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Author
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Topic: E.L.K. Power Howler & Cow Horn
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RonFin
Knows what it's all about
Member # 3483
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posted January 05, 2010 07:36 PM
I've been using the Power Howler for a few years and feel I'm pretty decent with it. I've even fooled a few coyotes. Saw a fellow coyote caller out on stand and tried to fool him. He told me it sounded "plastic".
I believe Rich Higgins told me once he uses the Power Howler mouthpiece attached to a cow horn. Does that sound right? My memory isn't what it use to be.
Anyway, I'd like to buy or make one if it will sound more realistic.
I see Rich has been posting here a bit lately. Maybe you can confirm my memory Rich.
Rest of you all too, thanks.
Posts: 39 | From: San Bernardino County, CA | Registered: Sep 2009
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Locohead
World Famous Smoke Dancer
Member # 15
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posted January 05, 2010 08:17 PM
I'm not Rich, nor rich, but he does use the E.L.K. mouthpiece in his super duper wildly gorgeous howlers! I lost one once, far from home, went back a while later - it was weeks later or months maybe - I can't remember and I even posted the story once - many moons ago later and found it!
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I love my critters and chick!!!! :)
Posts: 2219 | From: CO | Registered: Jan 2003
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Leonard
HMFIC
Member # 2
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posted January 05, 2010 09:26 PM
I wouldn't be convinced that the other guy knew what he was talking about? But, to think that the cow horn makes all the difference in the world....to a coyote, is probably wishful thinking?
If you want to make a power howler into a cow horn howler, go ahead. They look nice and there could be a bit more mellow tones? Either will work just fine.
I also noticed that higgy has been missing in action for a couple years? Maybe he got a new gig?
Good hunting. LB
[ January 05, 2010, 09:26 PM: Message edited by: Leonard ]
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EL BEE Knows It All and Done It All.
Don't piss me off!
Posts: 32368 | From: Upland, CA | Registered: Jan 2003
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Lone Howl
Free Trial Platinum Member & part-time language police
Member # 29
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posted January 05, 2010 11:06 PM
Higgins Howler....Id kill for one...really.
Mark....
(The guy who would kill for a Higgins Howler)
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When tyranny becomes law, rebellion becomes duty.
Posts: 2083 | From: Texas | Registered: Jan 2003
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Cdog911
"There are some ideas so absurd only an intellectual could believe them."--George Orwell.
Member # 7
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posted January 22, 2010 04:52 PM
Yep, he uses the PH mouthpiece. I've always kept a backup to my Higgins Howler and decided to upgrade it this year using one of several cow horns I had around. Pretty simple task, actually. Cut off the mouthpiece then grind several of the rings around the barrel down to the inner tube of the call so you have a "pipe" left over. Then, I just started cutting the tip off a polished cowhorn until I got to where the I.D. of the horn approximated the O.D. of the "pipe", and epoxied them together.
I'm all but deaf in one ear and can't see out the other and cannot discern a difference between the two, except in appearance. The inlays in the Higgins Howler make it special, and of course, the fact that it was made and given to me as a gift between friends. It is the flag ship of my calling arsenal and, without exception, I can approach a group of callers at a contest or seminar and do a pair of lone howls that will command the attention of everyone in the group. They are, IMNTBHO, the best howler out there - no offense to anyone else's calls.
[ January 22, 2010, 04:53 PM: Message edited by: Cdog911 ]
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I am only one. But still, I am one. I cannot do everything, but still, I can do something; and, because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.
Posts: 5440 | From: The gun-lovin', gun-friendly wild, wild west | Registered: Jan 2003
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RonFin
Knows what it's all about
Member # 3483
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posted January 25, 2010 06:06 PM
Thanks guys, Could have sworn I'd seen recent posts under Richs name.
For my money the Power Howler is the most realistic sounding howler that I can personally make good howls with. There's a certain pleasure in fooling a fellow caller too.
Thanks Cdog for the tips on how you have put one together. Should be a fun little project this summer when I take a break from calling.
Posts: 39 | From: San Bernardino County, CA | Registered: Sep 2009
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Rich
2,000th post PAKMAN
Member # 112
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posted January 25, 2010 06:39 PM
I have heard the E.L.K. power howler, and they sound like crap. Adding a cow horn does make a big difference, because the horn is a megaphone of sorts. Higgins and his friends cut reeds from fingers of surgical gloves to replace the E.L.K. reeds, which evidently makes another improvement. I suspect that latex is latex is latex however when it comes to spit rot, stretching, and overall longevity. Kind of like a turkey diaphram you will. Some folks like em I guess. I will stick with open reed howlers myself though.
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If you call the coyotes in close, you won't NEED a high dollar range finder.
Posts: 2854 | From: Iowa | Registered: Feb 2003
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Kelly Jackson
SECOND PLACE/GARTH BROOKS LOOK-A-LIKE CONTEST
Member # 977
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posted January 25, 2010 08:30 PM
Bullshit IMHO. The standard power howler sounds more like a coyote to my ear.
No offence to you and any other custom open reed howler makers Mr Cronk.
I have yours and several others that set on the shelf.
Kelly
Posts: 997 | From: Comanche OK | Registered: Oct 2006
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Locohead
World Famous Smoke Dancer
Member # 15
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posted January 25, 2010 08:44 PM
Kelly, right you are! The power howler sounds way more natural. Open reeds are duck calls! ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
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I love my critters and chick!!!! :)
Posts: 2219 | From: CO | Registered: Jan 2003
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TOM64
Knows what it's all about
Member # 561
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posted January 25, 2010 09:05 PM
Yep, I have a Cronk howler and a few others. None can compare to the PH in sound but yours does look better setting on my shelf and it is a good howler.
Posts: 2283 | From: okieland | Registered: Feb 2005
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TA17Rem
Hello, I'm the legendary Tim Anderson, Southern Minneesota Know it all
Member # 794
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posted January 25, 2010 09:35 PM
The power howler does have a really good sound to it as is or with the horn added. The sound dose'nt seem to carry as far and if the wind is blowing it really gets drowned out...
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What if I told you, the left wing and right wing both belong to same bird!
Posts: 5621 | From: S.D. | Registered: Jan 2006
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Kelly Jackson
SECOND PLACE/GARTH BROOKS LOOK-A-LIKE CONTEST
Member # 977
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posted January 25, 2010 09:52 PM
Tim, you have a point there.
I wish it were louder, but the sound quality is hard to beat.
Posts: 997 | From: Comanche OK | Registered: Oct 2006
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Leonard
HMFIC
Member # 2
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posted January 25, 2010 09:55 PM
The choice of a howler is a personal one. I have a Higgins and I have examined a Cronk. The Higgins, or the power howler is more mellow than open reeds, in general. I don't think it is as loud or carries as far? There is no question, (in my mind) that you will get a response from an open reed just as readily as from the latex band howler. Cronk makes a good looking functional howler and so does Higgins. I mostly use a Higgins, or a Herb's.
Good hunting. LB
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EL BEE Knows It All and Done It All.
Don't piss me off!
Posts: 32368 | From: Upland, CA | Registered: Jan 2003
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Kelly Jackson
SECOND PLACE/GARTH BROOKS LOOK-A-LIKE CONTEST
Member # 977
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posted January 25, 2010 09:57 PM
Hey – we got new titles….cool…..LB is always on the job.
Posts: 997 | From: Comanche OK | Registered: Oct 2006
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TA17Rem
Hello, I'm the legendary Tim Anderson, Southern Minneesota Know it all
Member # 794
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posted January 25, 2010 10:21 PM
Yes Rich does indeed make some fine howlers and some great calls also..
Another call that is also over looked is the Yote buster also sold by E.L.K. Products.. The call has a good sound to it but like the howler is a little on the weak side for loudness. I use mine from time to time makeing rabbits screams and it can also make a nice female or YOY howls.. I took one of mine and had a small horn added to the tone board to get it to sound a little more louder..
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What if I told you, the left wing and right wing both belong to same bird!
Posts: 5621 | From: S.D. | Registered: Jan 2006
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DAA
Utah/Promoted WESTERN REGIONAL Hunt Director
Member # 11
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posted January 26, 2010 04:20 AM
You got a Herbs too huh Leonard? That was the first howler I ever got. Along with a pair of shooting sticks that Mr. Brusman used to make.
My Higgins is my favorite though.
- 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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Cdog911
"There are some ideas so absurd only an intellectual could believe them."--George Orwell.
Member # 7
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posted January 26, 2010 05:02 AM
Rich, to anyone whose been around here very long, I believe that your opinion is well documented as far as Power Howlers go, or Higgins for that matter. Being certain that you'll remark about the PH when mention of it arises is as certain as Tundra Wookie popping up with the mere mention of Martz's name. It's a given.
I've hunted with three different gentlemen who owned one of your howlers and all three asked me to demonstrate its use because they, and ultimately I, could not get an acceptable howl from it. Not an attack on you or a slight of your calls - simply a statement of fact from my personal experience and one well worth noting. And, might I add, since the discussion came to one versus the other, a necessary contribution in the interests of objectivity concerning these calls, rather than my coming to Higgins' defense as you're probably chomping at the bit right now to chastise me for in your inevitable response.
I suspect that there have been those who were unable to properly use a PH, though I haven't met them yet. I own a half-dozen different open reed howlers which I have no problem using, so I don't believe it's from lack of experience in their use that I couldn't reproduce a decent howl with a Cronk Howler. I suggested to all three that they contact you back to have it re-tuned so that it would work for them since there are others who are very happy with theirs. Whether or not they did, I do not know, but I did assure them that you would stand behind your howlers. All three very much liked the sound of the PH, so I guess beauty is in the ear of the beholder. Personally, I value a call for its ease of use rather than its looks. I don't own a shelf.
To his credit, Rick Paillet of Verminator/ Tweety/ Thumper fame has just recently begun making cow horn howlers which are subtle in appearance but have exceptional tone with a tone board that offers no pitch changes unless you want it to, sorta like Obama and "Negro dialects"
And FWIW, I agree that the PH lacks the reach of deeper open reed howlers, but I feel that this is more a matter of its pitch (higher) than the call itself. That's why fog horns don't sound like dog whistles. I prefer a howl which is higher pitched and more subordinate sounding in its delivery. It works well for me where I hunt and the countryside is broken into one-mile squares with roads that most coyotes will hesitate to cross in the light of day and with sufficient cover and terrain features that allow me to get closer to where I hope the coyotes might be. In open country like out west, I can agree to its probable limitations.
[ January 26, 2010, 05:07 AM: Message edited by: Cdog911 ]
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I am only one. But still, I am one. I cannot do everything, but still, I can do something; and, because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.
Posts: 5440 | From: The gun-lovin', gun-friendly wild, wild west | Registered: Jan 2003
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Rich
2,000th post PAKMAN
Member # 112
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posted January 26, 2010 06:55 AM
Cdog911,
My post concerning the power howler was not meant as an attack on E.L.k. products, Mr. Higgins, or anyone else for that matter. E,L.K.,s video "dogging "coyotes" is the video I have often pointed folks towards when they wanted to learn about howling up coyotes. When I watched that video, it was very apparent that the man blowing the howls was using a Power howler. His howls were terrible but the coyotes came anyway. I am aware that the howlers I was making several years ago were not perfect. My visit with Scott Huber in South Dakota was the beginning of a long quest for the perfect howler. My howlers have improved about 300 percent from that day up to now. By the way,I saw a short video clip that showed Mr. Higgins blowing one of his howlers. It sounded good to me. I still have to wonder how long those latex bands stay in tune, and whether or not a man can BARK like a coyote with one of those.
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If you call the coyotes in close, you won't NEED a high dollar range finder.
Posts: 2854 | From: Iowa | Registered: Feb 2003
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TundraWookie
Knows what it's all about
Member # 1044
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posted January 26, 2010 09:22 AM
I thought I heard mention of Martz...just joking...Latex howlers are useless in the cold, they'll freeze in seconds on a cold day and the latex will fall off the things. Pure junk in the arctic, get a Cronk howler with thicker reed and you're all set to howl away.
Posts: 857 | From: Alaska | Registered: Dec 2006
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Cdog911
"There are some ideas so absurd only an intellectual could believe them."--George Orwell.
Member # 7
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posted January 26, 2010 04:09 PM
A satisfied customer, and a good point about how one particular call has limitations as to the environment where it works best or least. I personally throw out the PH bands and cut my own. They last most all season if taken care of, except that the best style latex gloves from which they're cut are getting more and more difficult to find. Most vendors are making theirs from nitrile due to latex allergies. As far as barks, I avoid them in most cases and feel I get better responses, but if and when I include them, I don't see that the coyotes really mind much.
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I am only one. But still, I am one. I cannot do everything, but still, I can do something; and, because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.
Posts: 5440 | From: The gun-lovin', gun-friendly wild, wild west | Registered: Jan 2003
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JeremyKS
Knows what it's all about
Member # 736
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posted January 26, 2010 04:58 PM
There is no doubt the PH in one variation or the other sounds better to the human ear. The top 3 guys in the Worlds coyote vocal division were blowing PHs. Now whether or not the coyote likes it or not Im not sure but I do know I seem to get more response from my voice howls.
Posts: 369 | From: Texas panhandle | Registered: Nov 2005
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Krustyklimber
prefers the bunny hugger pronunciation: ky o tee
Member # 72
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posted January 26, 2010 05:55 PM
The two Cronk holwers I tried were, both, great sounding and easy to use.
*I'm not a customer, but was more than satisfied from a user's point of view.
Bofire's buffalo horn Cronk howler, with inserted toneboard (which was rumoured to have been outsourced), was more than adequate to elicit a vocal response from the coyotes around our camp.
The other, a one piece cowhorn, sounded every bit as good, to me.
I don't like the E.L.K., from a driver's standpoint, I found them too foreign from what I am used to (and make).
Incidentally, Brent Saxton (Keekee) makes, via Higgins' tutelage and "permission", a PH driven cowhorn howler... but I have never tried one, and I don't know how available they actually are for purchase.
Krusty 
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Think about how stupid the average person is, then realize that half of them are stupider than that!
Posts: 1912 | From: Deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia | Registered: Jan 2003
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TundraWookie
Knows what it's all about
Member # 1044
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posted January 26, 2010 06:11 PM
cdog911,
Who makes the "good" latex gloves used for making better bands? I'll give them a shot and see how they do in the cold again, just to say I gave it a shot and it works.
Posts: 857 | From: Alaska | Registered: Dec 2006
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3 Toes
El Guapo
Member # 1327
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posted January 26, 2010 06:29 PM
Everybody knows I'm a Cronk fan. I have one of his calls that I particularly like that I have used for several years now and has helped kill a few coyotes. ( A few hundred). I am not however, a fan of the horn howlers of any kind. I like the one Cronk originally called his "killer" call.
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Violence may not be the best option....
But it is still an option.
Posts: 1034 | From: out yonder | Registered: Apr 2007
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Cdog911
"There are some ideas so absurd only an intellectual could believe them."--George Orwell.
Member # 7
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posted January 26, 2010 06:51 PM
TW,
I usually go with whatever I have in the taxidermy shop which is presently Ansell Medi-Touch. I prefer a fairly heavy grade latex that won't tear on me and, if I can find them, the smooth gloves that do not have the stippled texturing to the fingers. I only use the part between the first knuckle and the second (the area where your ring would be) from the ring, middle and first finger. I cut them with a new scalpel blade using a straight edge on cardboard surface and a good reed must have a perfectly straight and clean edge. Most of the times, new reeds need to be stretched a couple times really well to adjust them for pitch. If you don't give them a stretch, they're awfully high-pitched.
Cal,
Thanks for the reminder. I've been meaning to add one of Cronk's Killer Calls to my collection, so I just ordered one.
Rich, you should have that order in your inbox. If you could get that out to me ASAP, I still have a couple more weekends to hunt before hanging things up for the season. Looking forward to giving it a run.
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I am only one. But still, I am one. I cannot do everything, but still, I can do something; and, because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.
Posts: 5440 | From: The gun-lovin', gun-friendly wild, wild west | Registered: Jan 2003
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