Learn How to Call a Duck at Blow Like The Pros

     Lately I have been wondering where people learn to call a duck. I was taught by my family, but I have found a new software that will teach you how to call a duck. It is called Blow Like The Pros. They have a website and also a Iphone and Ipad app. It is the new and innovative way to learn how to call a duck.

Reasons Duck Hunting Will be Great in The South in 2012

Lately I have been receiving lots of calls from potential hunters asking what I think about the upcoming season. I have told most I think this could be one of the best seasons ever for the southern part of the Mississippi Flyaway. Most ask, how do you know that or what are you basing this on? Here are a few reason I think it will be great:

     The number of ducks is up significantly. There is a total population of 48.6 million ducks and that is up 7% from last year. Most will say, "Hey, we have been hearing about the population increase for years now." I know we have, but with the other factors I am about to list will make it matter.

     Everyone has heard the talk of the severe drought that has happened in the Midwest this year. It has been a tough year for farmers in those states, but their loss in grain is our gain in ducks. For many years ducks have stopped short of making it to the southern states because of the ample of food in the Midwest. This year ducks will have to make the trip further south to find food.

     Hurricane Issac made its landfall a week back along the coast of Louisiana. The reports I am getting of the marshes is total devastation to the wintering grounds of many ducks. Saltwater is deadly to the aquatic food the ducks usually feed on in those marshes. Once those ducks make it to the marshes, they will have to turn around and go back north to search for food in Northern Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas Delta's.

     A local problem for us in years past is the level of the Mississippi River. Usually in years past, Old Man River is busting at the seams. Flooded timber and flooded crops inside the levee hold high numbers of ducks. This year the Mississippi River is at the lowest level in 150 years. Barges are held up along the river waiting on it to come up just to make it passable. It should make for duck hunting outside the levees unreal.

     I hope, if you have been saving up for a trip to go duck hunting, this is the year you will make it. I can almost, I said almost, guarantee you can't go wrong coming over for a guided hunt this year. If you do, give us a shout at Mossy Island Outfitters at 662-254-9110 or go to our website at http://www.mossyislandoutfitters.com and contact us.

What duck hunters in the south should expect 2012-2013 season

Mossy Island Outfitters

I think this will be the season of all seasons. If you have ever thought about going on a guided duck hunt, this is the year to do it. If we get the cold weather we have in years past, the ducks will be plenty. The number of hatchlings are up and it shows in the limits this year. The biggest that jumps out to me is the scaup regulations. We haven't been able to kill 4 scaup in years now. The other biggest reason I think it will be a legendary year is the extreme drought in the northern states. The food source will not be there to hold ducks up north as it usually does. The last reason to book your hunt is the number of places that we will be able to hunt. The past few years a lot of our flooded timber has been dry, but this year water levels are setting up for a great season in those place that have been dry. Book your duck hunt now by calling 1-888-236-0532 or 662-254-9110 and speaking with me (Rocky Leflore). Also visit our website at http://www.mossyislandoutfitters.com

The Commission on Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks approved the dates and bag limits for the 2012-2013 waterfowl hunting seasons at its August 15 meeting in Jackson. Duck, merganser, and coot seasons will be November 23 - November 25, 2012; November 30 - December 2, 2012; and December 5, 2012 -January 27, 2013. The daily bag limit will be a total of 6 ducks, including no more than 4 mallards (no more than 2 of which may be females), 3 wood ducks, 2 redheads, 4 scaup, 2 pintail, 1 canvasback, 1 mottled duck, and 1 black duck. The merganser daily bag limit will be a total of 5 mergansers, only 2 of which may be hooded mergansers. Coots will have a 15-bird daily bag limit. The possession limit is twice the daily bag limit for ducks, mergansers, and coots.

Canada, snow, blue, Ross's, white-fronted goose, and brant seasons will occur from November 15, 2012 - January 27, 2013. Canada geese will have a 3-bird daily bag limit and brant will have a daily bag limit of 1 bird. The possession limit is twice the daily bag limit for both Canada geese and brant. Snow, blue, and Ross's geese will have a daily bag limit of 20 birds. White-fronted geese will have a daily bag limit of 2 birds. The possession limit for white-fronted geese is 4 and there is no possession limit for snow, blue, and Ross's geese.

In addition to the regular hunting season, there will again be a conservation order for snow, blue, and Ross's geese during the following dates: October 1 - November 14, 2012; January 28 -February 1, 2013; and February 4 - March 31, 2013 (only snow, blue, and Ross's geese may be taken during the light goose conservation order). The youth waterfowl weekend will occur during the weekend of February 2- February 3, 2013.

Facemask or no Facemask

     There are some days in the duck guiding business that stick out in your memory. In talking to some of my guides sitting around a fire pit the other night, one of those stories popped up that made us have a good laugh. It was the day that Barney came duck hunting. No! It wasn’t that lovable character that most of our kids grew up with. It was a guy that came hunting with some business partners and he didn’t know what to expect on a duck hunt. If there is one negative and positive of being a duck guide, it is the opportunity of sharing a duck hole with someone on their first hunting experience.

     Let’s start with the positive first, because I have always been a glass half full kind of person in life. The main reasons I started a duck hunting business was to show others the proper way of hunting ducks and to share that virgin experience of the glow in their eyes of that first duck hunt. Many people jump into waterfowl hunting because it is the cool thing to do. They never take time or didn’t have anyone teach them the little things to make a duck hunt successful. So that is where God uses me and my wisdom to show other duck hunters how to do it right. I always try to tell people they aren’t paying for a hunt, but they are paying for an experience. I am not saying that in an “I am a better duck hunter than you” tone either. I just have more experience and there are people that have more experience than me. The other thing with being a guide is watching someone’s eyes on their first good duck hunt. Men turn into boys and boys into men on their first good duck hunt. It is almost like watching your children on Christmas morning. Sometimes I want time to stand still in those moments not only for me, but for the hunters that are having such a good time.

     There always has to be another part of the glass that is empty though in a half glass. If there is one negative I would have to say, it the lack of preparation on the hunter’s part. In the many conversations leading up to hunt, I try to prepare each hunter on what to expect as far as duck numbers, gear to bring, and hunting and weather conditions at the time they are coming. Since I can’t predict the weather or duck numbers (only go by yearly averages), there is only thing that is predictable in that list. That is the gear that is essential to kill ducks or geese if they are in the area. I can make out list and e-mail them or call and give them a gear list, but it seems there is always one “never leave behind” piece of gear that is always just that “left behind”.

    So, I tell you all of that to bring us back to the story of Barney. While sitting in a flooded buck brush hole one morning with my guide helping him out and also filming the hunt. I took the camera because he told me it was gonna be “jam up”. Yall know what that phrase means! With the way the hunt started off, It was “jam up”, but as the minutes progressed and the sun came up so did the number of killing shots. Ducks were flaring off of us and the hunters just out of shooting range. I started asking the guide if he saw something unusual in the spread that would cause this. He told me, “no”. Hold up I know what you are thinking, ducks in the southern part of the flyaway always have one time or the other when they flare off a duck hole. My answer would be, this was the first time we hunted this hole that year and these were new ducks after a cold front had passed through. So it wasn’t the ducks. The problem had to be with us in some kind of way. I got up and looked around the hole and there it was,” Barney”. “Barney” was a salesman that had got talked into coming with some clients of his. This was his first experience duck hunting. The only other experience “Barney” ever had with ducks was at the city park or watching them die on the “Outdoor Channel”.  “Barney”, as I have called him for years, had on a purple coat with no facemask. Do I think the purple coat mattered? No, it was a very dark purple and blended in with the dark colored brush perfectly. Do I think the big, watermelon, white head looking up at every duck mattered? Yes! I asked every hunter that morning before leaving the lodge if they all had facemasks. I got a group yes from all the members of the hunting party. Do I think ever duck hunter should wear facemask? No! I do think new duck hunters should though. For some reason new duck hunters can’t control themselves from looking up into the sky when ducks are passing over.

    Looking up at ducks with no facemask on is the number one reason of ducks flaring. Most people want to blame it on a lot of other things like the decoy set up, calling, or boat placement, but looking up at ducks in range with no cover on the face is the number one mistake made by new duck hunters. Do yourself, hunting buddies, dog, or guide a favor and go buy a five dollar mask and wear it hunting. The other way you can conceal your face is with the new in style thing in duck hunting made popular by “The Duckmen” is painting your face. I love “The Duckmen” and what they are doing for waterfowling, but I love the warmth of a facemask on a cold morning. Don’t be the “Barney” of the duck hole.

Rocky Leflore

http://www.mossyislandoutfitters.com

MSU study determines realistic duck call materials

Copied from MSU Site:

By Karen Brasher
MSU Forest and Wildlife Research Center
MISSISSIPPI STATE - Most duck hunters look forward to the thrill of mimicking duck calls to attract members of the flock.
James Callicutt, a former Mississippi State University graduate student, has spent much of his life as a duck hunter and call maker. Most recently, he has studied the sounds of female mallard ducks and compared them to sounds from man-made duck calls constructed of different types of materials.

James Callicutt, a former Mississippi State University graduate student, is the first to scientifically compare the acoustic features of wild female mallard calls to the acoustic features of humans using duck calls. (MSU University Relations/File Photo)

Although duck calls originated in the 1850s, Callicutt is the first to scientifically compare the acoustic features of wild female mallard calls to the acoustic features of humans using duck calls. As part of his graduate research in the MSU Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Callicutt found a way to measure the accuracy of man-made duck calls, which helps hunters create more realistic calls.
“Female mallards make numerous sounds. The most common is the decrescendo, or hail, call,” Callicutt said. “The decrescendo typically consists of five to six quacks, with the loudest in the first and second note.”
Decrescendos are the sounds most often imitated by duck callers. Callicutt recorded 620 decrescendos of wild female mallards during the winters of 2008 and 2009. He then constructed duck calls from acrylic and different types of hardwood.
“Calls were made of native woods, including osage orange, yellow poplar, black walnut, pecan and red oak,” Callicutt said. “We also used exotic bocote and cocobolo from South America and Central America because these are used in commercial production of wooden calls.”
Callicutt made 16 experimental combinations of calls. He fitted seven hardwood calls and one acrylic call with single or double plastic reeds, which create sound by vibrating when the calls are blown. The next step in his research was to assemble a group of experienced duck callers.
“We asked prospective callers if they considered themselves an average-to-good caller and accepted their participation in the experiment if they replied ‘yes,’” said Rick Kaminski, wildlife ecology and management professor and Calicutt’s major professor. “We assumed the 38 callers were a representative cross-section of duck hunters capable of calling ducks in the field.”
The duck callers listened to a recording of a randomly chosen female mallard and were asked to mimic the recording using each of the 16 duck calls. Researchers used specialized software to digitize and compare the calls of the mallards and callers. This comparison showed that duck calls equipped with double reeds created more accurate calls. In addition, the top 10 calls were made from denser materials.
“We found that cocobolo, bocote, pecan, osage orange and acrylic with double reeds most resembled the descrescendos of female mallards,” Kaminski said. “Besides these hardwoods, duck call manufacturers could use hardwoods with similar density and hardness, such as hickories and persimmon.”
The research provides valuable information to duck call manufacturers and hunters, and Callicutt’s work has landed the New Albany native with a start-up company specializing in duck calls. While his company, Hardwoods Waterfowl Calls LLC, may not replace his career as a waterfowl biologist, his blend of research, entrepreneurism and passion has created new opportunities for the university alumnus.
“This research allowed me to combine my hobby of making duck calls with my education and has now given me an opportunity for a business,” Callicutt said. “I have something unique to offer duck hunters: a scientifically evaluated duck call.”

-30-

Released: July 28, 2011
Contact: Dr. Rick Kaminski, (662) 325-2623


Rocky Leflore
http://www.mossyislandoutfitters.com

What are the best duck hunting Waders?

When duck hunting in the deep south cold is not an issue,  but probably three to four days per week. When I use the term cold it is not frigid cold like the cold you can see in the Rockies, Canada, or the Prairies of the Mid-West region. Most days the high temperature is around 50-55 and lows average around 35, but we do have our days that it is highs in the 30-40's and lows in the 15-25 range. So a big thick wader is not preferred by most hunters. 3.5 ml (unit of measuring the thickness of insulation in waders) is a usually thick enough to keep you warm on the cool days and thin enough to not get so hot on the warm days. The biggest problem in making a decision in waders for deep south duck hunting is the durability of the wader itself. We hunt lots of flooded timber in the south and waders have to tackle snags under the water, walking durability (stretching the seams as you are walking a lot), and yes even muskrats and beavers. It is a long story I will tell another time.


I called upon one my team of experts at www.ducksouth.com to give me a right answer on the question. Their most recommended waders for hunting in the deep south was "Mack Big Ditch Wader's."  Their opinion of the wader was that it would hold up to most anything in the flooded timber and it doesn't let you get to hot in the warmth or to cold in the cold weather and it won't bust at the seams or stitchings from walking.

Right now you get these waders at Macks Prairie Wings for about $135.00. I think this is a great price for a wader that is gonna last for a few years and Mack's has a great customer service to deal with if you have any problems.

I also spoke to a local outdoor store to get their opinion on what was the best. Jimmy Slater, at Slater's Outdoor Products in Indianola, Ms, said that most of his customers preferred the Hodgman and Drake brand the best. I asked if he had ever heard of the Mack's product above and he had, but it was a product not carried by his store.

I hope this helps you as a hunter in deciding what to buy in buying your next brand of waders. Remember that you need a wader that will keep you warm and cool at the same time and waders that won't tear on under water snags or bust at the seams from walking to much.

Rocky Leflore
http://www.mossyislandoutfitters.com

The Great Mississippi River Flood and Summer Happenings!

I want to thank you all for the many calls on how we are doing with the flood and if we were taking on any water. We have not had any water problems where we are, but just south of here on the other side of Belzoni it is pretty rough. The water has risen above the highways and has taken a lot of the crops out in those areas. The river has finally started to drop some, but won't drop below flood stage until the middle to the end of June. Right now there is 2 million cubic feet of water per second moving down the mighty Mississippi. One good thing about the wet spring season though is in the breeding grounds up north have had one of the biggest duckling hatches ever according to Delta Waterfowl. I am excited to hear hear the number when they come out in a few weeks.

The next big thing happening at Mossy Island Outfitters this summer is the birth of the next guide. As most of you know Royann and I are expecting our second child. If Royann hasn't had the baby by June 8, we will induce then. We don't know what it is and I continue to hope it looks like Royann.

Bookings are up right now and if you plan on returning this winter please go ahead and give me a call. Look forward to hearing from you guys and thank you again for checking on us with the flood.

Rocky Leflore
http://www.mossyislandoutfitters.com