Advice for a newbie

[MuleyFever]

Thinking of buying a Foxpro and doing some predator hunting. I can get a new Foxpro X24 for about $400 or save a $100 and get a Hellcat Pro. Is the X24 worth it?

If you use these what sounds have you had the best luck with from the ones it comes with for coyotes?

I'm in UT so we can shoot lions. From the preloaded sounds which would you use for cats?

I have never used an electric caller. Any tips for calling?

 

[dirtytough]

The X24 is pretty solid. Never used or looked at the features on the hellcat so no comment there.

For coyotes female sore howls, pup 3, bay bee cottontail, snowshoe hair, lucky bird. Raccoon fight. Hard to remember what’s standard and what’s custom without the remote in hand.

For lions I would use the lion whistle, and just spam a new prey sound every 4-5 minutes with volume fluctuation. I would use lots of higher pitched sounds.

 

[eddielasvegas]

Also, unless you're Elon rich, seldom used callers show up in the classified somewhat regualarly so you can save a decent amount over new if that's to your liking.

Good luck,

Eddie

 

[Jtb.kfd]

I have been using ecallers for 30 years, they have come a long way. Currently I own a shockwave and X24, both are amazing. I haven’t seen or used the Hellcat but the remote, decoy and many of the features mirror my shockwave. If you plan to get into calling and go out a lot, I would start with the X24 or the shockwave simply for the cleanest sound and best range for the remote. I have owned various cheaper model FoxPros and they frustrated me when the remote wouldn’t consistently connect at 30yds. The shockwave and X24 have no issue at 70+ yards with clear line of sight. They also have great battery life (Hellcat may as well) giving you two solid days of calling before charging. The best sound quality you can afford makes a difference for sure, especially in pressured areas. The preloaded sounds they come with are more than you will need.

Best sounds for coyote:
1. Lucky Bird
2. Hairy Woodpecker
3. Lightning Jack

Best for cats (never called in a lion, even in high concentration areas).
1. Lucky Bird
2. Baby Bee
3. Tantrum Titmouse

Tips:
- program favorites in your call remote before going out and get familiar with accessing them quickly.
- get the decoy that mounts to the call. Place the call in an area predators can see it when approaching. Turn on the decoy for a few revolutions if they hang up, then turn it off.
- Don’t be afraid to switch sounds up. If one isn’t working or a predator hangs up, switch the sound. It won’t make sense to your brain going from bird to rabbit to gopher in distress, but when you hit the right sound they can come barreling in, they don’t seem to comprehend the switch-ups.
- Watch and observe as they come in, don’t shoot when they hang up 100+ yards out. Experiment and get them close. You will mess some up at first, but once you figure out what works to bring them in to point blank range, the slow or pressured days will become much easier to make successful sets.
- I start calling with one sound, play it for approximately two minutes at 3/4 to full volume, pause for a minute or two then repeat the two minute call sequence. If I don’t see one at the end of that sequence I switch to another sound and do it all over again.
- When you shoot, keep the player/sequence going for another 5 minutes minimum. Its amazing how many will continue to come in after a shot, even without a suppressor.
- I end most sets with a 30 second coyote pup in distress sound. I also use this when one hangs up and I can’t get it to commit after multiple sound changes.
- For cats, turn on a sound and play it nonstop for 45 minutes occasionally varying volume from low to medium/high.
- Set the caller next to brush so the decoy can smack the brush or grass when spinning. That noise really can make a difference. Sounds like wings flapping in bushes and they love it.
This hopefully gets you started, ask away if more questions come up.

 

[MuleyFever]

I have been using ecallers for 30 years, they have come a long way. Currently I own a shockwave and X24, both are amazing. I haven’t seen or used the Hellcat but the remote, decoy and many of the features mirror my shockwave. If you plan to get into calling and go out a lot, I would start with the X24 or the shockwave simply for the cleanest sound and best range for the remote. I have owned various cheaper model FoxPros and they frustrated me when the remote wouldn’t consistently connect at 30yds. The shockwave and X24 have no issue at 70+ yards with clear line of sight. They also have great battery life (Hellcat may as well) giving you two solid days of calling before charging. The best sound quality you can afford makes a difference for sure, especially in pressured areas. The preloaded sounds they come with are more than you will need.

Best sounds for coyote:
1. Lucky Bird
2. Hairy Woodpecker
3. Lightning Jack

Best for cats (never called in a lion, even in high concentration areas).
1. Lucky Bird
2. Baby Bee
3. Tantrum Titmouse

Tips:
- program favorites in your call remote before going out and get familiar with accessing them quickly.
- get the decoy that mounts to the call. Place the call in an area predators can see it when approaching. Turn on the decoy for a few revolutions if they hang up, then turn it off.
- Don’t be afraid to switch sounds up. If one isn’t working or a predator hangs up, switch the sound. It won’t make sense to your brain going from bird to rabbit to gopher in distress, but when you hit the right sound they can come barreling in, they don’t seem to comprehend the switch-ups.
- Watch and observe as they come in, don’t shoot when they hang up 100+ yards out. Experiment and get them close. You will mess some up at first, but once you figure out what works to bring them in to point blank range, the slow or pressured days will become much easier to make successful sets.
- I start calling with one sound, play it for approximately two minutes at 3/4 to full volume, pause for a minute or two then repeat the two minute call sequence. If I don’t see one at the end of that sequence I switch to another sound and do it all over again.
- When you shoot, keep the player/sequence going for another 5 minutes minimum. Its amazing how many will continue to come in after a shot, even without a suppressor.
- I end most sets with a 30 second coyote pup in distress sound. I also use this when one hangs up and I can’t get it to commit after multiple sound changes.
- For cats, turn on a sound and play it nonstop for 45 minutes occasionally varying volume from low to medium/high.
- Set the caller next to brush so the decoy can smack the brush or grass when spinning. That noise really can make a difference. Sounds like wings flapping in bushes and they love it.
This hopefully gets you started, ask away if more questions come up.

What decoy do you use when using the X24?

 

[Jtb.kfd]

What decoy do you use when using the X24?

I use the Foxjack 3 that connects directly to the Foxpro. I haven’t used any of my other spinning decoys since purchasing that one. The benefits are you can turn it on and off with your FoxPro remote, it runs off the callers battery pack and its one less thing to carry and set up. I have several Mojo spinning decoys as well as silhouettes. I use the silhouettes in late winter/early spring when calling can get tougher. If you buy a caller and decoy mounted remote, that will get you started and will likely be all you need unless you really get into it.

If you zoom in on the attached pic, you can see the remote attached to my shockwave on the top of my son’s pack.