# Calls?



## dfisher (Oct 12, 2007)

I've never really hunted coyotes. Just wondering about calling them in. Do you guys prefer electronic or mouth calls for your calling. Can you also give me some tips or advice. Looking forward to trying it this winter, as I see a lot of them around here.
I plan on shooting a .308 Win. at them. Is that too much gun? 
What about the pelts? Worth anything and do you fellas skin and strech them?
Thanks a bunch,
Dan


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## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

Lots of questions for you never having hunted. Read up on the threads on this page...there are lots of them.

After that when you have some specific questions ask one at a time. Then you will probably get better answers. :thumb:


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## weasle414 (Dec 31, 2006)

dfisher said:


> I've never really hunted coyotes. Just wondering about calling them in. Do you guys prefer electronic or mouth calls for your calling. Can you also give me some tips or advice. Looking forward to trying it this winter, as I see a lot of them around here.
> I plan on shooting a .308 Win. at them. Is that too much gun?
> What about the pelts? Worth anything and do you fellas skin and strech them?
> Thanks a bunch,
> Dan


Great bunch of questions. They're pretty standard around on here when the season starts to set in.

I'll use nothing but mouth calls, I won't waste my time or money with electronics.

Play the wind, the dogs will try to circle down wind from the sound so keep an eye downwind. Don't set up where you know they'll smell you before you get a shot. Use brushy areas to your advantage, tuck yourself into patches of brush where they'll have to get real close to see what's making the sound. Also, don't let the coyotes bust you on your way in or out. If a coyote sees you, just leave. You won't want them to get educated and realize what's really making the sounds you use to try to call them in.

.308's just fine. I really wanna get a .308 myself, it's a really versitile caliber. It may be a bit "too much" if you're planning on selling the hides, but if it's all you have it'll do just fine. The hides are worth alot at their peak, but a 30 caliber might be a bit big for shooting to sell.


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## dfisher (Oct 12, 2007)

weasle414, thanks for the info. 
I don't know how wary these dogs are around here but I see a bunch of them when I'm out scouting ducks and geese. By a bunch I mean, for a while, I was seeing one a day in different places. Hear a lot too, at night. 
Had a two run by when I was set up for geese in a field a few weeks ago. Either two different animals or the same one twice. I think they were young of year and possibly stalking my goose decoys?

You prefer jack rabbit or cottontail calls for calling. I would suspect that a fairly loud call would be in order with the wind here on the plains?

Yea, the old .308 is what I got. Old gun but very accurate. I plan on trying to find some lighter grained bullets for it and sight it for about 100 yards. I'm not much of a :sniper: so that's about my limit, I think :lol:

Glad I didn't ask too much for you to digest, and I really appreciate the help. I'm no cherry to hunting as a whole, but to coyote hunting I am.

Thanks again,
Dan


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## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

dfisher

If that is the gun you are comfortable with by all means use it. If you get hooked you can buy another one later.

Yes, on the windy days it helps to have a loud call. I like the Crit R CAll Standard for a loud open reed call. To get started you can use a closed reed but I would eventually move up to an open reed. You can get more variety of sound with one call that way.


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## SDHandgunner (Jun 22, 2004)

I can't really comment on the .308 (never had one), but I do know from the couple Fox and a Coyote I have shot with a .30-06 that it really messes em up, especially when you hit bone.

In ragards to calls, that can be a tricky subject. Some guys may have stumbled onto their SECRET WEAPON so to speak, and don't want the whole world knowing what they are using so everyone goese out and buys that specific call so all of a sudden that is the only sound the coyotes are hearing.

The big thing in my opinion with mouth calls is that no two people blow the same call in exactly the same manner so they do indeed produce slightly different sounds. Then again there are some calls that are just plain harder to blow than others (well at least for me anyway).

With all of that said I have definately tried my fair share of different mouth calls over the years. In fact the very first call I had was not a mouth call but rather a Scotch BELLOWS call in that you worked the bellows to produce the sounds. Man I could make some distressful sounds with that call, but unfortunately a lot of movement was invloved in using the call.

I then switched to mouth blown calls and started with a couple different closed reed calls. The first was a Lohman / Circe 3 way Adjustable Tone Call. This one has a mouth piece that rotates to line up with one of the three different reeds in the call body. To be honest this is the only closed reed call that has stuck around here throughout the years, and I still use it from time to time.

I also have used a Sceery AP3 Jackrabbit Distress Mouth Call. Man I loved that call and could produce some really terrifying sounds with it. It also produces a raspy sound. The problem with this call like a lot of closed reed calls is that it freezes up quite easily in cold temperatures.

I then switched to a Sceery AP7 Open Reed Distress Call. After hours of practicing I was finally able to produce about the same sounds on the AP7 that I could produce on the AP3, and the AP7 doesn't freeze up. The other thing I learned with use is I could produce way more different sounds on the Open Reed AP7 that I could produce on the closed reed AP3.

I then picked up a couple of different Crit'R'Calls, the Song Dog and the Mini Predator. The Song Dog (in my opinion) doubles as a Distress Call for windy days and also as a Coyote Howler, and that is how I use it. The Crit'R'Call Mini Predator is the call I usually start every stand with as it is not so loud and can be controlled better (at least for me when trying to call softly to start with). Both of these Crit'R'Calls are Open Reed Calls.

I have also used a Tally Ho Open Reed Predator Call. I have mixed emotions on the Tally Ho. Some days I can make it sound exactly like I want it to while other days all I blow are sour notes.

Another call I have been working with is the Primos / Randy Anderson Double Wammy. This is an Open Reed Call with two reeds in the mouth piece that you blow at the same time. With the megaphone attached it sounds like a pair of Coyotes Howling at the same time. I have also found that buy removing the megaphone I can make a great dualing rabbit distress sound. I have limited experience with this call as I haven't had it all that long, but the first time I used it I called in 4 coyotes all at the same time and they were MAD.

I have tried a lot of different mouth blown howlers over the years. Some I can blow and make sound like a Coyote, others I can not. My favorite happens to be an old WoodsWise Open Reed Howler (in modified form). I basically only use the mouth piece from this call. I made my own reed from blank reed material from Crit'R'Call (Rocky Mountain Wildlife Products), and placed the mouth piece into the Barrel / Megaphone from a Primos / Randy Anderson Hot Dog Howler (I just can not use the mouth piece and reed from the Primos / Randy Anderson Hot Dog Howler just like I can not use the Red Desert Howler either).

As stated no two people like or dislike the same calls for the most part and what works for me and what I can blow to produce the sounds I want may not work at all for you. To me it is an individual thing. Get out there and buy some calls and practice.

Larry


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## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

Wow Larry that was quite the post. Be careful so you don't get carpal tunnel syndrome! :lol:

He is right though everyone blows calls different. I have probably 30 or so different calls in my call box. I probably only realistically use 5 or 6 of them during a season (some grow on you). I do have a few custom calls and I will tell you that they are some of my favorite ones.


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## saskcoyote (Dec 30, 2006)

dfisher:
As to the question about a .308 being too large for coyotes, I've never shot a coyote with that caliber but I've shot them with a .270 and 30-30 while deer hunting. Those calibers make an absolute mess so I assume the .308 would do the same. Different types of bullet weights may make a bit of a difference and if you handload, you may be able to tune them even more, but I don't think you'll be able to obtain the same results as if you used a .22 caliber like a .223 or a .22-250. However, the main thing is use what you have, just get out there and have fun.

As for calls, you wondered about electronic calls. I noticed all the replies center on hand calls so I'll address the electronics.

I currently use a FoxPro FX3 and I've enjoyed good success with it. I can't say I've used hand calls very much although I have a couple of distress ones, a couple squeakers, and a howler. The howler is a Sceery model which I use as a locator when I'm trying to pinpoint yotes before sun up. The coyotes seem to like it because they talk to me all the time.

Both hand calls and electronic calls have their advantages. With hand calls there are a good many sounds you can make, and the price is a big plus.

I wouldn't give up my FoxPro because it has advantages over hand calls from my experience. First off is the volume, I can really let 'er rip and I've seen yotes a mile away take notice.

My FoxPro has a wide variety of distress sounds. I can make pretty reasonable rabbit distress calls with my hand calls but the coyote vocalizations are a different matter and this is where the electronic call shines. My vocalizations include interrogation, pup distress, male challenge, kiyi, female invitation, pup frenzy and more. Yes, there are probably guys who may be able to duplicate these sounds with a hand call but I know I certainly can't.

The longer I hunt coyotes, the more I try to vary and enlarge my repertoire, and vocalizations have become an important part of my arsenal (You may want to refer to my recent post entitled "Bad day for the dogs" in which I tried to give some detail about the different distress calls and vocalizations I use).

Another plus is that with the remote function, I can turn my FX3 on or off, or lower or increase the volume, as the situation dictates. I usually lay the FX3 30 to 50 yards from my stand so an incoming coyote focuses on the FX's location, not mine. Thus, I have a little leeway in moving, either to get the rifle to my shoulder, or to square myself to the coyote's approach.

The downside to an electronic call is the obviously higher price than a hand call and, in my case, I paid $500 for the FX3 but to me it's been worth every penny. I've been moderately successful in pursuing coyotes and I have to give much of the credit to the FX3.

Regardless of which route you go, you're going to have fun hunting yotes. Best of luck and shoot straight. Saskcoyote


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## dfisher (Oct 12, 2007)

Wow! Thanks for all the good tips.
So at what range do you guys shoot these coyotes...anyone ever use or try the Dead Coyote heavy shot yet? Do they get close enough for shotgun work at all?

Yea, I'm thinking that the .308 is going to mess them up pretty good. I use to have a real nice 22-250. Browning 1885 rolling block single shot. 6x18 Balvar scope, rebarreled with a Douglas bull bbl. Very nice and very very accurate. Good for Ohio woodchucks out to 300 or so, but like I said, I am not the best rifleman going. :lol: Sold it, but sorta miss it now.

I bought a call. It's a Circe by Lohman. I also have a old call that has a metal reed with a little rubber band around it that you can adjust for different sounds. Use to try to call foxes with it in Ohio. Never called one but have had hawks come in and hover over me. Kinda cool. Anyone familiar with this CIRCE call? Sounds pretty good to me but I don't know much about it.

saskcoyote touched on the FX-3 electronic. They are pretty pricey, but I guess I could justify that by using it on spring snow geese as well. Anyone else use the Fox Pro line of E-callers?

Thanks again,
Dan


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## 308 (Jul 10, 2007)

As for a 308 I think it would be fine if you don't hit the shoulder bone

try a full metal jacket or a hollowpoint :sniper:


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