How To Tune A Duck Call

Some guys can jump out of bed and sound like a duck or goose. Most can't. Get your calls sounding good before the opener, even if you've ignored them all off-season. Photo © Bill Konway

You know information technology's wrong. You vow to exercise improve. But every year before the opener, y'all shamefully admit that you haven't blown your duck calls since the previous season. And the last thing you want is to audio like you're playing a kazoo or New Year's Eve party horn in a crowded marsh.

Don't panic. Sure, it'due south always best to practice your calling year-round, but even the biggest procrastinators tin nevertheless dust off those musical instruments and have them singing sweetly by opening day. Just follow the advice of these Realtree waterfowl pros.

"Waiting until the concluding infinitesimal to melody your call is what a lot of duck hunters do," said Dennis "Dr. Duck" Loosier, co-host of Black Cloud on Realtree 365. "Information technology's probably the last matter on most checklists. Decoys, gunkhole maintenance, and guns seem to be first on the listing. Duck calls and a little practice seem to be last, and I'm guilty of it likewise. Life is busy, and real-life distractions such every bit work and family unit brand it hard to find time to practice. Plus, information technology's hard to do at domicile without annoying the family."

Loosier said last-minute calling preppers should start by examining calls for repairs and and then tuning them.

"Replace the reeds and corks for starters," he said. "I always acquit extra reeds and corks in my hunting gear all season long to make adjustments as needed."

Jeremy Dersham, owner of Ridge and River Running Outfitters in Wisconsin, agreed, saying hunters must first cheque their calls for mechanical issues.

"I've lost the corporeality of times I've reached for a duck or goose call and the guts are gone, including inserts, reeds, O-rings, or wedges," he said. "Or better notwithstanding, an O-ring snaps or a reed cracks, and the wedge is dried to the insert. The bottom line is things break downwardly after time. Checking your calls and making sure you have extra parts or having an extra few calls in the blind handbag tin brand the deviation between bringing birds home or coming home empty-handed."

After your calls are in working club, the next final-infinitesimal stride is obvious: Cram in every bit much practice as possible.

"After the cork and reeds are changed, I detect the best time for me to practice is driving down the road without a passenger to annoy," Loosier said. "People volition look at you similar you are crazy at the red lights. Only I accept establish it's the best time to practice without intermission. I practice a visual of ducks in the distance in my head. I do a routine calling them in and sitting them down on the water with difficulty, and working the telephone call to convince them that the decoys are the real thing. Of course, in my head, I always accomplish the goal of success."

Dersham recommends seeking auditory assistance to achieve realistic sounds.

"If y'all want to sound more than similar a duck or goose this season, at that place are a agglomeration of people sharing how-to tips, from types of calls to different techniques, on platforms all over the internet," he said. "If y'all're old-school, many waterfowlers might share an one-time how-to cassette record or CD. Merely if you really want to larn a few new sounds, head down to some of your favorite duck and goose stomping grounds to merely watch and heed. Try mimicking the sounds y'all hear from the dissimilar species of ducks, and try to pay close attention with what they're doing when making those sounds. In my opinion, there's not a better teacher than the different species of ducks in their ain environments."

That's solid advice. Now get busy: Your calls are waiting, and duck season is right around the corner.

Click hither for more Realtree waterfowl hunting content. And bank check us out on Facebook.