two way radios

I do most of my hunting at night so if a kill is made the shooter must travel with a flashlight to find it, while one guy stays back at the truck with the spotlight.

A two way radio (which I currently do not own) would be a handy tool in guided the man on the ground in the direction of the kill.
 
Albert, I've been using Midland FRS radios for a couple of years. The FRS radios usually have 14 channels with 38 sub-channels for each of the 14 channels. Since they are FCC regulated, one brand can be used to talk to someone with another brand. I've had excellent luck with the Midland radios and have talked to people at, or near, the 2 mile limit of the radios. Motorola probably makes the biggest selection of these radios. They too, are an excellent product. I would think that the other radio makers also produce a pretty good product too. Cobra, Uniden, and Audiovox are a few other brands. I don't use my radio for predator hunting. I use it while deer hunting in case I shoot a deer or just to check what the other hunters from camp are seeing. They come in handy while working around the camp property in the summer too. They are never used in the taking of animals either. I've noticed that more and more people use them every year. I think that you'll find they make a great tool for hunting and all around general use. MI VHNTR
 
I use talkabouts 250, Its great for hunting,it has saved me alot of miles of walking, when coyote calling, in open country, my partner sits about 100 yards away and we can cover more area, we use ear buds, so we can whisper,with less movement, we see a lot more coyotes, that we may have not seen.
 
Albert,
Talkabouts are the way to go. My dad I use them all the time. From fishing to hunting. The only problem with them is if one person gets on the other side of ridge from the other you get a lot of static or lose each other. One spot we hunt in NY we can talk to each other like we are 3 ft. apart, when in reality we are 1 1/2 miles from each other. One of the best investments I've bought. If you have any Dick's Sporting Good stores up there keep an eye out for them. They have been going down in price, and when they put them on sale, they usually have a mail in rebate offer. They are more than worth the price if you hunt with friends or family. Good luck. Shoot straight and shoot often, Bob
 
Me and snowbound have considered them but i still need to make sure they are legal to use in ND. I think if you could get some "drive thru" headsets they would work great out in the western part of the state to cover all the deep ravines around you.

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"Aim small = miss small"
 
There are two types of radios people use when hunting: VHF and UHF.

VHF Radios, also called marine radios, are intended to be used when boating out on the water for emergencies, ship-to-ship communications, weather alerts, etc. The handheld units go up to 5 Watts in power, which in the right terrain will easily get you 5+ miles of range. If connected to a external antenna in a vehicle, range increases up to 15+ miles if the terrain is relatively flat. Companies are starting to offer more accessories such as ear pieces and headsets for VHF Radios, but they still lack behind UHF Radios. A license is not required for their use, but I don't believe it is legal to use marine radios on land for any purpose other than weather alerts. That said, alot of people use them for hunting! If you're not near an area with alot of water and boat usage, interference with other non-hunting users should be minimal. Midland makes a good VHF Radio.

UHF Radios come in two flavors. The Family Radio Service (FRS) Band Radios do not require an FCC license, but are limited to a 2 mile range due to their low power of 1/2 Watt or so. The last time I checked, there were limited accessories available for these 14-channel radios, but that may have changed lately.

The second type of UHF Radios run in the General Mobile radio Service (GMRS) Frequency Band and go up to 5 Watts in the handheld radios. Distance is similar to the VHF Radios with the same power, but there are tons of accessories. An FCC license is required for legal use, but most people ignore that fact. GMRS Frequencies are also used by many businesses, so interference is often encountered with business such as small trucking companies and large farming operations with repeaters, etc. Motorola makes a good UHF GMRS Radio called the talkabout which are sold by Cabela's.

We've been using UHF GMRS Radios for coyote hunting for 10+ years in Illinois and Wisconsin. It is illegal to use the radios to direct people to game, especially if vehicles are involved, but are legal to use during the hunt to keep track other hunters, coordination, etc. There's a fine line on the issue of using the radios to direct people to game, but most game wardens don't bother people when the radios are used to hunt game such as coyotes. We have never had any game wardens question our hunting with the radios.

Is it ethical to use radios to hunt coyotes? I believe so. Without the radios, hunters on foot have almost no chance of getting coyotes. The coordination that the radios allow is the key. I would argue that using the radios is just as ethical as using an electronic game caller (which I use) or electronic tracking collars on dogs, etc. I guess it just depends on your point of view!
 
I honestly don't know how we did without two-way radios for so long. We take them with us on every excursion. It gives you the upper hand in just about any situation, most of the time the coyotes think they are being so sneaky when they are shot. If you know the area where you are hunting very well it almost makes it an unfair advantage. They are definitely as necessary as a weapon.
We use the Motorola radios because they have very good range, all kinds of accessories (headsets etc.) and all models are compatible.

[This message has been edited by Crazy Coyote (edited 12-14-2001).]

[This message has been edited by Crazy Coyote (edited 12-14-2001).]
 
HI, Abert I pick up some Motorola 250 's at Dick's Sporting goods and love them. I was thinking about hiding one in the bushes and using it for some remote lip squeaks while calling. WOW 2miles how far does your remote go??? The plan is placing one radio a few hundred feet away say on my left and putting my speaker on my right. And using it if need to guide the dog where I want him to go.
 
Hi Snowbound, I gave $25 each a Dick's Sporting good on sale in Oct this year. They were on sale $10 off at the store $15 rebate from Motorola, $10 off for signing up for the store credit card with a $50 purchase. I'm thinking day after Christmas sale might be a good time for you to pickup a pair on sale. These Radios are great NO INTERFERENCE from trees like CB's. I talked 2 1/2 mile on mine the first night I had them.
 
Ya know...I've been hunting coyotes for friggin years..but it never ceases to amaze me of my STUPIDITY! Here I am, reading these posts...have a couple of those FRS radios that I use while tubing the lakes out here, was gonna post how crappy they were for hunting, used them "once" for deer hunting..damn paging thing went off with a buck no less than 20 feet away..buh bye buck...anyway, what a great idea about the lip squeak thing! Used by itself or in conjunction with a elect./hand caller! I mean there has GOT to be times when it could save the day. Who was it?...Rusty?...damn good idea!

There ya go Rusty..thinkin outside the box!..excellent idea!

Bob

[This message has been edited by Big Jerk (edited 12-18-2001).]
 
I use cobras. I love 'em. Last weekend in ND I was hunting with a new, young coyote hunter. I got on the radio when two coyotes were approaching. Told him to just stay calm, not to move, etc etc. Worked good. He got his first coyote.

I seldom hunt without them.

Randy

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Hunting the Red Fox
 
There back! On sale that is. Dick's Sporting goods has the Motorola 250's on sale again 24.98 if you sign up for the credit card ($10 off first purchase ) Sign up for the credit card as soon as you get there then they can approve you while you shop.
 
nd coyote killer,

My understanding of the law is that they ARE legal in ND.

They are NOT legal in Minnesota without a permit. I'm guessing that it would be easy enough to get one for coyotes though. I know the guys that run coyotes with hounds around here use them and have permits.

Randy

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http://www.geocities.com/yosemite/gorge/5460
Hunting the Red Fox
 
the radios i use is motorola distance dps we love them and they have 5 mile range on flat ground and they will work with frs radios my cost on them is about 160.00 have 7 of them
 
I use a pair of Motorola Radius P-10's, they were $300.00 a pair, and batteries, well they are the EXPENSIVE part, even though rechargable, they have never lasted very long for me @ 40 bucks a pop. I dont know if there is something I am doing wrong when charging them or what?? They are NiCD batteries, just a little bit bigger than a "AA" and they are 7.5 Volts(In a 3 pack). On the package they say 3 HR/16 HR charge. I try not to over-charge them, but they just dont last..any suggestions?
 
I got a pair of Bell South 14 channel radios.I haven't had the chance to use them yet I hunt mostly solo.But the idea of placing one out and lip squeeking into it might work as long as the yote couldn't hear you lip squeek into the mike.

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Ray
"Any bad day huntin' is bettern any good day workin'"

"If they run they will only die tired"
 


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