What e-caller to buy?

[jrebel]

Gonna buy an e-caller for predator hunting.  Want one that I can download rainshadows calls cougar calls to. 

Wireless, good battery life, doesn't way as much as a car battery and good sound quality are just my early thoughts.....  What do you guys use and like?  What has worked? 

Thanks

@rainshadow

[birdshooter1189]

I've been happy with my foxpro inferno.  Some reviews say the volume isn't loud enough.  I've used mine for coyote calling, have called in a few coyotes in eastern WA with it.  I got the foxjack decoy spinner for it too.  It has the option of plugging in a bigger speaker if you need more volume (but that would add more weight).

I've recorded a few of my own sounds from my chickens and cats and was able to load them onto the foxpro inferno without too much dificulty.

[X-Force]

Can’t you download them on your phone?

Get a riobi Bluetooth speaker…

[grimace]

I have a Fox Pro Fusion with Rain Shadows calls.  I hadn't used it in a few years, put fresh batteries in it last week and called a cat in last weekend. For it's size I think its okay, the range of the remote is about maxed at 100yards.

G

[KFhunter]

pretty sure I'd go with Foxpro X24

24 bit sound and you can use more file types, check out MFK call library too. 

[Jingles]

Overall very satisfied with my FoxPro Firestorm with the fox jack decoy.
If you contact FoxPro directly ask about refurbished unit, mine was and have had zero problems with it.
Did build a stand that fits on a tripod to get it up out of the snow as needed.

[royalbull]

Wildlife technologies

[Scruffy]

I bought the FoxPro Shockwave last year around this time on sale for $100 off.  I like it cause you can angle the speakers for the direction you want.  It also loaded the cougar sound package from Steve easily.

[CastleRocker]

I've had a lot of e-callers, and I keep coming back to Foxpro. 

If you can, search for one that has an ultra-sonic speaker.  I heard Burnham Bros. Was developing one last year.  That's why my Wildlife Technologies call works better than all the rest on cats.  If I remember correctly, cats can hear all the the way to 60Khz, coyotes to 40Khz, but we humans can only hear to 20Khz, so why would a speaker manufacturer make a speaker that we can't hear?  W/T makes a great call, but you have to send it in to have the sounds changed.  Which shouldn't be that big of a deal, but when I called to tell him what sounds I wanted, he told me that I didn't know what I was talking about, and that HE would choose the sounds because HE knew what I need for the PNW.  (He did admit he's never hunted here).  Kinda ticked me off.

That's one reason I'm a Foxpro fan; great customer service!
 

[WoolyRunner]

Anybody have experience with Icotec?

[rainshadow1]

Yeah, it's weird... the WT guy is less than pleasant. Callers aren't programmable. But his tech is amazing.

I love my FP cs24 Krak, but I'm underconfident in it's sound for animals. My dogs don't react to it like they do to several other callers. (Including other foxpros, so I just don't know. There's something that isn't right. Possibly the range, like castlerocker was talking about.)

Hearing some good stuff about the icotechs, but haven't tried them myself.

I say go by price and features.

[Machias]

I know a couple of Gov't guys in CO that do coyotes as part of their every day work and both swear by Lucky Duck callers.

[Okanagan]

Anybody have experience with Icotec?

Good e-callers.  The company staff I've talked to on the phone have been knowlegeable and helpful.

I bought the Icotec Sabre over a year ago, one piece unit with large speaker.  Has ports for decoy, extra speaker, neither of which I have used.  Used it all last winter calling lions, so not nearly as many stands as a coyote hunter would make.  It worked great, called in one cougar plus another 98% probable cougar.  A friend bought the Icotec Outlaw(?) and called two cougars his first two stands using it.  Insanely lucky, but the e-caller worked.  My son just bought the Icotec Outlaw (? the one that has a built in decoy).

Loud, plus very good range for remote, both of which are important to me.  Easy to use and no trouble loading recordings of my voice generated calls plus Rainshhadow sounds.  I like the two sub sets of sounds: Fav 1 and Fav 2.  My Fav 1 has only lion calling sounds; Fav 2 has only bobcat calling sounds.  (If I goof and hit the wrong sound, it does not ruin the stand since all sounds in view are good for the target animal.) 

  I never leave the Fav 1 set of sounds in normal calling stands, never need to scroll around while on stand unless playing around at the end of a calling stand. I think mine came with something like 175-200 sounds, many of them very good, some of which I use.

 Runs on AA batteries.  My stand count on one set of batteries is lower than most users claim, but my stands are an hour or more long and it eats battery power to run the big speaker with the low toned raspy sounds I often use. Atypical but FWIW.  It also takes a rechargeable Lithium pack, an accessory which I bought, and that lasts a looong time. 

Only downside for me is minor: Small, plastic plug-ins inside to connect battery pack to caller, seem fragile for outdoor redneck use, but I'm careful and have had no problem.  It's a little hard for me with fat fingers and cold hands to get out the rechargeable pack to recharge.  Wish it could recharge while in the e-caller.   No need to ever disconnect if you merely change AA batteries.

In sum:  a man could buy this unit, turn it on and hunt with confidence as soon as it comes out of the box. 

[Okanagan]

Didn't mean to shut down the input.  We have a lot more good e-callers than when I was usiing a boom box. Two tidbits to add:

My grandson likes Lucky Duck the best.  He hunted in New Mexico with a friend who has one and they killed a pile of coyotes with it.  I've no personal experience with one.

One other small imperfection on my Icotec:  After a few months of use I noticed that the STOP button on the remote does not work as well as it had at first.  About half the time it takes a second push to get the sound to stop.  A lot of times now I give it a double tap, which stops the sound.  It has been too minor to send back since it still works and I can achieve the same function by using the PAUSE button. 

[jrebel]

Well, the deed is done......just bought the Foxpro X2S and should have it next week.  Time to get after the predators.