put my foxpro on a stump. I played a couple of group howls hoping for a response so that I would know where to set up to get my decoy dogs some action. After a couple minutes of not hearing anything, I played ‘Cals Fed Siren’ for about 30 seconds. Almost immediately a coyote barked right below me in the draw. I looked and saw a big mature coyote coming on a run straight at me. This coyote had obviously been coming to the group howls and hadn’t made a sound until I played the siren. Before I could get my gun up the coyote saw me moving around and was gone as fast as he had come.
One more vocal sound that I use on every stand is ‘Pup Distress.’ While I know it’s not what some would think of when we talk vocals, it is without a doubt one of the most effective sounds I have ever used. Not just during early season but any time of the year. I would dare say that if you don’t play Pup Distress before you leave a stand, you are leaving coyotes you would have called in had you played it. My personal favorite is Pup Distress 3 from Foxpro. I have killed more coyotes with that sound than any other.
The kind of call I use is one of the most common questions I get. And the great thing about using vocals is you can use about any call you want. Foxpro has many great coyote vocals in their sound library if you prefer an electronic call. If you like hand calls, almost any open reed call can make good vocals with a little practice. My personal favorite is a simple diaphragm. Don’t worry about sounding like the perfect coyote. Not every coyote sounds the same, and they don’t care if your voice cracks. My cousin Joey’s voice cracked and it just made it all the easier to smack him around.
What ever call you like, get out and try some vocals in the early season. You will have some crazy, aggressive responses, and learn more about coyote behavior than you could ever imagine.