# Was this just chance?



## Kansas Kid (Nov 20, 2003)

We were hunting Canada's and Mallards in a snow covered grain field on Saturday and Sunday. There were thousands of Mallards in the area, but we were getting good shots at very few of them. We limited on geese early on Saturday so we left with only six Mallards. It was foggy on Sunday so the birds didn't fly until 11:00. Every time we would have a flock of Canada's working the spread, the ducks would come right in the pocket, which would have given us really close shots. After this happened a couple times, we put the duck calls down and started calling to the Mallards with goose calls like we did when we were working the geese. Then, we started decoying Mallards like crazy. When we filled our limit of honkers on Sunday, we only needed 2 ducks to finish. We did not have many duck decoys in the field, so I felt like we were making the ducks confused by using the duck calls. Is this just chance or is it normal. Please respond with any thoughts.


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## gandergrinder (Mar 10, 2002)

Sometimes no duck call is the best duck call. :wink:


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## Kansas Kid (Nov 20, 2003)

True gg, I wished we would have thought about that a little quicker. We generally hunt ducks on small ponds where calling is a must to get them to look at us, but our Big Foots in the snow covered field was already getting the birds to come our way. We would have finished a lot sooner if we would have left the duck calls in the truck.


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## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

First off, I'm not a fan of high balling to ducks in a field. Until I hear the ducks do it themselves I won't do it. Feed chuckles and a few quacks (with some drake sounds mixed in) is all I'll use. The past couple years the boys have been using the goose calls on ducks more and more. Heck Mav does it all the time and it works well for us.


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## Kansas Kid (Nov 20, 2003)

Thanks Chris. You would have thought that I would have figured that one out years ago. Now I know what my wife is talking about.


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## Decoyer (Mar 2, 2002)

I agree with gg, the best duck callers out there are the ones that can read the ducks. Sometimes no sound is the ticket, but I have had many days this year where ducks would really respond to the call, esspecially when it is cold ducks seem to be more vocal. For me it is tough to put down a duck call. Calling is one of the funnest aspects of waterfowling for me.


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## PJ (Oct 1, 2002)

I agree with Chris, only feed chuckle when hunting in a field. Our group often goose calls when hunting ducks from a field as well. Ducks decoy really well to goose decoys, especially in fields. I have hunted many times for ducks in fields only useing goose decoys.


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## Im4Fishing&amp;Hunting (Mar 19, 2003)

We also had ducks come in better with goose calls!!! they come right in, when we do use duck calls we just give them a feeder chuckle and maybe a quack here and there.


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## WhakGreenie03 (Feb 20, 2004)

everytime i hunted for geese we would have ducks bombing our heads. Just this year i have gotten sense to the findings and will only hunt ducks in the fields. I have found mornings to be more productive than evenings. After that we pick up and move to the adjacent pond for some evening action in which we use duck decoys. Seems like the ducks are just more confident in landing into some honkers versus water.


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## Old Hunter (Mar 8, 2002)

If I am field huntingducks I usually use a dark goose spread. I run robo and duck shells. I aways throw a highball when the ducks are way out there. Even If I know that they are on their way to me. I do this to see if I get a response. You wont blow them out if they can barely hear the highball. They will highball in big feeds when they feel safe. Often the highballing takes place on a staging pond very close to the feed. You cant stop me from highballing. Great sounding word!!!!!!


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