How to Work a Duck Call

Gregarious by nature, ducks can be called into range with the proper use of duck calls. While specialized duck calls are made to produce distinctive vocalizations, with practice a hunter can learn to successfully imitate most vocalizations in a duck's vocabulary with one, doubled-reed call. When learning to work a duck call, the neophyte duck caller must practice reproducing the duck's different calls until the sounds are identically to those of real ducks.

Things You'll Need

  • Double-reed duck call
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Instructions

    • 1

      Use a basic quack when trying to locate ducks in a new area. Say the word "quack" into the call, finishing the call with a sharp "k" sound at the end. Repeat the quack in a rhythmic four-second pattern, rest for 20 seconds, while listening for a response, and repeat.

    • 2

      Blow a greeting call when first seeing ducks in the sky. To produce the greeting call speak a series of six to eight "ka-nick," sounds into the call, performed in an even and steady rhythm. Make the first ka-nick as loud as possible and lower the volume on each successive sound.

    • 3

      Add a hail to the greeting when ducks are flying high. Blow "aaaaa-ink-a-ink" into the call and repeat four to six times. The hail is meant to be blown hard and is the loudest of all the calls. Never blow the hail when ducks are closer than 100 yards as it will usually only spook them. Don't use the hail call if ducks are already coming in.

    • 4

      Use a feeding call sparingly. The feeding call is meant to signal the ducks are happy and content. Many hunters use the inappropriate "kit-tee, kit-tee, kit-tee," vocalization to try to imitate feeding ducks. This sound is most often made by flying, not feeding ducks; when ducks are feeding actively the sounds they produce are more broken and random. To properly simulate the feeding call say, "tika-kit-tee-tuk-kit-tee-tika-kit-tee" into the call. Make the feeding call, once, in between other vocalizations.

    • 5

      Make a "comeback" call when ducks don't respond to a greeting or hail call. The comeback is spoken identically to the greeting, but with a more urgent cadence and plaintive tone.

    • 6

      Produce the sound of a lone hen if ducks are not answering other calls. The lone hen call is just a basic quack, but shorter and deeper in tone, with a six to eight second pause between calls. The lone hen call is most productive in wooded areas and should obviously not be used over decoy spreads.