Diver Duck Calls

Diver duck hunting is known for big spreads of decoys on big water and rough weather. There is a certain unique characteristic that distinguishes diver duck hunting from puddle duck hunting; the lack of needing to call. In my research for this post I’ve learned that diehard diver duck hunters are more focused on having their spread setup  right, than they are with calling. Coming from a puddle duck background it is a foreign idea not to call at ducks, so I began to do some research on what, if any noises, a diver duck makes.

I want to throw in a side note here and give you a run down of the ducks that are commonly encountered when diver duck hunting: Canvas Backs, Read Heads, Greater and Lesser Scaup, Buffle Heads, Golden Eyes, Ruddy Ducks, and Ring Necks.

In my research I found that divers have two basic noises that they make-a purr type sound and a bark/growl type of sound. Neither of these sounds is heard very often nor are they very loud when they are heard. Most of the time these two noises are used to by the ducks to show contentment in where they are (the purr), or as tools for attracting a mate (the bark/growl).

When my brother, my dad, and I first got into duck hunting we bought one of just about every type of call we could find, so that we would be ready to call at any birds we might encounter while hunting. One of the calls we bought was a DJ Illinois River Valley K11 diver duck call. It took a while to master but with that call, the purr and the bark resemble a real duck’s noises quite well. The purr noise is made by rolling your tongue the same way you would for a pintail whistle; once you can roll your tongue and get a consistent purr, cut it into short spurts. The bark is made with a short “Hoot” type of sound where the note starts off loud and crisp.

In my experience, diver duck calls are not effective in turning ducks toward your spread at long distance. For those birds I would recommend flagging or having motion decoys to get their attention. The diver duck call can come in handy when you have birds that are short stopping on the outside edge of your decoys. When birds look like they are about to land outside of your kill zone, one or two quick barks and/or purrs can be just what the ducks needed to hear to finish right in front of you.

This post brought to you by Nick Kirby, he's a great kid who loves to talk about duck calls, duck hunting waders, and everything in between relating to duck hunting.   Here is his bio:

My Name is Nick Kirby, I was raised, and still live in South Carolina. I have been called by God to a life in His ministry; I am currently serving as a youth minister in a local church. I have only been hunting waterfowl for 3 full seasons, but have learned and grown by leaps and bounds each year. My younger brother and I are constantly seeking to learn new water and new spots for hunting Geese and ducks. Recently I started my own blog, journalofawaterfowler.blogspot.com, where I write of my good and bad days chasing waterfowl. I am excited to have the opportunity to share on this website some of my insights and knowledge, most of what I have learned has come the hard way (not doing it right the first time). I hope that you all are able to gain a little something from what I have to share in my coming posts.