I'm sure this topic has been discussed before but I'm looking for opinions anyway. Does anybody think an electronic call will call more coyotes than an experienced caller with hand calls? I think in the situation of a new person just starting out calling they'd probably do better with an electronic but what about a person that is experienced with hand calls. I've been calling for probably 10 years and personally I like my hand calls. It's more of a sense of accomplishment for me knowing that I actually made the sounds that fooled the coyote and not some machine. It seems though that there may be situations where an electronic call may be a better choice or may get better results. Just wanted to get thoughts from some people. Anybody done any testing or research comparing results of using an electronic versus hand calls?
Electronic versus hand calls
- Thread starter sdyote
- Start date
swift one
New member
For me, I do most of my calling at night, so handcalls are the ticket for me. The coyotes have to be looking at you anyways to see them at night so I may as well be making the noise.
However, even in the day time, I have had more luck calling in Coyotes with hand calls than anything else. I purchased a Bandit caller and found myself still going to the hand calls the most. Nothing against the Bandit, it's a top rate caller IMO. The Bandit is now up for sale in the Classifieds section.
There is a great sense of accomplishment when sing a hand call and getting an animal to come in with you. I do however, use electronic calls when calling Crow or Coon.
However, even in the day time, I have had more luck calling in Coyotes with hand calls than anything else. I purchased a Bandit caller and found myself still going to the hand calls the most. Nothing against the Bandit, it's a top rate caller IMO. The Bandit is now up for sale in the Classifieds section.
There is a great sense of accomplishment when sing a hand call and getting an animal to come in with you. I do however, use electronic calls when calling Crow or Coon.
The electronic calls offer me more versatility in most setups, especially in tight cover or when calling alone. But I always carry hand calls no matter what. One area where I believe the electronic calls are better for me is with the coyote vocalizations. I haven't quite mastered these sounds on my hand calls yet. The two can also work really well in tandem.
Good Luck and Good Hunting
Good Luck and Good Hunting
berettaman
New member
I like hand call myself, especially custom ones! I hunt alone and a electronic caller can put the sound away from you. Also, I can't do the howls good, so I have to have some help....Sometimes I'll run the rabbit distress on my caller and use a hawk hand call, which works pretty good.
sagebrush
New member
SDYOTE:
There IS a sense of accomplishment from calling in a coyote with hand calls! But you asked if an e-caller will call more coyotes than an experienced hand caller. I feel sure there is no absolute or “works-every-time-everywhere” answer to that. With both kinds of calls, the types of sounds, duration, and volume variations introduce thousands of variables. And there could be many coyotes near you or none at all. Terrain and vegetation can make a big difference in whether or not you even see a coyote that moved in close and then left. Weather and time of year add a bunch of variables. And so many more . . . . . .
I feel that the biggest advantage to an e-caller is that the source of the sound is not where you are. You can place the caller 30, 40, maybe 80 yards from you, focusing coyote attention there rather than right on you. After 10 years of calling, you know darned well that a little movement on your part can spook a coyote that is looking right at you (the source of the hand call sound). Think of your experiences and where it might have been nice to have that sound source coming from an open, ‘shootable’ area away from you.
TROYR and BERETTAMAN mentioned using e-calls and hand calls together. In rolling open calling country, especially in the earlier part of the season, I think that’s a great idea. Often, i turn on a LOW VOLUME distress sound, hoping to interest any “near by” coyotes. After a bit, with no observed response, I screech/scream loudly once for several seconds with a high-pitched Crit-R-Call (mouth blown), hoping to engage the interest of a far-away coyote. During the setup, I let the e-caller run continuously on LOW volume. The theory or hope is that a long-distance coyote may hear the screech and head my way, and when he gets close enough he hears the low volume distress and focuses on it. It works, but, as you’d guess, certainly not all of the time.
If you want howling to sound like multiple coyotes, you can run an e-caller howl simultaneously with mouth-blown howls. But I’m not sure you’d want to leave an e-caller howl running indefinitely.
There IS a sense of accomplishment from calling in a coyote with hand calls! But you asked if an e-caller will call more coyotes than an experienced hand caller. I feel sure there is no absolute or “works-every-time-everywhere” answer to that. With both kinds of calls, the types of sounds, duration, and volume variations introduce thousands of variables. And there could be many coyotes near you or none at all. Terrain and vegetation can make a big difference in whether or not you even see a coyote that moved in close and then left. Weather and time of year add a bunch of variables. And so many more . . . . . .
I feel that the biggest advantage to an e-caller is that the source of the sound is not where you are. You can place the caller 30, 40, maybe 80 yards from you, focusing coyote attention there rather than right on you. After 10 years of calling, you know darned well that a little movement on your part can spook a coyote that is looking right at you (the source of the hand call sound). Think of your experiences and where it might have been nice to have that sound source coming from an open, ‘shootable’ area away from you.
TROYR and BERETTAMAN mentioned using e-calls and hand calls together. In rolling open calling country, especially in the earlier part of the season, I think that’s a great idea. Often, i turn on a LOW VOLUME distress sound, hoping to interest any “near by” coyotes. After a bit, with no observed response, I screech/scream loudly once for several seconds with a high-pitched Crit-R-Call (mouth blown), hoping to engage the interest of a far-away coyote. During the setup, I let the e-caller run continuously on LOW volume. The theory or hope is that a long-distance coyote may hear the screech and head my way, and when he gets close enough he hears the low volume distress and focuses on it. It works, but, as you’d guess, certainly not all of the time.
If you want howling to sound like multiple coyotes, you can run an e-caller howl simultaneously with mouth-blown howls. But I’m not sure you’d want to leave an e-caller howl running indefinitely.
TonyTebbe
New member
Great post.
I've use both electronics and hand calls. Each have their own place. When hunting out west, I prefer electronics for the shear perspective of volume. I own a FX3 and have used it on a ton of sets this year. Prior to that, I used a JS 512 for years. We call bowls that are a mile wide in all directions. I use various production sounds, as well as, my own recorded hand calls.
That being said, to be honest, I called in far more coyotes with the hand calls than electronics. It may be that I can slip in and make a setup with out marching the call out, going less detected and less scent dispersment. It may be that I'm more agile to change the cadence, tone, and overall 'feeling' of the call when hand calling. Who knows?
Something I'm going to try, next weekend, is playing the electronic call on a crow fight tape, while I use a rabbit distress on the handcall. Mostly out of my own curiousity.
Again, great post...
Tony
I've use both electronics and hand calls. Each have their own place. When hunting out west, I prefer electronics for the shear perspective of volume. I own a FX3 and have used it on a ton of sets this year. Prior to that, I used a JS 512 for years. We call bowls that are a mile wide in all directions. I use various production sounds, as well as, my own recorded hand calls.
That being said, to be honest, I called in far more coyotes with the hand calls than electronics. It may be that I can slip in and make a setup with out marching the call out, going less detected and less scent dispersment. It may be that I'm more agile to change the cadence, tone, and overall 'feeling' of the call when hand calling. Who knows?
Something I'm going to try, next weekend, is playing the electronic call on a crow fight tape, while I use a rabbit distress on the handcall. Mostly out of my own curiousity.
Again, great post...
Tony
sagebrush
New member
TONY: You are correct!, and thanks for bringing up those two points:
1. Walking out to position an e-caller increases your chances of being detected.
2. You can make a WIDE range of sounds with a mouth call, especially an open-reed call. With an e-caller, all you can modify is the volume, and, if you dare to do so, change to a different sound (I’m not convinced that’s usually a good idea, but you can obviously do that, too, with the mouth blown calls).
This hand-call-versus-e-caller discussion reminds me of the writings of Emerson who said, in his treatise on Compensation, “An inevitable dualism bisects nature,” and “...for every benefit you recieve, a tax is levied.” And, “For everything you have missed you have gained something else; and for everything you gain you lose something.” Gosh, even Emerson knew something about coyote calling!
Hopefully next week we’ll read a post from you describing your experience with and opinion of using a crow fight tape simultaneously with a rabbit distress from a handcall. I’ve never tried that combination, and it sounds intriguing, as does BERETTAMAN’s rabbit distress and hawk call combo.
Thanks again, Tony.
1. Walking out to position an e-caller increases your chances of being detected.
2. You can make a WIDE range of sounds with a mouth call, especially an open-reed call. With an e-caller, all you can modify is the volume, and, if you dare to do so, change to a different sound (I’m not convinced that’s usually a good idea, but you can obviously do that, too, with the mouth blown calls).
This hand-call-versus-e-caller discussion reminds me of the writings of Emerson who said, in his treatise on Compensation, “An inevitable dualism bisects nature,” and “...for every benefit you recieve, a tax is levied.” And, “For everything you have missed you have gained something else; and for everything you gain you lose something.” Gosh, even Emerson knew something about coyote calling!
Hopefully next week we’ll read a post from you describing your experience with and opinion of using a crow fight tape simultaneously with a rabbit distress from a handcall. I’ve never tried that combination, and it sounds intriguing, as does BERETTAMAN’s rabbit distress and hawk call combo.
Thanks again, Tony.
utahpredator_7
New member
The hand calls take more time, but they are alot of fun! The e-callers are more expensive, but let you concentrate on looking for yotes and put the sound away from you.