The 4 Best Duck Call for Beginners – Reviews 2023

best beginner duck call, best duck call for beginners

Photo by Patrick (Buzz) Hayes / CC BY

A duck call refers to the process where a hunter is able to lure a duck or another kind of waterfowl for the matter, by way of a tool designed for the purpose. Earlier, duck calls were almost extensively wood instruments, while today they have evolved into plastic and rubber instruments as well that are easily adjustable.

A duck call is able to attract a duck by emulating its sound, and there are a lot of criteria to look for when selecting the best duck call for beginners. We have an extensive list after the 4 recommended products, but since everybody is busy, we’ll show you what we considered the best of the lot first:

Duck Commander Triple Threat

This is a triple reed duck call that is an excellent starter duck call. It’s constructed out of a polycarbonate material that is very durable and will last you from your very first hunt to the time when you become a seasoned duck hunter. One of the reasons why the Triple Threat is an ideal choice for the beginner hunter is because it can successfully emulate the quack, hail, and feed calls of a mallard hen. Mallards are very common across the United States, in addition to being one of the most vocal species. It’s the best kind of duck to hunt if you’re a beginner. While you could spend more money on a more expensive and higher end call, the Triple Threat provides you with excellent value. This is without a doubt one of the best beginner duck calls.

Haydels DR-85

There’s a reason why the DR-85 duck call model from Haydels is commonly called “the Deceiver.” It’s a starter call, but one that was designed from the beginning to get new hunters accustomed to the attention of mallards. Many people avoid the DR-85 because, well, it looks ugly. There’s no denying that the Triple Threat call above is more appealing aesthetically. Nonetheless, you cannot afford to let its looks deceive you instead of the duck. The DR-85 is one of the most dependable duck calls on the market, is pitched perfectly to the sound of a mallard, and it is built to withstand years of abuse while out in the field. This is likely the best beginner duck call for the money.

Buck Gardner Double Nasty

The Double Nasty from Buck Gardner is hands down the most elegant and nice-looking duck call on this list. You might think that Buck Gardner only invested in the looks of the Double Nasty and not in its actual quality or effectiveness, but this is simply not the case. It is fully capable of a variety of tones, both low and high, that produce a very beautiful duck call. The company guarantees that you can successfully attract ducks to your area by way of its spit technology. If that’s still not good enough, the Double Nasty is enormously simple and easy to use. Many new duck hunters have been able to just pick it up and blow through it to get it working. What more could you ask for out of any duck call? This should be on anyone’s list of the best duck call for beginners.

Duck Commander Camo Max

The Camo Max is another fine entry in the Duck Commander line of mallard duck calls, but it’s still different from the other models such as the Triple Threat we discussed earlier. Most notably, the Camo Max is not constructed out of polycarbonate materials. It is made out of plastic that is high impact. It also produces a distinctively smoother call via its double reed design. As the name suggests, the Camo Max has a camouflage appearance. This will instantly win over duck hunters who want their call to match their camouflage clothing and shotgun as well. All in all, the Camo Max is a very durable call that is very easy to use and can be mastered without much effort.

What Does a Beginner Hunter Need in a Duck Call?

Any one of the four duck calls we have talked about will serve you well on one of your beginner hunts. In fact, the duck call should be the very first piece of gear that you purchase and figure out how to use when preparing for a duck hunt. Even though a duck call is very compact and looks simple, for most people it still requires time and effort to be able to master.

Of course, you aren’t limited to just the four duck calls that we have outlined and discussed. But when searching for other duck calls on the market, you need to stay within some parameters. Limit yourself to only three options of materials: wood, acrylic, or plastic. Out of these three, acrylic calls are the loudest. This is good for certain types of duck hunting and not good or other types; when you are hunting in open area where the ducks are spread out, an acrylic call will do the trick. But when in a smaller, swampy area that has a lot of trees, a wood or plastic-type call is the safer bet.

Wood calls also have their unique set of advantages and disadvantages. They are very time consuming to design and produce, but this means that more time is put into their overall design and leads to them putting out some very realistic calls. On the other hand, wood naturally expands or contracts depending on humidity levels and the temperature. So weigh the pluses versus the minuses for each type of call.

Each of the calls that we have listed also share one major thing in common: they are easier to master than other kinds of calls. This is what makes these products the best beginner duck calls in the first place. Additionally, none of these calls are very expensive either. Don’t be drawn to a call just because it has a high price tag. Experienced hunters will commonly buy the most expensive calls on the shelves, just because they hold an appreciation for the workmanship that went into them. But trust us, if you’re a beginner, an inexpensive call will work just as good as one that cost a lot.

You may end up buying more than one type of call, so test each one out and find the call that works the best for you. We also recommend that you buy a lanyard to attach to the tube of the call, so it’s out of the way when you bring it up to your mouth. Good luck!

  • Owner of Reloaderaddict.com, Boyd Smith is a major handgun enthusiast, and although he owns Glocks, he prefers the revolving wheel type. His go-to guns are a Smith & Wesson 642 Performance Center for carry and a Ruger GP100 in the nightstand biometric safe (he has kids). He loads both revolvers with old-school 148-grain Federal Gold Medal .38 wadcutters. It’s OK if you think he’s a wimp. Email him.

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