Satisfaction in hand calling vs. FX3

CWeeks

CWeeks

New member
Well after reading the post by GJJ about hand calls I decided that there is more satisfaction in hand calling. Do you guys see it the same? I have heard of many of you fellas selling the Foxpros and other electronic calls and going strictly with hand calls, heck even one of my hunting pals from this site cjg_beef has done it. I love the FX3 it has been great for me but the satisfaction of hand calling is calling my name.
I got hooked coyote hunting and had a hard time with figuring out the hand calls so I bought the Foxpro and am now ready to give the hand calls another try. What I would like is to hear from some of you custom call makers to let me know of a good versatile call that is easy to learn how to use. By versatile I mean one that I can have a rabbit in distress and has the capability of some howls also.
I want to go out with my rifle, 2 hand calls or so and be able to have the results I have had with the Foxpro I am sure that it won't come easy but I want to call the dogs in with the hand calls. Also if you can suggest any good instructional videos.... that will help I would appreciate it greatly.
Those of you that have switched from the E-Callers do you really feel a stronger sense of accomplishment?
 
The satisfaction is in the set-up, the woodsmanship of knowing the animals behaviors and biology, scouting the territory and locating sign, deducing where the animals are, picking the exact right place to put your rear on the ground, knowing where the coyote is going to come from, then getting him in a place where you can get a decent shot by using the terrain, wind, and his instincts against him, choosing to make sounds that appeal to the critter enough to make it want to respond, not blowing the stand by moving and being impatient, handling the animal when it shows, and finally marksmanship and making the shot count. Calling is really just a relatively small percentage of the overall experience.
 
I've been blowing those hand calls now for over 40 years and though I'd like to have an electronic caller I've never bought one.

Some of it has to do with the style of calling sets I do. I usually call for no more than 15 to 20 minutes for coyotes and then move to a different set. If I don't have a coyote come in by that time there either out of range or have been educated and won't come in to any call I blow.

I do like a little rubber bulb mouse squeaker for a stopper. Just hold it in the hand along with the forearm and usually one squeeze will freeze an incoming coyote.

I've got a variety of over the counter calls including Primos. All of them seem to work ok.

GC said it really well.

Idaho canyon country, a coyote hotel.

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GC,
But even though calling is a small percentage don't you think that it is one of the most important? No matter what the other aspects are doing if the call isn't right and it sounds terrible will that not reduce the results? I say that it will. For 2 1/2 years I went hunted yotes with hand calls and never called one in got a foxpro and all of the sudden the results were pouring in. In the past 2 years with it I have killed ,many yotes.
So now that I have figured a lot of the other things on your list out a little better now I am thinking that even though it is still just as satisfying to call yotes in I am thinking that being able to do it with hand calls may increase the satisfaction level just a bit.
 
use hand calls and e-calls together to complement each other. For example a Howler in conjunction with a e-callers prey sound. That way you get the best of the 2 worlds.
 
Quote:
But even though calling is a small percentage don't you think that it is one of the most important? No matter what the other aspects are doing if the call isn't right and it sounds terrible will that not reduce the results?



To answer your question, no, not really. Skill with the call does play a part in the overall success of a stand. However, critters can, and, will at times respond to some of the worst sounds you've ever heard. Predators do not always respond from hunger, there are other reasons for them to respond to a call. You can be the most talented caller in the country but if you don't know anything about the critter being hunted, don't choose the right time of day, factor in weather, the right habitat and terrain, don't play the wind, don't examine the terrain and set-up location so as to place the responding animal where you can get the right shot, move around on the stand and figit, then not know how to play a responding animal to give you the best opportunity for a shot, and finally not have the shooting skills to make the shot when it is presented - YOU WON'T KILL ANYTHING REGARDLESS OF HOW SWEET THE SOUNDS ARE COMING FROM THE CALL. No doubt the call/sounds are a part of the picture, but IMHO, there are other more important aspects of killing predators than the actual sound made. Should you not practice and develope skills at calling? Absolutely, just don't put all your eggs in one basket and expect to enjoy success. Some of the best predator killers in the country are crusty old timers with a weathered old rifle, silver worn from use, dressed in drab Carhartt's instead of the latest fashion craze camo, with a couple of inexpensive factory calls hanging from a lanyard around their neck. But they're savvy woodsmen and know what to do, how to do it, and most importantly WHERE to do it. I'm not trying to take the fun out of calling, I enjoy it also and have way too many handcalls, and an FX3 to boot. But I know if I don't plan the stand right and then mess it up along the way, I'm not gonna see anything regardless what sound, or, how sweet it sounds. For me, the skill part is in the set-up. Anybody can throw a swith on an E-caller and make fantastic sounds. Learning to handcall with emotion isn't difficult on a handcall. But check out how many post there are from new hunters about not being able to get a shot at a coyote even though they have the latest fanciest caller/calls. Right...? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
GC knows of what he speaks. Somebody here, I think it was Uncle Jay, Rich H, Mr. Blair, or?????? called in a coyote playing Mary Had a Little Lamb on a hand-call. Years ago I called one in while trying to play Camptown Races on an old Circe. The actual sounds are a very small part of calling and killing coyotes.
 
E-callers(FX3) are just a tool in acomplishing the task at hand.Hand calls are great.Light to pack around,easy to use,and are what I use MOST of the time.But the FX3 gives you a huge advantage in some situations,especially when you want to get the source of the sound away from you or need/want to use a sound that is difficult or impossible to make with a hand call.A smart caller knows when and how to use both to his advantage to get the most out of his calling.

Good Hunting Chad
 
I have had just the opposite luck with a foxpro. I had bought one years ago and never called anything in, switched to a handcall and have never went back. I just bought a FX3 because I want to try hunting bobcats and read they are very helpful in bobcat hunting. I have a bad feeling I wont call anything in with the foxpro, but you give me hope. I think I like the handcalls becuause it gives me something to do, but I think I will feel I accomplished just as much if I call one in to range with the foxpro.
 
GC has put it together very well, his post is a keeper. Generally, I prefer hand calling but to add another aspect, I use a Foxpro when in bear country (as in Grizzly) just for safety reasons for me and the bear. Only once have I been really close to a griz with nothing between it and me but 20 yards of air and my video camera. Never again!
 
I do agree with you in that the call is not the absolute answer to yote hunting. There is a lot of learning to do in the setup the animals behavior. What is best in certain situations are the worst in others, but the reason I presented this topic is that with hand calls I never called in anything before the foxpro. When I made the switch I didn't change the setup or how I tried to call and suddenly I was calling in the yotes when before I had had ZERO success with hand calls. This is why I feel that the sound is a small percentage of the whole experience but VERY important part of that. I want to learn some hand calls and use them with the foxpro.
I am not disagreing with what you said though, cause I do believe that all the other stuff is also very important. I am wondering how others feel about hand calling as opposed to e-calling. The reason I am thinking that I want to hand call to feel more satisfaction is that anybody can push a button on an ecaller and get lucky but if I can do it with a hand caller I think that for me the actual enjoyment and satisfaction would be a little better.
 
I dont know why you killed zero coyotes while using hand calls. I think if I went for any lenght of time without killing coyotes with hand calls I would consider buying a Foxpro.
I have always used hand calls and went to using a remote Foxpro last year. It works great and is better in alot of situations than a hand call. I dont use the Foxpro all the time but I use it alot.
The Foxpro is better for fooling weary coyotes and working the wind to your advantage than a hand call.
No brainer, the sound is away from the caller and you have all the advantages over the coyote if he decides to check out the sounds, I almost always look downwind of the Foxpro later in the season.
I used to make hand calls and I must say that there is nothing more gratifying than calling in a coyote/cat/fox using a hand call.
The Foxpro's are expensive and anyone with a little knowledge about calling can have success using one. The Foxpro works great!! I would hate to be without mine!
I must add that if I had a choice of using just one call for the rest of my life, I would probably go with the hand call though. Ron
 
I've always enjoyed using hand calling. I've made some of my own calls and it's real exciting to have them come in. This past winter I called in my first two bob cats ever. I didn't get either one, one was out of season. But the other one was in season and I was really excited when the cat showed up in my sights. Setups, calling, and winds all make for a good hunting experience. Im always learning new tricks every time I go out and I'm coming up on 60 /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif GENE'O
 
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