- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Show Left Links
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
Started By
Message
duck hunting: what does "call sparingly" mean?
Posted on 12/23/14 at 11:41 am
Posted on 12/23/14 at 11:41 am
i read alot about people calling too much/too often when duck hunting. if you are hunting ducks that are call-shy, and you see a group of ducks within calling range (but not headed your way, say they are crossing at 150-200 yds away for example). do you give them a single quack or a 5 note greeting? or just a widgeon whistle or something else?
obviously once they turn toward you you shut up, and i'm assuming you would switch to single quacks/whistles (or nothing at all even) once they've noticed you and are working the dekes.
obviously once they turn toward you you shut up, and i'm assuming you would switch to single quacks/whistles (or nothing at all even) once they've noticed you and are working the dekes.
6
Posted on 12/23/14 at 11:44 am to gorillacoco
Where are you hunting? If I am in timber or a beaver pond, I tend to just shut up and be quiet unless they look like they are going somewhere else.
Posted on 12/23/14 at 11:48 am to gorillacoco
quote:
and you see a group of ducks within calling range (but not headed your way, say they are crossing at 150-200 yds away for example).
Give them the loudest hail call your lungs can muster.
Posted on 12/23/14 at 11:50 am to gorillacoco
Depends - experience is the best trainer.
I know this, I use my pintail whistle more the older I get. And I hung up my RNT daisy cutter for a much softer call. I am in the market for an Olt - if I can find the right one.
Call as little as possible, call softly and keep your chin tucked into your chest...don't look up.
I know this, I use my pintail whistle more the older I get. And I hung up my RNT daisy cutter for a much softer call. I am in the market for an Olt - if I can find the right one.
Call as little as possible, call softly and keep your chin tucked into your chest...don't look up.
This post was edited on 12/23/14 at 11:51 am
Posted on 12/23/14 at 11:54 am to TigerDeacon
quote:
Where are you hunting?
ponds and lakes of various sizes, but not any huge impoundments or anything like that.
sometimes in flooded marsh ponds as well.
This post was edited on 1/12/15 at 7:34 am
Posted on 12/23/14 at 12:01 pm to Road Tiger
quote:
Give them the loudest hail call your lungs can muster.
This was said sarcastically, but it's ok to give a long, loud hail call if they are actually 200 yards away. You do whatever you have to do to get them to notice you. Once they notice you, then the attention shifts towards making them focus on the dekes and not where the calling is coming from (open rice fields). If they notice us and shift towards us we just soft quack and 3-4 note greeting on the edges and occasional feed (real short and choppy, not the roll you hear most do). We do our best to let the decoys do the work and only really call if they swing very wide or seem uninterested.
Posted on 12/23/14 at 12:48 pm to gorillacoco
Most hunter would be better off not touching calls at all. More time should be invested in being where duck want too be. If you have to wail on kazoo all morning you are doing it wrong
Posted on 12/23/14 at 1:14 pm to Fat Neck
quote:
Most hunter would be better off not touching calls at all
if the ducks are 150 yds away and not heading toward you it can't exactly hurt, can it?
Posted on 12/23/14 at 1:23 pm to gorillacoco
Killed 14 Sunday morning.
Every grey we killed came in w/o a peep from me. It doesn't take much calling and I generally only call when they are flying away and or when they are calling at the decoys.
I will bust up the ol teal whistle and hen call... Teal will usually at least buzz you and make you waste some shells.
Calling works well up north.... When they get down here they know the game.
Every grey we killed came in w/o a peep from me. It doesn't take much calling and I generally only call when they are flying away and or when they are calling at the decoys.
I will bust up the ol teal whistle and hen call... Teal will usually at least buzz you and make you waste some shells.
Calling works well up north.... When they get down here they know the game.
Posted on 12/23/14 at 1:29 pm to gorillacoco
quote:
if the ducks are 150 yds away and not heading toward you it can't exactly hurt, can it?
I am gonna step in here. When Hunting small ponds, sloughs, impoundments, bar ditches, etc. The ducks that you see probably already have their mind made up if they are coming to you or if they are going elsewhere. First thing you have to do is identify the bird. Figure out what they are and if you want to shoot them. Next thing and this is the most important and it takes a lot of practice and a lot of hours spent looking at ducks. You have to have a good understanding and knowledge of the duck's wingbeat. Some ducks have slower ones some faster so you need to be able to pick out if there is a change of pace from the norm. Ducks that are flapping just a 1/4 second slower will tell you if they are looking or not. If you pick up a slower wingbeat in a big duck hit him with a soft quack or soft wench. Grey duck single note works as well. If the duck commits put the call down till he passes and call at his arse, repeat that until the duck is killed. Small Water Small Calling Small Spread Small Blind NO ROBO.
Now if the bird has a faster beat and is going away or not really looking then they are going to a predetermined spot. Call all you want not gonna help really. If you do however pick up birds flying away but they are hole-ing up somewhere close, you can scream at a little to pick em up and give you a chance. Its all about perception and what you immediately identify and then react on that.
If you hunt big open water we can discuss as well.
This post was edited on 12/23/14 at 1:36 pm
Posted on 12/23/14 at 1:38 pm to gorillacoco
quote:
if the ducks are 150 yds away and not heading toward you it can't exactly hurt, can it?
It may hurt your health by wasting breath on hopeless cause. Duck probly knows where its headed and you calling will ensure he goes there. Will it hurt? Maybe not. Will it help? Probly not
I think it safe to say 85% of duck hunter have no idea how to use a call, not saying I am excluded from that 85% either. They just like to hear themselves blow said call
Posted on 12/23/14 at 1:42 pm to Fat Neck
quote:
I think it safe to say 85% of duck hunter have no idea how to use a call
I like this statement. Key word is "Use" here. Most people just blow and have no idea how to "Use" a call. My dad used to take me to our rice field after the season and made me listen to pintail, mallards, teal, and whatever else was out there. He then made me sit there in the field and call and until he felt i had it right, we didnt leave.
This post was edited on 12/23/14 at 1:44 pm
Posted on 12/23/14 at 1:51 pm to GCHunter
quote:
I like this statement. Key word is "Use" here. Most people just blow and have no idea how to "Use" a call. My dad used to take me to our rice field after the season and made me listen to pintail, mallards, teal, and whatever else was out there. He then made me sit there in the field and call and until he felt i had it right, we didnt leave.
^ This.
I used to sit in the blind during the split and just watch and listen. No one knows how to call a duck better than another duck.
Posted on 12/23/14 at 2:04 pm to GCHunter
quote:
I am gonna step in here. When Hunting small ponds, sloughs, impoundments, bar ditches, etc. The ducks that you see probably already have their mind made up if they are coming to you or if they are going elsewhere. First thing you have to do is identify the bird. Figure out what they are and if you want to shoot them. Next thing and this is the most important and it takes a lot of practice and a lot of hours spent looking at ducks. You have to have a good understanding and knowledge of the duck's wingbeat. Some ducks have slower ones some faster so you need to be able to pick out if there is a change of pace from the norm. Ducks that are flapping just a 1/4 second slower will tell you if they are looking or not. If you pick up a slower wingbeat in a big duck hit him with a soft quack or soft wench. Grey duck single note works as well. If the duck commits put the call down till he passes and call at his arse, repeat that until the duck is killed. Small Water Small Calling Small Spread Small Blind NO ROBO.
Now if the bird has a faster beat and is going away or not really looking then they are going to a predetermined spot. Call all you want not gonna help really. If you do however pick up birds flying away but they are hole-ing up somewhere close, you can scream at a little to pick em up and give you a chance. Its all about perception and what you immediately identify and then react on that.
If you hunt big open water we can discuss as well.
damn. this is what i'm looking for. thanks.
Posted on 12/23/14 at 2:13 pm to Fat Neck
quote:
I think it safe to say 85% of duck hunter have no idea how to use a call, not saying I am excluded from that 85% either.
WHAT. A. PUSSY.
Posted on 12/23/14 at 2:13 pm to gorillacoco
quote:
damn. this is what i'm looking for. thanks.
No problem man. Just needed someone to point you in the right direction and not just post "Everyone calls too much or dont call at all". Every single duck or every group of ducks has an different agenda or motive. Some need to be called at aggressively some need a little bit some need none. Figure that out and you are ahead of the curve. I found out very quickly when i started chasing ducks that when you are throwing big notes out there....there is always another duck close by that could be looking for a home. Pick and choose your battles. I look at calling as a another layer to reassure the ducks that this is a safe place to land, those arent decoys in water, and a 12 gauge in the grass along with a big arse dog. Not as a way to change his mind.
This post was edited on 12/23/14 at 2:23 pm
Posted on 12/23/14 at 2:57 pm to PapaPogey
quote:
I think it safe to say 85% of duck hunter have no idea how to use a call, not saying I am excluded from that 85% either.
WHAT. A. PUSSY.
BOURG arent you a little old to talk like this on internet message board?
Posted on 12/23/14 at 3:23 pm to gorillacoco
Also, what works one day may not work the next. Its all about reading the birds and that only comes with a lot of experience. You normally end up over calling or under calling the first few sets of birds. The key is to keep trying different combinations until you find the one that works. I've had days where you had to stay on them to finish them and some days where 5% more than they wanted to hear was too much and flared them. I normally let grays decide what they want without much calling at all. If you're hunting with multiple people you could all be blowing different calls...somebody on a whistle, another on a mallard hen, one with a gray call, etc. Don't overcall each one of them, but just hit them a little with each depending on how they react. Somebody else already said it, but being in the area they want to be in makes the best caller of all.
Posted on 12/23/14 at 3:38 pm to gorillacoco
Most people would kill the same number of ducks if they left their calls at home. Hell, they may even kill more.
Page 1 of 1
Popular
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News