Duck Calling Practice

[SnowDog]

My wife is starting to get paranoid that our 1 month old son is going to quack rather than talk with all the practicing I have been doing. That would be hilarious

On a serious note, I'm looking for recommendations on instructional dvd's or tapes to help me learn to call.

Cheers!
SD

[ducksdoom12]

RNT has a 3 cd set that is really good. it gives you all the basics that you need in the first cd, then goes on to tell you how to apply what they taught you in the field and what types of stiuations you should use what type of calls.
really good instruction

[OltHunter]

save your money and listen to the real ducks for practice.  There are techniques as to how to blow into a call and what to say into the call that can be picked up in DVD's or books, but all you need to figure out is the single quack.  turn your call around, and blow into it that way so you can hear what your diaphram/voice is doing on each quack.  you can hear if you are using too much voice or not enough diaphram.  i got started using an OOOOTTT sound into the call.  but nail that single quack.  master that first. 

http://www.ducks.org/hunting/duck-calling/index.html

Forget feeding chatter, waste of time, once you get that quack down, then get out early somewhere that is holding ducks and listen to what/how the hens are calling.  Calling especially on public land is way overdone, and the more life like you can get it, the better off you will be.  you could maybe even search for mallard sounds on youtube or something to hear them and then try to reproduce that sound:

http://www.ducks.org/hunting/waterfowlGallery/12/index.html

especially listen to that fast cadence at the end of the clip, i use that a lot, not as long, but a faster cadence than is usually taught.

during my years at UW, i would walk by drumheller fountain, which was stacked with mallards and heard quacks and series of quacks that were not in any DVD's or books.  Then on hunt days, I'd try to get to the blind early and listen to what the ducks were doing in the morning. those small changes added a great deal of success in my calling/hunting.   

All just in my opinion, good luck

[teal101]

Best advice above.  Listen to them and mimick them. 

What I find funny is the "feeding chatter".  Listen to a swarm of ducks when flying.  The feed chuckle   I dunno bout over on the wetside but here on the east side ducks dont eat corn in the air   I only use that call softly and in short bursts when the birds work close.  Otherwise its a mix of quack series, volume defendant on their range, and single quacks.

I always try to mimic what the birds are doing and I'd say about 80% of the time single quacks and small series used very sparingly work best if the birds are talking.  A lot of the time shutting up works better than calling!