Mouth call vs Electronic call

[TheGDog]

Anyone combine calling with a decoy?
A feather or some rabbit skin on a string can provide a visual distraction which diverts their attention enough to allow some movement. Especially if bowhunting

In a high-pressured Dove/Quail area, where I've been successful consistently with the yotes there... I found they DID NOT like the decoy being there! This one? He came barreling in, but when he saw the Mojo Critter 2, he must've made a hard 90 degree turn when he was behind this one bush just a little in front of where that motion decoy was at. I'd held my weapon at the ready, waiting for him to then present himself... but the lil rabbit brush bush prevented me from seeing that he'd actually fled.

Is wasn't until I'd ever so slowly and quietly tried to stand-up, weapon-at-the-ready to peak over that lil bush that I realized he was outta there! Since then stopped bringing that Mojo Critter 2, which works great at holding a Bobcats interest BTW.

 

[Jtb.kfd]

Anyone combine calling with a decoy?
A feather or some rabbit skin on a string can provide a visual distraction which diverts their attention enough to allow some movement. Especially if bowhunting

I always have a decoy out in the set. I don’t use it unless its needed but its there. I have several types but the one we use almost exclusively now is a caller mounted version (FoxPro Shockwave). I prefer this setup as it gives me more control being able to turn it on and off with the caller remote. We have found if you turn one on and leave it on constantly, many times dogs will rush in, grab or knock it over and leave just as quick when they realizes its not real. I like having them run in and then have to stop to find the source. I do have success with rabbit and fawn silhouettes as they don’t run them over as often, but I am getting older and just don’t carry as much stuff anymore. Montana decoys makes a rabbit and antelope fawn that I like a lot and they easily fold up into a small package. I used to use a 3D full size coyote decoy that really worked well, but most days we are walking 8-12 miles a day from set to set and that sucked to carry. I now only use it when the setup is close to the vehicle.

 

[go_deep]

My jack rabbit hide does not have any movement, it's just a little eye appeal.

 

[BigDuckHunter]

Anyone combine calling with a decoy?
A feather or some rabbit skin on a string can provide a visual distraction which diverts their attention enough to allow some movement. Especially if bowhunting

I’ve got one that’s attached to my shockwave that I use on occasion, but I don’t really think it makes a difference. Typically at least one person on my sets has a rifle so I’m not too concerned with them closing the last 100 yards to the call. And their eyesight isn’t that great to see it much past that.

 

[TheGDog]

My jack rabbit hide does not have any movement, it's just a little eye appeal.

And NOSE!

 

[go_deep]

I'll tell you a super cool secret about calling coyotes. Even if you don't trap, pick up a 1 ounce bottle of a call lure like violator 7, hellfire, or nitro and just open the bottle up and set it just down wind of you when your calling.
Covers up your scent, adds to the calling with the extra scent in the air too. Had coyotes come in, act like they're going to leave, cross paths paths with the wind the call lure and turn and come in on a string.

 

[CastleRocker]

Mouth vs. E-caller...I use both most of the time. I just try to tell a story, like others have said. The story I tell depends on the time of year; hunting/mating/raising pups all have different sounds, and different calling sequence.

I can tell you one thing I've experienced; do NOT use a mouth call when calling cougars. You are in their house! They know EXACTLY where the sound is coming from, and if you are using prey sounds, they are now hunting YOU. Cats are eternally patient, and will just appear out of thin air. If you must hand call Cougars, use a Rainshadow cat vocalization call. Better yet, just use an e-caller.

 

[fulldraw1972]

I started out calling with hand calls and then after a handful of years I bought a foxpro.
Back in 2020 I bought a lucky duck call and since then I have gotten rid of all my other calls except a small hand call I keep in my back pack for when I am bow hunting big game. Because no matter what I am hunting it becomes a coyote hunt as soon as I see a coyote.

Now days I take the Geoff Nemnick approach to calling. Play a sound for 2 to 3 minutes and switch. Try to keep my stands to 10 to 12 minutes unless I have one hang up and then I am switching sounds every minute until I get the coyote to break for the call or it leaves. I will switch categories from prey distress to coyote vocals all the time.
I think a big part of being successful is your set up. Whether you are in a heavily called area or not. I like to get close to the cover even if I am calling out on the prairie.

 

[TheGDog]

Does anyone here that’s used an electronic call like a Foxpro still use mouth/hand calls? I live in an area where coyote calling has become really popular over the last 5 years or so and it seems the dogs have become more wise to the Foxpro. I’m wondering if switching to mouth calls would give me an advantage. It would seem that a mouth blown call could easier match the higher frequencies of real prey in distress. Just a thought I had today.

1) ALWAYS... have hand-calls as backups with you. Sucks major azz to spend $100 bucks and more on the gas to get out there.. only to arrive and learn something in your pack pushed up against a button or switch and turned on device X or Y so it was draining the batteries all during your drive-in to get there.

2) Always... bring backup lithium AA's for the Remote with you in your pack, just in case. Ya tend to not check on those batteries as often, so good to have backups in the pack.


Regarding how life-like the sounds becoming played from your eCaller are.... that's a two-parter there.

1) The source material being of high fidelity in the recording.
For example, in MP3 terms, you'd always want highest bitrate you can get, so 320Kbps files to achieve great fidelity in the playback. The greater the fidelity and bitrate? The more likelife the playback will be. Especially in the high sounds. the higher up into the frequencies the unit an the recording can go... the more "airy" and lifelike the playback becomes. (when I say "airy" there? I'm referring to how you'll perceive the higher-end of the frequency spectrum during playback)

2) Then.. you need an eCaller whose drivers (speakers) chosen can actually reproduce that great recorded sound.

Man.. when I got the X24? The first time I played it I was BLOWN AWAY!! by the life-like fidelity of it!

Ya know... like when you first dip your toe into this activity, and you try to go cheap just in case you find it's "not for you"... you end up getting an entry-level eCaller that sucks major butt nuggets and the playback fidelity is crap.

But naw man.. these newer ones where they're making sure to put in good tweeters that can go up nice and high? As long as the source material recording was done legit? You'll be ASTOUNDED how like life it sounds!

Note, some mouth call designs can "hit a wall" with the reed in them, if you happen to, in the moment, blow TOO hard into the call. That Primos 3rd Degree is like that. If you blow too hard into it, that reed can tweak and/or totally lock-up and produce no sound, once the air pressure goes above whatever that limit is.

You do NOT... need to be blowing all kindsa hard into those mouth calls. Just think of it as like.. air from your cheeks.. rather than air from your diaphragm. If understand what I mean.

Unless I'm hitting up horrible steep terrain, As a general rules, I'll always bring along in my pack the Digital PocketPrey Hand-held (SMALL! runs off a single rectangular 9V, same size as box of .223 Rem ammo). I also bring along The Primos 3rd Degree, and the Dan Thompson Coaxer, and the Dan Thompson Pup Squaler combo one that's both a rodent Squeek call, with the part you can remove from inside of it to then do the "Yerp! Yerp!" stuff of coyote distress. The inside of that call made out of a .223 Rem case with a metal reed affixed into it.

The Primos 3rd Degree works good too, but ya gotta be careful not to "hit the wall" with it like I said.