Duck call

Duck call

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.

Contents

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.

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.

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.

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 because 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.

Material

The two most common high quality duck call materials are wood and acrylic. There are also duck calls made of poly (methyl methacrylate), but in general they are considered to produce an inferior sound. The key difference between wood and acrylic duck calls is that acrylic calls are much louder and carry much farther than wood duck calls. This is important for different types of duck hunting. Acrylic calls are preferred in large, open spaces for a call to reach out and find the ducks. When hunting in the woods or a small backwater slough a wood call is preferable. Another key difference is that acrylic is known to show less sound variance over the temperature ranges expected in a duck blind. Wood expands and contracts with the changing temperature and humidity levels.

See also

References

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • duck call — noun : a device like a whistle for imitating the calls of ducks * * * duck call, an instrument used by hunters to imitate a duck s quacking …   Useful english dictionary

  • duck call — noun Date: 1872 a device for imitating the calls of ducks …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • call — /kawl/, v.t. 1. to cry out in a loud voice; shout: He called her name to see if she was home. 2. to command or request to come; summon: to call a dog; to call a cab; to call a witness. 3. to ask or invite to come: Will you call the family to… …   Universalium

  • call — I. verb Etymology: Middle English, from Old Norse kalla; akin to Old English hildecalla battle herald, Old High German kallōn to talk loudly, Old Church Slavic glasŭ voice Date: before 12th century intransitive verb 1. a. to speak in a loud… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Duck Down Music Inc. — Duck Down Music Inc. Founded 1995 Headquarters New York, NY Key people Drew Dru Ha Friedman (co CEO) Kenyatta Buckshot Blake (co C …   Wikipedia

  • Duck and Cover (The Wire) — Duck and Cover The Wire episode Episode no. Season 2 Episode 8 …   Wikipedia

  • Duck, duck, goose — A group of children playing the game Players 4 or more Age range 2 and up Setup time None Playing time …   Wikipedia

  • Duck and Cover (The West Wing) — Duck and Cover The West Wing episode Episode no. Season 7 Episode 144 Directed by Christopher Misiano Written by …   Wikipedia

  • Duck-Typing — ist ein Konzept der objektorientierten Programmierung, bei dem der Typ eines Objektes nicht durch seine Klasse beschrieben wird, sondern durch das Vorhandensein bestimmter Methoden. Der Name ergibt sich in Anlehnung an James Whitcomb Rileys… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Duck Typing — ist ein Konzept der Objektorientierung, das die Anwendbarkeit bestimmter Verfahren nicht an die Ableitung der Klasse von einer bestimmten Superklasse oder der förmlichen Implementierung einer Spezifikation knüpft, sondern an das Vorhandensein… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”