoys. The birds respond 100% to the call. This is my FAVORITE way to kill mallards!

thanks
224TTH

Since no one covered open water puddle ducks, I will add that calling mallards, etc., at high altitude works if the wind is in your favor. Reelfoot lake in NW TN is a good example. The old style open water call using a copper reed would hail ducks on oxygen. Same can be said for the single reed, "Arkansas" style call in the hands of an experienced caller. Decoys are more important in open spaces than dense timber but calling has brought many birds to their demise, including all ducks and geese. Calling, although many times not necessary is not only an acquired art/skill, but one of the more enjoyable parts of waterfowl hunting. As mentioned however, bad calling can be as disastrous as a bad dog in a small blind.

No question with puddle ducks, especially mallards, blacks, gadwalls and teal in the timber as discussed. We have killed many mallards in flooded timber with no decoys with only calling and kicking the water.

Thanks guys, to me it is amazing they can hear while in flight since they are such quick fliers, ducks at least.

It differs by location. In some locations we call at ducks/geese as far away as we can see them, and other locations we might not call at ducks 100 yards away. You have to be able to "read" ducks and know which ones might respond to a call and which ones might not. This is where experience is so important. A group of ducks/geese flying in a "V" or in a straight line usually will not respond. I am looking for ones that are bunched up and waver in wingbeat or flight pattern or are moving their head around... these are the ones to call at. There is no doubt that they can hear you in flight, and hear you a LOT further under the right conditions than most people think possible. The LONG LOUD drawn out "hail call" that you use on ducks that are way off is NOT supposed to sound like a duck. You use it when they are far enough away (450 yards+ depending on wind) that they may ONLY hear a note or two of the 10-20 note hail call. This is what initially gets their attention. Real ducks usually use a 5-7 note string (ALWAYS from loud-longer notes to shorter quieter notes)of calls at the most in my experience. NEVER going up in note length or volume, or even quacks of same volume/tone(this is a warning call). While they are close(250 yards are less) I usually use a 5-7 note(real duck type) excited greeting call to get their attention. Then when they move closer (150 ish or closer)I transitions to quacks,"whistles", and single cut feed(not rolling feed). If they waver on their flight path I may use a 3-5 note pleading/demanding note to turn them back in. If I really start to lose them I go back to a 5-7 note comeback type call that is fast and excited. But if they commit I go back to the quacks/chatter/clucks ALL THE WAY TO THE GUN!

I grew up hunting public land where there were blinds CLOSE together(1/4 mile way a long way to next blind). A lot are close enough that you can get peppered by shot if other blinds shoot toward you. Here is a normal scenario. A group of mallards of 100+ birds that are 400yards-specks in the sky. You use long loud 10+ note screaming hail calls and hopefully they come down and break up into 2-3 smaller bunches and each bunch works a different area. We call loud, aggressive and a LOT. Because the first blind to get em down in the kill hole gets to shoot and the other groups of birds flair out and leave when the first blind shoots. So I call aggressivly and dont stop calling till I pick up my gun to shoot. This method has worked well for me for over 20 years.

thanks
224TTH

Ann,

Wehunted resident Canadas in Minnesota and the kind of call really made a diffrence. Most of the locals use the long flute type calls. I had an ancient Faulks CH call that seemed to have a courser sound. I turned several flocks just like they were on a string. Had 24 geese sit down in the decoys. It was a fantastic week-end.

Hawkeye

I am no duck expert. But I am sure they can hear duck calls and do respond. Here in NZ after the opening weekend, we tend to jsut walk the streams and pond edges and jump shoot birds. Calling definitely brings birds over us and withing gun range. It is obvoious when birds flying in one direction at 300 meters suddenly turn as soon as you start calling.

We also call paradise shell ducks which are often shot in paddocks quite a distance from any water. The birds that are passing by do respond to calls and change direction to come closer.

quote:

Please, is anyone SURE that ducks and geese flying overhead can really hear a call?

Can you hear them when they honk or quack? I have seen geese so far away they are almost just dots but I hear them. No reason to think they cant hear us.

Bax,

When you hear them you are standing still. These water fowl are flying at what, 30mph? If you stuck your head out the car window at 30mph what can you hear?