# MY Take on E-Callers



## Larry (Dec 2, 2010)

Not wanting to hyjack the thread "FoxPro sounds do they get worn" thread, I thought I would share this.

My story starts in Texas 7-8 years ago when I was invited on a night time Bobcat Hunt. After my host could not attract anything in with his Fox Pro Caller I asked if I could try with my hand call. If my memory is correct I was blowing the smallest CrtrCall call made. I amazed myself as the next few stands all had animals coming in. First a pair of raccoons, next stand was a yote and after one dry stand our first bobcat appeared. We stopped on the last stand with another bobcat. My host was seriously impressed and so was I frankly. On the way home he let me play with his Fox Pro. To be frank I could not find a sound I liked vocalizations nor distress.

Two years passed and I was invited to call coyotes near Thermopolis, Wyoming. During the early hours in a new place I like to howl to locate and I wanted to teach my host this trick. I call it "waking up the neighborhood." Since I was a guest, my host was to do it so he could learn the process. He turned on his Fox Pro and I heard nothing but challenge barks coming out. I asked what that is. &#8230;he said its labeled "locating howls". I asked him to stop and let me howl on my mouth call as I have seen coyotes in New Mexico leave when another coyote started challenging. That evening in camp we started going through the vocalizations in his Fox Pro. We finally located what was close to a lonesome female howl as we could get. I said use this next time to locate. Next morning he turned it on and still nothing on three different locations. Yet my mouth call had 4 responses on the last location. It occurred to me two things were the issue, his caller could was not ringing and the volume was not near as loud as my hand caller.

I then got a big head and started bashing all e-callers because my mouth calling was more effective. I was wrong for all my bullshit bragging and I regret that. I say this now as later I learned allot more when I started reviewing e-callers.

My serious review of E-callers started when I was assigned to Tucson for work. AZ people you have bobcats and lots of them, but those bobcats were giving me fits for over a month and one half. My calling was from Tucson area proper and south of there to Bisbee. You see I could call them in fairly easily, but they always busted me. Some 23 cats called in and nothing to show for it. I decided I needed help. If I could only find an E-caller I liked that I could hang in a scrub tree and get the attention off me at the stand.

I went to Sportsman's Warehouse in Tucson and started looking and listening to the callers they had. I finally settled in on what I quickly nicknamed my "el cheapo e-caller" It was a Hunter's Specialties JS Attractor model 2 I believe. It cost around $30.00. I tested it and although the remote range was limited around 35 yards and the volume was low, I figured that was far enough and loud enough to get their attention if I combined it with my mouth calling. The call was easy to operate, and without 10 gazillion distress calls to select from it was a perfect caller in my mind. Afterall when it comes to distress most folks mimic or use on an e-caller cottontail, jackrabbit, deer, and bird anyway.

Next evening I set up in a dry gulch and started mouth calling. Then I turned on the "el cheapo" caller bird sound I think. In a very short time (seconds) I had a grey fox at the tree base. He was hopping up and down trying to get at the caller hung 5 feet of the ground in a Mesquite tree. I took him. I decided that was too quick so let's see what happens in a ½ hour. I left him lay, turned off the "El Cheapo" and started a series of mouth distress calls. Then I turned on the caller. 5 mins and there's a cat crawling around the base of the tree. He finally sat up and looked up. Then he jumped and snatched the caller from the tree. After he hit the ground he took off.

Next day I did the same thing. Only this time I was in a dry gulch. Bingo I had a cat sitting down looking at the E-caller. That started my success on cats. Today I have not stopped the routine, up here in Iowa many cats have come to this setup.

Heres one of those sneaky cats going for the E-caller and not me!









I started looking at E-callers in a different way. I wanted a great one though as my coyote and raccoon vocalizations are severely limited with a mouth call. Fox Pro was out as I didn't like the labeling and the ring. Thus, I finally settled on a WT (Wildlife Tech) KAS-2030ML as the metal horn had good ring. So far when I have combined my mouth calls with the WT, 237 coyotes have been killed. I never counted but I bet in one day that caller will bring 20 raccoons to their death using raccoon fights and raccoon puppy distress.

In breeding season in Iowa I combine the WT with my own 300 lb male howls and it simply rattles denning pairs. It's not uncommon to have 3 to as many as 6 come to the stand during this time of the year.

Now the KAS-2030ML is a piece of junk. It's been back three times for service work, as the reviver chip continues to go out. Now I have to fix it myself as they no longer support the PWB in the horn. But the sounds are authentic labeled correctly and work. I am sure there are many other callers out there that work just as well including perhaps the newer Fox Pro's.

But pay attention to labeling folks, if your new to calling have an experienced caller go through the vocalization's to determine if their accuracy. Second learn how to speak yote, because that is where these e-callers really work well.

I still have the "EL Cheapo" and it works well on Iowa yotes and cats. In fact at a gun show at Hawkeye Downs Hunters Specialties was selling blemished units for $10 to $15 I now have 3 spares because they work so well as remote caller for cats when combined with mouth distress calls.


----------



## prairiewolf (Feb 19, 2012)

I agree with you on using a hand call along with an e-caller. My main reason is there are so many out there using e-callers and I figure coyotes can determine the difference between 2 different distressed rabbits or others. I also have the Johnny Stewart Attractor both the #1 and #2. But I mainly use a FoxPro Scorpion now, it holds a lot more sounds and the remote works at longer ranges.


----------



## azpredatorhunter (Jul 24, 2012)

Great write-up on calling. Your right about some of the sounds coming out of the FoxPro, I've talked to a government hunter, and he said some of the sounds had the coyotes running for the hills.


----------



## Larry (Dec 2, 2010)

I tried to be careful and not disclaim such a popular product as Foxpro. I have not heard their sounds in a long time perhaps they have improved. My intent is not to bash any e-caller manufacturer but to inform the reader their is more then one way to use them. Is my way the best regarding their use, well folks hands down it is for me, :wink: but maybe not for someone else.


----------



## azpredatorhunter (Jul 24, 2012)

Ha I am just telling the truth. I use a FoxPro and it works great for me, I don't have anything good to say about my old Power Dog. The newer Primos callers are nice and loud according to a guy in know. I am supposed to go calling with a guy who is a pro staff for that new caller that's under $200 he's harvested a few Bobcats and coyote with it so far.


----------



## Larry (Dec 2, 2010)

Explain how one qualifies to be a Pro Staff please...


----------



## azpredatorhunter (Jul 24, 2012)

TheDuckMaster said:


> Explain how one qualifies to be a Pro Staff please...


 Good question, I really don't have an answer. The only thing I can think of is being able to consistently call in predators. I'll have to ask him what are the qualifications.


----------



## JTKillough (May 4, 2010)

Some of my best hunting happens when I "conjunction call" such as you describe above. I started for the very reason as you, just to get the attention off of me and I learned a lot from doing that. Made me a better caller for sure. I still use the technique at times, but must admit that in my old age, I am lazy and enjoy just letting the electronic do the work. Maybe it's time to really turn it on and get out the old Attractor. I find that when faced with a well "educated" critter, mouth calling is the only way to go. Most call wise coyotes won't even stir at the sound of an electronic, or worst yet, walk away. Oh, in order to be a "pro staffer" you need to call fair, shoot fair, be able to talk the talk, and look good on camera. All that while using said product. Shazam, prostaff!


----------



## Ruger (Jan 22, 2011)

I like to use my handcalls in conjunction with my foxpro fury at times. The fury has been a great call for me, but I don't have any e-calls to compare it with because it is the first and only call that I have ever bought. I don't really need another e-call because I rely mostly on my hand calls, even though at times the e-call can replicate the calls that I'm not as proficient at producing. A lot of the times I'm a firm believer that it's not the sound you make but the way you make the sound. With the hand calls I have a little more control on how that sound has made.


----------



## Larry (Dec 2, 2010)

JT,

All these years I thought I was a Professional Trapper/Caller when I was paid $3.95 for my first barn raccoon nearly 50 years ago. Now you say I have to be good looking also to be a Pro also? Darn it Man...I just get this damn calling and trapping thing figured out and now I can no longer officially be a be a Pro, because of an ugly stick called old age. It's just not fair!

Larry


----------



## Larry (Dec 2, 2010)

Ruger said:


> I like to use my handcalls in conjunction with my foxpro fury at times. The fury has been a great call for me, but I don't have any e-calls to compare it with because it is the first and only call that I have ever bought. I don't really need another e-call because I rely mostly on my hand calls, even though at times the e-call can replicate the calls that I'm not as proficient at producing.* A lot of the times I'm a firm believer that it's not the sound you make but the way you make the sound. With the hand calls I have a little more control on how that sound has made.*


Are you just referring to distress sounds when you stated the above?


----------



## prairiewolf (Feb 19, 2012)

You asked Wayne (Ruger) the question but I would like to answer for myself the same question, I feel like Wayne that you can put more into a hand call then what an e-caller can give. As for the question, no I use hand calls for the vocaliztions always. One of my favorite locating calls is not a coyote howl, it is an elk bugle. They seem to start up when they hear an elk bugle just before daylight and by using this sound they dont associate it with a hunter. Once located then I decide whether to use distress of vocals depending on the time of year.


----------



## hassell (Feb 9, 2010)

Lots of great tips for members.


----------



## Ruger (Jan 22, 2011)

That statement refers to distress calls, coyote vocalizations definitely matters what sound is made, but I still prefer hand calls when I do vocalizations.


----------



## JTKillough (May 4, 2010)

TheDuckMaster said:


> JT,
> 
> All these years I thought I was a Professional Trapper/Caller when I was paid $3.95 for my first barn raccoon nearly 50 years ago. Now you say I have to be good looking also to be a Pro also? Darn it Man...I just get this damn calling and trapping thing figured out and now I can no longer officially be a be a Pro, because of an ugly stick called old age. It's just not fair!
> 
> Larry


Sorry! But the good news is there are ways around all these "necessities." Allow me to help you out.

First, calling is calling and in doing such, everybody sounds different so you don't have to be any good at it at all. Trick is to be able to cause enough ruckus that a coyote has to come check it out, coyotes are like people, they just got to see what the hell is making all the racket. Cha-ching pro staff!

Next, you can curious in all the coyote you want, sooner or later, maybe you can make the shot and get it on camera. "Coyote down, take 94!" Wallah, pro staff!

All you have to do to be regarded as a "yotesmith" is to talk it up on how you "knew what the coyote was thinking", how you played that feller like a fiddle, and throw in some high-falootin words referring to the coyote in relation to the ecosystem, and habitat, and depradation. Bingo, pro staff!

And finally, as for "the look". Start standing in front of that full length mirror and practicing your stance. Walk around it full camo, head to toe, a myriad of mouth calls about the neck, be sure to top off with the trademark cap. Whenever a camera is present never, I repeat, never remove that facemask. Shazam! Pro Staff!


----------



## hassell (Feb 9, 2010)

Good one JT.


----------



## azpredatorhunter (Jul 24, 2012)

LOL JTK...


----------

