I just was listening to a fox pro at the sports show. I expected better sound really although the newest High$ 2 speaker model did sound much better than the rest. I have ussed a jonny s cassett caller way back when and I made up my own using plans fron predatormasters website and thought they were horrible ( though I guess they work). My question is why cant you just use a good quality boombox or perhaps a car unit? Is this just a matter of handier more compact units? Maybe better weather proofing? Do you realy need a loudspeaker? I dont think those small loudspeakers are any louder than even a cheap boombox. I know you can just wrap a normal speaker in a plastic bag and that works well or maybe a indoor/outdoor speaker.

You can use a boom box. However you have two speakers and it will be stereo. I remember way back sticking the speakers on the roof and playing a cotton tail tape. Dam if a grey fox didn't jump up on the back of the pick up.
I'll second you on the fox pro. I thought it would sound better. I've got a Johnny cassete player with a booster. does OK. I still think the mouth call is the way to go.

I haven't heard a e-caller yet that I thought sounded "right". I call using the hand calls. Nate

I have had excellent luck using the Foxpro. The bottom line is it doesn't matter how the call sounds to "us". They work and thats good enough for me.

M16 you are right ofcourse. The only thing is I can buy a small boombox that sounds a lot better for $50.00 so I am trying to findout what the pros+cons are between the two.

The ability to have the caller 50 yards away, the remote control, switching sounds mid stream, long battery life, and the compact size are all what led me to the foxpro. Those were all the pros for me.

I guess I havn't given the FoxPro a chance. I hunted with my Dad and he's got a Johnny Stewart. We got a couple but by the numbers we were way ahead using hand calls.
My brother-in-law has one I don't know the make of but it was digital, had sound cards, remote and all and I didn't think it sounded very good at a distance. It may have been the speaker.

Bottom line is if it works for you, fine. Then again, my experience is way different. With 30+ years of calling experience I'd have to believe I must have an idea of what works. Maybe I'm wrong. After all, this is the internet! Nate

quote:

Originally posted by BigNate:
I haven't heard a e-caller yet that I thought sounded "right". I call using the hand calls. Nate

None of them sound "good" to me...but they seem to work great.

I recently returned my Extreme Dimension w/ remote to Sportsmans Warehouse in Spokane, WA. I had it nearly a year and it sucked! THey were really cool about taking care of me, I went on a $300 shopping spree....next time I went coyote calling (armed with 5 different hand calls) the Verminator tweety seemed to suck 'em right in. At some point in the future I may try a Foxpro; if I had to do it over again I wuld not waste the time with a "low end" ($300??) electronic call-- I would step up and spend the $400-$450 for the Foxpro...

IV

I used an electric caller once and called in a couple of batteries. Then it started lightning so bad,had to go home.

quote:

Originally posted by carpetman:
I used an electric caller once and called in a couple of batteries. Then it started lightning so bad,had to go home.

That kind of thing is a problem when you are good at calling.

Well Big Nate--glad you got a charge out of that. Now for a true story. My gunsmith/friend has a customer that bought a fairly expensive calling system and set it up. Moved a distance away with his varmint rifle waited for a coyote or some such. A bear came in and demolished the whole system.

Well I'll sit on a stand with friends reguardless if it's behind an e-caller or we're using hand calls. I just haven't had any luck with them so I have little interest I guess. I'm a little more curious now, and would like to see one that does work. I know the 'yotes have been hearing the same song a lot in my area. I watched a guy set up some kind( JS I think), walk away and had a 'yote come out of the canyon and walk right by showing no interest what so ever. He was well camo'd, wind was from the dog toward the caller, but just to far for his gun I guess. It looked his direction, put his nose down and kept moving along.

I might have gotten the same one a few weeks later, same area anyway. But I yipped, and used more of a fighting rat kind of sound made with a squeeker.

Of those people who are happy with thiers they seem to be Fox Pro's. There may be something there, but I'd buy my boys a new rifle to try out before I'd spend that much on a squack box. I'd be willing to have someone take me out and school me up on how well they work!

I just built my own electronic caller. $54 at Radio Shack will get you the pieces it takes to turn a regular Walkman-type cassette or CD player into a vermin caller.

Dear Tbob,

The Wildlife Technologies caller is expensive but has been a real upgrade from the tape type units i had been using. They have a large number of call sounds to choose from.

This is my second season of using it and we have called in a lot of coyote, fox, bobcat, and a mt lion for my daughter.

Of all attributs of an electronic caller, being able to stop the sound is high on the list. Coyotes will most often stop when you turn off the sound and provide a moment for the shot.

My first caller was an 8 track with 4 sounds and controlled by a model airplane unit. The W.T. is much better.

Good Hunting,

JB

First time I was out with a Johnny's it was set between us about 30' away.
Six came on the hard run and I'd forgotten about the bark 'em to a stop instructions.

First one in came to a slidding stop nose within two feet of the speaker just a squeeling.
Sure was funny.
Had the bipod down and was sitting flat on my butt on the ground and couldn't get the barrel down low enough to shoot. Earl shot and missed!!

Sure wish I'd remembered the .38 in my shirt pocket, would have been perfect for that shot.

Kinda wish Earl hadn't shot, would have liked to learn what the dog would have done before it gave up.
At the shot it took off when it was about 100yds away I thought of the barking order sure as heck, when I barked it stopped to look back and I hit him dead center.

I'd like to have a remote from 50-100yds away to try sometime before I dump that much money on one.

I sure don't like the continous calling these tapes run. Works much better for me to call a bit, then wait ten before the next squall.

But, the bark 'em to a stop sure does work. Even after we shot three out of five in an open field once. the other two stopped long enough to get one more. Very impressive to a running shooter for many years. Wish I'd known that trick long ago.

George
George

I used to use Johnny Stewart Cassete caller then went to mouth calls then the Digital Predation caller which works great and sounds great but seem to always use mouth calls any more.

This is an interesting thread guys. Some time back I asked the group a question about calling mountain lions, but there wasn't much knowledge or experience posted back. Since then, I have run across two things that might be of interest to this forum. I don't know how to post the website but find AZPREDATORHUNTING, out of Arizona. The outfitter/caller is a Mr. Steve Craig and he is apparently gaining quite a reputation for calling in mountain lions. He's popular enough that he isn't booking anymore hunts until Fall, 2007. Read through his posted emails. Linked to his website is the home page for Wildlife Technologies. There system is set up for a "menu" of calls to be purchased, some of which are mountain lion vocalizations. Hmmmmm? Of course WT is blowing their own horn (literally) but it takes quite awhile to scroll through all their posted testimonials. Their claim to fame is pure digital CD quality and volume. I myself have a Phantom and am just only slightly wowed with its performance. Now I see that many of you are not impressed with electronic callers either. If WT is right about their product, they are in a league by themselves. They had better be since that caller is $850 and some change. Any feedback here fellas?

Yellowstone

The WT unit is an outstanding unit. It certainly was one of the best units as predator callers entered the digital caller world. Many of the small units on the market suffer from too little power and too small a speaker for reasonable performance. This is all changing fast as many companies rush to compete. I expect that in the next two years you will see some great units coming out.

I have had good success from the WT unit when the animals are running and poor success when they are not. The unit is not magic and will not call critters like you see on some of these entertaining but EDITED videos. It is hard to compete with a video when they are editing out the slow times.

Steve Craig said in articles and posts to use mt lion vocalizations. A combo of those sounds and other WT sounds was successful for us. Most important is to call where mountain lions are frequenting.

The only difficulty with the WT was explaining the bill on my credit card statement.

Good hunting, Jeff

If I start with a boom box, what are the best CDs to use?

Invader66
I have been out with guys that have boom boxes and wasn't impressed with their functionality. The other day I saw an MP3 player for $19. I like them better than cd players. Once you load the sound on a mp3 your can play the sound and repeat it for a non-stop sound. Get a patch cord and run it through the aux of the boom box or any other amplifier you want. This way you can get any number of sounds off cd's and have them at your fingertips.

Check this out for ideas http://www.predatormastersforums.com/homemadeecaller.html

I have used most every sound available and conclude that most work fine. If you are not getting critters, it is probably because you need to spend some effort finding them. Don't hunt where your buddy hunted last week. Find some less exploited areas. Traks, scat, and howling are good techniques.

Jeff

Jeff,
Thanks for the information on WT and the website link to the radio shack special. Homemade or commercial product, what I'm really looking for is a CD of mountain lion vocalizations. I'd like to try this technique for effect. Do you know of any sources for "cat calls"? There are plenty of lions in Montana, but I've seen more by accident than ever thinking about calling one in with the dying rabbit routine, etc.

Jeff
thanks for your help. I found the mp3 downloads
here
http://www.varmintal.com/ahunt.htm

anybody ever use these?
Gene