Learning how to call ducks

I am interested as well, am in almost exact same situation.

Try to mimic the guys you used to hunt with. Don't call to much.

As much as people hate on them, Duck Commander's "Art of Calling Ducks" is a pretty good DVD. They go through every call.

Haydel has some good one's online, and Faulk's Game Calls has an Instructional CD.

I will echo the recommendations of others here in that practice is the key. I keep my calls in my truck. I don't practice on them as much anymore, but I still pull them out every now and then. Use your work commute as practice time. I drive 30 minutes both ways. That adds up in valuable practice time.

Also, don't try to sound like a competition caller. Don't use those videos as a guide. Ducks DO NOT sound like that. Don't care what anyone says. I've never heard a duck do that, and anyone honest will tell you the same thing.

ETA: Also, get you a call that YOU are comfortable with. Most expensive call I have was given to me, a Haydel's Carbon Kwacker ($50). My favorite call is a Haydel's dirty rice ($20).

Get what fits you.

You need to start out by learning to do a basic "Quack". It is the building block which all other calls are built on. I've had so many people ask me if their 5-7 note greeting call sounds good, when it sound horrible because they can't even get a single quack to sound like a duck.

I've killed more ducks by doing an actual feed call, (not that shite you hear at competitions) and single quacks than I have when blowing multiple note calls.

Jase Explains the Basics Here

Ducks hear so many people blowing the reeds out of their calls during their migration that by the time they get here they respond better to subtle, realistic sounds rather than the stuff you see and hear on tv and youtube.

Less is better, speak when spoken to, decoy motion is more important...

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Try to mimic ducks, not humans

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Well, I was assuming these guys were already mimicking ducks.

Get you a key hole P.S. Olt, baw. No call has killed more banded birds than the Mr. Olt's timeless classic. By far the easiest to call and requires little to no air. Start with the hail call and work your way into the rolling feed with some bouncing hens tied in. Unless you can string together a 2 minute feed, don't pick up your call while in the blind or else everyone will know you're a cicero. Can't begin to tell you the thousands of weary birds I've fooled over the years up on TB.

-OleBallCoach

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By far the easiest to call and requires little to no air

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Lord help..

A big part of calling ducks is reading the ducks in the air. You need to learn to call at the right time as much as you need to learn to call with the right sound. A couple of tips:
-Don't call when they're bearing down on you. They can pinpoint where the sounds are coming from and are very likely to see you moving. Call at their tails or at their wingtips when they are lateral to you.
-Look for signals from the ducks in flight. Sometimes you'll see them pause their wingbeat when they're passing by. Hit them with a quack right then, because they're listening/looking for some signal to come in.

Also, pay attention to any patterns they show over the course of a morning. If you have a couple groups turn and run when you hail call them, try being a little softer/quieter. If they're not responding at all, try blowing your lungs out at the next group to see if they act any differently. They may not be able to hear you if it's windy. And honestly, if you're in a good spot, not calling at all is your best bet a lot of times.

Lol, nope. Thus, the meme.