Bullfrog

I've been thinking with the interest a lot of people have in competion calling we should start a educational thread. Maybe the pros could take over and start at the beginning of a routine and break down each part? Just an idea, what ya think?

FetchEmUp

i like it. i've really wanted to hear what those kinds of guys say about what they do in a competition versus the field.

altrocker1

todd c, davis and kruger would be the ones to start this sucker off. i could show you a goose break down, but i know nothing about comp duck calling

Diver Slayer

Same here. I might be able to throw in some tidbits on a goose routine though..

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Bullfrog

I'll start a goose thread later today. Now we just need someone to get this one started.

duckfan1984

id be interested in both goose and duck

ringbill

I would also like to hear the break down also. I think this thread is a great idea.

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Kruger08k

Meat:

As for mainstreet- I would pick up one of RNT's instuctional cd's to get started or check out www.callingducks.com, they have the entire 2011 World Duck you can watch and pick up the basics, this is pretty much how I got started- hoping this year I can make it to World's for the first time

dukcaller

Bullfrog,
I'll take a stab at this and hopefully get some more people interested in competition calling.
First off a duck will NEVER win a duck calling contest but, a caller has to have SOME duck in their routine. I know that sounds really hypocritical but in the end, it will make sense.

As a judge, I expect a caller to basically paint me a picture with his or her duck call. You have to get the attention of a distant flock of ducks, work them in close, lose them, and call them back and set them on the water. While you the caller is doing all of this, your routine should have good flow and you the caller HAS to have control of the call (we will also get to that stuff later)

Some callmakers will tell you that hail calls (top end), wins contests and some will tell you that the duck (low end) wins contests. If a judge is doing his job right, he will listen and score because a caller has both of these in their routine. And no matter what you hear . . . loud does NOT win ! ! !

Lets start with the hail call. The hail call is just what it implies. You, as the caller, are "hailing" at a distant flock of ducks. A hail call should have good flow. Flow is basically consistancy throughout the string. All notes should start and stop at the same pitch. If you start to waiver with the tone of the call, your score will reflect it. I'm pretty hard of hearing after all the years of competing, but I sure can pick that out. Each hail should have a fair number of notes on the top end and then start to come down a scale. And that scale basically is like coming down a ladder. If you miss wrungs on that ladder, your score will reflect that as well. Missing notes is also lack of flow and control. My hails generally run about 25 notes on the top end and then I start coming down. Each of my first two hails are 41 notes long.

After you blow your 2 hails you blow a 3rd hail that really is just 2 short ones that run back to back without taking a breath between them. After that hail a caller goes into the start of the "bottom end" of the routine. This is where I personally think a contest is either won or lost and you have to start to somehow bring a duck into the routine.
There are generally 3 to 4 parts to this segment and the reason for that is that you are trying to sound like multiple ducks. And these parts each have a different caidence to them. By doing that makes this part sound like the different ducks that the caller is trying to accomplish.

When that segment is done, the caller goes into the feed (notice I didn't say "feed chuckle") This is where you the caller shows your nuts. I want to hear LOTS of different sounds. Cuts, double cuts, rolling feed and clucks and throw in a hen just for kicks.
These two parts, the hens and the feed, is the part of the painting where the caller is working ducks in for a shot.

After the feed, the caller starts to lose the ducks and to get them back the caller blows a comeback call. The comeback really has two parts to it. First is what we call a "build-up" and then the outright "comeback"
The build-up is three parts start with light, aggressive "quacks" to a second string of louder MORE aggressive quacks, to a short "hail".

The comeback call is three aggressive strings of hail calls. They aren't as long and strung out as the hails though. This segment the caller is pleading for the ducks to come back into the decoys.

After the comeback, the caller blows another segment of hens that are usually the same as the hens that were blown at the first part of the routine right before the feed. As a caller, my "front" hens and "back" hens were blown exactly alike. This makes for less confusion for the caller. After that the caller goes right back into their feed which can be blown pretty much as the front one. I will tell you that some people put a hen in this section just as the hen in the front feed. Some judges will dock you for this and some won't. I used to have one in my routine and took it out because I thought it made this section sound cleaner and I could blow more feed.

To end you routine, you blow a series of three quacks after your feed and blow a good hard lonesome hen to finish.

This may sound like a lot to absorbe, but if you read this and listen to a routine at the same time (on callingducks.com), you can pretty much walk through a routine note for note, and segment for segment and see the picture that the caller is trying to paint.

Let me know what else I can help any of you with and if you really want a good "LIVE" display of a calling, come to Burlington next weekend. I promise you will enjoy your time there one way or another.

Most importantly with all of this, if you start comp calling with the attitude of trying to win every contest you go to, then you will be VERY disappointed. I have lost way more than I EVER won and I didn't get good until I started having fun. If you practice with a purpose and have fun, you will enjoy this a lot more.

Good Luck and HAVE FUN,
Todd

Bullfrog

Thanks Todd,
This is exactly what I was looking for. Its hard to pick up on everything by just listening to routines. Breaking everything down makes it much easier. See ya next weekend!!!!

Mallard Creek

There you have it folks....from the CHAMP himself. Don't get any better than that. If any of you get into Comp calling you will find out that IOWA has a strong history of producing to top notch tallent in the game.

altrocker1

you have to have talent to call in the 6 ducks that you see all day on an iowa hunt

h20fowlkerry

Man o man i wish i could blow a duck call as well as everyone else!!! Well atleast some people think they are great!!