Spinning off from other discussion.

Anyone have any recommendations?  I'd be looking at non-electronic options, I don't need more batteries.  Also betting the weight would be more than it's worth.

I'm interested in improving my wildlife viewing.

standard mouth blown rabbit in distress call - for northern forests, you'll want one that mimics snowshoe hare, not cottontail, though I suspect either would work.  About $10 to $15

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I've called in coyotes a couple of times, but they will normally circle and come in downwind, and they aren't color blind, so you need good camo (white for winter).

I've called a snowshoe rabbit in once - it popped out from its hideyhole under a log to see what the problem was - that seems to be a stupid reaction to one of your buddies in distress, at least for a prey animal, but I've read of it working in  magazine articles

Deer will also get curious about the calls, and may come in.  Ravens and crows are likley also.  I was sitting calling for 20 minutes or so one time, and got up to move on to a new spot -  only moved a few yards and looked up to see a golden eagle hovering above me, maybe 50 yards or less - using my binocs, I could see its eys moving trying to locate that injured bunny.

an impromptu call can be made by sucking on the back of your hand, making squeeking sounds that mimic a mouse - I've had animals show interest in that, even though they could see me - that's obviously a close range call

deer have also come in to a turkey call, as well as coyotes - even if no turkeys in the area, I think they get curious about a "new" sound

I'd be just a bit careful in wolf country though - make sure you have a tree to climb or are in our boat;  one time, after seeing very fresh lion tracks in the snow and looking for them, I heard a young lion  meowing (I think mamam was teaching it to hunt) up in the spruce where they were chasing a hare - having only a .22 with me, and nowhere to run to very fast on snowshoes, I did NOT use my rabbit in distress call on that occasion!

Thanks folks!  Definitely stuff for the Xmas list.

I wouldn't worry about wolves.  I don't worry about bears and I've actually seen one in the woods.  20 years, never seen nor heard a wolf.

Akula wrote on Dec 1^st, 2010 at 7:57pm:


Hmmm. Not sure your going to see much by using dog toys and blades of grass and your sure not going to see anything by throwing rocks  across the ground and rustling leaves with a stick. Calls are cheap enough. Find a good hidey hole and don't move around much. Make them search.

One of my favorite ways was to go out mid winter at night when it was really cold and there was lots of snow about. A white full ski mask and sheet made me more or less invisible to the foxes that hunted the hedgerows of farms. Coyotes as Mat has pointed out will usually circle and get downwind before letting off a few yips telling you the jig is up.

Preacher wrote on Dec 1^st, 2010 at 7:45pm:


You may get more than you bargained for. Oh, I forgot, your not afraid of bears and wolves and such.

You might consider stopping smoking, losing weight and doing some sprints before calling. Could come in handy in a pinch. Just sayin.

Rather "interesting" wildlife encounters in the book "Water and Sky". Perhaps you might peruse it?