Electronic Or Traditional:
Which Coyote Call Will Make Your Hunt Successful? David Marshall
experiences of a lifetime. Sitting above a rolling field, scanning the clusters of brush, and enjoying Mother Nature can calm the soul of almost any hunter. As enjoyable as it is to spend time outdoors, hunters don’t spend the time, money, and effort to just sit outside and gaze at the clouds and the trees. Hunters are pursuing a particular game, one that requires skill and patience to hunt. The sport of coyote hunting is grow- ing rapidly as the coyote population climbs and deer and turkey hunters are looking to cut out the competi- tion. With more new hunters on the playing field, much confusion is rising over product usage and techniques for hunting coyotes. One of the most controversial subjects is that of calling coyotes. There are two different methods for calling coyotes. These methods include the use of hand/mouth calls and the use of electronic calls. Although both of these methods can be successful if used properly, there are a few com- parisons that need to be made before you go and purchase either call, or use one in a hunt.
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The most obvious difference (and probably the most important) is the cost of each of these calls. The electronic calls usually will en- able a hunter to make any sound he desires, but are far more expensive than hand/mouth calls. These mouth calls are a great deal cheaper than electronic calls, but usually won’t be able to stand alone. The hunter will have to purchase multiple calls to acquire a lethal arsenal of coyote calls. Even though you are buying multiple hand/mouth calls, your total amount spent is still a fraction of what you would spend on the electronic calls. Most electronic calls will be no cheaper than $100, and can
unting for coyotes can be one of the most memorable
reach prices of up to $600. For that price, a hunter could buy around ten very good hand/mouth calls. Most coyote hunters don’t even need more than four or five different calls. A few different distress calls and a few different coyote vocalization calls are all a hunter needs to be successful. After the price of the call is considered, the actual usage of the call needs to be looked at. The electronic calls take the upper hand when considering the degree of dif- ficulty involved in using the calls. Any person with opposable thumbs and half a brain could learn to simply press a button and play a sound. Of course, the hunter needs to know when to use each of the different calls, but that is no different from the hand/mouth calls. Hand/mouth calls are much more difficult to use than electronic calls. There are two different types of hand/mouth calls, including open-reed and closed-reed calls. When using either of these two calls, the hunter needs to be careful he doesn’t blow too hard on the call, causing the reed to lay flat against the tone-board, producing no sound. If the hunter doesn’t blow hard enough, he won’t achieve the proper sound. Another aspect of hand/mouth calls that needs to be considered is the fact that the hunter must be in constant control of the call. He must be focused entirely on the call to prevent him from messing up. One false note or one crazy sound on the call, and that coyote could be running in the opposite direction. The next important compari- son that needs to be made when comparing electronic calls to hand/ mouth calls involves the coyotes themselves. There is a heated debate among hunters regarding the coy- otes’ ability to actually hear the dif- ferent calls better/worse than others. Many people worry that coyotes can
tell the difference between a digital sound and a sound produced from a mouth call. They claim that coyotes that have been educated (called in and shot at before) will recognize the electronic call and keep their distance. There is no scientific proof behind any of these statements, but it is still something to keep in mind. Another huge difference between these calls regarding the coyotes themselves is their keen senses of sight and hearing. Any coyote hunter knows that coyotes have ridiculously good hearing accompanied by near perfect vision. With that in mind, coyotes will be able to come to the edge of a field, listen for the noise, and spot the source of it. If you are using a hand/mouth call, the coyote will be directed to you, being the source of the noise. If you aren’t properly camouflaged, the coyote may see you and split. In contrast, if you are using an electronic call and have the call placed out in front of you, a coyote might focus his atten- tion on the sound and come in closer for a better look, perhaps thinking the animal is hidden in the grass. Another comparison between electronic and hand/mouth calls is the need and cost of replacement parts. Electronic calls require a number of batteries in order to run, which can be a very big problem. Say you’ve set up your stand and begin calling at your favorite hunt- ing location, and suddenly your call stops. The batteries have died, and your hunt is over. On the other hand, mouth calls don’t require any batteries at all, and can be used at any time without having to charge or replace a power source. Also, if you lose a hand/mouth call, or one gets broken, it isn’t expensive to replace the item. Reeds and bands are very cheap to acquire, which can’t be said for electronic calls. If an electronic
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