NATURE CALLS

THE LATEST ACCESSORIES FOR GETTING BIG GAME, PREDATORS AND WATERFOWL IN CLOSE

BY THE EDITORS

GAME CALLS ARE a valuable hunting tool, designed to boost your chances of success by enticing game into range for a clean shot. Whether you’re hunting waterfowl, predators or big game, there are countless calls to suit a wide variety of hunting scenarios, skill levels and budgets. Here are some of the latest offerings on the market.

NOBULL (US$24.99)

Hunter Specialties, www.hunterspec.com

Key features: Rigid frame and soft rubber makes for realistic grunts and growls; snort-wheeze attachment; makes loud and soft calls. The promise: “Covers all the bases of hunting rutted-up mature bucks.”

THE CLOSER (US$15.99)

Woodhaven Custom Calls, www.woodhaven customcalls.com

Key features: Produces realistic doe estrous bleats, as well as distress bleats and bawls of a young deer; makes both soft and loud calls; compact design. The promise: “Extremely user friendly.”

NOTHING BUT GREEN POLYCARB (US$39.99)

Zink Calls, www.zinkcalls.com

Key features: Budget-friendly polycarbonate version of Zink’s original custom acrylic duck call; single-reed design; easy to use. The promise: “Even novice callers can produce undeniably realistic sounds.”

DYING RABBIT (US$10.99)

Flextone, www.flextonegamecalls.com

Key features: Attracts coyotes and other predators with both close- and long-calls mimicking a rabbit in distress; flexible body to control the volume and tone. The promise: “Predators will find it hard to resist.”

18”

Short Mag

Ken Capling Outdoors, www.kencapling.com

Key features: to-carry version of the original Moose Mag; makes cow calls and bull grunts; designed by famed moose caller Ken Capling; hand made in Canada. The promise: still punch through dense forest.”

SUPER REVOLT (US$749.99)

Lucky Duck, www.luckyduck.com

Key features: Preloaded with 200 live animal sounds to lure in predators; capacity for 2,000 sounds; can play two calls at once; includes tripod, motorized decoy and battery kit. The promise: “Rugged and durable.”

NEW & NOTEWORTHY

RTV-X1120

Equipped with a three-cylinder diesel engine, solid steel frame, variable hydraulic transmission and independent four-wheel suspension, Kubota’s powerful new RTV-X1120 (starting at $22,260) is geared for both rugged backcountry adventure and heavy lifting around camp. Other features include three-point seatbelts, alloy wheels and half doors. Kubota, www.kubota.ca

On Hunting

GREY GHOST POLY (US$30)

Buck Gardner Calls, www.buckgardner.com

Key features: Shorter barrel and insert for making fast double-clucks, and a higher pitch for loud, ringing goose honks; comes with Quick-Tune or Broken-In pitch options. The promise: “Nearly indestructible polycarbonate.”

Where does hunting fit in with today’s society? That’s the question tackled in the non-fiction book On Hunting (US$25.49), by Dave Grossman, Linda K. Miller and Keith A. Cunningham. Covering everything from ethics and skills to tradition and conservation, the 413-page study is sure to spark many a campfire debate. BroadStreet, www.broadstreetpublishing.com

FASTEEL+

UNLEASHED V2 BUGLE TUBE ($97.90)

Phelps Game Calls, www.phelpsgamecalls.com

Key features: Makes elk bugles, screams, chuckles and grunts; flared mouthpiece for diaphragm calling; easy-to-use external mouthpiece for beginner callers. The promise: “Small and light with superb sound.”

NSU 3 PACK ($32.29)

Rocky Mountain Hunting Calls, www.buglingbull.com

Key features: Kit includes three elk diaphragm calls designed for various palate types; easy to use; makes calf, cow, spike and bull calls. The promise: “Our newest, most innovative diaphragm to date.” OC

Designed for allweather waterfowl hunting, Kent’s three-inch, 12-gauge Fasteel+ shells ($42/ box of 25) feature a layer each of two different sizes of plated-steel shot, allowing the smaller shot to draft behind the larger shot for a tighter pattern. Combined with doublebase powder and premium wads, the 1¼-ounce loads promise fewer cripples. Kent, www.kentdirect.ca

BATTLE ROPE

2.0

Breakthrough Clean’s Battle Rope 2.0 (US$16.99) makes gun barrel cleaning a cinch with its integrated flipout pull handle that doubles as a weight, allowing the cable to easily feed through the barrel. The integrated bronze brush then scrubs away stubborn carbon, while the thick rope wipes up residue. Breakthrough Clean, www.breakthroughclean.com

BY RYAN STUART

BY GEORGE GRUENEFELD