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I own a $500 electronic predator call. It’s a perfect blend of portable form and solid-state function: electronics sealed in a winterized case, hundreds of high-definition wildlife shrieks and bawls amplified by a weatherproof speaker. If it has a problem, it’s that it sits silent on a shelf for about 51 weeks of the year.
Between various distractions, I don’t find as much time as I would like to hunt coyotes. It’s a shame I don’t get more use out of such an expensive, purpose-built piece of gear. It’s for occasional predator hunters like me that the game-call industry is marketing entry-level electronic calls with a handful of digital sound clips for a fraction of the price of the higher-end units. Are these weekend-warrior e-callers up to snuff? I tested half a dozen new units on the frozen prairie of eastern Montana to find out.
The first thing I noticed about these calls is their simplicity. Many feature stripped-down remote controls, and frankly that’s a relief given that some of the higher-end callers require advanced degrees in electronics to operate. But the simplicity has a shortcoming: You get only a handful of basic sound clips with these units, all of which retail for under $100 (some far below that price), and the volume and on/off functions don’t always work smoothly. Just as you’ve probably experienced with other budget-priced electronics, controls tend to be flimsy, some features work intermittently, housings are prone to break or crack, and these units may not survive many seasons of hard use.
Still, for about as much money as it takes to fill your gas tank, these are pretty good tools for the occasional coyote caller. And you won’t feel guilty if you bench these devices while you pursue other activities.
ICOTEC
GC300
GREAT BUY
Score: 84 // Price: $80
icotec.com
▶ ICOTec is one of the unknown giants of the e-caller world, supplying many of the calls that are rebranded by other manufacturers. The GC300 has the look of many higher-end units, with the same easy-carrying flashlight configuration that the Primos has, and it features one of the most powerful remote controls in the field. The base has a port for an external speaker.
Call Selection: Twelve clips, including four coyote vocalizations, bobcat, fox, raccoon, crow, and woodpecker. Only two are rabbit, and one is a fawn in distress.
**Operating Range: ** 306 yards
Effective Range: 310 yards
Hits: The reach of the remote is impressive, and you don’t have to keep it in direct line of sight of the base unit to operate the caller. I love its ability to play two sounds simultaneously. The remote is easy to operate with gloved fingers, and the button layout is easy to read and understand. The unit is extremely packable and portable, and it contains good-sounding clips provided by Wildlife Technologies. Its one-year warranty is rare in this category.
Misses: I’d rather see more common prey animals in the sound library; for instance, a rodent squeak would be a good addition. The base unit’s finish is too shiny and it needs legs to allow it to stand on uneven surfaces. The remote’s battery is the low-power, hard-to-find A23; the common AAA would be better.
JOHNNY STEWART
Grims Speaker GS2
EDITOR’S CHOICE
Score: 87 // Price: $100
hunterspec.com
▶ The more impressive of the two Johnny Stewart units in the test, this hefty caller (a prototype) gives users the ability to import hundreds of additional sounds through a USB port, storing the clips on a 256 MB internal memory card. The huge speaker takes up most of the dimensions of the blocky base unit. The backlit LED remote is easy to use with gloved fingers, and the remote nests in the base unit by means of a magnet.
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https://www.outdoorlife.com/articles/hunting/2016/01/budget-coyote-callers-we-test-6-electronic-predator-calls-under-100/
