The Flextone ECHO eR1 is a new e-caller for the 2010-2011 predator hunting season, but with little more than a month of service in the hunting field, our customers are telling us this compact remote controlled call sounds great, is easy to use, and above all is calling coyotes to their stands.  The Flextone ECHO HD comes preloaded with 100 calling sounds.  More than 90 of the sounds are from Wildlife Technologies and sound very clear—just what you’d expect from a WT sound.  Most of our customers are buying it for predator hunting, but several have been sent to guys intending to use the generous number of deer sounds for calling big bucks.  CLICK HERE to view the sound list.

You can CLICK HERE to view the caller in our Wildlife Callers’ store.

Flextone Echo HD eR1 Predator call and Game Caller

Game Warden Note: Make sure using an electronic call is legal in your area for both predators and big game animals!  It likely is for predators, but might not be for deer—double check your local regulations.

I’ve taken the Flextone ECHO HD out for some field testing with the remote control.  The remote contol has an LCD readout that’s back-lit for night hunting and shows the caller’s volume level on the readout.  The manufacturer states the remote will work up to 300 yards.  If you’re a predator hunter who’s used a remote controlled caller, then you’re likely aware that the advertised effective yardage of the remote control is almost always less in real-world calling setups.  I set the caller up in various positions in rocks, heavy brush, and tall grass, at 20, 50, 75, and 100 yards and from a seated position was able to effectively change sounds, change the volume, and mute the caller without any hesitation from the machine.  The remote has a spot on one of the lower corners to attach a lanyard, reducing the chances of dropping or losing it.

Flextone Echo HD eR1 Top View and Remote Control View

The ECHO eR1 comes with a black carry strap and sports bi-directional twin speakers for maximum volume from the 8AA battery power pack that runs the unit.  You can use the speakers individually or both at the same time.  The remote control is stored in a docking & charging station on the side of the caller.  The caller comes with a 110v charging cord that plugs right into the side of the caller and charges the power pack and the remote at the same time.  The remote control for the eR1 uses a flat Li-Ion rechargeable battery pack that took a while for us to find, but we eventually did.  CLICK HERE to see the battery for the remote control.

Battery Note: The AA batteries that came with the unit charged up just fine, but didn’t last as long as we expected they should.  We bought a set of Energizer AA rechargeable batteries, put them in the caller, charged it overnight, and then let it play for more than 12 hours at volume 2.  The battery life of the unit is great—so long as you use a quality set of batteries.

Overall, the Flextone ECHO HD eR1 is a well thought out, great sounding predator call and game calling machine in the caller class that it’s designed to compete in—actually it costs less and hunters tell us it sounds as good or better than the callers it was designed to compete with.  With a functional & useful remote control and good hunting reports coming in from satisfied customers, this new caller will continue making quick inroads into the e-caller market space.   The next thing to test is the longevity of the machines in field service.  That’s happening all over the US and Canada right now.  Only time will answer that question.

If you have any questions or if you’d like an ECHO HD eR1 sound demo just give us a call.

Good hunting to all,

Back in the day… 

Mark Healy and an Arizona Coyote & Gray Fox that Fell for Cottontail Distress - circa 1986-87

a tape recorder with a Johnny Stewart rabbit distress tape, or my Circe twist-top 3-sound mouth call would give a guy plenty of opportunities to call and shoot predators.  When I started predator calling in 1986, the sport was only somewhat popular and unless you called the same spots over and over, the chances of calling at critters that already heard that same ol’ song before was slim.  This was the same time in Arizona hunting history when guys got a December  “Any Antlered Deer” tag and would NOT even consider hunting for a Coues Whitetail!  My, my, how times have changed as thousands of hunters apply for what’s become just a handful of December Coues tags.  

These days it seems that just about everyone who likes hunting has added or wants to add an electronic predator call to his or her hunter’s gear bag.  Several years ago the predator hunting videos took off in popularity and people got excited about calling coyotes, bobcats, and other critters, to the business end of their rifle — especially in states where their chances of getting a deer and/or elk tag was fading every year.  With this sport’s new-found explosive popularity over the past decade, the chances of calling into country that hasn’t been called is slim.  

I just finished talking to a guy who called for a full 2-years with a mouth call before he ever called his first coyote.  Now, I will say that I appreciate this young man’s tenacity!  However, if he’d had some better techniques, better understanding of his quarry, and better calling equipment, I firmly believe he could have cut that figure down by 1 year and 11 months.   

But how? 

Let’s make the assumption that if a domestic dog can be conditioned, then a coyote can too.  I don’t believe that coyotes can “get smart”, but I’m certain that being called and shot at will have a lasting and negative effect on a coyote’s willingness to come running back to that sound.  In prior posts I’ve related it to behavior-conditioned dogs running for the sound of the kitchen can opener.  The only difference being, the hail of bullets outcome is very negative and repelling whereas the food reward from the Kitchen Aid very positive — conditioning nonetheless.  

Therefore, it stands to reason that a coyote that hears rabbit distress cries over and over that have nothing to do with a rabbit, dinner, or anything good, that coyote will become leary of that noise.  How then can it be changed? 

The electronic callers available today have many different sounds not only from the animal your hunting, but animal sounds like crows, hawks, and eagles that can be used to build a realistic “sound scene” that breaks from the traditional “waaa -waaa – waaa – waaa” rabbit cadence and provides the illusion of predator/prey/scavenger interaction that’s real and happening right now.  

So, what is a “sound scene”? 

Generally speaking, it is using a dozen or more sounds on a stand in an attempt to replicate a very busy and chaotic living scene surrounding a prey animal that has been brought down by a predator.  I always try to bring in the sounds of the prey distress and then mix in the sounds of coyotes fighting over food, foxes barking out warnings, or female cougars being aggressive and territorial.  Then to that I add the sounds of scavengers like crows, ravens, and even hawk screams.  In short, I make my scene come alive with animal activity and competition for calories. 

There are a few things that support this calling style. 

First – It’s successful.  I have called lots and lots of predators using this technique.   I have all of these sounds (and then some) on my Mighty Atom 21.  I may as well make use of them. 

Second – My time in nature has shown me firsthand this pattern of predator/prey/scavenger behavior.  For instance, on one of my hunts: 

After watching a cow stuck neck-deep in a soupy mud hole, yelling and raising heck for a half an hour (without stopping) I wandered over to see if there was something humane I could do. Just about 18 inches, or so, of her back was sticking up. She’d been struggling and getting deeper in the mud with her every attempt to get out.

Another Cow - Victim of Drought and Ravaged by Predators & Scavengers - Post Mortem

When I got down to the muddy pond, I noticed that coyotes had eaten a hole in the hide on the upper left hind area of the cow. They had eaten away at the muscles along the spine, the back flanks and had pulled guts up and out of the cows gut-sack leaving chewed-up intestines laying on the ground still connected to the screaming cow. To make matters worse, the crows had come in and pecked both eyes out and eaten the front two inches of it’s tongue.

This was a ghastly scene, and I learned a lot from it. While I wasn’t there, that scene was filled noises of scavenging & predatory critters competing for those calories and trying to survive. It was absolutely apparent they did not have the capacity to feel anything for the cow. Screaming dinner… Quiet dinner… They didn’t care, so long as it was dinner. 

Additionally, even though it couldn’t see me, the cow screamed the whole time I was next to her – never pausing.

Not wanting to be accused of a crime (the world we live in) I ended up finding a Game & Fish rep and sending them down to dispatch the cow.

Third – If you watch nature shows like the Nature special  Yellowstone: Battle for Life, you’ll see that the process of predators hunting and consuming prey is sometimes fairly quiet and fast (like a red fox finding a vole and quickly chewing it up) and sometimes it’s a very noisy process (like a wolf pack killing an elk, consuming it while surrounded by crows, hawks, eagles, and magpies, and then killing and consuming a coyote that ventured too close).

What happens in nature supports both calling more quietly and calling aggressively with several sounds.  So I have adopted an approach of starting out a bit more quiet with fewer sound changes, and then getting progressively more aggressive and loud as the “sound picture” I’m creating turns into predator/prey/scavenger scene that deserves investigation by the predators in the area.

This process is covered in more detail, with sound choices, in this blog: Gray Fox & Bobcat Calling – What Sounds? When? How Long? How Loud?

Truthfully, there aren’t a lot of guys that will outlast 24 months of blank stands and still head out for month number 25.  Most would have called it quits in 90-days!  What a shame that would be – this is a very rewarding pursuit.  Actually, once you get the hang of it, it’s completely addictive (in a positive and good way).  So use your e-caller and all of the natural sounds that it can bring to bear on every stand and set-up you make. 

If you enjoyed this blog, subscriptions to it are FREE!!If you have any questions on how we do this or the electronic predator calling equipment we use just click here or give us a call toll-free at 877-734-1010.  We’re happy to help.

Please put any article comments at the bottom of the page.

Thank you again for reading – have a great fall season!

Mark Healy

As of this Wildlife Callers blog post (May 2010) it is NOT legal to use an electronic call to call/attract any animals with an electronic call on the San Carlos Reservation. 

San Carlos Indian Wildlife & Recreation Regulation 002-M

 You can access the regualtion by CLICKING HERE and then choosing “Regulations” on the left margin.

Yes, some of the rules and regs on San Carlos have changed often and this one is no exception.  However, better to know the current rules and either use hand calls, or go somewhere else.  I’ve hunted on San Carlos for the past 24 years and I will be headed elsewhere until it changes back.  Dave Martens and I have spent thousands of dollars in permit fees on San Carlos and we’re not sure what they’re trying to accomplish with this rule.   Hopefully it will change soon, but until it does the hand calling crowd will have it all to themselves!!

San Carlos has also been a hot hunting spot for out of state hunters looking for lots of ground to hunt and reasonable daily rates for predator calling and small game hunting.  If you know an out of stater that likes predator calling and hunting on San Carlos, please pass this blog post along.  The San Carlos Game & Fish guys have always been great with us, but they absolutely will ticket violators and confiscate your caller.

Thank you again for your questions that give us these opportunities to do some research and blog about it.  As always, subscriptions to the blog are FREE. 

If you have any comments, please scroll down and add them below in the comments section. 

Thanks for reading,

Mark Healy

mark@wildlifecallers.com

The new Flextone callers (handheld eH1 and remote controlled eR1) are loaded with other hunting sounds too.  Where it’s legal, you can use them for calling deer, calling crows, calling hogs & javelina, calling squirrels, and more. 

You can see both Flextone callers and their sound lists by CLICKING HERE or on the picture below.

The Flextone Mimic eH1 and the Echo eR1

Every hunter’s budget is different, especially in these uncertain times.  So, to bridge the gap between not having but wanting an electronic predator caller and eventually owning a high-end remote controlled do-all Mighty Atom predator calling workhorse, Wildlife Callers’ Store now offers the Flextone Mimic eH1 for just under $40 bucks.  The Mimic is one half of Flextone’s new e-caller line up.  Flextone is also coming out with a remote controlled unit called the Echo eR1. 

These callers are a direct result of the demand for selections from the Wildlife Technologies Sound Library on quality machines that more guys can afford – your ideas in action. 

Field Note:

On our first stand with the Mimic eH1, Marc Reindell of Wildlife Callers called 2 coyotes.  The coyotes came out of a drainage near a large prairie just outside of Flagstaff, AZ.  One arrived at about 30 seconds into the stand and number 2 arrived at about 3 minutes.  Does the Flextone Mimic eH1 work?  Yes. 

If you still have a question about this caller, please send it in – info@wildlifecallers.com or give us a call toll-free at 1-877-734-1010

Subscriptions to the blog are always free and comments are always appreciated. 

Thank you again for reading and good hunting!

Mark Healy

mark@wildlifecallers.com

Tom Sorenson and his color phase Black Bear called in.

 Tom lives in Weiser, ID and called this bear less than an hour from his home. Idaho does not allow the use of electronic game callers for big game, including bear and mountain lion. He used a Primos Hyper Lip Cow Call to call the bear.  Tom and his wife took up predator calling about a year ago or so, looks like they are catching on pretty quick! 

Below is an excerpt from Tom’s story:

“ The game plan was much the same as the previous week – lots of hiking and glassing, and lots of calling. Predator calling was something we’d started last year and in all the sets we’d had yet to call in a bear – call that a bit of foreshadowing. I don’t know the exact score, but I’d imagine it was somewhere around 30 sets and no bears. For the record, those are pretty bad odds. But the law of averages says that we were due.”

To read the complete story and previous posts about this bear hunt, go to Tom’s blogpost here.

Tom and wife Shanna with the bear hide.

Thanks for sharing your story Tom and congratulations on a nice bear called! Tom’s blog and website can be found at www.basecamplegends.com

We appreciate you visiting us here at Wildlife Callers. Feel free to sign up for the blog, it’s free and easy to do, just add your info here:

Thanks for reading!

Marc Reindell

marc@wildlifecallers.com