The MeatEater

I’ve never been much of a duck caller. Despite having several duck calls which I constantly blow in the backyard (much to the annoyance of my neighbors) and after reading up on the subject and watching dozens of YouTube tutorials, it’s still taken me quite a few years to get the hang of it. Despite my duck-calling handicap, I still managed to get more than my fair share of birds.

I didn’t do this by having someone call for me (at least not always), nor by recording the sounds of flying and feeding ducks and then playing it over a speaker, as I’ve seen hunters do. No, for years I took my limit and filled my freezer with both ducks and geese by not calling at all.

Going quiet in the duck blind is one of the more overlooked things you can do to be a successful duck hunter. While there’s no question that calling can be deadly, just like with turkeys or elk, when you don’t know how or when to call, you’ll often end up scaring them away. All hope is not lost if you’re not an expert duck caller. Because with the right setups and strategy, you can get your hands on plenty of ducks without making a quack.

Scouting is essential to all duck hunting, but is especially important if you’re not calling the birds in to land. You not only need to find a good, duck-filled waterway, but you also need to find a spot where it won’t be necessary to call the birds into range. This can take a bit of extra work as you need to find the exact right place to set up a duck blind.

Normally, when you can call ducks in, you set up in any area of their flyway where they’ll be able to hear your calls and be drawn within range. However, when you’re not calling ducks, you have to set up in the place where they’re most likely to land.

This takes a bit of homework when you’re scouting, as you have to watch the ducks closely with binoculars or a spotting scope and observe any areas where the birds are gathering. These can include feeding areas in flooded fields or shallow muddy flats surrounded by deeper water. Note where the ducks are gathering and feeding, and then take a look around for spots with surrounding cover within shotgun range that’s sufficient for a blind. While this may mean you have to be a bit more selective in your hunting spots, it can really pay off when you find the right one.

Another spot where you can regularly find ducks is any offshoot between a major food source and overnight roosting areas. One of the best duck hunting spots I ever found was a small, slow-moving creek that flowed between a cornfield and a lake. Ducks flying to and from the field and lake would often land or at least fly low over the creek, giving me plenty of opportunities for shots without having to make a sound. These little in-between areas can be as large as a field of flooded timber or as small as a diversion ditch, and every one of them is worth checking out.

Setting up your spot is essential for success whenever you’re hunting silently. Not only do you want to be wearing the right camouflage clothing to blend in with the surroundings, but you’ll also want to set up your duck blind within easy shooting distance of the birds. Once this is done, the only other thing you have to worry about is your decoys.

Putting out the right decoy spread is essential anytime you’re duck hunting without calling. You’ll want the setup to draw passing birds' attention, while still looking natural enough to land. The easiest way to do this is by setting up your decoys in a U-shape.

To do this, start by setting out a cluster of 5 to 10 decoys on the downwind side about 10 to 20 yards from your blind. Next, extend out the arms of the U by setting 3 to 5 decoys out into the water in a line on both sides of the original cluster at 5 to 10 yard intervals so that your whole spread is roughly 30 yards wide. Ideally, birds approaching your spread will be drawn into the center of the U right in front of your blind.

Another easy and effective setup for these situations is the J-shape. This is done by making a single line of decoys off the main cluster in front of your blind, creating an ideal landing spot for birds along the hook of the J. In both the J- and U-shape, you can make your setup look more realistic by adding rippling or vibrating decoys, or set up a decoy on a jerk string to the cluster closest to your blind. This will help the spread look more realistic by imitating feeding or gathering ducks.

Once your blind is in place and your decoys are set up, the hardest thing about duck hunting without calling is waiting for birds. This goes against the very instincts of a duck hunter, as you often feel like you must constantly call to make something happen. But when you’re hunting silently, patience is a virtue. And when you can wait the birds out, you can get your limits at some surprising times.

While those first morning and evening flights are still important to the non-calling duck hunter and should be hunted, you’d be surprised at how many ducks will come in silently at midday. These sleep-in birds are following patterns that can be formed from both cold weather, where it takes ducks a while to warm up, and by hunting pressure, where ducks leave the water before shooting light and then return at midday to feed after most hunters have gone home. These late-flying birds can be the silent duck hunter’s bread and butter and can make those all-day sits in a freezing blind well worth the wait.

Over my years of practice, I’ve developed at least some skill as a duck caller. I will also readily admit that nothing is more thrilling than seeing a flock of ducks turn on a dime and commit after a hailing or feeding call. It’s one of the most beautiful and satisfying moments in the hunting world.

Many hardcore waterfowlers believe that having the skills to call ducks into your spread is essential to being a true duck hunter and won’t set foot in any blind where birds aren’t called. I can respect that, but at the same time, I’m a hunter who loves duck meat and will try to get my hands on it any way I can. So, on those tough days come when the birds are being stubborn and not coming into what I’m putting out there, I’m happy to rearrange my spread, hunker down, and go into silent mode.

Steven Rinella talks with Dr. Bronson Strickland, Mark Kenyon, Janis Putelis, Brody Henderson, Spencer Neuharth, Phil Taylor, and Corinne Schneider. 

Topics discussed: In the name of efficiency and how Steve doesn't have room for pleasantries with the people he's close to; what the moon's doing and how it impacts deer behavior; the wildlife that is driven by moon phase; the buck movement study; the moon position; statistically significance and effect size; tortuosity; the powerful placebo effect; and more. 

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The Crime Desk returns this week as Cal covers stories of wildlife ne'er-do-wells from across the country. He also dives into the latest corner crossing victory, and we hear from a listener who's dealing with his own fight against the anti-hunting lobby.

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The menhaden commercial fishing industry has been around for over 100 years. Menhaden or "pogies" are a small saltwater fish that are used for a variety of things like fertilizers, animal feed, fish bait, and they are also a huge source of omega3 fatty acid so they are used in making human and animal dietary supplements as well. In this episode we will be diving into the controversy of this industry, specifically off the coast of Louisiana. Over the past few years there have been several questions pop up about the ethics of the practice, and more importantly the long-term impacts it's causing on the fishery and coastal habitats.

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Steven Rinella takes on Montana’s week-long big game heritage season with a traditional muzzleloader. With flintlock in hand, Steve’s after mule deer in a desolate and broken sage brush landscape. After a long few months of evading hunters, these deer have perfected how to stay alive. But stalking a deer into range isn’t the only hurdle to navigate. Presented by RAM and Can-Am

Hosts Spencer Neuharth, Randall Williams, and Cory Calkins interview Josh Humbert of Kamoka Pearl about pearl farming in French Polynesia, get a fresh Rut Report from Mark Kenyon, share another round of Top 3s, and chat with Michael Burton about his unique brand of catfishing.

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It's said that the best things in life are free, but the best lessons learned come at a cost. Brent's story this week is a testament to that, putting gains and losses into perspective. This particular lesson cost Brent a buck, but you can learn it with just a bit of your time. Settle in, and listen up! It's a wise investment on this week's episode of This Country Life podcast.

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The Gnome watched again as the sun set from his treestand—another day without spotting the elusive peryton. He was growing bored of sitting in a tree waiting for the creature to emerge. He’d sat up there for days, listening to squirrels bicker and crows laugh at him. But the Gnome knew his best chance at arrowing the winged stag would be to keep sitting right where he was.

This wasn’t like hunting a whitetail or even an elk. The Gnome had picked a tall old tree by an open meadow because he expected the creature to fly in, not just step through the trees. What made this meadow so special, you might ask? It was filled with black trumpet mushrooms, also known as the “horn of death.” And they just so happened to be a peryton’s favorite forage.

The Gnome had found the flush of black fungi last fall. He was delighted to fill his pack with the earthy delicacies, but even more so when he heard the whisper of great wings overhead. He looked up to see the underbelly of a giant peryton soaring overhead, huffing at the Gnome for finding his mushroom patch.

He’d always wanted to harvest a peryton but had never been able to track one down. They’re enigmatic creatures that tend to reside in the darkest of timber or the highest of peaks. Hunting one is thought to be a fool’s errand, due to their cagey temperament. But the Gnome couldn’t get the idea of an elk-sized chicken wing out of his mind. His mouth watered at the thought.

Luckily for the Gnome, he knows that the pertyton can’t resist the pungent fragrance of a flush of the horn of death.

So the Gnome built a treestand nearby and impatiently awaited the next fall, when he hoped the mushrooms would resurface and draw the strange winged creature back with their illustrious stench.

He’d sat in the stand for six days in a row. Every day, more mushrooms emerged until a carpet of black holes covered most of the meadow.

On the seventh day, while walking in under the cover of night, the Gnome was smacked with the musky smell of overripe fruit far before he reached the treestand. He knew the peryton wouldn’t be able to resist much longer.

He sat patiently in the stand, waiting for dawn to break. The first threads of light broke over the horizon and caught the dew glistening on the black trumpets littering the ground below him. And then, he heard it—the rhythmic whisper of great wings beating across the sky.

The Gnome stayed as still as he could, fighting the urge to look skyward and scare off the beast. Only when he heard the definite thud of its hooves landing on the sodden ground did he dare raise his head to steal a glance.

The creature was incredible. A massive set of antlers crowned his head, and as it folded the wings into its body, their iridescent feathers reflected the morning light. He took a deep breath and drew his bow.

The arrow flew straight into the heart of the beast, it bolted for a few steps, and collapsed into a bed of the horn of death.

After a few moments of marveling the peryton from the stand, the Gnome climbed down. He gathered a handful of the ripe, black fungi and placed the bouquet in the jaws of the creature with one hand, while the other found purchase in the feathers that were longer than his arm. After a moment of reverence, he pulled out his knife and began butchering.

Want to celebrate the Gnome in all his glory? Click here to get the Treestand Tactician Gnome T-Shirt. We’ll be dropping new shirts and stories every month to commemorate the Year of the Gnome.

In this episode of In Pursuit, Rich Froning sits down with Richard Ryan, co-founder of Black Rifle Coffee, author of The Warrior’s Garden, and regenerative agriculture advocate. They dig into the hidden costs of the attention economy, why stepping away from social media can reset your priorities, and how gratitude and community drive resilience. The conversation also ties directly into the backcountry: exploring how hunting offers a rare chance to disconnect, get uncomfortable, and rediscover what truly matters. From raising bison to building companies, Ryan shares hard-won lessons on focus, purpose, and living with intention in the wild and at home.

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This week on the show we’re reviewing what science and in-the-field research studies can tell us about hunting the whitetail rut, featuring Duane Diefenbach and a 2014 throwback conversation with Matt Ross.

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