# hand blown vs electronic



## Hair Trigger Gun Dogs (May 5, 2007)

Go ahead and tell me if this has been hashed out on this forum already. Anyway... here I go... I blow all hand calls (hot dog / sceery / verminator / etc) and I am debating on the electronic caller. Last year was my first year and I was able to call in three coyotes and kill two. I probably made it out between ten and 15 times. I am wondering if it's worth it and possible advantages there are to the FoxPro's. I really like how one can vary the cadence / pitch/ etc. of the hand blown calls such as the Tweety by Verminators. Let me know your guys' feed back. Thanks -Miller


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## Bore.224 (Mar 23, 2005)

Well I am Green as a coyote hunter , but folks in the know have told me that the big advantage to e callers is the multiple call you can make. Also as soon as you start calling that coyote will have a fix on your position and will be looking for you!! With an e caller you can set the call away from your stand so the coyote may not bee looking right at you and you will have less chance of being busted!!


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## Scott Schuchard (Nov 23, 2002)

I like hand calls a little better just for the simple fact that when you do call one in YOU did it not a machine, you get a feeling of accomplishment


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

I have had about five electronic calls in the past ten years. I am back to hand calls. I still have a very good electronic kicking around my gun room, but have not taken it out for two years. 
It is true they don't lock onto you as well if they come in, but I call more in with a hand call. I think I can vary the intensity and sounds more with a hand call. I like open reed calls and use Critter-Calls nearly exclusively. I do have a Red Desert Howler, but get better responses with a song dog plugged into my own cow horn.


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## Bloodyblinddoors (Oct 25, 2006)

I use both. My e-caller isn't remote though. It stays with me.


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## dc240nt (Sep 20, 2006)

A Buddy and I once done an expiriment between a hand caller and an electronic. Hand caller was a Haydels Jackrabbit and the electronic was a Jonny Stewart with a gravely Jackrabbit.

It was a pitch black night and we had no guns. We'd pull into an area and after letting things settle down abit we would start calling. First stop was with the electric. We'd wait 5 minutes and then hit a spot light and count the critters.

Then we'd go down the road an try the other caller. We did this all night continually alternating calls.

When it was all said and done, the hand caller out performed the electronic by a 4 to 1 ratio. Meaning a Fox or Coyote responded to the hand held 4 times more often then they did to the electronic.

I sold my electronic right after that and have used only hand helds ever since. My succes rate has also gone up substantially.


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## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

dc240nt said:


> A Buddy and I once done an expiriment between a hand caller and an electronic. Hand caller was a Haydels Jackrabbit and the electronic was a Jonny Stewart with a gravely Jackrabbit.
> 
> It was a pitch black night and we had no guns. We'd pull into an area and after letting things settle down abit we would start calling. First stop was with the electric. We'd wait 5 minutes and then hit a spot light and count the critters.
> 
> ...


Could it have been that you just encountered animals on the hand calling stands and nothing was in hearing distance while using the electronic? Just a thought! I don't think I would have sold the electronic based on that one experience though :eyeroll:


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## dc240nt (Sep 20, 2006)

We tried over thirty sets that night. Running from dark until next mornings daylight. We felt both were given an equal opportunity to perform and chose areas that had always produced results in the past. We didnt have responses at every set, probably close to 2/3's had a response. Another thing that was very evident was the animals that responded came in faster and closer with the hand held vs the electronic.


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## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

You said you chose areas that had always produced in the past...do you mean in the past they produced at NIGHT or in the daytime? I am saying that because at night a predator can cover a lot of ground hunting and we have had horrible luck at night at some of our spots that produce in the daytime.

You did 30 sets in one evening? Let's do the math here. Let's say you called from 6 PM until 7 AM the next morning. That is 13 hours of calling or 780 minutes. Divide 780 by 32 sets (you said you did over thirty sets). Your answer is 24.4 minutes per set. Now you need to figure in driving from spot to spot, walking in, walking out, etc. You have to figure at the BARE MINIMUM 10 minutes per set for traveling, walking in, and walking out. So were you calling each location for less than 15 minutes? I am sorry but to me it doesn't add up on this one. I think it is great that you did your experiment but I don't think it is real solid to say that just because of that you sold your electronic caller. And don't tell me you were calling right out of the pickup either! 

I am not trying to be a jerk here I just don't want a new hunter to read your finding and use it as gospel on why not to buy an electronic caller. If your hand calling does work better for your style than that is great, keep it up!


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## papapete (Jan 2, 2005)

I'm glad your not educating the coyotes in my area like that.


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## varmit b gone (Jan 31, 2008)

Thats a good point fallguy


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## straight shooter (Oct 15, 2007)

That is a very good point Fallguy. Ok dc240nt let's hear your reply, the truth this time...LOL. :sniper:


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## LeviM (Dec 3, 2006)

LOL

30 sets in one night! I am a big tournament hunter and I never got 30 sets in one whole day of hunting, thats even hard to do when you and your parterner leap frog each other from set to set 

why didn't you have a gun??

Sounds like you would of had a truck load by the end of the night!

Now for my 2 cents, an electronic caller and hand calls all have their place, you just need to know when and how to use each.


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## dc240nt (Sep 20, 2006)

Yea, we did call from along side the vehical right from the road so time between spots was very minimal. We didnt have rifles along because we were using a spotlight and had no intention of shooting at the time. I'm just telling you what we did and what happened, I really dont care whether you believe me or not. Those that know me know I'm honest. If what we did, or what we found, upsets you, or if it upsets you that for some hand callers are better then electronics, then I guess you'll just have to read a different post.I aint here to make enemies, but then I'm also not here to make friends either. As for the number of sets in a night..., dont you think thats a matter of how long you spend at each set? Maybe you spend a half hour to 45 minutes at each, doesnt mean that I do. And as far as educating them, if you are a good enough hunter you dont have to worry about it..., or do you? I never have worried about it at all and I've carried my share of fur across the prairie.

Dont jump on here and call me a liar. You don't know me at all and if you did you'd know better. Take a look at the picture from outside your own box...., somebody just may be doing things differently, or heaven for bid, better then you. Think about it.


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## FlashBoomSplash (Aug 26, 2005)

I use both I like mouth calls on windy days it seems they are louder. I like electronic to imitate a pack of coyotes. Thats my :2cents:


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## Jaybic (Sep 8, 2005)

At risk of drawing fire myself, and to play a bit of devils advocate, am going to do some math also. Lets say that he did his experiment in Dec 21st(Winter solstice-shortest day/longest night of the year). In Northwest MN and NE ND it is dark by about 430pm and light enough to shoot by 7am(check your sunup/down tables in the rule book to be precise). That would be 14.5 hours of dark x 60mins per hr which would be 870 mins of dark.

If he allows 20 mins per call testing spot total that breaks down to 5mins to drive to the spot...5 mins calm-down time that he says he allows and 5 mins calling followed by turning on the lights and counting critters and 5 mins misc time spent so say 20 mins per test. 870 mins of dark divided by 20 mins per test spot = 43.5 stands possible if he maintained strict time discipline. Point is? Its possible, not likely but possible.

He said he was calling right next to the car so minimum set up time, no?
Test spots may only be 1/2-1 mile apart @ 30 mph= 30seconds to 1 min driving time between test spots.

Why no rifle? Simple. Illegal in MN to hunt at night with a centerfire rifle and an artificial light.

The part that I must question is the 2/3rd response part. That would be an average of 20 responses from 30 test spots and that is alot to me. He does say "close to" but, wow, thats a good response rate. I am still not ready to call anyone a liar over it though.

There are also other things I would question, like "how do you know which ones came in fastest if you only turned the lights on once at the end of the test"? Whether they came at 30 seconds with a handcall or 4.5 mins with the electronic, you would never know.Imho

I am not trying to ruffle feathers on any side of this issue and I know that it looks like I am sticking up for the guy and calling him on a few things at the same time. Its because I am and I apologize to anyone I have offended. I think it is a great effort and test to do and It makes for something to think on for sure.

What gets me the most is what I have seen on here before, and that is rather that cosidering the idea, it just seems that we(self included) simply wait here in ambush for and idea that we disagree with and can hardly conceal our zeal to prove someone wrong or a liar. It appears to me that with his little experiment he was truly trying to contribute his best ideas (flawed or not) and got shot in the face for his effort. We hunt coyotes, not each other. :beer:

Papapete and Fallguy, there may be bad news for you. He may be educating coyotes in your area because NW MN is just across the river from you in NE ND. I dont want anyone educating coyotes like that around me either, and I dont care how good a hunter you are, you just made it harder and if that mindset makes me a poor hunter, then thats exactly what I am.

Sorry and I will get off my soapbox now I guess.

Best of luck to you all.

Jaybic


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## coyote_buster (Mar 11, 2007)

There is alot of things in that expirement that could cause for a biased conclusion.
This winter there has been snow on the ground almost the whole time so ou are ussually not very quiet on my approach so using an electronic caller would not be very practical.
But when hunting heavy cover it would be nice.


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## YoteSlapper (Mar 12, 2007)

I may need to be corrected on this but I believe it is illegal to cast a light on any wild animal (unless treed or at bay with a dog, ie raccoon).

I know we have the option to use a light for fox and coyote after Jan 1 in MN and I understand what is needed to be in compliance with that law, But we might want to check a bit more before we say it is OK to go out and practice our calling at night while searching with a light for animals.
I think it is against the law even if you do not have a gun.

dc240nt - the reason I mentioned this is because I did exactly what you did back in the 80's and I thought it would be a great way to teach myself to call. I used hand calls only and I got a lot of responses. I did it in the off season. Later I was told that might be illegal so I never did it again. But I never really checked into the legallity of it though.

Jaybic - I appreciated your response. Well thought out.

Good luck guys...

YoteSlapper


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## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

Good discussion people!

Jaybic nice post with a lot of good points. That is appreciated.

dc240nt- like I said I don't mean anything personal by it I just do not think that one experiment would justify to myself whether to not use hand calls or electronic. Personally I only use hand calls because a) I can't afford a good electronic right now and b) I get satisfaction out of calling them in with sounds that I make with a hand call. In the future though I will be buying an electronic caller. I think it is important to have in your calling arsenal. Like Levi said they have their place.

Yoteslapper- good point about the legality issue of it. I have heard of game wardens catching people on sites like this for poaching and other offenses. All posters should think about what they say prior to putting it on the Internet. Remember you are required to KNOW the laws, even if you don't know all of the laws...hope that makes sense.

As far as people calling right out of the pickup I hear of that more and more and it makes me uke: If you want to play in your pickup go cruise the strip.


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## varmit b gone (Jan 31, 2008)

Very good points in that post Fallguy


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