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Calling All Wildlife
By
Russell A. Graves,
TexasOutdoorsman.com Executive Editor
I’ll never forget the sight…
Creeping slowly into the broomsedge bluestem prairie of northeast
Texas one afternoon, I had a singular purpose in mind: to see what
kind of animals I could call up and photograph. My equipment and the technique in which it was used were
surprisingly low tech. Besides
my camera gear the only equipment I had was a portable cassette
player, speaker, and a pre-recorded cassette tape with the looped
sounds of a crying rabbit.
Camouflaged from head to toe, I nestled in at the base of a big
red cedar tree along a small creek that was lined with hardwoods.
I waited a couple of minutes and turned on the cassette.
Turning the volume up sent a wave of decibels echoing
throughout the trees.
Within a minute, songbirds began darting back and forth in front
of my field of view. Some
perched on trees and stared down at my speaker while others simply
flew noisily by. The
line up of birds was a veritable catalog of prairie avian species.
Field sparrows, cardinals, meadowlarks, blue jays, crows,
and others I could not identify showed up to investigate the
strange sounds.
Five minutes after I sat down, I noticed movement in the grass
twenty yards from me. At
first, all I saw was the top of an animal.
A second or two later a full grown male coyote, complete
with piercing yellow eyes and full grizzled gray pelt, stepped
into a small clearing and stood broadside and stared toward the
rabbit sounds.
Quickly focusing my camera’s big telephoto lens, I fired off a
single frame. The
whirring of the motor drive, although relatively quiet, caught the
coyote’s attention. Two
pictures later, the wild canine turned and bolted out of site.
The tape fooled him long enough for me to capture him on
film for eternity.
For the uninitiated, calling wildlife is a simple yet effective
method for attracting all sorts of game and non-game animals in
range for hunting, photography, and general observation. The neat thing about calling is that it can be done any time
of the year with a minimal amount of expense.
“Wildlife calling is the simply practice of reproducing a sound
that attracts various species of wildlife for a variety of
reasons,” says Gerald Stewart, son of one of the calling
industry’s founders and consultant to Hunter Specialties who
recently acquired Johnny Stewart Wildlife Calls.
“With a call you can call everything from the most common
and abundant of wildlife to the rare and exotic.”
Gerald adds that the advantage of calling animals is that it can
be done virtually anywhere. “Calling
can be done anywhere: your backyard, local park, or in the wild.
The beauty of it is that people from all walks of life can
enjoy the thrill of seeing wildlife up close using a variety of
calling products at a minimal expense. Calling can make your
binoculars obsolete.”
Stewart’s statements are indeed true.
By using a call effectively, animals of all types can be
called to merely feet away.
Ready to get started? Here
are some ideas that will help you get a jump-start on calling and
into the field.
The
Gear for Deer
Calling deer isn’t a new concept but its popularity has
recently seen resurgence over the past decade.
Once thought as being primarily silent creatures, research
and observation has shown that deer, especially whitetails, are
more vocal than most think. To
capitalize on the deer’s vocal behavior, many companies offer a
variety of calls that should help hunters, photographers, and
nature observers see more deer if used correctly.
Deer calls can be broken down into three main categories:
bleat, grunt, and rattling antlers.
Bleat
calls mimic the bawling sound that does and fawns often make.
They come in various shapes and sizes but are most often
made of wood or plastic and are blown through.
The sound, which can arouse curiosity of both does and
bucks, is perhaps the least favorite of all of the major calls
manufactured to attract deer.
Running
neck and neck as the most popular call for deer is the grunt call.
Grunt calls are long, tubular calls that often come with an
extended plastic sound chamber that helps accentuate the sound as
air is blown through it. The
call makes a low pitched sound that mimics the guttural grunting
sound that white-tail bucks make as they are tending to does
during the rut (mating season).
Many find the call to be an extremely effective for
attracting bucks that hear the sound and think another buck is
trespassing on their territory.
The last
common call for deer is unique in the sense that it is not breath
activated. Rattling
antlers are ground together and the friction between the two
antlers causes the sound. The
sound attracts both bucks and does to the caller because it
imitates the sound of two deer fighting.
The deer come for a couple of reasons.
Primarily, dominant bucks within an area thinks that the
sound is of two bucks fighting for does in his territory.
Also, many deer, like subordinate bucks and does, are
attracted by the sound because they want to watch a fight.
Rattling
antlers come in three main types: real antlers, synthetic antlers,
and rattling bags.
Those wanting to use make their own rattling antlers can
use shed antlers or antlers sawed off of a skull.
Typically, an eight point or better with ample mass make
the best set of rattling antlers.
A tip though: be sure to saw off the brow tines so they
won’t stab your hands when slamming the antlers together.
Also, tie a piece of twine on the base of each antler so
you can carry them into the field easily.
Synthetic
antlers have basically the same look and feel of reel antlers
except they are made of fiberglass or other materials.
Ergonomically designed, synthetic rattling antlers are
probably the best choice for hassle-free rattling but they’ll
cost you more to buy.
Rattling
bags are another choice for hunters not wanting the space
restrictions of larger rattling antlers.
Rattling bags are mostly made of camouflage nylon material
and are about a foot long. They
are filled with long pieces of hardwood rods as well as synthetic
materials. When
worked between two hands it makes the same sound as deer sparring
yet not nearly as loud.
Turkey
Talk
From a wildlife management standpoint, the wild turkey can
be called the poster species for success. Around the turn of the
century, seeing a wild turkey was rare.
Now, thanks to habitat restoration and restocking efforts,
wild turkeys can be found in all fifty states.
In Texas, the two dominant sub-species of turkeys are the
Eastern and the Rio Grande. Eastern
wild turkeys can be found and form an Austin to Houston line north
and east of Interstate 35. Rio
Grande turkeys can be found most everywhere else in the state.
Although
extremely wary, turkeys do respond well to calls. Luckily for outdoor enthusiasts, there are a host of calls on
the market today. The
major categories of turkey call are friction and mouth calls.
Friction
calls are the easiest to use.
These calls mimic the clucks, purrs, cuts, and yelps that
the hen makes and is extremely effective for attracting males.
Toms, or gobblers, as they are often called, are attracted
by the sounds because of the prospects of finding a willing mate.
Friction
calls are a best bet for beginners.
These calls come in three common types, which include box,
slate, and push button calls.
Box
calls are long, slender wooden boxes with a paddle-like appendage
that rotates on a single axis.
When the paddle is slid across the body of the call, sound
is produced. Long, quick strokes make clucking sounds while short, sharp
strokes produce cuts. On
the other hand, a slow push of the paddle across the body of the
call makes a soft purr that is very seductive to the ears of a
lovesick tom.
Slate
calls come in two pieces. The
main piece, the slate, is a round cylinder that is about four
inches across and an inch thick.
The top is covered in slate or plastic while the bottom
often has holes drilled in it to improve its acoustics.
To be most effective, the surface of the slate call needs
to be roughened with sand paper to provide more friction for the
other part of the call – the striker.
The striker is a long wooded or plastic dowel that is
dragged across the surface of the slate to produce sound.
Movements of the striker include quick strokes, drawing a
“J” on the slate or a slow drag.
Push button calls are the easiest friction calls to use.
They are usually made of a simple box with a small dowel
protruding from it. Quick
pushes of the dowel causes friction inside of the box and produces
sounds.
Mouth,
or diaphragm, calls are the toughest of all turkey calls to use
but they are also the most versatile because the sound can be
varied greatly. They
are made of up layers of dental dam held in place by a half circle
of synthetic leather. Diaphragm calls come in all sorts of reed and reed cut
configurations to vary the sounds of the calls.
Diaphragm
calls are placed in the roof of the mouth and air is forced
between the tongue and the call.
Sounds are controlled by the amount of air pushed pass the
call and the shape of the caller’s mouth.
Since using the diaphragm call needs no movement, they are
a favorite among many turkey hunters so they can hide form the
keen-eyed birds.
Aside
from calls that mimic turkeys, a couple of other sounds can help
you locate turkeys. Crow
and owl calls are often marketed to turkey hunters.
When blown, toms will often respond with a gobble and let
you know where they are.
Predators,
Song Birds, and Feral Hogs – OH MY!
This sounds like an oxymoron.
After all, what do predators, songbirds, and feral hogs
have in common? They all respond to the same calls – but for different
reasons.
Predators, such as coyotes, bobcats, and raccoons are easily
called to the sounds of an injured animal because they are looking
for an easy meal. Songbirds
come, it seems, out of curiosity.
Feral hogs are lured using the sounds of a distressed
piglet or other pigs feeding.
One of the most effective tool for calling predators, birds, or
pigs is the electronic caller.
Commercial callers come most often play cassettes and come
built with a rechargeable battery and bullhorn type speaker. In addition, some may come will small amplifiers to deliver
the sound further distances.
One advantage of the electronic caller is the availability of
different sounds. Currently,
scores of different sounds are available on the market today for
attracting all sorts of wildlife.
Another advantage is that they are easy for beginners to
use. Just pop in a
tape, sit still, and wait for the action to unfold.
Seasoned callers like to use the electronic calls because
once they are turned on, animal-spooking movement can be kept to a
minimum.
A possible downside to commercially manufactured electronic
callers for some is the cost.
For a quality unit, expect to pay over $150 dollars – and
that’s without the tapes. Don’t
fret though. A
Walkman type player with a bullhorn speaker can work well.
Then all you have to buy are the tapes.
New technology is revolutionizing the electronic calling industry.
Compact disc and sound-embedded microchip callers are
currently trickling onto the market.
In addition, the advent of downloadable sounds off the
Internet using the MP3 file format is looking promising for
delivering near CD quality sound into the field.
Don’t want to fork over the cash? Then look to the more conventional mouth blown calls.
Manufacturers such as Sceery, Johnny Stewart Game Calls,
and Burnham Brothers make a variety of mouth blown calls that
mimic the sounds of injured animals.
Even with mouth blown calls, variety awaits the prospective
caller.
Aside from the injured animal call, squeakers are also available
that are quieter in sound, yet they bring curious animals in
closer. Coyote
howlers are also available to help locate the song dogs because if
there are within an earshot, they’ll answer back at the call.
Calling predators, pigs, hawks, and songbirds is a great way to
get to see a variety of animals up close.
Calling for these animals is like reaching into a grab bag
– you never know for sure what you’ll get.
Field
Tips
Want
to see more animals while afield?
Try these tips on your next outing:
Camouflage
With
the exception of feral hogs, most animals that you will call up
into range have extremely keen eyesight and are spooked by the
slightest hint of danger. Therefore,
camouflage, or the use of a blind, is essential.
When
wearing camouflage, choose a pattern that matches the type of
terrain in which you plan to call.
Then, be sure to cover your face and hands with camouflage
as well since those are the parts of your body that are most
likely to move while waiting on animals to approach.
If you don’t want to wear camouflage, blinds can be
purchased or built that will conceal you and your movement.
Like with clothing, choose a blind that blends in with the
area you are calling. Alternatively,
you could build a permanent blind out of materials like tree limbs
or grasses found in the area but be aware that permanent blinds
require periodic maintenance to refurbish the camouflage material.
Stealthy
Scents
Many
predator and prey animals have keenly developed senses of smell to
help them detect danger and find food.
As a result, the smell of humans in the woods is foreign
and can cause them to flee. Next
time you try to lure game with a call, use a cover scent.
Cover
scents are an olfactory camouflage that can make the difference
between success and failure when calling animals such as deer.
Good masking scents that can be applied to your boots or on
limbs around your blind are skunk odor, deer or fox urine, or
acorn scents.
Also, to help hide your odor, don’t wear perfumes or
colognes into the brush and position yourself downwind from where
you expect the game to come.
Go
where the game is
This sounds like a no-brainer but if you are calling for bobcats,
make sure there are bobcats in the area you plan to go.
State parks or wildlife management areas are good places to
start. Private
landowners are often receptive to wildlife callers – especially
if all you plan to do is observe or photograph animals.
To see where animals range, try using field guides like the ones
Petersen’s or the Audubon Society publishes. Also, The Mammals of Texas field guide is
extremely useful as it give a county-by-county breakdown of where
the animals are found.
The bottom line? Do
your homework before you go afield.
It will increase your odds of success immensely.
Prime
Time
By far, the best time to call wildlife is when they are the
most active. Typically,
animals of all types are the most active during the morning and
evening. Deer,
turkey, and other prey species often move to their bedding areas
or feed during the first and last couple of hours of the day.
Because prey species are active at this time, so are
predator species. For
photographers, morning and evening has the best quality of light
for capturing animals on film.
For those wanting more adventure, try calling at night.
Lots of animals are active at night and calling is made
easier because their sight is limited by the darkness.
When calling at night, get a good quality spotlight and
equip it with a red filter. The
red filter is seen as easily by nocturnal wildlife and they
won’t spook when shined.
“Almost everyone, especially people with kids, have a portable
cassette player available. The purchase of a ten dollar tape can
create more fun than most can imagine at your local lake, park or
favorite picnic area,” emphasizes Stewart.
“I tell people that almost everywhere, anytime of the day
or night, there is something that can be called up if you have the
right sound.”
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