ok, I am new to duck hunting... well "serious" duck hunting anyways. I have jumped ponds and sat around waiting for ducks to fly to a pond for years. So this year I am building blinds, setting out decoys and calling. What makes a call so much better than others? $100+ for some calls and $25 for others? Will the more expensive calls be easier to use (less air flow required)? I ask because I cant get the airflow to do a feed call on the cheaper call that I have. Wondering if a "better" call would take less air to use until I get better at calling.

Expensive calls are usually acrylic and a brand name and that's what you are paying for, although they usually do sound better but some guys can run a $25 and make it sounds just as good if not better than a $120 call. It's all personal preference.

here we go.. hey 3 shots 1 kill where you at ? ! I got more for ya on this one

There's nothing wrong with the cheap duck commander calls. I'd get one of those to learn on. I managed to get birds to work with a hand-me-down Yentzen when I was younger, and those sound like total crap compared to some of the cheap stuff today. If you want an Echo or RNT later they'll still be making 'em.

$20 call is fine... No, get a RNT!... No, get a ECHO!... No, get a whistle!... No, you shouldn't be blowing a call anyway.

There, I summed up how the rest of the thread will play out.

But to answer your question. Yes, most cheap calls are not as responsive, and unless you have a lot of practice you won't be able to make the same range of calls as a nicer call.

The choice of call brand and type all depends on whether you drive a Chevy, Ford or Dodge.

i have a few calls, on my daily lanyard i have a 35 dollar duck commander, a 50 dollar acrylic spitfire(which is my favorite), a conley sims custom which is my second favorite(he is a member on here and am currently waiting on another)and a buck gardner from ducks unlimited. all are under 60 bucks and they all have a specific purpose, quacks, feed, hail, and comback. they all will do everything but i like each for its special purpose. i have tried the daisy cutter and many others but it doesnt make my wallet fall out of my pocket.

I think it all depends on the hunter behind the call.

Yep, it's not the arrow that matters it's the Indian behind it. You could give Jimi Hendrix a $20 wall-mart guitar and he would make it wail like a $5000 Gibson custom.

I'm not a good caller, I just started seriously trying to call last year. I have tried all kinds of different calls and like others have said it's just a matter of preference. The high dollar calls do have much more range but unless you can blow it top to bottom the way it should be blown that range doesn't really matter. The main thing is practice and use whatever your the most confident with.

I only buy DD products, don't care how bad they sound. They are my heroes. I just changed my will to them.

Conley sims makes great calls have bought some and buy them for gifts. N

All that popcorn made me sleepy.

I only buy things that have the duck commander or duck dynasty logo on it. Gauranteed to be the best. I'm just waiting for them new fancy mossbergs to come out.

There's a Fancy Mossburg coming out??? maybe trade the SBE2 for a few of those!!
Yes the call makes a difference, brand is preference Practice makes perfect With any call!! you tube Iphone apps great practice vids and sounds to mock..Learn with a cheap $10-$40 call...when they land in your spread and you limit out few times a season or smoking the barrel in storm...echo or rnt, HOBO, refuge, Zink, or Buck or whatever custom quacker you like makes great gift! I like Banded calls personally, dont dont leave home with out an original DC WOOD raspy hen $8 my favorite practice call and my 1st call ever from wife about 10yrs ago

Darn right there is. Basically they gonna take a mossberg 500 and slap a DD decal on it. That's all I need to know to know that it is a great gun. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

When I was 15 I started out with a simple 15 dollar Haydels and mastered that in about 1 year. I guess what you could say is that I was a fast learner. Now even though I'm 17 and my opinion probably means nothing to y'all but I think its based off the hunters experience with calling. Ive been calling for 2 years and I would like to say I've gotten a lot better at most things. Last year I upgraded to a double reed Quack Shack but now I want to upgrade to a single reed duck call (I'm and expensive child). Heck I'm still learning and I will be learning for quite awhile. But that was my POV.

I've got a $30 echo that was pretty easy to learn on

I've got 120 calls and most of them sit on a self looking pretty I have a 30 dollar echo I believe timber but its bourbon color awesome call a great beginner call.

I got an echo $40 and RNT quakhead $20 from academy, and use quakhead most of the time, and for longer range duck, I use the Echo. When you're watching most videos on youtube, most of the calls are for competition, and don't make natural sounds. When I call, most of the time they are soft calls, ducks look, I stop. And to be honest, I try to not even use my calls, just depends on how the birds are acting, and how late in the season. Whistles are good too. Double reeds are easier to use, but might not be as sharp as you want. Some calls require a lot of air, some don't. Try them out, and see. My .02, good luck!

I have just started calling again after several years out of duck hunting so I'm having to relearn a lot. What people say about practice is true. I bought a Zink call and video after last season and I have practiced and practiced. I keep a call in my truck so I can practice when I'm driving around. I also go through youtube regularly and watch different videos. Youtube is great because you can see the strategy of many different callers and that gives you something to go by when you practice. You can try different calling techniques until you find one that works best for you.

I have tried several different types of calls. In my opinion stay away from single reeds for now. They are a little harder to blow. I recently purchased the DC triple threat after getting pretty good with my Zink double reed. It is very easy to blow. Also get some whistles. They are very effective and easy to learn and it adds some variety to your calling. This past weekend we used more whistling than quacking and did very well. Mostly because there were a lot of quackers out there and we were doing something different. There is a pintail/widgeon/teal whistle, mallard drake whistle and a gadwall whistle. I bought all 3. Best of luck to you!

The most realistic calls I have are my least expensive calls.
Haydell dr-85
haydell timber cutter

Gentlemen, How does the Quack Head sound? I've been eying one for a while now. I'm just a little hesitant to buy the less expensive poly calls. It seems they put all the R&D money in advertising.

Also, I love Haydel's calls. My Red Leg has been my goto call for over a decade. Does the Deceiver really sound as good as I've read? I'm a mediocre caller, but can get the job done when I don't blow too much. Thanks.

I actually read an article recently written by ducks unlimited I think that said even a bad caller can be successful if they know when to call more than how to call

I grew up hunting in the marshes in SW Louisiana. There is DEFINITELY a different calling style used there as opposed to Texas flooded and dead timber. I rarely blow the hiball anymore. Just a few greeting calls, low-end quacks and a feeding call to keep them locked. My whistles get all the use in Texas. I have 3 of them on my lanyard.