Your 1st Predator Call....

Swampbird

Swampbird

New member
What was your 1st predator call? Well, mine was but wasn't a call at all.
In 1955, my dad bought me a Savage 311 12ga doublebarrel that I used to squirrel hunt with. No deer or turkeys around the house then. While squirrel hunting an abandoned homesite, I found a small, rubber black dog toy discarded on a woodland trashpile. The squeaker worked, so I stuck it in my pocket to take home for the pet housecat.
Squirrels weren't moving too well and after awhile, I began to 'squeak' the small black dog in hopes a squirrel would get interested and investigate. Squeak and wait and after about 10 mins., a grayfox appeared across the creekbottom and was coming toward me. He'd disappear and I'd squeak. He came faster and when he got within about 20yds he stopped and the Savage spit some #6 lead.
Talk about proud! This was one fox that wouldn't raid another henhouse. I kept that "Fox Call" in the vest and duped a score of fox and cat with it.
Finally got an Olt mouthcall, but my 1st was a toy "BlackDog" /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
I have always used my natural voice for Howling. First distress call was a Circe Jackrabbit made of green plastic purchased in the early 1960's. I still have it and used it up until about a year ago when I found the PM site and all of the great hand made calls available. Now I will have to spend this season testing all of my new calls.

Cactus Rat
 
My first call,I bought out of the classified adds in FF&G.Must have been @ 1972 or 1973.Still have and use it.Black Duck cottontail.Gone threw 9 or 10 voices.Rope
 
My first commercial call(s) were the Burnham Bros. calls on the far left of the photo. I bought the instuction record at the same time. The date on mailing was April 1967. I've been wanting to find a record player so I could listen to the record now. I wonder if the methods have changed at all?

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Not sure of first call, but second one was a Circe 1959 or 1960. I put most of the old records on a cassette, Burnhams, Circe, Weems, all sounds different. I've repeated several times about Bill Dudley showing me how to call, however I finally settled on calling that turned out to be about like Del Western. Yep old calls and old callers still works. BTW I still have several Burnhams and use them to test reeds before inserting in callls!!
Richard Grantham
 
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My first store bought call purchased some 20 odd years ago was a lohman cottontail.I stopped on the side of the road the night I bought it to try it out.After one long loud scream a rabbit answered from about five yards away.
 
My first predator call was a piece of strapping from a railroad siding bent to place the holes on top of each other.

First store bought call was a Weems. Second call was a Weems to replace the one I left in the woods.
 
Forst call was an old Olt call as well.

Jay, man you conjure up a lot of old memories when we used to play in an old "frog pond" just below the tracks. We'd find those pieces of straps and make whistles out of them Geez, that was a long time ago.
 
Hey Swampbird! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I like the way you described your first call. Mine was an old duck call my Dad was throwing away because the reed was split. That was back in the early 60's! Called in several fox and lots of feral cats with it. The old ".20" caliber Sheridan Streak dispatched more than it's share thanks to that raspy broken reed. I love the name you put on that call, "BlackDog"!

Uhmmm... ah... how much do I owe you now? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif

Nikonut /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
My first predator call was a Lohman cottontail. Called in my first predator(grayfox)with it. This wooden Circe is my second predator call. Bought it at a store north of Phoenix in 88 or 89. Looked brand new when I first got it and I later learned it was a couple decades old when I bought it. I've fooled a gang of coyotes with it.

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My first were actually a three pack of Lohman which had the standard squeeker, cottontail, and jack calls on one lanyard. In the early years of my calling, I was putting notches in each call when it called and I killed a predator. But I soon realized that if I kept notching the call, I wouldn't have anything left to use. I lost one of the calls but still have the other two.
 
Well my first had call was my own hand and mouth. I was out bowhunting whitetails when I see this gray fox about 70 yards from me. I put my palm to my lips and started to make some noises. Low and behold he turns and comes right for me. He stopped at about 15 yards and I gave him a zwicky hicky.(bowhunters you know what I mean /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif) I was 14 at the time. I sold him to the local fur buyer. I took the money and stopped at the local Coast to Coast hardwere store and bought my first real hand call. It was a Weems All-Call. The same as the third call from the left in Weasel's picture. I never used it much until two years a go and it helped me call in my first yote. I've ben hooked on hand calls and predator callig ever since. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Lights
 
my first was also the 3 pack lohmans (like songdog) that i bought in a local gunstore about 6 years ago, which i used to successfully call in my first predator, a young coyote that came bouncing toward me and bolted back in the brush at 5 yards!!! I didnt get a shot but that got me hooked on predator hunting and hand calls, now i want to start making my own calls and these forums just make that a higher priority in my life at age 25.

Stick 'em with an arrow!!
 
My very 1st call was a scotch call. It was rubber and acted on the bellows,accordian idea. It probably wouldn't be a bad call. You could extend it and let it's memory squal it back, you could forcefully open and close accordian like, or you could just shake it like it was in the process of a rough and tumble rip-apart. I was just a kid, some 35yrs. ago. Idon't remember if the sound was good. I know I didn't call anything in. I remember my 1st coyote at age 12. I "ran" home dragging him behind me past our few neighbors and all. I would like to see a kid running past my home with a coyote in tow. I would have to go and give him a ride and hear his story a few dozen times...
 
First for me was a k'meer deer by E.L.K I actually was just calling mulies, like to see how close I could get the does. I was 17 or so. one day Before I knew it, laying on my back, I had a huge coyote at point blank glaring my way. I started trying to do it on purpose. Soon
i dropped one with a .22 Well... I got in with an experienced "expert" and let him call and I followed him around for years. Didn't shoot another for two years straight. Finally one day he asked me to call, I used a Sceery Jackrabbit, called up a little female. Now I am hooked and have gone through tons of calls.
 
My very first call was a blade of St. Augustine grass that was split in-two length-wise and stuck on the inside of my thumb, forming a reed when I stretched it out by putting my other thumb against it. Man, I'll never forget the day that old man showed me how to do that. I beleive my first store bought call was the Burnham Bros. Long Range Fox call (C-3, I believe) I still remember my very first stand. I didn't know what to sound like really or what to expect. Nothing happened during that stand, but I was still hooked on the excitement and anticipation that something just might come in. Man...that was 25 years ago! Not much has changed since then, though. Sometimes I still wonder if I'm doing anything right, but I still get excited just the same!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

Great post guys! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif

Take care and God Bless,

Rusty
 
my first call was a JS pc-1. since then ive added a circe open reed, a lot of the Anderson/primos calls, a few custom calls, and the preymaster. Hopefully by the end of the week my reeds will be here and ill get to assemble my first.
 


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