Which of these calls for Cougs and bears?

big bear · 01-15-2009, 11:27 AM

I'm looking at these 4 calls so I can get serious about bagging a big cat. Please let me know what you guys think. Thanks in advance.

FOX PRO FX5

WESTERN RIVERS NITE STALKER

JOHNNY STEWART PREY MASTER

PHANTOM PRO WIRELESS

whirlwind · 01-15-2009, 01:13 PM

I have owened many types of foxpro's and have been very, very happy with the product and the service after the perchase.
I have called in many animals with mine.
The FX5 or the new Fury have features that make them very apealing.
The sound and sound library are hard to beat.

Twodogs · 01-15-2009, 03:01 PM

Foxpro all the way buy a fury great caller just got mine last week.

twodogs

fishinjay · 01-15-2009, 03:12 PM

check out the minaska outdoors e-caller also, its a nice unit as well. I have a foxpro FX3. I like it but the fury has alot of goodies that would be usefull so now im going to sell the FX3 and get the fury

. My wife says i need a support group for my predator hunting addiction, ha ha.

Jakiedog · 01-15-2009, 08:42 PM

I have a Foxpro Scorpion. I will attest for Foxpro customer service. They rock!!

rbkircher · 01-15-2009, 09:04 PM

This is all some interesting information. I am thinking of purchasing one of these units, but any input as to which to buy would be greatly appreciated.

KingSlew · 01-15-2009, 09:36 PM

So, how many bears have you guys called in?

riverswild · 01-16-2009, 05:21 AM

From your list.
Any Foxpro
JS Preymaster 4

The other two listed are garbage. I agree with a couple posts above in that Foxpro has great customer service and that Minaska makes a great call.

What you really need to think about is what you want to do with it and how you want to do it.

Do you want the ability to hold a few sounds or hundreds. Do you want to play wav and mp3 or even create your own loops? How much are you willing to spend. How far away do you want the remote to work?

The JS PM4 is a great little unit at a great price but you are stuck with using the memory sticks. On the plus side of that you can order it from allpredatorcalls.com and get the two sticks it comes with plus two more for free.

The FP's and Minaska are industry leaders and both have large followings and great customer service. Both offer the ability to play mp3's and they have large sounds libraries.

I have a FP Scorpion and I like it, but the downside is that it does not have the volume I want for calling bears. It has plenty of volume for coyotes though.

baltz526 · 01-16-2009, 08:25 AM

the scorpion i heard with external speaker has plenty of volume for ANY calling. windy day on big canyons full of timber. plenty of volume

Old Goat · 01-16-2009, 09:22 AM

Foxpro seems to get most of the votes, but I have a Western Rivers Nightstalker. It is in the same price range of the Foxpro, but I do like it. It is all in MP3 format instead of the Foxpro special format...but foxpro will play MP3's.

I played it next to a foxpro. With deeper calls like a cougar roar, the foxpro was a little more "throaty". Other than that, the same.

Team Rip · 01-16-2009, 09:54 AM

Wildlife Technologies Here.
Can't beat'em for quality and sound selection!!!!

riverswild · 01-16-2009, 04:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by baltz526

the scorpion i heard with external speaker has plenty of volume for ANY calling. windy day on big canyons full of timber. plenty of volume

Yes the Scorpions amp will push a large horn like the SP108 but then you lose battery life much quicker unless you want to pack around a 5 lber.

For bear and cougar calling on the coast the Scorpion is not a good option. You would be much happier with FP Open Country or a Minaska Big Country Bandit.

KingSlew · 01-16-2009, 04:35 PM

Any success calling coastal bears? Thanks.

baltz526 · 01-16-2009, 06:01 PM

on the foxpro scorpion am i missing something, it runs on 8 AA batteries, and you call a spot for 15 minutes, go to next spot call for 15 minutes. the price of calling is 8 AA bateries every how many stands with external speaker?

riverswild · 01-17-2009, 04:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by baltz526

on the foxpro scorpion am i missing something, it runs on 8 AA batteries, and you call a spot for 15 minutes, go to next spot call for 15 minutes. the price of calling is 8 AA bateries every how many stands with external speaker?

15 minute stands are a whole nother deal, plus you can charge between stands.
When calling for bears or cougars we do a 1 hour stand minimum, bobcats get 30-40 min.
Calling for that duration, at that volume, pushing that horn chews up the batteries, especially if you are using custom sounds. Yes, the sounds you use can dictate battery life.
Most of the places require a long hike or bike ride so extra batteries and a large speaker make it almost impractical in those situations especially when you are trying to do a few stands in a day.
A FP FX5 (or similar) would be much easier to pack and it is louder.
Obviously the easier choice is a good cottontail hand call, but sometimes toys are fun.

riverswild · 01-17-2009, 04:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KingSlew

Any success calling coastal bears? Thanks.

Tons with hand calls. Most of my bears have been killed when calling.

baltz526 · 01-17-2009, 06:40 AM

calling for 1 hour is not how 99% of hunters use their electronic callers, so i see the battery life of 8 AA's as a none issue. for long calling stands on hike inhunts an extra plug in power pack, or lots of batteries is what most callers need. just stick an old johnny stewart cassette in a cheap compact cassette player, set it on stump and go eat lunch. 6 D battery players will last several hours playing a cassette at moderate volume. high tech is not needed for predators, just patience. HOW long do 8 AA batteries last playing a scorpion with external speaker? is my question.

riverswild · 01-17-2009, 04:25 PM

I don't care how 99% of the hunters use their ecalls. 99% of the hunters aren't using them for bear or cougars.

The title of the thread is "Which of these calls for Cougs and bears?"
I stated the Scorpion doesn't have the volume I want for calling bears.

Like I said above, it depends but if you need a number then they average an hour and a half most of the time when pushing the SP 108. There are a lot of variables including the sound you are playing, the volume, the brand of battery, etc.

I can say without a doubt that the Foxpro Scorpion does not have the volume that most would want for calling bears.

rbkircher · 01-17-2009, 04:32 PM

Does anyone use these during bow season for elk? Locating it behind you and using the remote sounds like a good plan. That would be my main use for one of these! Thanks.

baltz526 · 01-17-2009, 05:57 PM

so no one can answer my question, on battery life. i already know the scorpion is plenty loud for any calling in any terrain with wind with the external speaker. the things are VERY loud if you want them to be. i just want an HONEST battery life on 8 AA batterys at mid volume which is as loud as i would ever set it on, to call cougar or bear.

whirlwind · 01-17-2009, 08:03 PM

On the Fx5 I use, I get an easy 10 hours of play.
I have not tried to call longer so far.

big bear · 01-17-2009, 08:34 PM

Thanks alot for the input. I really appreciate it. Sounds like the foxpro is hard to beat but spendy too. Maybe if I could start out with a good used one from somebody,than get a "fury" later. Let me know if someone out there is upgrading and wants to sell there old one.

rbkircher · 01-25-2009, 07:49 AM

Are these legal for use during bow season? I was looking in the regulations this morning and cannot locate. Thanks

nwpatfan · 01-25-2009, 10:31 AM

new to ifish hope i can asked this....i 've got a wayne carlton call and was looking to go up to friend area and try and call in a cat...bear with me ..i'm a new hunter of 2 yrs and am totally hooked...animalless so far but have all the drive and passion....so i call it....not my wife and kids

DakotaTheKiller · 01-25-2009, 07:14 PM

the Johnny Stewart Prey master is a great, somewhat cheap call. I have called in several coyotes, but no cats. Though, I'm honestly not sure how many cats are around the area I hunt.