I have to disagree with at least one of the points made. First, regarding FX-5 cougar sounds. 44 said: "I have recently listened to an FX3 upgraded to a five and I would not play the coug sounds I heard to a cougar. I would play the house cat fight .... I thought it had merit." Wow. This line of thought is going to severely limit success. I've called cougars with a JS-512, an old foxpro 416, the newer FX-5. All using cougar sounds. Two times that I witnessed, these cats literally came on the run. One of the others I couldn't see till it entered the stand so it may have ran in as well. It was standing there trying to communicate with the caller, answering the sounds coming out of the FX-5. To claim that foxpros cougars sounds have no merit is lets say...disingenuous at the very least, to put it nicely. I've called them in using prey sounds alone but they seem to hang up more for whatever reason. I know they can be called in successfully with prey sounds alone. Heck I know a guy that called a big tom last season with a handcall in 10 minutes first time he ever called cougars, but it seems to be consistently less effective.
44 I have a lot of respect for you as a predator hunter. Don't think I'm trying to start anything. I'm typing with a smile. It's just that in my opinion the statement regarding cougar vocals is not accurate. I've seen it work too many times to believe otherwise. I'm not claiming to be an expert or to have any special knowledge about cougar hunting but I have done a heck of a lot of calling for them with distress/ prey sounds alone vs. adding vocals to the mix. If a caller is limiting himself to only prey sounds then I can see why he would be happy "just calling a cat to your proximity". I'm not trying to push foxpro. I really don't care what caller a person buys. (Although it would certainly be a good choice. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif ) Foxpro is doing fine without my help.
I will say this though. I spoke with a frustrated fella that was intensely calling the exact same area I was last season. He called my house after I got my cat and wanted to know what sounds I was using and how. After being very vague with the details because I'm not going to just give away what I have many hours experimenting into, I asked what caller he was using. He said a WT. He was ready to sell it and get an FX-5. I told him I doubted switching callers was going to change his luck. Now anyone with even a little experience knows it isn't as much the caller as being in the place where the cats are. He may go in this year and call one the first day and I'll get skunked if he is in the right place and uses his caller right. Whatever caller you use though, sound selection and how you use them is critical. Foxpros cougar sounds are valuable and effective. I spoke with a another guy on the phone toward the end of last season. He didn't live here and had a new FX-5. I shared with him what worked for me. The next weekend he sent me pics of the cougar he called and harvested. He called cougars only a handful of times before that. I've spent a lot of time trying different things and have narrowed it down to a few things that seem to work. I'll see if it keeps panning out over the next few years. I can assure you cougar vocals will play a key role though.
Respectfully, Curt