Big, booming howler calls are designed to get the attention of coyotes at greater distances than standard distress calls can. (Shutterstock photo)
May 26, 2025
By Art Isberg
The gently rolling sagebrush flats stretching before me were lit in the first slanted rays of morning sun. Tall stone plateaus and ancient limestone cliffs backed this high-desert land where very few humans had ever put down a footprint and no wagon wheel had ever etched a trail moving west. It’s one of my favorite places on Earth to call and hunt predators. Time has literally passed it by.
I lifted the big, horn-shaped call to my mouth, drew in a deep breath of air and began calling. The high, quavering pitch that came out wasn’t the usual pitiful distress cry of a jackrabbit or cottontail that most predator hunters are used to. Instead, my efforts produced the high, lonely howl of a coyote, and the effectiveness of this type of big, booming call cannot be overstated. After the first call, I stopped, listening hard in the hushed silence that immense land can produce.
Right at the limit of my hearing, I could discern a distant answer and quickly called back to encourage the song dog closer. As far away as he sounded, a curious coyote simply cannot resist the temptation to see others of his own tribe, especially during the spring breeding season when coyotes travel extensively.
Coyotes can cover a lot of country with that steady, ground-eating gait of theirs, and this unique type of long-range calling requires patience to give the predators time to reach you. Twenty minutes after my initial call, with me still blowing intermittent howls to encourage my unseen friend closer, I caught movement coming through sagebrush toward me. Not one but two brush wolves were approaching.
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When the lead dog hit the bottom of the rocky outcrop I was sitting atop, a quick, short-range shot with my .243 Win. bolt gun rolled him. His partner instantly swapped ends, streaking back into the brush. I got only one quick glimpse through a thin spot but missed my second shot. Nevertheless, this encounter demonstrates what these big calls can do once you understand how to use them.
Once a coyote comes into view, switching to a distress call will hold its attention and often convince it to move within range. (Shutterstock photo) HOW THEY WORK All predator hunters are familiar with standard distress calls of various prey animals in dire straits. Howlers work on a completely different level, and that’s why they can be so astoundingly effective. Their main goal is to locate animals far out, farther than standard calls reach, and then coax them in through conversation. I would contend that the biggest howlers have easily double the calling range of standard calls, and that is a tremendous advantage for several reasons.
First, you will make fewer stands over the course of the day, but do so while effectively covering much more ground at each one. Extended time on each stand gives you more opportunity to give the surrounding country a good, long look. Predators coming in from long distances, even while answering back, can show up from any angle. It’s not like calling into a single canyon or brushy flat with standard-size calls. I’ve always been amazed how coyotes (and foxes too) can come such amazing distances and pinpoint the caller’s location exactly when they do show up.
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Howlers also do a much better job of reaching far out to animals on windy days or in inclement weather like light rain or even snow. Doing less calling with the big horns also means it’s less likely your hand or body movements will give you away as predators close in. Get comfortable and disappear into your surroundings. And remember to give yourself ample time on stand. Fifteen minutes is about the normal time for standard distress callers. With howlers, 20 to 25 minutes makes a lost more sense to give animals time to respond. If you have one calling back, wait even longer.
MIXED CALLING Another aspect of using these big boomers to their best advantage is to use them in conjunction with other predator calls. For example, the long-range call locates and starts predators coming in long before you can see them. But once an animal does come into view, it’s wise to put down the “big boy,” and switch to a standard-size call. The howler has done its job. Now, the pleading distress calls can take over to keep that predator dialed in. These smaller calls are easier to conceal while calling, which is another reason for the change.
Every predator hunter has had animals come in and then stop a hundred yards out, refusing to take another step closer. These wary animals may have been called to, or even shot at, before. It’s a make-or-break time to convince them closer for a sure, clean kill. This is when a third type of call can be mated to the first two. I term them “quiet calls” because, unlike the first two, they do not require volume to be effective. In fact, it’s the opposite. It’s their low-end, muted squeaks, barks, moans and pitiful cries of young pups or kits or even bird chirps that bring predators those final yards into gun range. This trio of calls gives you a 1-2-3 punch, and the hunter who goes afield armed with all three will get the most action.
HOTSHOT HOWLERS In the market for a call? Consider one of these proven options. Carver Predator Calls Photo courtesy of Carver Predator Calls) Today’s commercial predator call market offers hunters a tremendous variety of calls designed exclusively for long-range calling, and I’ve used many that I would recommend trying. The first is a very fine handmade call by Carver Predator Calls, out of Ephraim, Utah. Its name is a mouthful—the Big Dog Cocobolo Wood Coyote Howler ($32.95–$55.95; carverpredatorcalls.com)—and so is the call itself, all 8 inches of it. It produces the loud howls of calling coyotes, plus angry threat barks. Used under reduced calling pressure, it can produce distress cries, too. Carver also markets a smaller call, the Pup/Female Howler ($38.95–$49.95), that can still produce the high calls of coyotes plus some distress cries. The calls can be purchased separately or as a set at a discounted price. Carver boasts that it makes its own soundboards for its calls, which are strictly custom from tip to mouthpiece.
RR Predator Calls Photo courtesy of All Predator Calls RR Predator Calls offers a very unique Custom Steer Horn Coyote Howler ($39.95; allpredatorcalls.com). This big call varies in length from 6 to 8 inches; its flared end is a full 2 1/2 inches across. When calling, the horn’s vibrations are thought to produce perfect, lifelike howls of searching coyotes. In addition to howls, it produces fighting barks, threat barks and some distress calls at the lower end.
Dan Thompson Game Calls Photo courtesy of Dan Thompson Game Calls Dan Thompson Game Calls markets three excellent howlers. The Wind River Howler ($35.99; danthompsongamecalls.com) is a wood-barrel pup howler with a 3 1/4-inch megaphone that delivers a very high pitch for long range. Howls and other coyote vocalizations like barks, fights and even pup screams can be produced at the lower end. The brand’s Red Desert Howler ($43.99) is a male howler pitched lower than the Wind River, but still capable of delivering howls, fighting screams and threat barks. This call, also made of wood, features a 6 3/4-inch megaphone and 10-inch overall length. Finally, the Sweetwater Howler ($39.99) is a wooden female howler that is for closer work, such as in canyons, basins and mesa country as opposed to open flatlands.
This article was featured in the May 2025 issue of Game & Fish magazine. Click to subscribe .
