Duck call
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A Duck call may refer to either the process by which a hunter lures waterfowl, or the actual tool that he uses to do so.
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[edit] Process
Duck calling is the process in which a hunter uses a tool also known as a "duck call" to emulate the sound of a duck as a means to draw them closer.
[edit] Tool
As a tool, a duck call is like a traditional whistle made to emulate the sound of a duck. In old times, a duck call was a very simple woodwind instrument. It had a barrel, a sounding board and a reed. Hunters would grunt into the call while saying "hut", "quit" or "ut". With the improvement of calls and calling techniques the best callers are able to use no voice.
[edit] Technique
According to Greg Brinkly[1], champion duck hunter, who also produced a line of duck calls, every hunter should know 8 essential different types of duck calls in order to lure ducks closer to his physical location.
The most basic call is the quack that is emulated through the duck call. Greg Brinkly states that the most important aspect of this type is the end of the call, in which a clean "quack" must be made. "Qua qua quas" are simply inadequate and every serious duck hunter should be familiar with the basic quack.
There is a wide variety of duck calls, each meant for different situations. To an experienced duck hunter, each duck call is distinct and must be practiced to achieve a certain level of effectiveness.
[edit] Duck Varieties
The most prevalent and hunted duck in the United States, the mallard, makes the well known "quack" sound many associate with ducks. Other species make many different sounds, ranging from high-pitched whistles to very low, grunt-like quacks. There are calls for almost all species of ducks. Pintails, teal, wood ducks, diving ducks and other ducks including the calls of both the male, or drake and the female, or hen.
In many species, the call of the drake (male) is different from that of the hen (female). Mallard drakes make a lower pitch, longer quack than the hen mallard. This call is often used while feeding and when a mallard drake is landing. It gives the other birds a heads up. The quack of a mallard drake requires voice and is replicated by humming into a special whistle-like call. This whistle is often called a 6-in-1 whistle, due to the fact that it can replicate six different duck species sounds.
In teals, the drakes make a call of short bursts of a high pitch whistle. The "teet! (pause) teet! (pause) teet!-teet!" or any other order of repetition. This call can be made by blowing short bursts of air into the "6-in-1" whistle.
The majority of duck sounds such as quacking people have heard and are familiar with comes from female, or hen, mallards. Hen mallards are extremely vocal and this is probably why the number one call for duck hunting in North America is a hen mallard call.
