How do I Call Correctly?

[SnowBass23]

Hi All,
This community has been a wealth of information so far and I am constantly reading to get any bit of help possible. One area that I am trying to learn is in using hand calls. I bought a Primos Hot Dog predator call that is supposed to make something like a dozen or so calls, everything from male locator howls, warning howls and challenges, and different distress signals. Tonight I went out by a local lake to practice in a place that nobody would be disturbed by my racket! But when I blow into the call, trying to make a locator howl, it just comes out sounding like a childs horn. Unfortunately, I don't know anyone that knows how to use a hand call so I can't find anyone to show me. When I leave here I'll run over to youtube to look for videos. So, do I need to be trying to howl into the call? All I was doing was trying to blow from deep in my diaphram with a short "hoooooo" as the instructions said. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

SnowBass

[Coyotehunter]

well this is certainly easier to show someone then explain. If you want to sound like randy anderson then you need to go out and buy some of his videos. If you are just gettng started I would forget the howling for a while and just start with prey distress sounds.

[perch161]

I would stick with what coyote hunter says and stay away from the vocalizations at first. I'm new to all of this as well and I'm having trouble getting responses. I have several different calls a couple of raspy rabbits and three different closed reed calls by Knight and Hail which I like very much btw. The closed reed call are almost fool proof anyone can put there mouth on these calls and make it sound like something dying. My kids are always playing with them, much to my wifes shegrin, they make them sound just like the videos. The more you read on this site and others the more youwill find out that it is 90% getting into the right set up and doing it without being busted. I haven't been able to accomplish that myself but I keep on working on it.

[The Outdoorsman]

In my brief experience with calls, I have found that I have gotten alot better in the few weeks that I have had my calls with PRACTICE. Cant beat it!!!! Im in the car, on my lunch break, as soon as I get home (before anyone else does ) Like coyotehunter said, I would focus in on the distress calls first and then work towards using the vocalization calls once you feel more confident with them. I also bought the HotDog and Ki-yi calls and had problems with the HotDog to start with, but I have found that I have gotten alot better with it. BUT, from reading on here in the product review about calls, one call stood out to me and I went and got it and now find myself making the howls and barks alot better and with more consistancy. The Song Dog is a great call and very easy to use. One bit of advice with the Hot Dog that I can give is take the bell off and try to howl with it and use your hand in place of the bell, you might find that you will get a better sound out of it. good luck.

[SnowBass23]

Thanks for all the tips. I've been practicing every time I'm in the car, and it sounds a LOT better. I can now make most of the sounds, although whether they are correct or not is debatable. The thing I notice now is that when I try a howl, it sounds incredibly hollow. Maybe it sounds different in the distance, but up close is incredibly raspy and plastic. And L O U D!

[Mountainman]

New to the Website: I started with the prey calls and thought that I would never get it right. My granddaughter could call better than I could but with continued practice, it all came together. The same thing when I started with howling. I had to practice the simple calls first, listen to the tapes, practice, listen to the tapes, practice. Sooner or later (in my case) it will finally fall into place. If not sooner, your wife will nail you in the outhouse until you get it right. I won't say how long it took me, but it wasn't something that happens overnight.