"You'll mostly be mimicking the hen mallard -- she does the majority of the talking. With her call you can bring in most puddle duck species, not just mallards."

As a three-time world champion, Mike has some strong feelings on the subject of calls. "To duplicate the hen mallard's sound, you need a quality call. Calls are like fishing rods. There are good ones and bad ones. A lot of people buy a call, practice and practice, and then wonder why they never get better. They don't have a decent call to use -- that's why."

Mike prefers high-pitched calls. "They cut the air better and carry farther," he says. "Also look for a call that quacks like a duck and feed-calls freely. If it will do those things, it will do anything else you want it to."

The main thing is to have confidence in the call and its mesh with your personal abilities. Don't try to skimp by buying a cheap model. "If you consider all the other gear you buy and use for hunting like coats, guns, decoys and blinds, the cost of a quality call isn't that much," Mike advises. "To me, a duck call is as important as my shotgun. Why should I skimp on a call when I have all this money invested in other gear that's not nearly as important as the call?"

Once you find a call you like, Mike says, "buy two of them." You might break a reed, lose the call, or have one freeze up in the blind. With two, you'll always have a spare.

Some people like to switch calls to match the type of water they're hunting. Mike believes that to be a mistake. "It's hard for even an expert to switch calls, because each must be blown differently. Instead, tune the same call to suit the habitat you're hunting. A good call is versatile enough so that you can use it loud for open water and then choke it down for timber hunting. Raising the reed will make the call raspier for enticing birds in flooded timber."

Some competitive duck callers like to make it sound as if it's a complex art form, and credit waterfowl with college-level vocabularies; Mike says it's not nearly that involved. "If you're not a great caller even after lots of practice, don't worry. I don't believe the ducks hear all that we call anyway. Think about if you're across the road and somebody yells something. You don't hear it all, maybe only one or two things they might be trying to say. It's the same way with ducks. If you make a mistake, keep calling. Don't stop, or you might spook the birds.

"A lot of guys think you're bringing the ducks in exclusively with your call. I don't believe that. I think the call mostly just gets their attention; the decoys do the work of bringing them in. Of course, if I'm in timber and don't have any decoys, then sure -- they're coming strictly to the call."

Mike listed the four basic calls that you should know: the hail call (a fast series of quacks strung together), the feed call, the comeback call and the lonesome hen call. Of these, the most important are the first two.