Inflection...... and...... feeling.......

[alscalls]

Hi, I am AL Collins, I have been a custom call maker since 1987...... and a hunter for almost 40 years... I have spent the last 12 years or so, really studying and chasing the ever elusive eastern coyote. It has become an obsession and a huge passion. I have spent many an unsuccessful day and or night hunting these critters.... and I have learned more from them than all my other quests combined. I have also found some success in killing my share of them....... As well as calling them in for other folks, which is even harder to do at times. I have found that success on a coyote hunt is measured in how much we learn as the quarry we chase is certainly all knowing about us. As we peruse such a knowledgeable critter... we should take the time to learn all we can about them as well, or we will never even begin to level the playing field.

I have been asked to put up some stories and thoughts of mine here, so that folks can see what I have learned, as well as how my way of thinking has changed in my hunting world since I met the West Virginia coyote.
So here is my first thought for ya here at Gun Nook.... Feel free to join right in and let me know what you think as well.


I was on a couple of different hunts sometime back when someone would play this Erie human baby cry on an E-caller.... They downloaded it from the internet and wanted to see if a coyote would come to it......

Sounded to me like the baby needed its diaper changed ......or perhaps fed........ In my mind.....I couldn't help but think..... Thats not really distress......that's a cry for Mom! And Mom is not what a coyote wants..... It wants Wounded, slow, I am dying kinda sounds.......

Though I am certain no one wants to record a dying baby..... It makes me wonder how many folks really think about what the sound they are playing or blowing into a hand call really is???
I try and look at it as though I am an actor.....playing a part..... and though I do not want my actions seen..... I want the story to be as real as real can get for Ol wiely coyote...........

I was at a show with a friend ......looking around one weekend and a fella that knew me...... Stood up at his booth and started blowing a distress call I had made for him (Open Reed factory board) I walked over to his booth as folks started to gather around to see the calls we were showing one another...... I blew my call with the same factory board.... same reed...... almost the same call....... Several people were saying..... " I like the sound of that one better!" I laughed and said you mean instead of this....... and I started my best impression of my friends awful calling noise..... and folks couldn't believe two so very different sounds could come from one call......
So I proceeded to do cow elk calls.........doe bleats...... buck grunts..... rabbit distress..... fawn mews..... yelping... howling...... barking......growling...... and all kinds of crazy sounds from one call....... Explaining that "Noise" is just that....... Noise...... Calling is Feeling.........and Inflection......... And much like the Guitar I play every day..... It is an instrument.... Something to be learned....and practiced......

Well before it was over...... my friend was asking....... how do ya make this sound? ....... Now how did you do that? Really makes me wonder how many folks have a bunch of calls...... but never bothered to see if the sound they were making was a good dying sound....... or just another hungry baby.........or better yet.... just noise...... Ya ever think about it...?

[sasquatch]

Great post Al! Very informative. And though I've never hunted or called coyote I completely get your comparison of calls to a guitar or musical instrument. Calling ain't easy, you gotta give em' what they want to hear.