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Why You Need To Own A Timber Duck Call

by Jeff Matura

Many hunters don't understand why they need a timber duck call and simply believe it's a duck call for the hunting in the timber. But this call is essential for hunters who want to be more successful calling mallards whether in the timber, slough, or marsh. Here's why and how...

A timber call is only a name given to a group of duck calls that was developed for duck hunters who hunted the flooded timber of the Mississippi Delta, namely Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi.

Timber duck calls are not just a marketing scheme, they do significantly differ in design when compared to a louder open water style call. Typically having a shorter insert, the most important difference is the air channel. The air channel drilled through the insert of a timber call is smaller, which creates more back pressure. This means more is needed by the operator to create the same amount of volume as compared to an open water call. In addition, the tone board on the tongue of the insert many times is shaped differently than those of an open water call.

What these design changes all mean is that a timber duck call will not only produce softer sounds, but also more realistic soft sounds that are easy to control without a lot of practice. The word "control" is key here as you don't want to accidently get loud when finishing ducks. It is virtually impossible even for a competent duck call operator to match the ultra-realistic softer sounds of a timber call using an open water call.

Timber duck calls also enable hunters to more effectively work "call shy ducks" with their softer realistic sounds. Another hunting situation when very effective is when busting a hole through a frozen marsh and calling over ice. Other situations include very quiet days, or during the early season when the ducks tend to be less vocal.