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I live in southern Idaho and am getting into duck hunting and I know that this a very broad question but what. Mallard duck call would you recommend for a person getting into duck calling and would be easy to operate
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Joined: Sep 2006
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I use a few RNT calls. Very easy to learn. The Diablo in particular is a great choice, at least here in SE Alberta.
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Joined: Aug 2017
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Everyone blows calls differently. I have tried 3 different RNT's and don't like them. The microhen was as close as I could get to liking the sound. I now use a Lares and a Drake Brake.
I'd pick up some cheapos and you might end up really liking them. Haydels or buck gardner come to mind. My daughter has a buck gardner give-away call I got at a DU banquet 10 years ago and she'll tear 'em down with that thing.
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Joined: Feb 2011
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Echos double reed timber diamondwood calls with poly inserts are hard to beat. They sound great, easy to call, and can be found for less than $55. I highly recommend.
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Joined: Jun 2008
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At this point in the game in my opinion it really doesn't matter. Practicing is going to yield you more then a quality call is at this point. Once you have calling down a little take a trip to Cabela's, Sportsmen's, Basspro, or whatever and try them out. See what you like best once you have the basics down first.
Eat Fish, Wear Grundens, Drink Alaskan.
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Joined: Mar 2013
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I have an RNT microhen and short barrel on my lanyard now but have owned a few buck gardners, Zinks and Fowles in the past. Echo makes a great call as well. Practice is number 1, once you get the hang do what MCH mentioned. I prefer a single reed but have owned doubles and they have their place, it's preference to a large extent.
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Joined: Feb 2008
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The caller is more important than the call. Practice with someone who knows calling or listen to a lot of videos, CDs, etc that have good calling.
For a new caller, I think good basic quacks, feed call, etc. are MUCH better than that long high-ball that competition callers use.
Listen to ducks on a pond. Mimic what they do. Odds are you will not hear a screaming high ball come out of them.....
The lion and tiger might be stronger, but the wolf does not perform in the circus.
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My buddy and I successfully hunted ducks for decades, and always found the wooden Lohman calls to be the best sounding in all types of weather and conditions.
“Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” --- Will Rogers
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Go buy the cheapest half dozen calls you can find, if you are like everyone else you won't like your first purchases and you may as well pay under $20 each for them than over $60. Then again, you may find "The One" in that bunch too. 😀
Otherwise, the advice skill trumps the call is key. The only addition I can add is to record your practice sessions then play back. Place the recording device 20 yards away as that will give you a good idea of what you sound like in the field. Using your own ears is not representative as you are so close that there is some auditory distortion due to the loudness. That may lead you into the wrong direction in your calling. If one looks, judges of any musical or vocal contest position themselves away from the contestant for that reason.
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Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 369
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I have a Duck Commander Triple Threat and even as a beginner it sounded alright. Now that I’ve got a few years of experience with it, and picked up a few more calls, I still think it has the best sound of the bunch.
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Joined: Sep 2018
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Carlson Calls or Buck Gardner make a Quality call that will not break the bank.
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Joined: Jul 2008
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I like the Haydel's RL-99 Redleg Mallard $35 MSRP call for its tone quality & ease of use. But you must practice and practice. Taping yourself could be a faster way to learn, too. Many good tips above. Good luck! -Mark
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Joined: Sep 2008
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I have a different opinion on the RNT calls. I have a daisy cutter which has a lot of hype around it. Mine locks up constantly and I don't use because of that. Yeah, I'm sure it is me and my "air presentation" but it is what it is. I have a Lares Hybrid on the other hand that sounds great and has never locked up on me. Point being what works for someone else may not work for you. Just because you spend a buck fifty on a call doesn't mean that you can make it sound great and magically work to pull ducks from the heavens. Whatever you buy you will need to spend the time learning how to operate it. I'm sure you have heard this before but if you can be sure to try out what you are interested in before you buy, whether at the sportshop or from a friend's lanyard. After you pick out your call, practice with it until you learn how to use it. If you get frustrated put it down and come back when you are not. Overtime with a lot of practice you will figure it out. The worst thing to do is to keep buying new calls searching for the holy grail when it is actually the person behind the call that makes the difference.
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The original wood body duck commander call is cheap and very easy to blow.
“One thorn of experience is worth a whole wilderness of warning.” - James Russell Lowell
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Honestly I like the Buck Gardner Double Nasty. Ive also been very pleased with the free call that DU gives you which is also a BG. Practicing is the most important thing. You don't have to be a great caller to get ducks in. The most important thing is knowing when to shut up and sit still after you get their attention!
GOD Bless America
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The most important thing is knowing when to shut up and sit still after you get their attention! That is no lie!
Eat Fish, Wear Grundens, Drink Alaskan.
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Haydel's DR-85 It ain't glamours, but it sounds like a mallard and it's easy.
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." Edmund Burke 1795
"Give me liberty or give me death" Patrick Henry 1775
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Just remember Double reed calls will be easier to use than Single Reed.
If you want to spend some money here are a few custom makers I really like.
Correa Custom Calls
Resurrection Calls
Raggio Custom Calls
Town Line Custom Calls
Battlecreek Calls
Holy Hail Calls
Common production calls I like
Last Flight Calls
Toxic Calls
Fowl Weather Calls
Eat Fish, Wear Grundens, Drink Alaskan.
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I seem to call the most ducks with a cheap Quakhead QuakStacker. Maybe I just know how to blow it right or something, but it makes life easier for me than others.
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Oh I dunno, I'm not big on duck hunting. First year I went out during the summer and just listened, we have some very productive public areas. The ducks all sounded different, some like the DU contest guys, some like they were being strangled. So I tried duck calling with mixed results. Then a cousin that is a duck hunting fool came up and I watched how he got better results. My problem was not the quality of the calling but not knowing when to shut up. But then you never know. I was out with him one nice, sunny morning and nothing worked, for all his very good calling our spread would barely get a look. Finally he got down to his drake call. Like magic.
The key elements in human thinking are not numbers but labels of fuzzy sets. -- L. Zadeh
Which explains a lot.
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