Tongue Pinchers had limited tone range and often cut the hunters' tongues and mouths. Fisher was famous for the production of his Tongue Pincher Duck Calls which were made of two pieces of curved wood facing each other with a metal reed sandwiched between them and a holding device (usually a band) holding it all together. His most unusual call was the вЂњAllen Nickel-Plated Duck CallerвЂќ which was made of metal but froze to the hunters' lips and had to be re-made using wood. Allen's calls were barrel calls with straight tone boards and curved reeds. In 1863, Fred Allen had created external duck calls, but did not have a patent. Non-patent duck calls may have been made as early as 1850, but the first patent was awarded to Elam Fisher in 1870. Hunters would feed wild tame ducks and trap them, using their calls to attract wildfowl. This dates back to 1678, but it is believed that the use of call ducks originated in the Far East. However, decorative duck calls can be quite elaborate and expensive.Д«efore the mass production and popularization of duck calls, hunters used their own voices (mouth calling) or used call ducks or duck decoys. It is still the preferred call, as it is more time-consuming to manufacture and design. Wood expands and contracts with the changing temperature and humidity levels. Another key difference is that acrylic is known to show less sound variance over the temperature ranges expected in a duck blind. When hunting in timber or swampy area, a wood call is preferable. Most acrylic calls have the capability of getting much louder than double reed calls. Acrylic calls are preferred in large open spaces for a call to reach out and find the ducks. Different waterfowl hunters have varying opinions on what the best type of duck call is and when it is most effective. This is important for different types of duck hunting.

The key difference between wood and acrylic duck calls is that acrylic calls are much louder and carry much further than wood duck calls. The two most common high quality duck call materials are wood and acrylic. There are many other variations and techniques to make effective sounds with a duck call. The more experienced callers simply push the air from their diaphragms with no words to be spoken into the call.

With the improvement of calls and calling techniques the more experienced callers do not use their voice to perform their techniques.

In order for a hunter to make the feeding call, the hunter must say a quick repetition of 'tiki-tika' or 'duga-duga'. Hunters would use the air from their diaphragms into the call while saying 'hut', 'wuit', or 'oak' to make the single quack. The insert is the end in which the sound is produced. Early duck calls were simple woodwind instruments with a barrel, a sound board and ak that is used to hold the reed into place on the sound board, make up what is known as the insert. As a tool, a duck call is like a traditional whistle made to emulate the sound of a duck.

Duck hunting calls