Handcalls or Electronic?
03-05-2013, 12:38 AM
#1
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Kansas
Posts: 3,905
Handcalls or Electronic?
Over the last few decades, Electronic Callers, or “e-callers” have earned their spot as powerful tools in the predator hunter’s bag of tricks, and the technology boom in recent years has made them more accessible to hunters than ever before. E-callers are especially attractive to new predator hunters that are turned off by the thought of suffering through the awkward learning phase that some would say rivals the pubescent voice-cracking of teenagedom. At least handcalls aren’t accompanied by pimples and bad taste in music.
Given time, most predator hunters will find the need to have both an e-caller and a variety of handcalls at their disposal, but every hunter has different needs when they are starting out, so I’ll try to illuminate some of the differences between the two and how I use them to help new hunters decide which is right for them.
Productivity: I know a lot of new hunters will read this with one question on their mind: “Which brings more predators to the gun?” Unfortunately, my answer is: “the one you use!” I really can’t say that I think one is really more effective than the other, but I will say that your productivity is 100% dependent upon HOW YOU USE YOUR CALLS AND DESIGN YOUR SETS.
With that out of the way, on to the real discussion of how e-callers and handcalls differ in application…
Skill Level: Handcalls undeniably involve a learning curve, especially for new hunters trying to figure it out on their own. I have taught several new hunters how to play calls, and it’s nothing short of painful at first. BUT, after those first uncoordinated squawks and honks, there’s an extra degree of pride that accompanies taking a predator that was lured in by your own breath. Unfortunately, not all hunters have access to experienced hunters to pass down the tricks of the trade. For these isolated hunters, e-callers provide a turn-key opportunity to produce hunt-ready sounds immediately. I’ll offer one caveat here: e-callers are like GPS units in cars: it’s easy to become reliant upon the technology, so unless you have a back-up plan to get by on your own, if the e-caller stops working, you’ll end up lost without it.
Function/Reliability: Not much will usually go wrong mechanically with today’s mainstream e-callers, but it seems to be impossible to avoid simple things like placing your unit too far out of remote range, having obstructions in your remote line-of-sight, or most common, dead batteries. I can’t tell you how frustrating it is to painstakingly stalk into a set, sneak out onto the field and place the caller, tiptoe back to the shooting position, only to have the e-caller not respond to the remote! Most guys that use e-callers long enough learn to elevate their caller for a clear line of sight, carry spare batteries, and replace/recharge them regularly, but it still happens. Handcalls are pretty robust, and besides the occasional closed reed freezing up on a cold day, not much else can go wrong.
Control: When I call, I want ultimate control over the sounds I produce, so I favor handcalls. Sometimes using an e-caller can feel a bit like talking to an automated customer service system on the phone: it’s just not quite the same as speaking with a real person. When coyotes hang up just out of range or hide just inside of the edge of cover, or when you are having a “conversation” with a coyote that is vocalizing back at you, you’ll want to be able to say the exact right thing at the exact right moment. Every hunter that uses an e-caller long enough will eventually blow their own hunt by forgetting how to operate the remote, accidentally un-muting the call at the wrong time, starting the call at too high of volume or on the wrong sound , etc. Nobody is immune to it: just ask me how I came up with that list! Either method requires practice: handcallers with their calls and e-caller hunters with their remotes.
Sound Variety: Most e-callers on the market today come pre-programmed with a wide array of sounds capable of calling any predator in the country. But don’t be fooled into thinking handcalls are one trick ponies, or that all of those sounds are necessary (or even useful). A predator hunter with 3 or 4 handcalls can play most if not all of the sounds you will find on most e-caller models. A single open-reed “distress/howler” can play bird distress, cottontail and jackrabbit distress, pup distress, female coyote vocals, some deer/fawn distress, even cat mews, and then some. The reality of it is that I don’t really want, let along need 50, 100, or 500 call sounds. The overwhelming majority of the predators I’ve called were fooled by cottontail distress, and I typically only use 4 or 5 other sounds in a given season. Having extra cup-holders in my truck is nice, but there’s a limit to how many I really need.
Price: Handcalls get the nod in the price department. A $50 bill will buy you 3 or 4 handcalls, whereas you’ll drop $150-200 to get into a good quality entry level e-caller (cheaper models exist, but you won’t even get what you pay for below $150-200). Even entry level e-callers will come with 10-20, even 50 sounds pre-programmed that will provide a pretty diverse arsenal, but again, 3-4 handcalls will give you as many sounds for less investment.
Set-Design/Hunt style: I design my sets like the old Roadrunner/Wile E. Coyote cartoons: “X” marks the spot for the area where (ideally) I want to bring the coyotes for the shot. I design my shooting positions, approaches, and e-caller locations around getting them to that area. Any area can be hunted with handcalls, and the same tricks can be used with a hunting partner playing the part of the e-caller, but e-callers offer solo hunters an extra level of versatility in their sets. I can set my caller away from my shooting position, say upwind slightly and cross-wind, so when the coyote naturally circles downwind of the e-caller towards my “X-area”, they come right into my lap. E-callers also draw the coyotes attention away from the shooter, which is great for new hunters or shooters that might need a little more time to get fur in the scope, or maybe move a little too much behind the gun (or have young kids along that squirm a little too much).
Tradition: When I first started calling predators with my dad and uncles as a kid, it was with handcalls. The craft of handcalling has a long and storied history and the techniques have been passed down from one generation of hunters to the next, perpetuating a skill that offers hunters a “hard-wired” sense of pride when they bring a predator in to the gun. I think new hunters that jump right to an E-caller miss out on that tradition and that feeling of accomplishment.
As if it wasn’t painfully obvious already, my favor leans heavily towards handcalls, but I do think that all predator hunters will benefit from having access to both e-calls and handcalls at their disposal.
Given time, most predator hunters will find the need to have both an e-caller and a variety of handcalls at their disposal, but every hunter has different needs when they are starting out, so I’ll try to illuminate some of the differences between the two and how I use them to help new hunters decide which is right for them.
Productivity: I know a lot of new hunters will read this with one question on their mind: “Which brings more predators to the gun?” Unfortunately, my answer is: “the one you use!” I really can’t say that I think one is really more effective than the other, but I will say that your productivity is 100% dependent upon HOW YOU USE YOUR CALLS AND DESIGN YOUR SETS.
With that out of the way, on to the real discussion of how e-callers and handcalls differ in application…
Skill Level: Handcalls undeniably involve a learning curve, especially for new hunters trying to figure it out on their own. I have taught several new hunters how to play calls, and it’s nothing short of painful at first. BUT, after those first uncoordinated squawks and honks, there’s an extra degree of pride that accompanies taking a predator that was lured in by your own breath. Unfortunately, not all hunters have access to experienced hunters to pass down the tricks of the trade. For these isolated hunters, e-callers provide a turn-key opportunity to produce hunt-ready sounds immediately. I’ll offer one caveat here: e-callers are like GPS units in cars: it’s easy to become reliant upon the technology, so unless you have a back-up plan to get by on your own, if the e-caller stops working, you’ll end up lost without it.
Function/Reliability: Not much will usually go wrong mechanically with today’s mainstream e-callers, but it seems to be impossible to avoid simple things like placing your unit too far out of remote range, having obstructions in your remote line-of-sight, or most common, dead batteries. I can’t tell you how frustrating it is to painstakingly stalk into a set, sneak out onto the field and place the caller, tiptoe back to the shooting position, only to have the e-caller not respond to the remote! Most guys that use e-callers long enough learn to elevate their caller for a clear line of sight, carry spare batteries, and replace/recharge them regularly, but it still happens. Handcalls are pretty robust, and besides the occasional closed reed freezing up on a cold day, not much else can go wrong.
Control: When I call, I want ultimate control over the sounds I produce, so I favor handcalls. Sometimes using an e-caller can feel a bit like talking to an automated customer service system on the phone: it’s just not quite the same as speaking with a real person. When coyotes hang up just out of range or hide just inside of the edge of cover, or when you are having a “conversation” with a coyote that is vocalizing back at you, you’ll want to be able to say the exact right thing at the exact right moment. Every hunter that uses an e-caller long enough will eventually blow their own hunt by forgetting how to operate the remote, accidentally un-muting the call at the wrong time, starting the call at too high of volume or on the wrong sound , etc. Nobody is immune to it: just ask me how I came up with that list! Either method requires practice: handcallers with their calls and e-caller hunters with their remotes.
Sound Variety: Most e-callers on the market today come pre-programmed with a wide array of sounds capable of calling any predator in the country. But don’t be fooled into thinking handcalls are one trick ponies, or that all of those sounds are necessary (or even useful). A predator hunter with 3 or 4 handcalls can play most if not all of the sounds you will find on most e-caller models. A single open-reed “distress/howler” can play bird distress, cottontail and jackrabbit distress, pup distress, female coyote vocals, some deer/fawn distress, even cat mews, and then some. The reality of it is that I don’t really want, let along need 50, 100, or 500 call sounds. The overwhelming majority of the predators I’ve called were fooled by cottontail distress, and I typically only use 4 or 5 other sounds in a given season. Having extra cup-holders in my truck is nice, but there’s a limit to how many I really need.
Price: Handcalls get the nod in the price department. A $50 bill will buy you 3 or 4 handcalls, whereas you’ll drop $150-200 to get into a good quality entry level e-caller (cheaper models exist, but you won’t even get what you pay for below $150-200). Even entry level e-callers will come with 10-20, even 50 sounds pre-programmed that will provide a pretty diverse arsenal, but again, 3-4 handcalls will give you as many sounds for less investment.
Set-Design/Hunt style: I design my sets like the old Roadrunner/Wile E. Coyote cartoons: “X” marks the spot for the area where (ideally) I want to bring the coyotes for the shot. I design my shooting positions, approaches, and e-caller locations around getting them to that area. Any area can be hunted with handcalls, and the same tricks can be used with a hunting partner playing the part of the e-caller, but e-callers offer solo hunters an extra level of versatility in their sets. I can set my caller away from my shooting position, say upwind slightly and cross-wind, so when the coyote naturally circles downwind of the e-caller towards my “X-area”, they come right into my lap. E-callers also draw the coyotes attention away from the shooter, which is great for new hunters or shooters that might need a little more time to get fur in the scope, or maybe move a little too much behind the gun (or have young kids along that squirm a little too much).
Tradition: When I first started calling predators with my dad and uncles as a kid, it was with handcalls. The craft of handcalling has a long and storied history and the techniques have been passed down from one generation of hunters to the next, perpetuating a skill that offers hunters a “hard-wired” sense of pride when they bring a predator in to the gun. I think new hunters that jump right to an E-caller miss out on that tradition and that feeling of accomplishment.
As if it wasn’t painfully obvious already, my favor leans heavily towards handcalls, but I do think that all predator hunters will benefit from having access to both e-calls and handcalls at their disposal.
04-09-2013, 04:12 PM
#3
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Elizabeth Colo. USA
Posts: 4,413
the sounds that are available and the sound quality on the good e-callers that are available simply can't be topped with even the best of hand calls.
I used hand calls for over 20 years, and every now and then will still use them. But the fact of the matter is the e-callers on the market can't be matched for sound selection and volume. And if you hunt alone, the e-caller is like having a hunting buddy that wants to do the calling for you and is willing to sit away from you and gives you the choice of where to sit for the most likely shot.
There's a reason that the guys that are winning most calling contests these days are using e-callers. They just give a guy the advantage. Period...
But, as was said, poor stand selection and poor hunting skills will kill your chances of success quicker than anything, no matter how good the calling sounds are.
I used hand calls for over 20 years, and every now and then will still use them. But the fact of the matter is the e-callers on the market can't be matched for sound selection and volume. And if you hunt alone, the e-caller is like having a hunting buddy that wants to do the calling for you and is willing to sit away from you and gives you the choice of where to sit for the most likely shot.
There's a reason that the guys that are winning most calling contests these days are using e-callers. They just give a guy the advantage. Period...
But, as was said, poor stand selection and poor hunting skills will kill your chances of success quicker than anything, no matter how good the calling sounds are.
