# NEW PRIMOS ALPHA DOGG E-CALLER



## sos1inmesa

Has anyone bought the new Primos Alpha Dogg E-caller? If so, how do you like it? I just purchased mine from All Predator Calls on Friday and received it today.

I'll try it out over the next couple days and get back on here with a short review and hopefully some pictures of some dead coyotes!









http://www.allpredat...aller-3765.html


----------



## youngdon

I'll be interested to hear your review.


----------



## Mattuk

I'll be looking forward to the photo's.


----------



## sos1inmesa

Photos and review coming in a couple days. The caller is awesome though.


----------



## sos1inmesa

Here is my official review of the new Primos Alpha Dogg E-caller. As some on this forum may know, I'm fairly new to predator hunting and have never owned an e-caller. Overall it is a great unit and well worth the money. I purchased mine for $250 from www.allpredatorcalls.com. I was thinking that since this unit is a little cheaper in price (compared to some of the foxpros), that I would get an e-caller that might be a little cheap in quality. Not the case at all here.









My favorite thing about this caller is the sound quality. It has a main center speaker, then it also has 2 side speakers that flip outward, and can swivel in any direction (see pic below showing speaker swivel). The speaker volume can really go loud! Even in really open areas, I've never needed to turn it all the way up. I've heard the sounds from this caller echo in open places that I thought hearing an echo wasn't possible. The way the sounds come out of the speakers are incredible. They didn't design these 3 speakers to spit out the same volume using the same sounds. It is more designed using a surround sound effect. When I do a jack rabbit in distress, I can literally hear the distress call as if the rabbit is spinning circles as it is screaming. Not just the same monotone going in a forward only direction. The coyote serenade calls really show this off as well. Some howls in the serenade are loud, some not so loud, some come out of the side speaker, some out the front, to really give you an orchestra of coyote howls.









My 2nd favorite thing about this caller is the remote and the calls you can use. First, the remote is awesome. Compared to my friends Foxpro Wildfire, the text is easy to read, the screen is clear, and all the calls are categorized in a very organized fashion. There are tons of predator calls pre-loaded into the unit. Enough that you really don't ever need to download any more. But it has that capability of adding more calls if wanted. It also has elk, deer, turkey, and more calls. To sum it up, the unit is loaded with calls for just about any hunter (I even think I remember seeing an Alligator hunting category within the unit).









The Alpha Dogg has what they call "expert hunts". I think there are about 10 - 20 expert hunts loaded (maybe more). You pretty much hit the play button and sit back waiting for the prey to come in. It will do certain calls, then it will go to silence, continue on to calls, silence, etc. These pre-loaded expert hunts probably go for up to 45 minutes to an hour, so you can really just hang out if you want. I haven't played with it yet, but I think you can design your own hunts. Hopefully I'm not wrong, but what I understand is you can create a hunt where you pick what calls to run and how long. Then you'll select the amount of silence between calls. That way if you have a sequence that works for you, you can set it up accordingly so you don't have to keep picking up your remote to proceed with your normal sequences when out in the field.

The size of the unit was a concern for me. I was afraid it would be too big to fit in my hunting backpack. Sure enough, it fits. It is just a tad bit bigger than most of the foxpros.

There is so much more to this caller that I'm sure I'm forgetting.









*Here are some of the cons* (as with any product).

Toward the end of my 2nd trip out with it, the speaker started making distortion noises on just my coyote calls. But that was when it was turned up pretty high. Over the following hours, it kept getting worse. I thought I had a defective unit. I replaced the batteries and viola!!! Back to normal. I was a bit dissapointed at how quick the batteries drained. But in all honesty, as I've been using it over the past month, it seems like it is doing better every time I put a new set of batteries in. It used to drain the batteries every 2 trips. But now, I'm using the same batteries that I've been using on my past 5 trips out. So maybe I just had some bad batteries, but I really don't think that's the case. So beware to anyone buying this, THAT YOUR UNIT IS NOT BROKEN IF IT DISTORTS... just replace your batteries.

The rating of 100 yards for the remote seems to be accurate. I've had the caller out that far a couple times and it's been fine. But other times I've had it about 50-75 yards, and there was major remote delay. I had called 2 yotes in at once and they were hauling to the call of the rabbit in distress. I went to shut off the sound or turn it down, as to keep them guessing mine and the callers location, and got no communication from the remote to speakers. As the coyotes got closer (in the thick bush where I couldn't see them), I think the loud volume spooked them cause I never saw them again. This isn't a common thing, it's only happened maybe twice, but it cost me a coyote or 2 that day.

*In conclusion*, it's well worth the money! If I lost or broke mine today, I'd buy another one tomorrow. My first day out I called in a coyote doing a bird distress call in about 15 minutes on my first stand. My second stand I called a coyote in within 2 minutes doing a jack rabbit in distress. Coming of a dry spell of not even seeing a coyote for awhile, I was excitied. (Unfortunately I didn't take a shot on the first one, as he was a little too far. And the 2nd one I took a shot and missed like a noob).

I called one of my good hunting buddies up and told him this caller was amazing and that we needed to go out the next morning. A couple weeks before I purchased my Alpha Dogg, my buddy had bought a Foxpro Wildfire. That very next morning when I took him out, we called in a bobcat in under 15 minutes. Unfortunately for me, he had the angle on it and got the shot (see pic below). We had never called in a bobcat before. Needless to say... after my friend got his first bobcat, and was able to see the Alpha Dogg work it's magic, he took his Foxpro Wildfire back to the store and now has the Alpha Dogg today. Other than the bobcat in the back of his truck, he was mainly impressed with the sound quality and screen on the remote. I'm not a foxpro hater as I've never owned one, so I'm not knocking any other e-callers out there.









If you have any questions about the Alpha Dogg, let me know and I'll give you my best answers.


----------



## hassell

Very good write up.


----------



## bones44

X2. Sounds very impressive. I like the fact of the stereo surround. All the calls I've ever heard have always had that tin can sound no matter what. Looking forward to more stories !


----------



## Mattuk

Good write up! Now stop talking about it and lets so some successful stands!


----------



## youngdon

Nice job on the review SOS.


----------



## bgfireguy

Heck yea bud nice review. You oughta talk to chris about writing an article about this. I think that we need to bring back the articles if peope are just willing to write them.


----------



## ColoradoHunter

I've been looking at the different calls to get started. This review just made up my mind, thank you.


----------



## Mattuk

Welcome to the forum ColoradoHunter. Make yourself at home.


----------



## "JJ"

Nice review sos1inmesa.


----------



## youngdon

ColoradoHunter said:


> I've been looking at the different calls to get started. This review just made up my mind, thank you.


Glad you could join us coloradohunter.


----------



## Chet Punisher

How heavy is that thing? Is it hard to get out to your spot?


----------



## sos1inmesa

Chet Punisher, it's not bad at all. Because you have 2 extra speakers over the normal caller, and built in legs it's just a tad bit heavier than a regular foxpro. It's not to the point where it feels "too heavy". I have an average size backpack (like the kind you'd have in school), and I can easily fit it in my backpack along with all my other gear (box of ammo, decoy, spare batteries, hand callers, buttwipe, etc).


----------



## youngdon

I will say I was fairly impressed with it. I may have to take a hard look at it for my next caller.


----------



## sos1inmesa

Yeah, I should have had you browse through the categories on the remote while we were out today. I myself still haven't heard all the programmed sounds that are included with the unit. There are a ton!!!


----------



## youngdon

Yeah I would have liked to looked at the remote and checked out the sounds.... Next time.


----------



## bones44

If I wouldn't have just bought the wildfire I would have seriously considered one of these callers. Primos hasn't really put anything out there except print ads regarding these. I guess they figure it will sell itself.


----------



## Varminthunter123

Just ordered my new Primos Alpha Dogg caller today, you sold me. Sounds like a great caller and a great deal.


----------



## sos1inmesa

Varminthunter123 said:


> Just ordered my new Primos Alpha Dogg caller today, you sold me. Sounds like a great caller and a great deal.


Awesome! Being the man that I am, I took absolutely no time to look at the manual. I think I need to though, cause there are several buttons on the remote that I have no idea what they do, and I'm sure I'm overlooking other features.


----------



## sos1inmesa

I think Primos is going to have to cut me a commission for some of these orders. Primos.... are you out there?


----------



## Varminthunter123

Suppose to get it in next week, so I will head out next weekend and try it out. Can't wait!!!


----------



## sos1inmesa

When it brings you success, don't forget to post pics here!


----------



## gonefishn

Thanks for the great review. It seems like a lot of value for the money! It sounds like I may have to try one of these.


----------



## sos1inmesa

gonefishn said:


> Thanks for the great review. It seems like a lot of value for the money! It sounds like I may have to try one of these.


It really is a great caller. I'd be interested to hear some other opinions and reviews of other Alpha Dogg owners, who have also owned a Foxpro e-caller.


----------



## nathanaf8388

Waiting on mine to come in.


----------



## sos1inmesa

Awesome, and welcome to the forum nathanaf8388!!! As with Varminthunter123, post pics here when it brings your first kill.


----------



## Varminthunter123

Very nice review of this products, just order mine last week. Suppose to be in today, I can't wait to get it out in the field to try.


----------



## Mattuk

nathanaf8388 said:


> Waiting on mine to come in.


Welcome to PT nathanaf8388.


----------



## sos1inmesa

As promised, I'd post info of my first kill that the Alpha Dogg brought me, actually it is my first kill ever!!! I got to my stand, started off with psycho tweety hand call for 30 seconds. Rested a couple minutes and went to a few cottontail distress calls. At about the 15 minute mark (and after running silent for a minute or so), I went to the Cardinal Death Cry (one of the factory loaded bird calls on the Alpha Dogg), and about 3 or 4 minutes later a bobcat was coming in quick. He posted up at 100 yards and that's when he was taken down!

The Alpha Dogg is everything I could hope for from a caller, and is actually now running on 6 or 7 trips with the same batteries. So, the battery life is doing a lot better now than when I originally did this review.

For me, an electronic caller is a must, but definitely you can't just buy an e-caller and expect everything to fall into place. You have to factor in everything when hunting a hunter.


----------



## youngdon

Good follow up on your review SOS ! How are you holding that cat up ? I know I remember your right hand being a paw.


----------



## LeviTM

Nice work on the cat. I bought an alpha dog last week after reading your review and have had dogs come in both times I have used it. I think it works extremely well!


----------



## sos1inmesa

LeviTM said:


> Nice work on the cat. I bought an alpha dog last week after reading your review and have had dogs come in both times I have used it. I think it works extremely well!


Awesome!!! Being new to predator hunting, it has been a great tool to have. On my bobcat kill last week (and from advice from Youngdon), I was really watching my volume, making sure to fade in and out of my calls, instead of starting out a call by fully blasting the sound. Every stand is different, and I think the key to getting the most success with this caller (or any e-caller), is to have awesome volume control and to know how loud is "too loud".

If you have an Alpha Dogg, you know the volume is scaled from 0-100. I used to run most my calls at the 60-75 volume mark (so fairly high). After working with Don, and on my outing last week, I didn't go over 40 once when I got the bobcat. I kept it at about 15 most of the time, and maybe every 7 or 8 minutes I'd peak a louder sound for no longer than 10 seconds just to try and get the attention of something that might not know I'm there yet. But again, all terrain is different, and the canyons and hills where I was at, I could hear the sound bouncing back and I could tell what was too much. If your calling in open fields where there isn't a lot of echo, then obviously you'll run it slightly louder. I know this is key!!! I will be proving it over the next few months with more regular kills.


----------



## LeviTM

I look forward to seeing them! I will post pictures when we get something. I wasn't fading in and out of my calls, but that is a really good idea.

The loudest I've taken mine is to 55 and it was plenty loud for a 1/2 section of open land and surrounding area. I really couldn't imagine needing to take it to 100. I have been wrong once before though.

What gun were you using?


----------



## sos1inmesa

Savage 22-250


----------



## oneshotcowboy

good job sos. i just got my turbo dogg sat. went sunday and and saw one coyote. hung about 300 yards out behind a hill and didnt see it till i was walking till the next stand...lol called tonight just before dark and saw 2 hanging about 600 yards out. they never commited to comming but were going nuts watching trying to figure out where dinner was...lol


----------



## HowlinRed

You got my attention SOS.

? Do you get to pick the sounds for this unit or does it come with a pre set list of sounds? And just how big is this thing? It looks big to me. May just be the pics. I do a good bit of hunting in the mountains and walk a good bit. I need something on the small and light side.

By the way... thanks for the great review!


----------



## sos1inmesa

HowlinRed said:


> You got my attention SOS.
> 
> ? Do you get to pick the sounds for this unit or does it come with a pre set list of sounds? And just how big is this thing? It looks big to me. May just be the pics. I do a good bit of hunting in the mountains and walk a good bit. I need something on the small and light side.
> 
> By the way... thanks for the great review!


Your Welcome HowlinRed. The size is not bad at all. When the legs and speakers are all folded up (which is a nice feature) it is 8 inches wide, 6 inches deep, and 8 inches tall (the 8 tall is measuring all the way to the top of the handle). I was worried about it's size as well as the pictures made it seem a little too big. But after having it and taking it out, it is definitely not a deal breaker, or too big. As mentioned, it easily fits in my backpack, and my pack isn't an over sized bag. Below are 2 pics of it to get a better idea compared to other objects. The first is next to my backpack I carry my laptop in when I travel. The 2nd pic is next to a regular size water bottle. Hope this helps.


----------



## HowlinRed

Thanks SOS. That helps a lot.


----------



## nathanaf8388

Mine was just delivered today... I haven't got to it yet but what kind of batteries are you guys using and which have you had bad luck with and any suggestions? I am completley new to the whole predator hunting scene I ordered the turbo dogg and have tried it with no success yet but maybe I had it to loud?


----------



## hobiecole

sos1inmesa said:


> Here is my official review of the new Primos Alpha Dogg E-caller. As some on this forum may know, I'm fairly new to predator hunting and have never owned an e-caller. Overall it is a great unit and well worth the money. I purchased mine for $250 from www.allpredatorcalls.com. I was thinking that since this unit is a little cheaper in price (compared to some of the foxpros), that I would get an e-caller that might be a little cheap in quality. Not the case at all here.
> 
> View attachment 3202
> 
> 
> My favorite thing about this caller is the sound quality. It has a main center speaker, then it also has 2 side speakers that flip outward, and can swivel in any direction (see pic below showing speaker swivel). The speaker volume can really go loud! Even in really open areas, I've never needed to turn it all the way up. I've heard the sounds from this caller echo in open places that I thought hearing an echo wasn't possible. The way the sounds come out of the speakers are incredible. They didn't design these 3 speakers to spit out the same volume using the same sounds. It is more designed using a surround sound effect. When I do a jack rabbit in distress, I can literally hear the distress call as if the rabbit is spinning circles as it is screaming. Not just the same monotone going in a forward only direction. The coyote serenade calls really show this off as well. Some howls in the serenade are loud, some not so loud, some come out of the side speaker, some out the front, to really give you an orchestra of coyote howls.
> 
> View attachment 3203
> 
> 
> My 2nd favorite thing about this caller is the remote and the calls you can use. First, the remote is awesome. Compared to my friends Foxpro Wildfire, the text is easy to read, the screen is clear, and all the calls are categorized in a very organized fashion. There are tons of predator calls pre-loaded into the unit. Enough that you really don't ever need to download any more. But it has that capability of adding more calls if wanted. It also has elk, deer, turkey, and more calls. To sum it up, the unit is loaded with calls for just about any hunter (I even think I remember seeing an Alligator hunting category within the unit).
> 
> View attachment 3204
> 
> 
> The Alpha Dogg has what they call "expert hunts". I think there are about 10 - 20 expert hunts loaded (maybe more). You pretty much hit the play button and sit back waiting for the prey to come in. It will do certain calls, then it will go to silence, continue on to calls, silence, etc. These pre-loaded expert hunts probably go for up to 45 minutes to an hour, so you can really just hang out if you want. I haven't played with it yet, but I think you can design your own hunts. Hopefully I'm not wrong, but what I understand is you can create a hunt where you pick what calls to run and how long. Then you'll select the amount of silence between calls. That way if you have a sequence that works for you, you can set it up accordingly so you don't have to keep picking up your remote to proceed with your normal sequences when out in the field.
> 
> The size of the unit was a concern for me. I was afraid it would be too big to fit in my hunting backpack. Sure enough, it fits. It is just a tad bit bigger than most of the foxpros.
> 
> There is so much more to this caller that I'm sure I'm forgetting.
> 
> View attachment 3205
> 
> 
> *Here are some of the cons* (as with any product).
> 
> Toward the end of my 2nd trip out with it, the speaker started making distortion noises on just my coyote calls. But that was when it was turned up pretty high. Over the following hours, it kept getting worse. I thought I had a defective unit. I replaced the batteries and viola!!! Back to normal. I was a bit dissapointed at how quick the batteries drained. But in all honesty, as I've been using it over the past month, it seems like it is doing better every time I put a new set of batteries in. It used to drain the batteries every 2 trips. But now, I'm using the same batteries that I've been using on my past 5 trips out. So maybe I just had some bad batteries, but I really don't think that's the case. So beware to anyone buying this, THAT YOUR UNIT IS NOT BROKEN IF IT DISTORTS... just replace your batteries.
> 
> The rating of 100 yards for the remote seems to be accurate. I've had the caller out that far a couple times and it's been fine. But other times I've had it about 50-75 yards, and there was major remote delay. I had called 2 yotes in at once and they were hauling to the call of the rabbit in distress. I went to shut off the sound or turn it down, as to keep them guessing mine and the callers location, and got no communication from the remote to speakers. As the coyotes got closer (in the thick bush where I couldn't see them), I think the loud volume spooked them cause I never saw them again. This isn't a common thing, it's only happened maybe twice, but it cost me a coyote or 2 that day.
> 
> *In conclusion*, it's well worth the money! If I lost or broke mine today, I'd buy another one tomorrow. My first day out I called in a coyote doing a bird distress call in about 15 minutes on my first stand. My second stand I called a coyote in within 2 minutes doing a jack rabbit in distress. Coming of a dry spell of not even seeing a coyote for awhile, I was excitied. (Unfortunately I didn't take a shot on the first one, as he was a little too far. And the 2nd one I took a shot and missed like a noob).
> 
> I called one of my good hunting buddies up and told him this caller was amazing and that we needed to go out the next morning. A couple weeks before I purchased my Alpha Dogg, my buddy had bought a Foxpro Wildfire. That very next morning when I took him out, we called in a bobcat in under 15 minutes. Unfortunately for me, he had the angle on it and got the shot (see pic below). We had never called in a bobcat before. Needless to say... after my friend got his first bobcat, and was able to see the Alpha Dogg work it's magic, he took his Foxpro Wildfire back to the store and now has the Alpha Dogg today. Other than the bobcat in the back of his truck, he was mainly impressed with the sound quality and screen on the remote. I'm not a foxpro hater as I've never owned one, so I'm not knocking any other e-callers out there.
> 
> View attachment 3206
> 
> 
> If you have any questions about the Alpha Dogg, let me know and I'll give you my best answers.



View attachment 3206


If you have any questions about the Alpha Dogg, let me know and I'll give you my best answers.
[/quote]
I have a fox pro fury and am selling it to a friend after hearing the alpha dogg .My friend bought one and the sound is so much better than my fury .We've called in 4 yotes and 2 bobcats with his caller . The sounds the call puts out is like 3 D sound high and low sounds together so realistic no comparison .But don't get me wrong i like fox pro but can't wait for Xmas morning.


----------



## sos1inmesa

Hobicole, It's true, the sounds are awesome!!! I'm excited for you, it's a great caller.

Howlin, I forgot to answer the other part of your question... The unit comes with a huge list of sounds already programmed into it. if you want, you can add other sounds to it. I seriously still haven't heard all the pre-loaded sounds. When Primos put the sounds into the Alpha Dogg, and after scrolling through them all, your not left with that feeling like you really need to go out and add more.

Going off their description online, it says there are 75 programmed sounds, 6 expert hunts, and 2GB of storage to have up to 1000 sounds on the unit. Here is a list of where you can see everything programmed, along with other sounds you can purchase through primos:

http://www.primos.com/primos_sound.pdf


----------



## HowlinRed

Thanks SOS. I should have looked before I asked. I saw the specs on the unit yesterday. Heck of a lot of sounds! I also saw that allpredatorcalls.com has a good price on them but they are out of them at the moment. I think you have caused them to sell out. LOL


----------



## Guest

I am waiting for my alpha dogg to arrive (bass pro shops needs to step up customer service ) does anyone that already has one know if it has a decoy aux port on it and if any of the primos decoy will hook into it? Thank for the input.


----------



## youngdon

I don't read about one in the description but a PM to sos1inmesa may provide an answer.


----------



## sos1inmesa

Nwazyotehunter said:


> I am waiting for my alpha dogg to arrive (bass pro shops needs to step up customer service ) does anyone that already has one know if it has a decoy aux port on it and if any of the primos decoy will hook into it? Thank for the input.


Nwazy, Yes it does!!!







That's one of several features I did not mention and still have not used. It does have a decoy plug in, in the back. As to what decoy's work with it, I'm not sure. All the other technology on the unit seems to be top notch, so I assume you shouldn't have an issue with plugging your decoy in to this particular unit. When it comes in, let us know how it does for ya.


----------



## showmeyote

Im not putting the unit down one bit, and what iv been reading it is a pretty cool caller. The fear i have with primos products is there customer service. I know when they started there power dogg, there were alot of problems with them and customers were very unhappy with the customer service. I hope they have upped that service. Great feedback on this product tho.....


----------



## sos1inmesa

Hmmm, that's weird. I'm sure they've upped their game as I've heard nothing but good about their customer service.... including this thread (which coincidentally you commented on, ya big silly):









http://www.predatort...service-primos/

Yeah, hopefully the unit doesn't give me issues. So far I've had it out on at least 20-30 trips and it's been great. If I run into any issues with the unit or customer service, I'll definitely report it here, but so far I'm a very happy camper!


----------



## showmeyote

It wasnt point at just there ecallers, just there overall CS. Sorry my bad..


----------



## sos1inmesa

Oh, no I hear you and that's what I was talking about too was their CS. I think I had heard someone else have problems with a power dog as well, but I hadn't ever heard anything bad about their CS, only good on the contrary. Hopefully I'll never have issues to find out if it's good or bad, ha ha!!!

Thanks for the thanks on the review though. It has gone above and beyond what I expected out of an e-caller. I love the Alpha Dogg, but not too fond of the Turbo dog.

For everyone out there, I didn't buy this caller cause it was cheaper than a lot of Foxpro's, I bought it cause on paper it looked as good maybe better than most Foxpro models. I love predator hunting, and if I thought the $700 Foxpro Prairie Blaster model would have brought me more success, I would have purchased it. I'm known in my circle of friends for going over the top, and I actually did research the Prairie Blaster and weigh it in. I'm not married to Primos, I'll use whatever model I think is currently the best, and in my opinion I think this one takes the prize right now... it just happened to be cheap in cost which was an added benefit. I'm sure the Prairie Blaster might have more calls, and maybe higher volume, but all around I think the Alpha Dogg is just as good if not better. It really doesn't fall short of anything.

If I come across anything negative with the caller, or the customer service, I'll definitely let everyone know as to have all the information of both pros and cons to weigh in if deciding to make a purchase.


----------



## showmeyote

There is good and bad in all products, thats just the cold hard facts, Im not saying you should buy foxpro over anything else. But There are some products that i would not recommend. 
Its great that we have PT to walk threw these products. Its not about who has what, but about making our experiences better.


----------



## sos1inmesa

showmeyote said:


> There is good and bad in all products, thats just the cold hard facts, Im not saying you should buy foxpro over anything else. But There are some products that i would not recommend.
> Its great that we have PT to walk threw these products. Its not about who has what, but about making our experiences better.


Totally agree!!! Hope it didn't sound like I was bashing Foxpro, cause I think they are great and don't think you could go wrong with any of their models. I love the sound of the lightning jack! I need to see if I can get that sound on my Alpha.


----------



## showmeyote

It didnt you were professional about it...


----------



## Guest

Thanks for the info.really looking forward to it. I had a fox pro firestorm and did have much success with it.


----------



## Guest

Sorry just thought of this have you tried rechargeable batteries in the call?


----------



## sos1inmesa

Nwazyotehunter said:


> Sorry just thought of this have you tried rechargeable batteries in the call?


What's up Nwazyotehunter! Good to see another AZ guy on here. I think the manual says it's recommended to use rechargeable batteries. Again, I'm a man.... so I don't really read manuals. But I keep telling myself that one night I'm going to read the manual when I have time away from all my manly things I do.

My experience with the battery fatigue on this caller has changed a lot since I first posted the review. When I posted, I was having bad luck with it draining the batteries. Seriously after every 2 or 3 trips out I had to replace them. I don't know if I was just using bad batteries (the kirkland brand from costco), but now it's doing great (with duracells). Recently, I had about 7 or 8 hunting trips out, and there was no sign of the batteries dying. I ended up changing them the other day just cause I was hunting really far out, and just didn't want to risk them go low on such a far away trip. But on the flip side, I haven't been cranking the volume like I used to. I've been practicing lower volume control, which has been paying off big time with calling predators in. So I'm sure the lower volume is also helping with the battery life as well.


----------



## Guest

Thanks for the info.....what part of az in hunting in?


----------



## sos1inmesa

I'm in Mesa, and just hunt surrounding areas around here.


----------



## Guest

Feb And march there are a couple of coyote hunts let me know If you are intersted in them I will get you the info on them


----------



## bgfireguy

You couldnt ask for a better partner than sos, and maybe you can convince don to join you as well. and SMY is right there is good and bad all over in everything. Im just a foxpro guy and will stay that way. Maybe. The reason is that my daughter who is 5 loves to take out my fx3 when ive reprogramed it with bird calls. Well without me knowiing it see took out my caller to call in the crows and left it outside and ran in to the house when it started raining. So a couple of days later I went into our gun room and saw it was gone, Well I yelled out and she came running and very quietly she told me it was outside still. So I went and picked it up and it litterally DRAINED water out of it. I thought crap well time to buy another.well I dismantled it into pieces put it in front of a fan overnight, reassembled it and wouldnt you know it fired right up! Absolutley no problems. If something electronic can survive that I personally think its worth my loyalty and money. BUT that being said, i still want an alpha dog after sos has been talking about it.


----------



## youngdon

Nwazyotehunter said:


> Feb And march there are a couple of coyote hunts let me know If you are intersted in them I will get you the info on them


Is one of them the antelope eaters hunt ?


----------



## Guest

Yes it is . Love that hunt


----------



## bgfireguy

Hey sos I checked out the call list you posted here for that and though most of them are average cost like foxpro, but $5 for a howl?!?!?!?! And im more curious to hear and maybe buy one of these "expert hunt" calls if its an mp3 file.


----------



## sos1inmesa

Thanks for the nice words bgfireguy. Regarding the calls you can buy...yeah, they are a little pricey. I think all the sounds on the unit are good enough. I might be interested in getting some more distress calls though, just to have even more variety.

Nwazyotehunter, yeah just message me the info, I'd be interested in taking a peak. Don't know if I'd be able to make it, but it sounds cool!


----------



## youngdon

Nwazyotehunter said:


> Yes it is . Love that hunt


Yeah me too. I've done it a few times and have always got my $ back and then some with their drawings.


----------



## Guest

youngdon said:


> Yeah me too. I've done it a few times and have always got my $ back and then some with their drawings.


----------



## Guest

They are giving way a filmed hunt with Fred ickler this year. I never win crap but still a great time to get away for a couple of days


----------



## sos1inmesa

Called in and got my first coyote today!!! He came running in on the Scrub Hare distress call. 2nd stand we called in a fox, but didn't get a shot. 3rd stand, distress calls weren't bringing anything in so before leaving the stand we ran a coyote serenade, which got a pack of coyotes all riled up about 400 yards away from us, but it was too thick to see them. We couldn't draw them in any closer to get a shot as they were coming up on us in the direction where we parked the truck. We think they saw the truck or smelled us. 4th and 5th stand nothing came in. Then the 6th stand we had another fox come in to the Scrub Hare call again. My buddy had the angle and made the shot. Had a lot of success today bringing stuff in.


----------



## hassell

Congrats. on the hunt and story.


----------



## youngdon

Congrats on the hunt and the kill sos. Good story too.


----------



## Guest

Great job......just got my call played with in in the back yard for a few cant wait to take it out


----------



## HowlinRed

Great job SOS! Good looking animals!


----------



## LeviTM

Greeting fellow PT friends!

I was out sunday evening with the alpha dog. I used some howls and much to my surprise, there were a ton of coyotes in the timber across the road from me. I used a lot of distress and howling calls. I called for an hour and a half and just as the sun was going down below the horizon I started playing the female invitation howl, a few seconds later I looked up and had 4 coyotes at the corner of the field looking my way. I also had the mojo critter out in front of me about 20 yards. When I saw them I switched to the rodent distress. And they came running!!! If there would of been someone with me we could of had a double. I did manage to get this one:








I am super happy with this call. I thought only the pros could get big groups of coyotes to come to them. But the Alpha Dog is like having a pro doing your calling for you. I love this call. Best $250 I ever spent


----------



## NWolf

An hour and a half on one set? Way to stick it out.


----------



## sos1inmesa

Levi, That's awesome you had that many running in at once!!! I feel like a dang bible salesman with all the good I've said about this caller, but it's true... it is one heck of an e-caller. Props to you for sitting at a stand that long! If I don't have something within 30 minutes, I'm on to the next one. In the past 3 weeks, my average time the predator comes to my distress calls are about 4 to 5 minutes.

Being new to this sport, I do have a lot to learn with running my barks and howls. I've done so well with distress calls that I don't know how crazy I'll get with doing coyote sounds, but I would like to utilize them when it's potentially going to be effective in the area I'm at, and the time of year it is. I normally try some type of howl or bark as a last ditch effort before I leave a stand. Multiple times I've gotten packs of coyotes responding to my serenades, but from there I haven't had much success at getting them to come in closer. It just seems like they just want to talk. So again, I've still got some learning to do.


----------



## NWolf

I ordered one yesterday. I cant wait to see how she does. The reviews make it sound near perfect.


----------



## youngdon

You should be one happy camper real soon,


----------



## LeviTM

Thanks guys, I don't have a lot of places to hunt on so I usually stay at least an hour at a stand.

Sos - There's no shame in supporting something that works! If it wasn't for your initial review I wouldn't of bought this call.
Howling has been my bread and butter here in NW Okla. We have had a hard summer and very little moisture so there isn't much grass, or anything else. I barely see rabbits, field mice, rats or any other possible easy prey. I've had a couple instances where hawks have swooped down on my mojo critter. It's slim pickens in my part of the world, distress calls haven't been working as well as the howls for me. The female invitation and young answers have done the best so far, but the serenades work well too! I'm really looking forward to Primos getting the sounds up and available for download. It looks like there are going to be a bunch of different ones to choose from.
As far as the howling goes, I've been watching Randy Anderson's videos and he mainly does howls when coyote hunting. It may not work for everyone, but it's worked for me. I'm new as well so I'm sure there is tons of things I don't know and things that I'm doing wrong, but I'm doing everything I can to learn the best tactics and have the most success. I'm pleased with my results so far, I'll keep everyone posted on future hunts.


----------



## youngdon

"As far as the howling goes, I've been watching Randy Anderson's videos and he mainly does howls when coyote hunting."

I've heard...and this was probably put out there by one of his competitors, that he howls on the crapper too !

Sorry LeviTM I couldn't resist.


----------



## 220swift

youngdon said:


> I've heard...and this was probably put out there by one of his competitors, that he howls on the crapper too !
> 
> Sorry LeviTM I couldn't resist.


----------



## farmboy07

When you guys are going through all calls do you notice if you have the antenna stays on or flashes in and out on the remote?


----------



## Ethan

farm boy, best i can remember mine stays on.

Can you guys list some sequences that are producing coyotes. Ive been out several times calling foxes at night with cottontail in distress with no luck.


----------



## Longaxle

Hey guys new to site.. I just bought a wildfire FP and I like it... But I just also ordered a Alpha Dogg for a buddy.. Check out Buds Gun Shop . I got it for 206.00 new.... Should be here today..


----------



## youngdon

Welcome to the forum Longaxle

Nice grab on those callers.


----------



## youngdon

www.budsgunshop.com


----------



## sos1inmesa

Welcome to PT Longaxle!!! Thanks for the heads up, that's a smokin price!


----------



## NWolf

How do I post pics. I took some pics of my alpha dog with my PM 4. It makes a great reference.


----------



## sos1inmesa

NWolf said:


> How do I post pics. I took some pics of my alpha dog with my PM 4. It makes a great reference.


NWolf, when opening up the box to comment on this (or any) thread click the "more reply options" button. On the new window that pulls up, look underneath the area where you type your text, there will be a place to attach a file. Click the browse button and locate the photo on your computer that are your wanting to attach. After you've selected the photo, click the "attach this file" button. Then use your curser and point somewhere in the text area where you would like to post your photo. When you've got your curser where you want the photo (I usually space it a couple spaces under my text), then click the "Add to Post" button which should be right next to the thumbnail of the photo you've uploaded below the text/reply area. Hope this helps. If not, Private Message me.


----------



## NWolf

Well, this sucks. I turned on the mobile site to see if I could load pics on it, there are no links on it to get back out.


----------



## addisdad

Awesome review SOS! By the looks of the comments you should probably look into being a salesman


----------



## NWolf

SOS, did your remote have the battery level display when you got it, or did you have to do an update first?
I dont have it on mine.


----------



## sos1inmesa

NWolf, unless I'm missing something, I don' see a battery level on my remote either.

Well, had an awesome time calling today. I've called in 3 foxes in the past few weeks, but all my friends took the shots. I had a few hours to spare this afternoon and went out calling and got my first fox.

I was running the cardinal death cry and about 10 minutes in, I had seen a fox walking away from me. This has happened on several occasions where I don't notice them till they are walking away. On all occasions when this has happened it has been because I spiked the caller to a louder volume cause I thought nothing was coming in. So as I mentioned on another thread tonight, volume control is HUGE!!! The closer a fox is to the caller, the lower the volume needs to be (for me at least). As soon as I saw him walking away, I turned the volume down and guess what, he came strolling right back. He was at 100 yards away and stopped. I could see his head and chest area as he was sitting behind a bush. I took the shot and didn't see anything after the shot. I couldn't see if he dropped, and couldn't see if he had run off. Being new to the sport, I've missed a lot of shots, so the negative side of me was saying I missed. I was kind of kicking myself for the miss without even knowing if I missed.

I decided to run a pup distress call, and I kept the volume somewhat low. About 2 minutes later, I see what looks like the same fox, walking around investigating the area. He gave me a shot (at maybe 120 yards away), I took the shot and MISSED. I saw him run off this time. I think I missed this shot cause my nerves were going. I thought I had missed the 1st fox that I saw, so I just wasn't "in the zone". I called a little longer to make one last attempt to get him in, and decided to stop. I walked up to the area where the first fox was, and guess what? I got him!!! Not only that.... if I had calmed down, I probably would have got the 2nd one and had my first double!!!


----------



## bgfireguy

Nice youre turning into a real pro now bro. glad to see it.


----------



## hassell

Just frigging awesome, Congrats., won't be long and you'll have your own album filled up.


----------



## addisdad

The battery level will be in settings then go to info. it'll have a percentage. Although i believe it's just the battery of the remote.


----------



## HowlinRed

Super job SOS. Way to go!

Sure wish that Alpha Dogg didn't have those deer and turkey sounds per recorded on it. It's illegal in Va. to use them on an e-caller, so they are of no use to me. Just wish they made a predator version only unit.


----------



## addisdad

I believe you can delete those sounds off of there but don't hold me to it.. I'll try to find you the answer to that.


----------



## youngdon

Congrats Sos...you're gonna have to change your name before long.


----------



## HowlinRed

Whatcha got in mind Don?


----------



## NWolf

The manual says the remote will display the battery levels of both. Its supposed to be in settings between backlight and decoy. Mine doesnt have the option.


----------



## youngdon

HowlinRed said:


> Whatcha got in mind Don?


Well little did i know that the sos in his name was not a plea for help...From his initial posts it seemed a logical conclusion. And given his new found skill set and his canine appearance, I was thinking along the lines of Wile E. 1 . However I was misinformed, and it was of my own doing by the way.


----------



## wormy

I recieved my Dogg in the mail today. Just playing around with it in the house it seems to have some background distortion at the lower volume levels. Is this normal? Ill get outside and test it at higher volumes after the rain stops.


----------



## youngdon

Welcome to the forum wormy. I wouldn't think it would be, Check to make sure you have fresh, fully charged batteries.


----------



## Ethan

wormy, on either the baby or adult cottontail in distress at lower volumes i hear what sounds as coyotes howling in the background. Is that what you are hearing? i thought i was crazy but since you brought it up ill admit it


----------



## sos1inmesa

Welcome Wormy! What sounds are you hearing it on. I'll see if I can hear it too. The only time I noticed distortion was using the howls at a high volume, but that was when my batteries were real low.


----------



## wormy

Thanks guys. I took the Alpha Dogg out today to check it out. It had some minor background distortion that wasnt very noticeable. The distortion was in the background and not in the sound being played. I could range through the volume settings and the distortion would stay at the same low level. Not a big deal, I guess since Primos advertises distortion free speakers I strain to hear the slight faint of a crackle.

Anyway I ran through several sounds all the way up the volume scale and every call was LOUD, clear and crisp. Remote worked great out to 150y. So far Im very pleased with the Dogg. I hope to get after the yotes this weekend. I have a Spitfire that has served me well, but the Alpha Dogg is in a different league. Lets just hope the Dogg has a long life.

And Ethan your not crazy, my baby cottontail has coyotes howling in the background as well.

Blessings to you boys
Proverbs 3:5-6


----------



## 220swift

Welcome wormy. I have no back round distortion in mine. Like youngdon stated, make sure you have good batteries. I preffer lithium nover alkaline. I'm also charging a set of rechargable batteries for mine.


----------



## HowlinRed

Welcome to PT wormy. Thanks for the review.


----------



## Harmzy

Here is my first e-caller/Alpha Dogg coyote. He was big and fat, I wish I would have weighed him. The caller and the decoy are really nice!


----------



## Mattuk

Well done and welcome to PT!


----------



## HowlinRed

Nice looking dog Harmzy and welcome to PT!


----------



## youngdon

Welcome to the forum Harmzy.

Nice dog ! He looks like he spent a lot of time on the couch !


----------



## sos1inmesa

Awesome, that's a really nice dog!!! What call did you bring him in on?


----------



## Harmzy

This one came in on the Randy Anderson cottontail Expert Hunt.


----------



## HowlinRed

What did u shoot him with Harmzy? Must have had good shot placement, can't even tell he's been hit.


----------



## 220swift

Welcome to PT Harmzy. Nice yote, good to see another Alpha Dogg at work.


----------



## sos1inmesa

HowlinRed said:


> What did u shoot him with Harmzy? Must have had good shot placement, can't even tell he's been hit.


Maybe he tried one of my old techinques of giving the coyote a heart attack by shooting all around him? I've tried it many times in the past, but never succeeded as they just kept running.


----------



## HowlinRed

That's a fur friendly method for sure lol!


----------



## hassell

*Congrats. on the dog, definitely doesn't attend weight watcher's.*


----------



## ShadySafaris

This cat came in within 5 minutes of calling I was so impressed with my buddies alpha dogg I ordered one the next day.


----------



## 220swift

nice cat and welcome to PT ShadySafaris

Which sound were you using?


----------



## Harmzy

My "fur friendly" coyote gun is a Savage in 22-250 with Winchester USA 45gn JHP. (They are cheep and darn accurate too) Actually this wasn't as fur friendly as I would like and was a good example of turning the dogs best side to the camera. Shooting this coyote wasn't typical of what I usually get on pelt damage .... entrance hole was big with no exit ... kinda like a splatter on impact going on. He was hit high and just behind the shoulder while the coyote was trotting broadside 40 yds in front of me. I guess I should have had the shot gun.


----------



## ShadySafaris

Adult cottontail distress


----------



## 220swift

Thanks, and again, congrats on the cat.


----------



## Harmzy

nice cat shady .. the alpha dogg is sweet. I can't wait to get out some more with it.


----------



## youngdon

Welcome to the forum ShadySafaris.

Nice cat !


----------



## sos1inmesa

Welcome to PT Shady, that is a dang good cat!!! You guys and all your pics are making me want to get out!


----------



## hassell

Welcome to PT everyone, nice looking kitty.


----------



## HowlinRed

Yes sir, nice looking cat! Congrats and welcome.


----------



## ShadySafaris

Well took the alpha dog out this weekend and man did it perform, called in 14 different spots and failed to call anything in on 5 out 14. Man everybody should have one of these calls!!!


----------



## sos1inmesa

Nice!!!!!!! If you got any pics, post em! That cat you got is sure cool, you going to do a rug or mount out of him?


----------



## dp1mat

My alpha dogg has a bit of static noise kind like a old phonograph playing a record. Say you choose a call like coyote howling you hear it howl and in between the howls there is static noise and the louder the call is louder that scraping noise is. I have tried brand new duracells, energizers, rayovacs, and it dont matter what kind battery its got that noise on all the calls. I am thinking I should rma it. I really like the call.

I took it out last weekend and know we got yotes all around and bobcats seen them while deer hunting. I ran the hunts and had the volume no more than 15 on power and would go down and back up. I seen 3 diff yotes but none seemed interested. Only rifle I got set up good is old winchester 300winmag zeroed at 200yds you can hit quarters from a bench with it. Anyways I missed that sucker. However it does seem to work excellent on crows.


----------



## sos1inmesa

At extreme high volumes, my coyote vocals on some of the calls make some faintly similar sounds, but nothing that would have me worried. From what your describing, I'd contact Primos. Good luck, and keep us posted. Welcome to PredatorTalk! Glad to have you on board.


----------



## dp1mat

Thanks sos I am doing the ticket thing but will prob just give them a call.


----------



## HowlinRed

Good luck with your call and welcome to PT!


----------



## Taxidermy

You guys are killing me!! My Alpha Dogg shipped yesterday, and seeing all these pics of dogs and cats with the caller next to them has me itching to get out with mine! Keep 'em comin' boys! Some great stories and pics in this thread!


----------



## sos1inmesa

Taxidermy said:


> You guys are killing me!! My Alpha Dogg shipped yesterday, and seeing all these pics of dogs and cats with the caller next to them has me itching to get out with mine! Keep 'em comin' boys! Some great stories and pics in this thread!


Well, to make matters worse, I'll probably be posting some pictures tomorrow after I go hunting.


----------



## Taxidermy

sos1inmesa said:


> Well, to make matters worse, I'll probably be posting some pictures tomorrow after I go hunting.


----------



## crittergittr

New to the forum after reading this review off a search on google. I picked one up in the Cabelas bargain cave yesterday for $130. It was a steal in my books. I have been looking at them for some time and when that price tag came with it I had to grab it. But i am new to this whole electronic caller because i love using hand calls. The feel of satisfaction when you trick the hunter itself with your own lips is like no other feeling to me. I did buy a mojo critter earlier in the year so I should be set up. I am also an avid trapper. Just curious, what do you guys suggest as far as a bullet from a .223. I am currently shooting soft point 55gr. But I do reload and there are so many options. Being a trapper i do put up my own fur so as little of fur damage possible but yet still lethal is what im looking for out of a bullet.
Thanks in advance for all welcomes. (another reason i joined because people seem so friendly)


----------



## 220swift

Welcome to PT crittergittr,

You did get a great deal, right at 50% off. Good for you!

We all try our best to see that all members are given every chance to succeed. It's good to have another trapper here. That's the one thing I miss most in my world.

There are several 223 shooters here and they will advise you with their knowledge. As you can see, I shoot a 220 Swift and I shoot either a 50gr v-max or 53gr match bthp.

Again, welcome and enjoy yourself.


----------



## Mattuk

Welcome to PT crittergittr.


----------



## HowlinRed

Welcome crittergittr! Lots of members reload and I'm sure they can help you out.


----------



## youngdon

crittergittr said:


> New to the forum after reading this review off a search on google. I picked one up in the Cabelas bargain cave yesterday for $130. It was a steal in my books. I have been looking at them for some time and when that price tag came with it I had to grab it. But i am new to this whole electronic caller because i love using hand calls. The feel of satisfaction when you trick the hunter itself with your own lips is like no other feeling to me. I did buy a mojo critter earlier in the year so I should be set up. I am also an avid trapper. Just curious, what do you guys suggest as far as a bullet from a .223. I am currently shooting soft point 55gr. But I do reload and there are so many options. Being a trapper i do put up my own fur so as little of fur damage possible but yet still lethal is what im looking for out of a bullet.
> Thanks in advance for all welcomes. (another reason i joined because people seem so friendly)


Try the 55 gr nosler ballistic tips, if you want more velocity a 40 will do the job too.


----------



## crittergittr

Never tried 40 gr bullet but its worth a try. Gonna try for some Yotes tonight. Anyone else from south Dakota on here?


----------



## BigN

I got my new Alpha Dogg yesterday so this morning I threw some batteries in it and headed to the woods. I got up into my treestand and waited about 30 minutes for things to settle down. I really don't know what I'm doing when it comes to calling dogs so I hit the 1st program of "Expert Hunters" on the remote and let her rip. 20 minutes into the calling, here this fella comes screaming over the hill. He stopped about 30 yards from the call, about 50 yards from me, and looked right at me in the stand. I slowly picked up the rifle, fully expecting him to be gone by the time I looked through it but there he was, perfectly spaced in the thick woods, right between two trees. Just his head and neck were exposed. The Remington 700 in 7 Mag barked once and he flipped over, that was that. What a perfect day, sun coming up, absolutely no wind, 25 degrees. The Alpha Dogg works perfectly and even with someone with no experience in calling (like me) can make coyotes present themselves for the shot. I hope you beginners will take advantage of these types of E-Calls, they make our hunts so much easier.


----------



## hassell

Congrats. on the dog, there will be a few easy ones for sure.


----------



## HowlinRed

Congrats on your first dog and welcome to PT!

Great job!


----------



## Mattuk

Well done BigN and welcome to PT.


----------



## youngdon

Welcome to the forum BigN.

That is a great first post and a nice first dog to go with it.


----------



## sos1inmesa

Welcome BigN!

Thanks to everyone for sharing your pics, keep em coming!!!!


----------



## 220swift

Welcome to Pt BigN. Good story and picture, thanks for the post and good to have you here.


----------



## Antlerz22

Nice entrance crittergittr, good story and thx for the PIC; you made our requirement without goading!!


----------



## tnridgerunner

SOS, Thanks so much for the review. I'm a NEWBIE as well and have been trying to make up my mind on which e-caller to purchase. I think you've help make up my mind. I appreciate it Pal. G in TN


----------



## checkerfred

Hey everyone, I'm new to the forum here as well! I have been looking at the Alpha Dogg callers but couldn't make up my mind and this thread makes me want one for sure now. Does anyone know a place online to order one for cheaper than the retail price? Bud's is out of stock.


----------



## HowlinRed

Cabela's had them at one time on sale. Don't know if it still do or not. Allpredatorcalls.com may have them as well.

Welcome to PT!


----------



## Harmzy

$219 @

http://www.natchezss.com/product.cfm?contentID=productDetail&brand=PY&prodID=PY3756&prodTitle=Primos%20Alpha%20Dogg%20with%20Remote%20&%20Color%20Display


----------



## 220swift

welcome to PT checkerfred,

Natchez is the best price I know of, also check...... http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/search/eSearch.aspx?SearchTerms=alpha%20dogg&eMode


----------



## checkerfred

Thanks everyone....unfortunately, Natchez won't sell to me since I'm in Alabama and I don't hold a FFL. Seems everyone else is out of stock!


----------



## 220swift

checkerfred said:


> Thanks everyone....unfortunately, Natchez won't sell to me since I'm in Alabama and I don't hold a FFL. Seems everyone else is out of stock!


why would you need an FFL to buy a non firearm related item?


----------



## youngdon

checkerfred said:


> Thanks everyone....unfortunately, Natchez won't sell to me since I'm in Alabama and I don't hold a FFL. Seems everyone else is out of stock!


Welcome to the forum checkerfred.

I'm with 220 that makes no sense. Did you call them or order on-line ? Call them !


----------



## sos1inmesa

Went out a couple days ago and got this fox. It was my first stand and I was calling around a big wash with mountains surrounding. There was a small canyon/draw that connected to the wash. So I set the Alpha Dogg up at where this canyon and main wash connected. Then I walked slightly up the canyon in hopes something would run down towards the wash and towards my caller and in the process run right past me (see map below). Sure enough about 90 seconds in, this fox came running in like a fat kid running to cake. He was moving so fast towards my caller, I knew if I didn't stop him I wouldn't have a shot as my caller was barely around the corner from me. I gave him a little whistle which got him to freeze, giving me the shot.

I've got a good buddy that is taking some taxidermy classes, who needed something small like a fox to work on. So my buddy has him right now. So it looks like I'm going to be getting a full mount on this guy for free. Being that it's my friends first animal this big (he's only done birds and squirrels), the hope is that the fox doesn't come back with dentures and cross eyes, HA HA!!!


----------



## Harmzy

Nice Fox and good job


----------



## hassell

Congrats. on the fox, can't get much for free nowadays.


----------



## titansfan2104

I'm glad you guys like this call but I have to say after ten minutes and listening to the sounds... It's going back. Most of the sounds have a distinctive white noise when the sound starts playing as well as sounding as if they were recorded in a truck stop bathroom. The actual call is nice with good volume. But primos left a lot to be desired with their sound library. The foxpros I have had were all much clearer,crisper and no trash in the sounds. If only we could get a neat little call like this and at the alpha dogs price point with some great sounds. It's just not for me


----------



## sos1inmesa

titansfan2104 said:


> I'm glad you guys like this call but I have to say after ten minutes and listening to the sounds... It's going back. Most of the sounds have a distinctive white noise when the sound starts playing as well as sounding as if they were recorded in a truck stop bathroom. The actual call is nice with good volume. But primos left a lot to be desired with their sound library. The foxpros I have had were all much clearer,crisper and no trash in the sounds. If only we could get a neat little call like this and at the alpha dogs price point with some great sounds. It's just not for me


What model foxpro's have you had? I'm seriously thinking of buying the Foxpro Firestorm for next season. Just to have a backup and for comparison. As mentioned in my review at the beginning of this thread, I've never had a foxpro. But I have gone on their site recently and was very impressed with their sound quality (at least from what I could tell listening to them from my laptop).


----------



## titansfan2104

I have had an fx3, fury and a 15w cs 24. If I could get foxpro quality sounds on the alpha dog. It would be a no brainer. Sportsmans guide has the alpha dog for $224 . I am a little partial to hand calls and the cs24 was just too much call for me in the hills of TN. I ordered an echo hd for $98 through gander mountain. Will probably end up with another used fury or firestorm. I just really like being able to upload my own sounds but foxpro has some killer sounds . A picture of my cs 24 doing work for its New owner in KY. That call was the best sounding caller I ever sat in front of.


----------



## sos1inmesa

Cool. Yeah, it would be nice to merge the best of both callers. The Alpha Dogg has so many awesome features (like the folding legs, the swiveling speakers, and the easy to read screen on the remote). But if the Foxpro has the Alpha Dogg beat on sound quality..... that's a HUGE factor. I'm having a lot of success with the Alpha, so it would be interesting to take a higher end Foxpro out for a few weeks for a good comparison. I spend enough time out in the field that I'd have a good feel for where the Alpha Dogg stacks up in just a matter of weeks. I think the quality of the speakers and equipment on the Alpha isn't the issue. I think it might be the actual sound recordings. I've always been really happy with the Alpha sounds, but after listening to some samples on Foxpro's website, it made me consider taking a second look.


----------



## youngdon

Congrats on the fox sos.

Where was that cake at exactly ?


----------



## sos1inmesa

youngdon said:


> Congrats on the fox sos.
> 
> Where was that cake at exactly ?


----------



## 223YoteSmokr

For those interested, Buds Gun Shop is again _in stock_ with the Alpha Dogg for $206. I just put an order in based off sos' review. I'm impatiently awaiting its arrival.


----------



## titansfan2104

223YoteSmokr said:


> For those interested, Buds Gun Shop is again _in stock_ with the Alpha Dogg for $206. I just put an order in based off sos' review. I'm impatiently awaiting its arrival.


at $206 ,it will be hard to beat.


----------



## checkerfred

220swift said:


> why would you need an FFL to buy a non firearm related item?


Good question....there was no shipping option for AL and once I noticed that, I found on their website that they won't ship to TN, GA, or AL...so I called, because I was going to buy a few primos game cameras as well...they said they won't sell anything to those three states because they are a wholeseller for those areas...I specifically mentioned what I was buying...no firearms....didn't matter....I even called later and talked to someone else..so, guess I won't be ordering anything from Natchez and they won't be seeing my several hundred dollars I was going to spend

anyway, I ended up seeing that Buds had them in stock before it was posted on this thread so I have already received it in the mail......it was cheaper too and ended up getting my cameras on amazon cheaper as well....so all is good

Now, I have some questions for you southern guys.....are you using the howls to call in yotes? I have tried mouth calls and tried the alpha dogg out twice so far....nothing has worked around here....I'm just wondering if the coyotes around here are as vocal as the western/northern yotes? seems like I've only had good luck with rabbit distress calls


----------



## checkerfred

OH...are the fox pro sounds proprietary? If not, why not just buy a few favorites to put on the alpha dogg? I've also thought of getting some blended sounds like something from Burnham brothers....I've had good luck out of the rabbit and barks sound I used with an old tape deck

so far, the only thing I don't like about the alpha dogg is the fact that when you press back, the previous selected item reverts to the very first item at the top of the menu....so if you had scrolled down real far, it takes forever to get back down to that point...ex. adding sounds to favorites...also would be cool to double up on sounds like the foxpro allows...but I can use software on the computer to mix them if I wanted so no biggie there


----------



## sos1inmesa

Checkerfred,
A few days ago I went on my Alpha and changed the Hot 1 button to bring up all my favorite sounds. This has been awesome in reducing the scrolling involved that it takes to jump in between sounds.

As far as the foxpro sounds go, I would really love to know the answer to your question of whether we could add those purchased foxpro sounds to an Alpha Dogg unit. I think I read online that it isn't doable as foxpro's audio files are all done in a different format to prevent such attempts of using these sounds on other units. If someone knows, please chime in.

A few days ago I downloaded and added a cottontail distress call from our member Mesa Sky Photography. You can download it at the link below for free. It is an awesome call and sounds great!!! Only downside (and maybe it's fixable) is that this sound only comes through the front speaker only, not the sides.

http://www.predatortalk.com/files/file/38-bobcat-killercottontail-distress/

As we speak, I'm downloading about 10 - 12 sounds I purchased through primos (all are mainly different rabbit distress calls). I'll keep everyone posted as far as my impressions on these purchased primos sounds.


----------



## singlesix

NWolf said:


> An hour and a half on one set? Way to stick it out.


LOL that beats my times


----------



## checkerfred

sos1inmesa said:


> A few days ago I downloaded and added a cottontail distress call from our member Mesa Sky Photography. You can download it at the link below for free. It is an awesome call and sounds great!!! Only downside (and maybe it's fixable) is that this sound only comes through the front speaker only, not the sides.
> 
> http://www.predatort...ntail-distress/


cool thanks for the link! my neighbor had an old Burnham Brothers cassette that I used several times and it worked great....it was a cottontail distress with barks and yips and I think growls overlayed.....I tried to digitize it but didn't have any luck since it was so old.....I wish I could find a cd with that...I'd but it....I did find the burham brothers tapes online a few days ago and thought about buying it to see if I could digitize it again.

If anyone has, or knows where to find a barks, yips, and growls sound file I'd love to know! It's easy to blend multiple files with Audacity

I'm sure you probably know this too SOS but Varmint Al's website has a ton of mp3 sounds there


----------



## checkerfred

Also, if you've never been here, http://www.western-rivers.com/Links-and-Downloads.asp?Agree=1 you can download a bunch of sounds...there are quite a few good ones but some are awful sounding too


----------



## 223YoteSmokr

I just got mine a week ago and have added in a few sounds that I found at various sites on the net. If you add an Mp3 to the Alpha Dogg be sure to follow the directions here or you will likely have errors. I also used the free dowload of Audacity to clean up the background sound on some of the files I've found. Nice call and it works flawless! For those asking about the foxpro sounds, they are in a different format and I can't find an easy way to convert them, it looks like the only way would be to load them to an actual foxpro unit (if you know someone who has one) then connect the 'line out' plug on the foxpro caller to the computer and digitally record them as Mp3s.


----------



## 220swift

some if not all Foxpro's do not have a line out jack.


----------



## titansfan2104

Most foxpros have the spot for the external speaker. Most of the newer ones do anyway. You will probably have to have a downsized for the computer side


----------



## Doctor Death

This is a great thread... I just bought an Alpha Dog today (early xmas present for myself!) for use near the Dismal Swamp looking for Coyote and Bobcats. Can't wait to share results! Now all I have to do is convince my wife that I shouldnt wait until after xmas to use it!

Does anyone have a good example of a "Hunt" file (or are the ones that came on the box good enough?)

Understand the MP3 format and how they are stored -- I would suspect that a hunt file is another word for a playlist?

Is the software for the Alpha Dog ever upgraded? (e.g. is there a capability to upgrade versions?)

Doc


----------



## 220swift

right now the software version is the lastest. The Hunt files on the unit are pretty good. I have off loaded all sounds not pertaining to predator hunting and added aprox 200 MP3's I've downloaded and made. There is a bug, when you add MP3's , sometimes it will give a "No Name" as the file name on the remote. There is a work around on Primo's Customer Service website, I downloaded a MP3 editor and that corrected all my issues. Here the customer service website:

https://primos.zendesk.com/forums


----------



## 220swift

hunt files are more of a continues file with different sounds and silence gaps recorded in sequence, not a play list......


----------



## sos1inmesa

To this day, I still love my Alpha Dogg. It's been a year now, and I've used it hunting on hundreds of stands. I have no issues with it, it's been a great caller.


----------



## alclark2

I like the idea of the surround sound instead of the single speaker. I'm wondering if a fox pro with and external speaker hooked up would give that effect. I just got a FP Wildfire 2 in the mail today and now i'm second guessing my decision to get that instead of the alpha dogg. I'm sure they both have their pros and cons. If I find a steal of this call I may pick one up too.

SOS, I hope Primos is putting you on payroll for selling this! I think they should market it better because I didn't really know anything about it before reading this thread.


----------



## sos1inmesa

alclark2 said:


> I like the idea of the surround sound instead of the single speaker. I'm wondering if a fox pro with and external speaker hooked up would give that effect. I just got a FP Wildfire 2 in the mail today and now i'm second guessing my decision to get that instead of the alpha dogg. I'm sure they both have their pros and cons. If I find a steal of this call I may pick one up too.
> 
> SOS, I hope Primos is putting you on payroll for selling this! I think they should market it better because I didn't really know anything about it before reading this thread.


Haha, that's what I'm saying!

In regards to your comment about the surround thing, foxpro actually has a new caller with a similar setup as the Alpha Dogg that should be hitting shelves any day now, called the Shockwave. As I'm not married to Primos, and am always looking for ways to up my game, I thought I'd give the Shockwave a try. So I have one on order. I've never owned a Foxpro, so we'll see how it does. I'm sure it won't disappoint. Unfortunately though, it's twice the price of the Alpha Dogg.

Also, got some super awesome hand calls made by Youngdon that I'm dying to try out.


----------



## alclark2

I'd like to see a review of the pros and cons of the Shockwave. Good luck with the new calls!


----------



## Shmate

sos1inmesa said:


> Haha, that's what I'm saying!
> 
> In regards to your comment about the surround thing, foxpro actually has a new caller with a similar setup as the Alpha Dogg that should be hitting shelves any day now, called the Shockwave. As I'm not married to Primos, and am always looking for ways to up my game, I thought I'd give the Shockwave a try. So I have one on order. I've never owned a Foxpro, so we'll see how it does. I'm sure it won't disappoint. Unfortunately though, it's twice the price of the Alpha Dogg.
> 
> Also, got some super awesome hand calls made by Youngdon that I'm dying to try out.


ive read this entire thread. sounds like alpha is the way to go at the moment... but since there is a new fox pro out and your ordered one. I will wait to hear your review on it. update as soon as you can


----------



## Gun runner

Nice pics I Got the alpha dog for my birthday Wife got it at our local big R They had all their calls 40% off Total cost was $173.00 I tried the crow sounds in my back yard I had no problem bringing in the crows. I did go to radio shack and bought spare battery holders part# 2700387 for $2.29 each. Whats the best brand of batteries to use? A rechargeable battery pack would be nice I hope all have a great holiday


----------



## choclabs

I read all of your review and decided to go with the Alpha Dogg. Weather down here in SW Louisiana has sucked (a lot of cold rain) for the past 3 days. I received the Alpha Dogg from Midway on Friday afternoon. Tonight was my first time ever calling coyotes and the Alpha Dogg delivered.

The First set was Randy's fawn bleat, after that about 10 minutes before sunset I started his cottontail. About 20 minutes from out of no where popped out a coyote who just sat there looking at the caller suspended in a tree about 50 yards off. I was down wind about 150 yards and my wife's Rem 700 .25 06 nailed him in the chest. He flew over backwards. I actually had another dog that I was trying to kill and should have easily. But I bought my wife a set of Leupold Alumina covers and the eyepiece cover rolled over to the right side of the scope and the bolt stopped dead in it's tracks while I tried to rack another one in the chamber. I turned the rifle over trying to see why the heck I could not load another round as dog # 2 loped off with a lesson in human motion and my setup. After he left I finally learned that he lens cap was the problem. The gap of clearance between the scope and the boly handle is VERY small. The bolt handle actually slammed into the aluminum lens cap and dented the heck out of it as I repeatedly attempted to rack another cartridge into the chamber.

I like the human use design in the Alpha Dogg as it seems to be well thought out. I was about 100 yards from the speaker unit and I beleive that may have been why I do not think the Hot #1 kicked into play. I tried it twice and the rodent distress on Hot 2 while I was fumbling with the bolt. Prior to going out on stand I did function the Hot 1 and 2 in the truck to make sure I knew how to get them going. I really like that the remote has large easy to find and use rubber covered buttons which made it easy to operate with my camo gloves on. All in All another quality product from Primos. Oh did I not mention it is LOUD!

1 Cajun Coyote down many more to go!

I'll NEVER make that mistake again.

MDW


----------



## youngdon

Welcome to the forum choclabs

Nice work !


----------



## choclabs

Thank you for the welcome. I have been trolling for about a month on this forum and others, trying to decide between a FoxPro or Alpha Dogg. This thread sealed the deal as well as the fact that Primos packs a large value content into the Alpha Dogg. Back in mid 90's I bought a Johhny Stewart 512 cassette caller with about a dozen tapes. I only used it once, snow goose calling in far SW Iowa, never predator called with it. The digital age of game calls is night and day in comparison!


----------



## bowhunter1

Just ordered my alpha dogg today got it for 211. I hope I have even half the success you guys have had with yours. Thanks for the review even as old as it is ,it still was what helped me make my decision.


----------



## 220swift

let us know how it goes.......looking forward to a story and pictures........


----------



## sos1inmesa

I'm horrible guys.... I've been hoping to have my review up of the new Foxpro Shockwave in comparison to the Alpha Dogg, but just been busy and haven't been able to get out as much as I hoped. I've gone out just 2 times with the new Shockwave, and what I can say is.... The Alpha Dogg is stacking up better against the Shockwave than I originally imagined. I'm not knocking Foxpro or the Shockwave, but I was expecting the Shockwave to go above and beyond the Alpha Dogg by great lengths. The Shockwave is still an awesome caller. But for less than half the price, the Alpha Dogg really is hard to pass up. 2 more weeks and I'll do a nice write up.


----------



## Rojogd

Sos1inmesa I bought the alpha Dogg and mojo super critter as my decoy. I researched online and it did they were compatible. I cannot get the reboot to operate the decoy for some reason. I changed the settings from primos to other in decoy settings but it still will not work. Any help would be greatly appreciated. The only connector is the aux cable. Thanks!


----------



## Mo Mo

ColoradoHunter said:


> I've been looking at the different calls to get started. This review just made up my mind, thank you.


Great to hear you will be buying a Foxpro!


----------



## McElhany00

sos1inmesa said:


> I'm horrible guys.... I've been hoping to have my review up of the new Foxpro Shockwave in comparison to the Alpha Dogg, but just been busy and haven't been able to get out as much as I hoped. I've gone out just 2 times with the new Shockwave, and what I can say is.... The Alpha Dogg is stacking up better against the Shockwave than I originally imagined. I'm not knocking Foxpro or the Shockwave, but I was expecting the Shockwave to go above and beyond the Alpha Dogg by great lengths. The Shockwave is still an awesome caller. But for less than half the price, the Alpha Dogg really is hard to pass up. 2 more weeks and I'll do a nice write up.


Resurecting an old thread, Just got my alpha dogg and haven't used it yet. Any update on how the Shockwave stacked up against the Alpha Dogg

Sent from my SM-P550 using Tapatalk


----------



## youngdon

Sos never wrote a review of the Shockwave but I know he doesn't own it anymore. He much preferred the Alpha dogs remote. He had owned the Alpha for a few years before he got the Shockwave and was used to it.


----------



## sportyg

Is 209.99 a good price for the Alpha Dog, broken into 4 payments ???


----------



## prairiewolf

I have no experience with one, but I am sure someone on here has.


----------

