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Author
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Topic: which e-caller?
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Neil
Knows what it's all about
Member # 28
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posted October 27, 2003 11:24 AM
Hi guys,
I've convinced myself that I am really bad at blowing the mouth calls (johnny stewart and primos rabbit-in-distress). So i've decided to buy an e caller.
I have narrowed my search to the Johnny Stewart PreyMaster and the Extreme Dimension Phantom Predator. (The foxpro and the WT are out of my budget.)
Can any of you guys give me a quick review regarding those products -the pros and cons- so that i might make an intelligent purchase?
I'm interested in hunting coyotes, rabbits, and crows....for now at least. And i have yet to shoot at any of them.
Thanks in advance for the insight. Happy Hunting!
Neil
Posts: 30 | From: Upland, CA | Registered: Jan 2003
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Norm
Knows what it's all about
Member # 240
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posted October 27, 2003 11:29 AM
I have the preymaster and it sounds great... I have not taken it afield as I haven't figured a way to separate the speaker from the sound source with some type of remote capabilities.... When I do, it will replace the JS612 when I have days that I plan to hoof it a few miles for a mtn lion.
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Carpe Diem
Posts: 778 | From: Phx AZ | Registered: Oct 2003
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DAA
Utah/Promoted WESTERN REGIONAL Hunt Director
Member # 11
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posted October 27, 2003 01:21 PM
Neil, the Foxpro FP-38 is in the same price range as the ones you mention - under $200. And it's the one I'd get, in that range.
- DAA
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"Oh yeah, they're gonna talk to you, and talk to you, and talk to you about individual freedom, but they see a free individual, it's gonna scare 'em." -- George Hanson, Easy Rider, 1969.
Rocky Mountain Varmint Hunter
Posts: 2676 | From: Salt Lake City, UT | Registered: Jan 2003
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varmit hunter
Knows what it's all about
Member # 37
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posted October 27, 2003 03:12 PM
Neil, I represent a brand that you did not mention. My advice would be listen to DAA.
Varmit, Soon to be out of a job.
[ October 27, 2003, 03:13 PM: Message edited by: varmit hunter ]
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Make them pay for the wind.
Posts: 932 | From: Orange,TX | Registered: Jan 2003
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Leonard
HMFIC
Member # 2
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posted October 27, 2003 03:56 PM
There are a lot of choices, some better than others, but they all work.
For that matter, don't give up on those hand calls. I bet they have called more total animals than the machines? Anybody can call a coyote with a handcall. Anybody can call a coyote with any electronic machine.
It's mostly how you set up, and where you set up. All you have to do is shoot them when they show up.
Keep at it. When you finally score, it will be like a fog being lifted.
Good hunting. LB
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EL BEE Knows It All and Done It All.
Don't piss me off!
Posts: 32371 | From: Upland, CA | Registered: Jan 2003
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Rich Higgins
unknown comic
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posted October 27, 2003 04:36 PM
Neil, I have the Phantom, it is a waste of money. Jay has the Preymaster, it is worth the money.
I have the Lohman that varmit hunter speaks of, it is a good machine for the money.
If I were in the market for a caller I would buy the Foxpro simply because DAA recommended it. He's kinda like E.F.Hutton you know.
IP: Logged
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Az-Hunter
Hi, I'm Vic WELCOME TO THE U.S. Free baloney sandwiches here
Member # 17
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posted October 30, 2003 08:08 AM
Neil
I just had a local coyote hunter stop by last night to shoot the shit. Vince works on a limited budget, so any of the E calls are out of line for him presently. He came up with a viable solution by putting his own flavor together,and it works very well....all for under 40 bucks!
He bought these small(8"X4") amplified fold up speakers at Radio Shack, along with a cheapo walkman type cassette player, then spray painted the whole thing with camo paint. I think he said that both components ran him 35 dollars, and he has called a ton of coyotes with this home built unit. There is always a way to experiment with E calls, without spending the big bucks for the state-of-the-art units. Like Leonard has mentioned, they all work,as well as the time honored mouth calls. I love my over priced WT,best sounds and sound quality of any, but it's heavy, Im becoming enamored of a fox pro I picked up recently, but not thrilled with the sounds available and the short,repetitive loops....but it's light as a feather, and has plenty of volumne. Ive tried a bunch of different callers, they all have their flaws as well as strengths,good luck sorting out what you need.
Posts: 1670 | From: 5 miles west of Tim | Registered: Jan 2003
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bucksnort
Miss Chris from AZ
Member # 202
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posted October 30, 2003 08:32 AM
Neil, pay very close attention to what Leonard said. I have always said that a person should become very successful using hand calls before they venture out to the e-callers. Why? Because even if you call one in on the e-caller, many times you will want to turn it off and work the coyote with a hand call or lip squeak. You can't really "work" a coyote with an e-caller. Again, I say become very good with the hand calls and learn to use both the e-caller and hand calls together, to become an even more productive caller.
When I go calling, I like to go all day long. If possible, I will work one stand with the hand calls and the next with the e-caller, and even then, my lips will be hurting at the end of the day, and I am sick to death of hearing that damn "repetitive loop" over and over. ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
Besides, what if your e-caller does not work for some reason or another? Those hand calls always work, well, 99% of the time.
Take care.
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"There are lion chasers, lion catchers, and lying SOB's."
"Warriors of El Gato - The Lion"
Posts: 368 | From: Tucson, AZ | Registered: Jun 2003
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Tim Behle
Administrator MacNeal Sector
Member # 209
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posted October 30, 2003 09:48 AM
I went calling with Az-Hunter yesterday morning. Darn near fell in love with his little Foxpro. When I came home the first thing I did was pull up their web page and point out to my wife that I had a Birthday coming up.
Lets just hope she is better at taking a hint than I am.
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Personally, I carry a gun because I'm too young to die and too old to take
an ass kickin'.
Posts: 3160 | From: Five Miles East of Vic, AZ | Registered: Jun 2003
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bucksnort
Miss Chris from AZ
Member # 202
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posted October 30, 2003 09:54 AM
DIAMONDS Tim, DIAMONDS! Sad to say, it is a very un-fair trade off, far and above the cost of the FoxPro. That is why I no longer purchase "goodies" and I told my wife she better not lose the diamonds she has. Of course, we all know how that works, yeah right!
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"There are lion chasers, lion catchers, and lying SOB's."
"Warriors of El Gato - The Lion"
Posts: 368 | From: Tucson, AZ | Registered: Jun 2003
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DAA
Utah/Promoted WESTERN REGIONAL Hunt Director
Member # 11
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posted October 30, 2003 11:56 AM
Vic, depending on how long ago your Foxpro was made, you should be able to put your own sounds on it if you want to. From whatever other sources you have (JS tapes or CD's, even your WT sounds).
Pull out the battery tray and the padding underneath, and check for a loose 4 wire pigtail in there. If you see one, you can use it to load your own sounds.
Edit: Forgot to include - you need the adapter "black box" too. If you're only going to change them out one time, I'd be glad to loan you one.
- DAA
[ October 30, 2003, 11:57 AM: Message edited by: DAA ]
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"Oh yeah, they're gonna talk to you, and talk to you, and talk to you about individual freedom, but they see a free individual, it's gonna scare 'em." -- George Hanson, Easy Rider, 1969.
Rocky Mountain Varmint Hunter
Posts: 2676 | From: Salt Lake City, UT | Registered: Jan 2003
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Leonard
HMFIC
Member # 2
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posted October 30, 2003 03:51 PM
Since Mr Bruce has mentioned it, I guess I was not as clear as I could have been.
You can call a coyote with extremely poor technique, and very poor audio quality. You really need to know how to use both the hand call and electronics, effectively.
Both have distinct advantages. Don't limit yourself, take advantage of both methods. I'm not a purist, anything that will help me kill a predator, gets my vote.
Cool distress sounds are subjective.
I know many excellent hunters that are not exceptional callers, Guess what? I also know some excellent callers, that are not particularly good hunters.
Which would you rather be?
Learn the basics, figure out how to get the most out of what you have. Some may disagree, but I think there are other factors in hunting predators, not just the quality of the sound.
Good hunting. LB
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EL BEE Knows It All and Done It All.
Don't piss me off!
Posts: 32371 | From: Upland, CA | Registered: Jan 2003
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LionHo
Knows what it's all about
Member # 233
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posted October 30, 2003 07:39 PM
I'd agree that picking the right e-caller isn't necessarily a magic bean, and that far too much importance has been given this topic by the competitive hype of the manufacturers lately.
Have to say, though, for me, there is still something magical about the sound of a rabbit call bringing all sorts of predators on the run and on the sneak. True, the art of selecting a calling stand, reading sign and knowing the whereabouts of the quarry probably count for far more predator-calling success than simply the quality of sound. But there's just not the element of kid-like wide-eyed wonderment in those other factors, they seem more like actual work.
Knowing what a rabbit really sounds like is easily worth the price of admission if you don't have some old boy to hunt with to learn from, heck even if you do. (This price being the rabbit sound on a CD or tape, all of $10 or $20.)
When I was first starting out doing professional wildlife photography 17 years ago, I was on a tight budget, so I bought a Panasonic walkman-type cassette recorder-player, a set of amplified Sony speakers, a speaker extension cable, and a cottontail rabbit distress tape, all for about $150. Later added a footpedal switch from Radio Shack for $5. The cassette player and it's replacement eventually gave up the ghost, but the rabbit and the speakers still live on.
That rig called in scores and scores of predators, even though it's rather simple and crude by today's standards. I've had bobcats sit down a dozen feet away from me while I photo'd them. Might mention I've also lipsqueaked them in that close sans e-caller. I do find I get busted far more often with a mouthcall or just a lipsqueak before critters get close enough for good photography (typically 30 feet for a bobcat or a fox with my 300mm f2.8 lens).
An MP3 player coupled with a wireless remote microphone tx and rx pair, and a horn-type speaker would set you back about the same money, certainly could be put together for your $200 (even less), and would be much more versatile than the commercial offerings, to my way of thinking. (Unless you spent a little more, you'd still need a computer for downloading sounds, though. Most any computer that'll connect you to the internet will work, happily).
Last spring, I went with an MP3 unit that records for about $100, and an amp,so I've got about $300 into my caller, but I think it stacks up against anything you can find, regardless of cost.
All sorts of ways to replicate rabbit noise--mine's just one way to go, don't mean to start a pissing match. Choice of e-callers mostly boils down to matters of preference and convenience, with one big caveat.
The point of using an e-caller in the first place is setting the speaker away from me so that I don't get busted as often as when using a mouth call. I'd personally have no use whatsoever for one that didn't at least have an extension cable for setting the speaker some distance away (30 or even 50 feet is manageable amount of cable, and is enough to make a big difference). Notice that there are a now a couple of entry-level callers available without.
Sure, it can be done, but hoofing back to the stand after the track begins, and then having no way to shut the dang thing off when a critter hangs up would be unworkable for me, at least for the conditions I encounter.
LionHo
[ October 31, 2003, 12:52 PM: Message edited by: LionHo ]
Posts: 88 | From: Ventana Wilderness, CA | Registered: Aug 2003
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Neil
Knows what it's all about
Member # 28
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posted November 03, 2003 02:06 PM
Hi Guys,
Thanks for all the great comments. You guys are very helpful. I thought i was going to select a caller but got a pleasant surprise instead: the decision process was bypassed.
A week ago, I had left for work one evening and had left this forum open on my monitor. My brother then walks by and sees this thread and decides to order the Preymaster online as a gift for me.
I just got it a few hours ago. He also bought two memory cards: one with a jackrabbit being tortured (it didn't come with any jacks, just cottontails) and a crow card. BTW, I also have some dying pigs. hehehe
We tried the coyote locator in the house and nearly got ran over by our big, sloppy dog looking for the sound! Wow. Truly unbelievable...that dog doesn't get excited for anything.
Then we took the crow card and set it out on the porch. I pushed the "excited crow" sound and a bunch of crows flew around. We then played the owl fight and the crows started flying more aggresively. After that finished playing, i hit the dying crow. That was it--all hell broke loose. Crows were swarming and making such a ruckus, and I mean TOTAL auditory assault, that the neighbors started coming out of their homes. Even a passing cop slowed to check out the black birds.
So what do I do now? I simply love this thing. Light, simple, and sounds good (at least my untrained ear thinks so). Darn thing fits in my fanny pack, too. I would have prefered to hear all of these callers side by side (especially the foxpro and WT--I heard such good things about those products), but i can't find a store locally that stocks them.
I just sighted in my Winchester Coyote 22-250 (bought because it was the recommended caliber of this forum--many thanks) for the 50 gr. V-max (again recommended by others).It just started to rain now and I can't wait to take a trip to the desert.
Ready to wreak havoc on the yotes,
Neil
Posts: 30 | From: Upland, CA | Registered: Jan 2003
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Neil
Knows what it's all about
Member # 28
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posted November 03, 2003 02:09 PM
Oh yeah, I'm still practicing the hand calls. At least now I have something to mimic!
Posts: 30 | From: Upland, CA | Registered: Jan 2003
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Leonard
HMFIC
Member # 2
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posted November 03, 2003 03:00 PM
Good for you, Neil. I like your attitude.
Good hunting. LB
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EL BEE Knows It All and Done It All.
Don't piss me off!
Posts: 32371 | From: Upland, CA | Registered: Jan 2003
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Norm
Knows what it's all about
Member # 240
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posted November 05, 2003 04:39 AM
Neil, you have a great caller there... pic up a couple crit'r calls and you'll have a package fit for a king..
Good luck this winter...
[ November 05, 2003, 04:40 AM: Message edited by: Norm ]
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Carpe Diem
Posts: 778 | From: Phx AZ | Registered: Oct 2003
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Curt2u
Knows what it's all about
Member # 74
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posted November 08, 2003 07:30 AM
Excellent advice Norm.
Posts: 236 | From: NW | Registered: Jan 2003
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Terry Hunter
Knows what it's all about
Member # 58
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posted November 09, 2003 02:46 PM
I own two e-callers that are used for cats.For coyotes nothing beats a critr call.
Posts: 132 | From: N. Middle Tennessee | Registered: Jan 2003
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