Other Hunting > Coyote, Small Game, Varmints

Calling info?

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Stape:
   I have used electronic calls in the past and wanted to give mouth-blown calls a shot, so I picked up a circle Ki-Yoter call, and when I got home and tried it, I noticed that I really gotta wail on the thing to get a howl sound, if not, it sounds like a bad raspy duck call my kids play with.  The directions say to take a deep breath and easily let your lungs exhale creating a howl, but it seems I gotta really blow on it with some force.  Did I get a cheap call?  Just seems from seeing others blow on calls that it doesn't require this much effort.  I mean, this thing will wake the dead, or is that what I should go for?

Stape:
Thanks for the scoop.  I'll give it a shot.   I have been practicing on it, and I can get a good toned howl out of it, but when you cut it off, or end the call, theres that raspy trail-off, not like my breath has an on/off switch to cleanly "end" the call, but perhaps and more importantly, practice is in order.

Krusty:
Stape,

I wouldn't do any bending of the reed like with other calls.

Each caller is different, and so is each call.

Some like your Circé Ki-Yoter, are what are known as "hard drivers".
It takes a good strong lung to drive them.

Usually I give this advice, when trying to teach someone to howl;

First learn to bark, with a sharp "HUT" from your diaphragm.
Then draw that out... "HUuuuuut".
At first you'll want to add a couple short barks at the beginning, but this is an aggressive howl.

It's a natural tendency, to bark "Hut hut", to get your pitch correct then break into song.
But you'll use your howling more effectively if you can learn not to do that.

Howlin' is an art form, lots of guys do it, few are really good at it.
That doesn't really matter to coyotes.

Get out and sing song back and forth with them, it's good practice, and a good way to see one.

Personally I don't make, or use (very often) a howler

Krusty

tlbradford:
Follow Krusty's advice on the barking.  That is a good description of how to get the right pitch for a howl.  These are a couple of guesses on what you may be doing wrong, but it is kind of hard to diagnose without seeing.

1) You could be putting too much of the call into your mouth.  Try biting closer to the tip. 
2) You may be forcing too much air through the call.  A lot of production calls aren't tuned properly and will have a pitch break when you blow to hard or too soft.  That howl will carry a long ways, without blowing as hard as you can to try to make it louder.  Start with a smaller amount of air.
3) Having a steady release of air from your gut will help with the howl to get a consistent pitch.  "Steady" being the key word.  When you start adding a little quaver to the howl, just wiggle the call between your teeth a little bit without changing your air flow.
4) When ending the howl close your air off before you run out of breath.  If you are releasing air from your gut then it is easier to have that "on/off switch".  When you are not forcing enough air through the call you will get a funny noise at the end.

Good luck.  Invest in some ear plugs and practice during your commute.  Remember with howling that less is usually more.

Stape:
   Thanks for all the replies.  I am getting the idea that the howl call is not the preffered or most common call for yotes.  So what is?  I also got a rabbit distress call, but have not yet tried it.  My varmint hunting experience is maybe 10 years, but mostly spot-lighting heavily occupied areas, you never had to call them, and when we did, it was electronic, so really new to this aspect and I greatly appreciate all of you guys input.  Is there a good....not great, not bad, general call for all ocassions?   I think that might be a silly question, like what rifle is good...lots of variables out there huh?   I am good at calilng waterfowl, and in that experience, common sense, and usually less calling is better for the birds, and perhaps the same rings true for yotes too?

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