Electronic Game Calls vs. Hand Calls

[Lion Caller]

Here’s my take on an ongoing debate in the predator hunting & calling community that has no shortage of opinions.

As many people are aware, I spend most of my time calling and hunting mountain lions. My calling partner, Dave Martens, and I have had some excellent success calling cougars, and as a result we are often asked what kind of electronic callers are we using, if we use hand calls (and if so what type), what digital sounds are the best, and is there a “sequence” of sounds that bring lions to the call.

Arizona Mountain Lion Called by Mark Healy

First, I’ll tell you that I have not blown on a call in at least two years—probably more. I have been hugely successful with my digital caller. It gives me setup flexibility that I can’t get from a hand call, and moreover it gives me a library of digitally recorded animal sounds at my fingertips that I just can’t reproduce with hand calls. Am I saying that I wasn’t successful with my hand calls? No, certainly not. Over a period of 20 years (I started calling in 1986) I had become quite the master of my dying rabbit flutes and called a bunch of critters. However, once I got started with a high quality electric caller with a reliable remote control I dropped my hand calls like so many hot rocks.

I now use a Wildlife Technologies KAS-2030-ML exclusively when wildlife and predator calling. I tried a few other callers along the way and had some good success with a wired-speaker Johnny Stewart game caller that used cassette tapes. However, after I paid for some training with Steve Craig (The Lion King from Cottonwood Arizona) I found that a remote controlled unit was the way to go. After a lot of research and listening to various callers, I settled on the Wildlife Technologies caller that I have today. The endless number of ways that I can set up a stand with a remote controlled e-caller combined with the extensive library of perfectly clean and loud animal vocalizations has completely changed the way I hunt. I call far more animals now than I ever did before, and my consistency calling mountain lions is directly attributable to using an electronic call with cougar vocalizations on it.

No matter what electronic caller you choose, if you buy one that’s high quality and commit to learning how to use it, it will add a whole new dimension to your sport. If you’re a wildlife photographer or a hunter, the advantages are the same. You can call more animals, put their attention and keen eyes somewhere else, and capture more images or pelts. My last word of caution!! Buy the best electronic game caller your budget allows. I wasted a lot of money on cheap versions that collectively would have bought me my good one the first time.

Does an electronic game call give me an “unfair advantage”? I certainly don’t think so. I still have days where I don’t call a darn thing. I also know plenty of hunters who have purchased electronic callers who haven’t improved their success rates at all. You still have to understand the animals you’re calling, pre-scout and know your calling areas, and know how to use the e-caller effectively (sounds, volume control, unit placement, etc.). Success is always determined by how many hours are spent in the field, learning and understanding.

Good hunting and I’ll see you in the field,

Mark Healy

[sureshot]

I have gotten inbetween 150 and 230 coyotes the last 4 winters,from nov till end of feb usually or till the hides rub, this is in between a full time job, were I hunt its open land and farmland, I find a hand call is 20 times more sucess rate, the less you move the better, crest a hill and you are screwed, they can see you as far away as you can call, the extra time setting up the digital and gettign all ready is more time for them to see you moving, I also believe the same with decoys, sure they do help, but if a coyote is call shy change up the sound or like I do go to full vocalization, there curiosity and there strong urge to keep there territory will bring them in 95% of the time! the only time I use a digital is when its so windy and calling were a coyote will deffinatly wind you I set it so I will get a shot first, out of the 170 I got last year I know more that 4 were not shot over the digital!! The type of call is only part of it, the biggest part is knowing the animal, and its behavior, understanding there vocalization is my biggest sucess, I know since I started with the howler about 5 years ago on every stand and changing it up as the mating season progresses I have increased my sucess by 100%. I am deffinatly not runnign down digital, but there are a ton of guys around here that use them and I will get 2-3 times more coyotes than them every single day,plus the rush of calling in a coyote with your mouth is so satisfying, and the more you hunt the more you learn and you can do little things that no digital will ever think of doing to help bring them in, one of my favorite things in late winter when call shy is to use 2 howlers one higher pitched and one lower[male and female] start witha invitation howl from female, then a greeting from the male blowint both in different directions, then in 5 minutes or so give a few yips with the female sounding like the male is playing a bit, then go into a wimpering sound like she is being bred, no disress at all, but if there is a coyote in vacinity they will come in, both pairs, maleslooking or females looking, they either want to breed be bred or kick the tresspassers out! little sequences like this I have not found on digital yet[maybe after telling this they will be lol] these are the reasons I like hand by far over digital!!

just my opinion of the type of land I hunt !!

[Lion Caller]

Sureshot,

I see your point and I talked with a few guys in AZ that feel the same way.

One of the gentlmen from Tucson told me that he uses an electronic but sets it next to him to keep from getting busted while setting out in the field. ---that seems to negate the need for a remote controlled caller---

I still like the animal sounds & vocalizations that I can produce with my ecaller that I personally can't make with my hand calls. Some guys can do a WIDE number of calls. I just don't have the ability.

One last thing - I'm usually on a stand (when calling mountain lions) for an hour or more. That's a whole lotta huffin and puffin with a mouth call.

Best of luck to you this season,

Mark Healy

[sureshot]

thanks, best of luck to you to!!next weekend I will prob start, have to fill my archery mulie tag first!

question for you first, when big cats come in do they sneek usually or in full run, we are getting a good size population here in southern sask and they are protected, I think if you ever shot one you would spend more time than shooting a person lol!!a couple years back we called a big bottom and it was snowing as we left we had fresh cat tracks follow beside ours coming in about 60 yards behind us, I was a bit worried being so close to a cat!! I am just worried about having one sneek in on us, I always work the wind so I can see downwind and not very often in thick bush,still bymyself its deffinatly something to think about, I doubt if howling would detour one from coming in, but when in bush cuntry do not use it much hoping for a bobby to come in!!

Anything you can think of to detour a couger that will not a bobby or coyote?? just hate to see one and have to shoot it and loose my hunting privlages!!thanks!!!

[Lion Caller]

question for you first, when big cats come in do they sneek usually or in full run, we are getting a good size population here in southern sask and they are protected, I think if you ever shot one you would spend more time than shooting a person lol!!a couple years back we called a big bottom and it was snowing as we left we had fresh cat tracks follow beside ours coming in about 60 yards behind us, I was a bit worried being so close to a cat!! I am just worried about having one sneek in on us, I always work the wind so I can see downwind and not very often in thick bush,still bymyself its deffinatly something to think about, I doubt if howling would detour one from coming in, but when in bush cuntry do not use it much hoping for a bobby to come in!!

Anything you can think of to detour a couger that will not a bobby or coyote?? just hate to see one and have to shoot it and loose my hunting privlages!!thanks!!!

Sureshot- sorry about the delay getting back to you - been hunting.

As far as mountain lions coming to the call, i have seen them seak in and I have seen them blast the doors down running toward the speaker. However, most of the time they sneak in - using all available cover to get close to the sound source.

My experience tells me that they are not aggressive when they come in, but rather they are shy and back out quickly when they detect danger. A mature cougar is big and imposing, but I have never felt that I was in danger when we called one.

As far as a sound that might keep a cougar from coming in...

I can't think of one. We have had them come in after several different sounds have been playing. Lions will eat a coyote if given the chance, so a coyote howl shouldn't have any effect.

If you get a chance to call and see a lion up there in Canada - enjoy the moment. I believe you'll find exactly what we did. One they know you're there, they quietly dissappear just as quietly as they came in. It's amazing how quietly 160 lbs can glide through heavy cover.

Have a great season,

Mark Healy