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Icotec 350 e-caller

Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2015 7:44 pm
by Cuts Crooked
I recently acquired an Icotec 350 E-caller. I have a problem nowdays using mouth calls due to COPD. It's not a bad case but extended calling sessions can become problematic. Years ago I bought a Faulk rabbit distress call through Herters and used it successfully for calling yotes in the Iowa fence rows. Still have that old thing and it still works. But the years have changed things, both for me personally and the nature of Iowa hunting. The fence rows aren't what they usta be, with most farms being HUGE, almost factory type, operations and the fence rows are pretty much a thing of the past. Now I hunt federal property, surrounded by huge open fields. Some of the federal ground is leased by farmers for row crops and hay fields, but most of it is second growth timer, with abandoned farm steads scattered through it, and shore line areas around the lake that is part of this federal impoundment. All of which means it often takes some pretty loud calling to bring those dogs in. Thus...the e-caller is a major tool in my bag of tricks. I know some "purists" frown on them slightly, and that's ok, they are good at what they do and I don't have any problem with how they feel about what I do.
So, when I got back into this addiction, I looked at the available e-callers and the sticker shock just about stopped me!!!! I ended up building my own caller and loaded it with sounds found on the web and a couple of my own recordings. It worked, but it had some disadvantages. First and foremost, it was large, the speaker and amp were bulky and a I needed a pack to carry it in. Second, volume control was problamatic. I needed a huge spool of speaker wire to set it out any distance from me. (one of the major advantages of an e-caller is, of course, getting the sound source away from the hunter, making it easier to get that shot off without being detected) And the controls on my MP3 player weren't the most handy for the job I asked it to do. However, it worked and I have gotten some fur shooting over that homemade thing, and I enjoyed doing it!

Then my wife, bless her heart, bought me a Johnny Stewart Preymaster 2. That little thing was handier than a pocket in a shirt to carry, had great sounds on it, and an easy to use remote. But it pretty pathetic in the volume department (actually quite good in certain situations where less volume is better) and volume control was a slight issue, no way to control volume from the remote. I actually found that I could use it in place of my MP3 player, with my homemade unit and get incredible volume though. And the selection of sounds, though they were very good, was pretty limited, and no way to program any more on it. But it did bring in fur on occasion.

Then I got this Icotec.....and it's almost perfect! It has the power to get the sound out there, and if you feel that's not enough there is an external speaker port that can be hooked to a power horn speaker for calling them in from the next county! I'm talking serious loud here!!!! Would be a good combination for a desert or prairie hunter! It comes with 24 sounds from Wildlife Technologies and they are pretty darned good sounds! Coyote Female, Coyote Yip/Howl, Coyote Male, Coyote Pup Distress, Jack Rabbit Distress, Cottontail Distress, Gray Fox Distress, Red Fox Distress, Timber Wolf Pup Distress, Timber Wolf Alpha Howl, Mouse Voles, Adult Bobcat, Bobcat In Heat, Raccoon Pup Distress, Crow Distress, Crow & Barred Owl, Woodpecker Distress, Snow Geese Flying, Snow Geese Feeding, Wild Turkey Tom Gobbles, Wild Turkey Hen Chirps, Fawn Distress, Whitetail Buck Grunt, and Whitetail Snort Wheeze. It also can have other calls programed onto it. Using standard SD cards one can program up to 24 sounds on a card, so with multiple cards it would be possible to have hundreds of calls in ones library of sounds. The remote is simple to operate and has a claimed range of 300 yards. I tested that claim and found it to be true, at least in direct line of sight. I don't know why anyone would want a caller 300 yards away from the shooter, but if you do, it can do it. Plus you can control the volume from the remote! And the whole thing fits in the bag of my hunting stool for transporting. Plus, the caller has a special clip that the remote can be attached too so it doesn't get lost/separated from the caller when not in use. It also has a jack to hook in a distraction decoy for remote operation. I've compared it to a friends Fox Pro and I honestly think the Icotec sounds better. That may be my prejudice speaking though, because I own this one. ;) The only thing I can think of that would be in the Fox Pro's advantage is the Fox Bang feature.
My son and I have taken 8 song dogs over this thing in 12 stands so far this winter, two of those were doubles. (he got the doubles of course, I ain't that good)
OH! One more thing...the thing that initially sold me on the Icotec.....COST! less than half the cost of comparable featured calls from other manufactures. I know that one gets what one pays for, but sometimes a company produces something better for less, not often, but it happened in this case.
Disclaimer: I have no connection to Icotec other than being a satisfied customer. And I can't say that you will be as happy as I am with Icotec, but I thought I'd post this review so y'all know about a good, in my opinion, product. And my apologies fer being long winded here, It's too danged cold outside and I got too much time on my hands. ;)

Re: Icotec 350 e-caller

Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2015 9:21 pm
by Coyotehunter
Good read. I have recently contacted them....not much of a response of them but glad to hear that you have been impressed with the unit.

Re: Icotec 350 e-caller

Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2015 4:42 am
by Dcoy
Nice review.Thanks.
Some very good sounds on there.