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My next stand was another ideal spot: the confluence of two small washes that
formed a gentle draw. I set up my call in a mesquite tree, donned the camo, and
let loose with the woodpecker call. After about 5 minutes, I shut it off. Again,
all was quiet except for chirping birds. After another 5 minutes I hit the call
again. Very soon after, I spotted movement to my right: a coyote was creeping
quickly toward the call. His eyes were glued in the direction of the call, and
once again, I had plenty of time to swing my rifle into action. He was
practically trotting in a coyote crouch, and when he turned toward me to go
around a bush, I let him have it. As the bullet smacked him, he dropped. But
then just as quickly, he was on his feet. A quick second shot finished him off.
Interestingly, my watch showed exactly 15 minutes had elapsed since I began to
call.
Using a remote caller is like putting blinders on predators. You see, even after
you stop calling, they have taken a fix on the position of the call and home in
on it like a missile. If you are sitting where they are headed, you are putting
yourself at a severe disadvantage. This past summer I called in a coyote
double with a mouth call. I had on a ghillie suit with a headnet, and even
though they were 15 yards away, they could not see me. However, they stared
right at me and I was unable to raise my rifle. Both got away without me even
getting off a shot.
I would guess there are a lot of readers out there who have tried a mouth call
or two, but lose interest after failing to call in coyotes or other game. Mouth
calls are great, but they have a number of problems. The biggest problem is just
knowing how to call. We all like to do things by ourselves, but if you want to
learn to call with a mouth call, find someone who knows what they are doing. I
learned from Chris Webb, who owns Webb’s Outfitting (www.webbsoutfitting.com).
Mouth calls are also very limiting: they are usually rodent squeaks or rabbit
distress calls; predators are getting used to these. “Bird distress calls,
especially the woodpecker distress call, are much more effective today than the
rabbit or rodent calls,” Chris told me. “You can blow a bird distress on a mouth
call, but it is hard and exasperating.”
But perhaps the largest disadvantage of mouth calls are their inability to place
the call from the shooter; that is one reason a guide or partner is so effective,
but that has obvious safety limitations. An electronic call with a remote
removes all of these disadvantages. Modern electronic calls are all digital;
forget about hauling a heavy tape recorder with a speaker. My favorite, the
FoxPro 532B, is contained in a 9V flashlight battery case and runs off 4 AA
batteries that seem to last forever. This call has 32 recorded sounds that you
can select with a flip of a switch, even while using the remote. The call is not
inexpensive, but neither are ghillie suits or rifles…
Remote calls also allow you to refine your technique in ways you would never
dream with a mouth call. For example, I have found calling in a wash or
depression in terrain to be very effective, yet difficult to do if done with a
mouth call. You have no room to maneuver – the animal is on top of you before
you can move. Calling with a remote allows you to place the call in a somewhat
secluded area. Incoming predators seem to feel safer, and since you are on a
nearby hill or other vantage point, you have a good position from which to fire.
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