20 Best Wood Duck Call (2022 Updated)

I live in lower Alabama and I duck hunt public land about 90% of the time. Where I am from, we unfortunately don’t have the pleasure of hunting the thousands of greenheads, and other migrating species of duck that the hunters in the main flyways hunt.

Heck, i am a 22 year old college student and I’ve been a die hard duck hunter as long as I can remember, and with all my years of duck hunting, I can honestly say that I only see a few small groups of mallards each year while hunting (most years we don’t see any at all).

Duck hunting is a totally different ball game down here in LA, so pretty much 95% of the time, we are shooting nothing but woodies. With this being said, my duck hunting strategy and knowledge is pretty much all catered to nothing but killing wood ducks.

The reason I am saying all this information about myself, is so y’all reading this will have a good sense of my hunting habits and believe my credibility when reviewing this product. (I would not want to buy a product based off good reviews people who have little experience with other products make.

) I’m sorry and I mean no disrespect, but I wouldnt listen to someone who hunts only flooded timber and rice fields for mallards tell me how to kill wood ducks when they might have only killed one passing wood duck in there lifetime.

Any ways to the product. I have had many, many wood duck calls in my life and none of them come close to the DC wood duck call. Just about all the other wood duck calls I have had or seen, have some sort of a pinched reed system which funnels your blowing air in order make that high squeal sound.

These types of calls are very easy to blow, but you are kinda limited on the different types of pitches you are able to achieve when trying to make different woodie calls (sitting hen, sitting drake, yelp, flutter etc.

) The duck commander call on the other hand, has a reed system that I have yet to find on another call. The reed is able to “break” (shown in the video of Jase using the call I think) and the user is able to manipulate the air flow to make VERY realistic wood duck sounds.

There is a huge difference in the sound quality of the DC wood duck call than In any other call I have found. I make a big deal about sound quality and the ability to manipulate that reed because I have had calls in the past where I thought I was sounding like a wood duck sitting on the water and had group after group after group (we have a load of wood ducks in Alabama) fly by and not even think twice about coming in and we would usually go home with a few ducks.

None some days. I thought the problem was my decoys, my camouflage, my placement pretty much everything. But one day I went and bought this here DC call. Hardest call I have ever tried to blow at first.

I was so use to blowing all those other wood duck calls I could not figure out how in the world ole Phil and Jase were making that call sound the way it did. Well after about a week of practice with the call I got to where I was pretty good I thought.

Next morning went to my little honey hole on the river and broke out the call, 3 man limit of woodies (9 ducks might not sound like much, but where I’m from if you go on the river and kill a 3 man limit of wood ducks you have done something).

THEY. ATE. THAT. CALL. UP!! For someone who was not there, it would be easy to say that the call wasn’t the only reason we limited out. Well coming from the person who was there, that call is 100% the reason we got our limit.

You could see a group flying 3-400 yards away, hit that little sitting call with that flutter noise and boom, they would swoop right on in to our decoys. EVERYTIME. People who dont kill many wood ducks or know about wood duck habits would probably think “ok? so you got some ducks to come to your decoys big deal”.

The thing is, I go to that same hole a decent amount a year and they never did that before, but they do almost every time now. Anyway, Coming from someone who spends his whole life November-February every year, searching for the allusive wood duck, this call is an absolute game changer.

If the majority of your hunting is wood ducks, then I would say this call is a must for every hunt (ONCE YOU HAVE MASTERED HOW TO BLOW IT!!). But, if you’re hunting mainly mallards or other species and want an easy blowing call just in case you see a group of woodies whistle by, then I would not recommend this call unless you take the time to figure out how to blow it.

If you don’t practice and try and blow the DC call like you blow pinched reed high squeeling wood duck calls, you will not sound anything like a wood duck but instead sound like a complete idiot who has no idea how to blow a call.

P. S For those of you like me, who hunt majority wood ducks and would like to see your trips end with more ducks in the boat. Buy or make you a jerk rig and attach you about 5 or 6 wood duck decoys to it and position it out in your spread.

When you start seeing those early morning flyers, hit that DC woodie call flutter and hen sitting call and start jerking the mess out of that jerk line. They seem to not be able to resist it. It makes it look like they are chasing each other on the water which is pretty much all those stupid woodies do when they are on the water not flying or eating and the added realistic sound of the DC call seals the deal! Hope this helps!.

At first, it sounded like it’s supposed to. I could make the wood duck noises as presented on the DC videos. However, I have it sitting at my desk, and during “backpressure” practice the insert and barrel easily separated, with the reed and plastic “cork” wedge falling to the floor.

Now, I cannot reassemble it to get anywhere near close enough to the original sound (and I’ve tried orienting the reed in every direction). Note: there is not a cork stopper holding the reed against the tone board – just a piece of angled plastic with a slight cant, that “wedges” the reed over the hole as you push the insert back in the barrel.

It’s very delicate to balance and reassemble, and I’ll probably never accomplish the right sound again. I’ve resigned myself to having paid for a call that didn’t even get off the bench to play in the game.

There are a lot of wood ducks along the river around here, so now I’m done fooling around with the least expensive call out there. It’s time to take buying a duck call seriously.

The shipping was amazing and fast but when I got the call itself, it had chips all over it and was bent really bad. I told them and they sent me a new one but the new one was the same way. I just figured it might be how they manufacture them but other than the small defects great job and sounds good.

Easy to use and accurate sound for wood duck. Check YouTube for proper technique.

This is certainly a great woody call. It might take some tunning right out of the package but in my experience wood ducks aren’t hard to find and hear. Just tune it to whatever the local sound is and you’ll be set.

It’s easy to blow and tinker with. The ONLY down side I found was that it comes apart way to easily. In fact this is how I lost mine. It came apart in the middle and then the end with the reed in it fell out of the noose.

Do be careful when tuning it because all the innards will simply fall out suddenly and then you’ll have know idea where the natural tunning was to begin with and that can be a pain to figure out. I called many wood ducks in with this call.

Probably even some out of their roosts. A good buy.

Call fell apart and reed blew away in the wind before the call was used one hour. Luckily I carry back up calls ! I love the sounds this one makes but question its durability in the field. I am returning mine.

Not sure if I want to try another one, but I probably will.

Great call. I purchased my wood duck call a month ago and it’s already earned it’s keep. First morning I took it out hunting I limited out for the day on wood ducks. A group of three came into my spread right after I had finished blowing the call and gave me a prefect shot.

Takes some practice to get the sounds down but once you get it your good to go. If there are any woodies in the area you are hunting this call will help bring them into your spread. Definitely one you want on your lanyard.

They say you can’t call wood ducks. I beg to differ. I have a number of woodie calls and was never happy with any of them. Personally woodies are the best tasting duck and I try to hunt them most. This call does have the best sound for calls the ducks want to hear.

The flying calls are not the best on this call. That would go to the Buck Gardner. The sitting feeding content sounds, hands down go to this call. If the Duck Commanders made a nicer woody call I’d be on that.

Cheapy ugly plastic is why it gets four and not five stars.

Good call. ok bottom end but when i look to buy calls from ECHO im expecting whining, Cajun squealing, pure duck. Defininelty go straight cocobolo or acrylic. spend the extra $. you will be happy you did later and will def.

find calling easier and more fun (you get what you pay for). and don’t be intimidated by the single reed if you are a beginner. if you learn to blow a single reed. doubles are a piece of cake. and on a single you can practically mimic every sound a duck makes(with a good call).

which in most double reeds you cannot. Hope this helps before buying. and if you are going to buy this call. its not a bad purchase. But def. go straight cocobolo!.

At its low price, every duck hunter should have one of these. I have blown a ton of duck calls. You could say I have a fetish. This call has excellent range, and one of the purest mallard hen sounds I have heard out of any call, period.

During the cold, wet late-season in Michigan this call will rarely stick, and a quick burst of air backwards through the call fixes that. When I have ducks working my spread close I don’t reach for the expensive call, I reach for this.

I will never buy anything but Echo again.

I bought it a few months ago for this upcoming season it sounds awesome to be honest and it looks amazing! The only thing I would say I did not like was the ring. it was just slightly loose other than that I cant wait to call some ducks in with this awesome call.

The Duckmen got it right with this call. Out of the box it sounds great and is one of the most realistic calls I own. Very easy to blow, and I’d recommend for beginners or experienced callers alike. There are a few areas to grow, (hence the 4 stars): Barrel could use more sanding at mouth piece before finishing.

It still had splintering and was abrasive. Reeds seem to stick easily with moisture, which can be remedied by applying some Armor All. The barrel and insert are difficult to separate in the field for cleaning.

None of these would stop me from purchasing again though. I’d recommend this over any of the DC calls I’ve tried.

I purchased my first Origional Commander three years ago and had it on the opener in Utah. We had set up for geese and after the flocks had came in we were standing outside of our blinds in full sight with our guns still in the blinds.

My brother looked at my lanyard and asked if the shiny wood call was new, I told him on a whim I had bought it and thought it was one of the best sounding calls I had ever owned. A few minutes later a Gadwall came over our decoys high and one of the group said let’s see that call work that you have been bragging about.

I grabbed the call (while the group was laughing) and gave it a short burst, the Gaddy turned straight around and came right at us. Needless to say we almost let him get away. Since then it has happened many more times, my son is now also using it.

While out hunting people will ask about my calls. With all the hype about “Custom Calls” which I still have some of them hanging on my lanyard, I always show them what others refer to as a beginner call.

For me I have been duck hunting since I was 12 and am now 50 plus and I take it very serious. I have gotten past the shiny and price of other calls, this is a great call. I wish he also made goose calls, you cannot beat a mfg.

that uses what they build. Since then if it looks like the ducks wont turn I hear “Blow that good call again”.

The quality of these calls has dropped substantially. I have some of his “Reacher” calls from the early 90’s and the differences are plain as day. I’m not sure if all of the Duck Commander calls are being made in the same fashion as this Classic Commander I recently purchased.

If so, the quality aspect has certainly fallen to the wayside and they are just pushing out novelty items, not duck calls. My Classic Commander doesn’t even come close to sounding like a duck but would make a great Blue Heron call, if only they were legal to hunt.

The duck call started having issues, I think one of the flaps was broke when it arrived. It doesn’t sound right. I think it was broken when arrived

First impressions…… feels good in my hand, looks pretty good, and sounds good!! Able to blow soft and still be crisp. Look forward to trying it out

My son purchased this with some of the money he got for Christmas. He absolutely loves it and is learning to make the correct calls. We had some avid duck hunters visit us a few weekends ago and they were very impressed with this duck call and gave my son some pointers.

Wish it would come with a link that would direct a beginner on how to correctly use it :).

I love Buck Gardner Calls. Every call I have of his makes a great raspy hen sound. This one is no different. The Double Nasty 3 SBT is super easy to use, hardly ever sticks and a variety of sounds can be made.

I am an intermediate level caller and have other calls on my lanyard but this call and the regular barrel Double Nasty 2 will always be hanging around my neck. It whines, chuckles, does medium and close level hail calls, bouncing hen, feed chatter and lonesome hen all in a convincing manner.

My only complaint about this call is that I can’t get it apart to clean it properly which may be isolated to my call as all my other Buck Gardner calls come apart easily. If you like a super raspy hen sound that does good at medium ranges and great at close in work then give this call a try.

I also own the Acrylic version which does everything this call does but has a slightly softer sound to it.

I bought this a little while ago and it changed my ability to call better. I had a single reed before and I couldn’t quite get the right sound so I went to the double nasty double reed and it’s way easier to call the ducks in.

This is my first duck call I am very happy I chose this one. This call is very easy to use and after a couple of training videos on YouTube I am able to mimic the sounds pretty closely. The call is also very loud.

Im really happy I chose this one as my first call it is a great learning call and I couldn’t beat the price!.

I got this call before the start of the duck opener and boy am I glad I did! Amazing call with amazing sound and looks absolutely beautiful. Has great low to medium volume to work ducks in the timber or to finish them off.

A perfect call to add to your lanyard. Just a overall great call and great customer service from Echo.

This call is one of the prettiest calls I’ve ever owned. Not only does it look good, it sounds great. Bocote is not always my first choice but I don’t regret buying it at all. This thing is deep and raspy.

One of (if not) the best timber call I’ve ever used. A few minor reed adjustments (optional) and this thing instantly goes from good to great. It was a bit too deep of a tone for my taste. It’s smaller than other calls but not too small.

Fits perfectly in your hands. Super mellow. This thing brings in the birds.

I received this echo duck call three weeks ago as a birthday present. I very much liked the call while practicing with it in 60 degree weather. However my first day hunting with it today in South Carolina with the temperatures in high 20s it was unusable.

High squeal and then complete stoppage. I brought it home and thawed it out but the high squeal persists.

ive had this call for a few years now and i hunt ussally timber but occasionaly open water. this call is good for both. for those guys who would prefer single wreeds or your learning to blow and want to blow a single wreed this is the call for you.

ive killed many ducks off of this call! would recomend!.

I bought this call after seeing good reviews on it and was looking for a really loud call. The call is the loudest one ive got by far but it doesnt matter since it comes nowhere near sounding like a duck.

Ive tried tuning it but the reeds were cut too short to begin with. I guess ill have to buy my reeds separate and turn it into a decent call.

This call is loud as advertised and has a solid, raspy tone. But its downfall is you simply cannot get quiet with it. It’s difficult for me to do any feed chatter with it at all. I don’t like switching between calls much so I’ve retired this one.

I bought this call on Saturday to use it for the last day of Northern Indiana Duck Season. The call sounds great and we had no problem getting those late season birds in close. Wasn’t super cold but I had no problems with reeds sticking.

It got me my limit on the last day of late season so you can bet it will be on my lanyard for a very long time. Buy it, you wont regret it!.

This is it. I’ve blown every high end duck call you can think of and this thing beats the brakes off of them all. It’s loud, it’s crispy, it’s easy, it’s fast. Titanium guts are awesome too. This thing will cut ducks down from the jet stream but you can still sweet talk them in the whole.

Couldn’t be happier.

I love this call. Sounds awesome. Dirty low end, great top end. Soft when you need to be, loud when you need to be. Guy that commented below with a 1 star review must not know how to blow a duck call.

Have use Primos calls for years and found them excellent. The Wench “family” are easy to use and sound great—especially if you follow the video instructions. Not all calls use the same wind pattern, so you need to use the call as designed by the manufacturer.

The “tuning hole” is a great feature because with practice it is very possible to make two distinct tones that sound like different ducks. Also, these clean easily and can be tuned without sending to the factory.

All of this is explained on the video. Am re-purchasing mine, since my son “borrowed” mine.

Product arrived ahead of schedule and looks great. Sounds great and going to use it next week on my first Duck hunt of the season. Great price and value.

I’m new to duck hunting and this was one of the first calls I purchased. It was very easy to learn to use and sounds great on the quack, greeting call, comeback call, and feed call. Great for any level of caller.

The tuning hole is an awesome feature. You can’t beat it for the money. It sounds better than a call I Paige $50 bucks for!.

Love this call! Recommended by my local SW (Kennewick, WA) and couldn’t be happier. This call does it all. Loud Hails, comebacks, greeting, and extra raspy on the quieter finish. First time out brought greenheads back as proof.

Thanks Echo, thanks Sportsman’s.

I bought the Echo single reed timber call to add another voice to my calling routine. I already own the Echo double reed timber call, the lead call on my lanyard. The single reed call is higher pitched than the double reed, sounding like a second hen.

Both calls have a terrific sounding high end for hails and come-backs. The single reed low-end is not as deep or raspy as the double reed but adds a credible second voice for finishing decoying ducks.

This is the duckeist sounding duck call peroid! Its not desinged to get loud so if that is what you are looking for than get the XLT but this call is for timber and small water and it requires very little air to make pure duck sounds.

Can produce all those sudtle quacks and whines and also a great cajun squel. I have never had any issues with this call sticking or feezing on me.

I’ve owned and given to family members several of these other the years. We’re a duck hunting family and have calls from the $hundreds to cheap ones. This call just plain and simple “works” , if you can’t work this call you can’t work a single reed or more expensive call.

And you need to practice your technic. I never had a problem with this call freezing up, nothing like my Yentzens do.

Works great for turning mallards and spoonies on open water. Works great in the timber as well. Haven’t had the chance to work it in the flooded rice yet but I’m sure it will do well. Helps make a cloudy day better.

Good for beginners and vet’s. Will start my 7 year old on this call. Excellent price.

I have had three of these calls and two of them are still in operation, with the newest one being 7 or 8 years old. This call has a very good tone and although not my only calls, I use one of these on almost every hunt.

I get a lot of spit in a call, so just sling it out after working birds and you’re ready to go for the next bunch. It will lock up in cold weather after not blowing for a little bit, but just blow on it a few seconds and back in business.

Another thing I like is that there is a huge range to tune this call so you can get it to suit your style. When you crack one, just wrap it in electrical tape and keep calling.

The flex tone was just not for me. Sound is not the sound I was looking for and the reed was missing when I purchased this product I will say I did not go forth the trouble to let them accommodate my order mainly because I will not use this call.

In the field extremely heavy for a duck call but super durable made of pvc I plan on using it more for dog training just to throw in my pack. But was not the intention when purchasing from the start.

The call looks extremely nice but does not carry sound as I wished.

I bought this just to keep as a backup. I’ve been using this same call for 2 or 3 seasons now. I have multiple calls on my lanyards that I paid $100+ for. None of them (so far) put ducks in the decoys any better than the Supernatural double reed.

A very easy-blown call with good raspyness at hard pressure. Does not squeal when hard blown. Pretty easy to quack low. Could have been a bit less shiny…but I guess it wears off after som use 🙂

One of my favorite calls. Sounds great, easy to use, very sharp and responsive. Never freezes on me like my RNTs do. All around great call. Had it for 5 or 6 years now. Only thing I don’t like is it’s bright orange color.

I picked this call up at last week and blew it on the side walk outside of the store then immediately walked back in the entrance to return it. After learning you cannot return a duck call at cabelas I headed home to pack for my hunt in the morning.

After playing around with it that night and then teating it in the morning I absolutely love this call. It has an excellent tone and had flocks of mallards cupping in our face. This would not be my go to call for a timber hunt, however if you want a medium-loud call this is just for you.

It is definitely not the call for someone who is looking for there first duck call but if you’re an experienced caller looking for a bit more volume this will be perfect.

This is an amazing call, it is incredibly loud. If you are used to double reeds do not think you can simply take it out of the box and be great at it. This will take some time and skill and you probably won’t think it sounds good.

You may have to tune it a little bit, but this is a big sound that you need some lung power for. Don’t give up on it this is an incredible call when you learn how to use it.

If our looking for a call that is very controllable the mondo s is a very good choice great when trying to break high flying ducks but can get very quiet on the low end! Highly recommend