Softer/ Quieter Calls?

[Zkight89]

 Lesson #1 for me has been that it's much easier to get the ducks to land in a place of their choosing. 

 

 That being said I did "hail call" at a group of Mallards cruising up high on the youth hunt and ended up bringing them all in for the boys to get a crack at them.  While it was very entertaining, I much prefer sitting in the right spot and watching them crash in while I hide quietly. 

[Dave Erickson]

My old Faulks call was my favorite. Seemed to work everywhere.

[Wet Dog]

Haydel DR-85 makes some nice soft sounds. They are inexpensive and are a great call to learn on.

[Rick Hall]

17 hours ago, Wet Dog said:

Haydel DR-85 makes some nice soft sounds. They are inexpensive and are a great call to learn on.

 

The DR-85 may well hold the all-time record for ducks tolled.  Wrap one in black electric tape, and you'll look like 90+% of Louisiana's guides.

[h20fwler]

After all the bells, whistles and hype it's hard to beat some really basic simple calls for putting birds over the decoys. Anymore I keep a pair of DR85's on the lanyard they have great range from soft to crazy loud and are as simple to run as it gets. 

[Chief Paduke]

The old Yentzen double and triple reed calls were easy to blow softly. Don’t know about the “improved” models. 

[1971snipe]

On 11/15/2020 at 1:29 PM, Rick Hall said:

 

The DR-85 may well hold the all-time record for ducks tolled.  Wrap one in black electric tape, and you'll look like 90+% of Louisiana's guides.

I think every Haydel call I've ever owned ended up wrapped with black electric tape.  

[Rick Hall]

11 hours ago, 1971snipe said:

I think every Haydel call I've ever owned ended up wrapped with black electric tape.  

 

Their Redleg is a hard-bodied (shouldn't crack) version of the DR-85.  But some will tell you that the electric tape (never duct) is what makes the call's sound special and tape them right out of the packaging.

[Rick Hall]

On 11/12/2020 at 7:54 AM, Zkight89 said:

 I much prefer sitting in the right spot and watching them crash in while I hide quietly. 

 

Yawn.

[Huntschool]

I dont know if you can still find them or even if they are still made but the old Yentzen(sp) double reed makes a great low volume, full sound.  It chuckels really well also.  Some folks I knew down in AR used them in the woods and went to the competition type Chick Majors calls in the rice fields.  I have a Haydell(sp) call (cant remember the mod #) that is sweet in the woods and allows a very wide range of operation.  Even that "windy drake" sound.

[Zkight89]

14 hours ago, Rick Hall said:

 

Yawn.

Only yawning until the guns start going off!! 

[brushbuster]

On 11/10/2020 at 5:06 PM, Brdhntr47 said:

Try to find a Glynn Scobey call. I used his wood goose and duck calls for years and had great success with them all over the country. Even used them a couple times in Argentina. Glynn died a number of years ago and his calls are very collectible. Best bet would be to look on EBay.

I like my signed Scobey call in PA swamps and Delaware River. He spent quite a bit of time with me at the Harrisburg sportsman’s show true gentleman. 
A Haydell redleg works for me as well.

 

 

[Rogue Hunter]

I can't profess to be any kind of caller. A DC200 seems to work best for bring in that lonely drake mallard.

[Rick Hall]

17 hours ago, Zkight89 said:

Only yawning until the guns start going off!! 

 

If I was into ambush, I'd deer hunt for more than meat and do that on my arse in a stand, instead of slipping along.  Might not waterfowl hunt at all, as it's the contact good calling can create that floats my boat.  Absolutely nothing in waterfowling better than changing the mind of a bird that smelled the rat and bumped hard.

[Zkight89]

3 hours ago, Rick Hall said:

 

If I was into ambush, I'd deer hunt for more than meat and do that on my arse in a stand, instead of slipping along.  Might not waterfowl hunt at all, as it's the contact good calling can create that floats my boat.  Absolutely nothing in waterfowling better than changing the mind of a bird that smelled the rat and bumped hard.

 

  I enjoy the scouting and strategy of hiding, getting right with the wind and decoying right now.  However, when I'm as experienced a caller as you are I may enjoy that part more than I do now.