The sounds of fall: rustling leaves, bubbling gravy. And maybe, just maybe, grown men making duck sounds.

It’s okay, it’s all in the service of dinner.

So it’s time to follow the sounds of duck calls and shotguns to the Eastern Shore and join up with Black Duck Outfitters, booking hunting trips now for the winter waterfowl season.

Think of these guys as your camouflaged concierges for all things related to blasting birds, be they sea ducks on the open waters of the Chesapeake, diver ducks in the marshes of the Potomac or field ducks in upper Maryland.

A bunch of seasoned watermen and marksmen (they just retuned from guiding this fall in Manitoba), they can certainly teach you how to do duck and goose calls if you’re a novice and help make your shotgun-work a little more surgical. But their real expertise is in finding the ducks. They’ve got shooting spots all over, and they’re out there nearly every day figuring out where to position you based on the wind and the water.

Of course, like any pursuit involving firepower, a bit of preparation is required (just ask Eisenhower). You’ll need a three-day Maryland hunting license and some warm, outdoorsy gear. You’ll definitely want to get Ol’ Betsy out of storage. Oh, and you’ll need to get up early enough to be there before sunrise.

You do your best work at 5:15am anyway.