How often do you change calls?

T

ThomC

New member
I bought a new Inferno and havent called in a thing so I play with the thing trying different sounds. Last time out I was playing with toy and looked up and you guess it a coyote was looking at me. My question is how long do you wait to change sounds to find out what they want? Also if you start with a howl will that eliminate a bobcat or fox from coming in?
tongue_smilie.gif
 
Originally Posted By: ThomCLast time out I was playing with toy and looked up and you guess it a coyote was looking at me.

now if you are capable of putting 2 and 2 together you will have learned a good lesson.

start a sound, put remote down, pay attention and watch.

nothing shows in 15 to 30 minutes go try it all over again someplace else.

running through every sound on an electronic caller is not for me. i hate for every animal in the area to hear every sound on the caller at one time. good luck.
 
I usually play a sound for 8 minutes or so, pause for 1 minute then switch the sound. I do this the entire time on stand.
I never start with a howl simply because I hunt where fox and bobcats "could be".When I do howl it's usually halfway through my stand. Idk if it will hurt my stand if I start with a howl or not. I just don't do it. I'm using my ecall less and less every time I go out so swapping between ecall and hand calls give me more to change up
 
Last edited:
Usually no more than 2-3 per stand. Kind of like fishing, change lures or baits till you find what works. But give each ample time to give a fair shake. And not all predators (even the same species) are the same when it comes to what sound may trigger a response.
 
Just depends on the time of year or what I'm trying to call in,how pressured the area is or if I've missed a coyote in an area. I might not play but one early on when coyotes are still oblivious to calls. Later on I'll switch to a different sound about every 5 minutes most of the time. Not so much on coyotes as on bobcat stands. And it's more for me than it is for the bobcat. I don't like sitting there and listening to the same thing over and over and over again for 30+ minutes. But I also figure they might get distracted easier if they're just hearing the same thing or if they hang up just switching sounds might get them to keep coming.

If a cat is in an area I'm calling and I know it I won't do anything but distress sounds. I'm sure howling wouldn't hurt though. I've called in a coyote and bobcat on the same stand a few different times so I don't think a bobcat is too concerned about it. They hear coyotes howl all the time.
 
Last edited:
I use the Foxcast feature some. I can program in sounds with pre-set volumes and periods of silence and then not have to mess with the remote during the stand. It takes a little figuring out to get started on but works well. I like the Foxbang feature too that will switch to a kiyi when I shoot.
 
everyone has their own method. None are 100% the right answer and none are wrong. You need to see what fits your style and the amount of land you have to cover.

To start with I'm not a patient person and rarely stay on stand more than 15 minute regardless of species I'm calling. I change sounds every 3-5 minutes. And I cover a lot of ground. If I had limited access, I would likely make longer stands.I rarely use coyote vocalizations except during breeding/dening season. I have on more than one occasion called cats after using an assortment of coyote vocalizations. To my knowledge no fox. I can tell you this, bobcats DO NOT like Sow Hysteria or pig mama! I've created sounds for hogs, predators,deer,turkey,crows and the occasional jogger!

Again my recommendation is to read through and see which method most fits your hunting style and the amount of land you have for calling.
 
It’s nice to read all this and know that I’m not doing things completely wrong lol. Do you guys change the volume a lot? I haven’t seen a single coyote in about 12 stands straight, and just trying to see what I can change or if I’m doing things wrong.
 
Before you consider my answer, understand that I have miles and miles of available ground with wide open spaces. I don't worry too much about blowing something out or burning an area. I also call coyotes almost exclusively, so the described technique is tailored to them.

I generally start with a higher pitched sound, a bird or rodent perhaps. I'll start at mid-volume on the Shockwave and work my way up to full volume over the course of about three to five minutes. Then I lower the volume to nothing and switch to a mid-range sound, perhaps a coarser bird or high pitched rabbit. Then I ramp it up over the same three to five minutes. The I repeat the cycle with something loud and proud like Lightning Jack
grin.gif
. I'm usually looking for a 12-16 minute stand. If the area looks real good, or critters have been slow to respond, I'll add another sound and go for up to 20 minutes. That's usually all I can take though. Sometimes I'll toss some coyote or fox distress sounds at the end just to see what I can stir up. I may replace any of the sounds above with hand calls, or even blow a hand call while the e-caller is playing.
 
Originally Posted By: Predator 22-250It’s nice to read all this and know that I’m not doing things completely wrong lol. Do you guys change the volume a lot? I haven’t seen a single coyote in about 12 stands straight, and just trying to see what I can change or if I’m doing things wrong. I start out on 8 on my FoxPro Inferno then switch to 10 about 5 minutes in. Then I'll bump it up to 12 depending on what sounds I'm using. For example if I'm using Lightning Jack I leave it on 10. I never turn it all the way up unless I'm using vocals. How hard the wind is blowing has a lot to do with it too though. I don't like calling real loud. A coyote can hear that call from a long ways.

I don't start out very loud at all when I'm using a mouth call. Just squeaks and then get louder gradually. If something is right up close I don't want to blow it out of the country because I scared it half to death. Which has almost happened. I think it was one of the first coyotes I killed last Winter. I started calling and it jumped out from behind some sagebrush 20-25 yards from me. It ran about 50 yards and turned around to see what was making that noise. He died.
 
Last edited:
Thanks, all good answers. The best one for me was "now if you are capable of putting 2 and 2 together you will have learned a good lesson.

start a sound, put remote down, pay attention and watch."

I also noticed that the best answers IMHO were from the posters with the higher post count. Experience counts.
 
My stands change with the seasons and with the predators that I am hunting. Most of my winter stands are 12-18 minutes, running squeaks to start, then jack rabbit or cottontail, then bird, then canine distress. Usually 3-4 minutes each.

When coyotes are pairing up or breeding, then I start with howls and go silent for 5-6 minutes. Then into some puppy distress. They are more interested in what the other coyotes are doing than eating.

Summer months I run a lot of bird calls and puppy distress calls and not so much with rabbit calls.

I run the 3 strikes rule. Call 3 stands the same way. No takers, time to change something. Might be volume, might be the calls. That's how you figure out the patterns and how they shift.
 
Boy, it really depends on the set and how the coyotes are responding.

I will typically use the same sound throughout the whole set, usually about 30 minutes of alternating silence. But, if I get a response on my last howl before I go, I'll switch to set up like a fight with a challenger. I've had piles of luck doing that switch over to a challenge howl. Seems to drive that dominant male crazy.

Also, I've had luck with switching calls when I get busted or get winded. If they're coming in and something spooks em, I'll switch to pup squeal or lip squeak and it just stops em long enough as to get a shot off. But you gotta be ready!

Good luck.
 
Back
Top