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Author
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Topic: Les Johnson's Calls
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coyote whacker
Knows what it's all about
Member # 639
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posted August 11, 2008 11:05 AM
You buy the 30.00 call to call coyotes and his setup on this stand is the nice packaging to call the coyote caller! ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif) Works every time LOL!
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This is done on my time and my dime. My views may differ from those of others!
Posts: 376 | From: USA | Registered: Apr 2005
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Kokopelli
SENIOR DISCOUNT & Dispenser of Sage Advice
Member # 633
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posted August 11, 2008 02:09 PM
LOL!!! Yeah, & I need another call like Custer needed another 1ndian, but what the hell......
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And lo, the Light of the Trump shown upon the Darkness and the Darkness could not comprehend it.
Posts: 7580 | From: Under a wandering star | Registered: Apr 2005
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TA17Rem
Hello, I'm the legendary Tim Anderson, Field Marshall, Southern Minneesota Sector
Member # 794
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posted August 12, 2008 01:04 PM
Les does have some good calls and i think there worth 30.00.. The coyotes seem to like them as well.. ![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
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What if I told you, the left wing and right wing both belong to same bird!
Posts: 5064 | From: S.D. | Registered: Jan 2006
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coyote whacker
Knows what it's all about
Member # 639
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posted August 12, 2008 03:11 PM
I'm wondering who is manufacturing them?
I think 30.00 for plastic is a right bit good, I have no doubt they make some fine rabbit blues but then again so do many others like the critter call, he took some good advice from Major when building these calls, he outlined what makes a good call in his demo's.
[ August 12, 2008, 03:17 PM: Message edited by: coyote whacker ]
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This is done on my time and my dime. My views may differ from those of others!
Posts: 376 | From: USA | Registered: Apr 2005
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Semp
GOLD STAR MEMBER
Member # 3074
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posted August 13, 2008 03:57 PM
I met Les for the first time at the NRA Annual convention in Louisville in May.
Seems like a real nice guy. But he's sooo easy to embarass. I told the guy with me when we walked up to the booth. "Hey, that's Les Johnson! One of them Coyote Huntin' Gods!" Les's face turned beet red and grinned like a possum eatin' chit. We all had a good laugh.
[ August 13, 2008, 03:58 PM: Message edited by: Semp ]
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Always remember: That court appointed psychiatrist is not your friend.
Posts: 406 | From: Kentucky | Registered: Aug 2008
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RedRabbit
Knows what it's all about
Member # 796
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posted October 03, 2008 01:03 PM
What makes this call stand out amongst other tried and true howlers other than the price? I mean I can see a cow horn howler going for that. I think that price could of been a little more reasonable.
Is coyote hunting going to the big spenders?
its a piece of molded plastic with a reed for God sake!
Does it make just the right pitch in sound that sends "call shy coyotes" into a come to me frenzy?
Dont get me wrong I like the guy he's very informative in his Quest video and is a contend er. I just feel that price is a pretty good gouge.
RR
Posts: 241 | From: SE IDAHO | Registered: Jan 2006
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Krustyklimber
prefers the bunny hugger pronunciation: ky o tee
Member # 72
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posted October 03, 2008 07:15 PM
Red Rabbit,
If you read back through this thread, you might see where Leonard stated he thought this call was made from aluminum... and (possibly) cast aluminum at that.
If that is the case, there's a lot more to manufacturing one, than there is molding plastic.
And, if you do read back through, you might also find that these calls are sold with an instructional DVD, at one of Les' seminars... $15 each, at that point, seems plenty reasonable (and way too cheap in my book). ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
"Is coyote hunting going to the big spenders?"
No... it's been gone, that way, for a long long time.
Let's look at all the other "spending" involved...
How many of you have a cheap Stevens, a Handi-rifle, or some other bottom of the line firearm?
How many of you drive old crappy trucks?
And how many of you don't hunt because of the price of fuel?
I find it really hard to listen to, guys with big ass trucks (with a full tank, or two), with a $1000 AR-15, a $500 Foxpro, hundreds of dollars in camo, and a plane ticket to Arizona every year, bitch about the price of calls. ![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
Now I'm not saying you are one of "those guys", but this crap gets old. (sigh)
Producing calls, whether by hand or mechanically, and selling them, takes a lot more than the actual manufacturing process.
Just like any other business is a lot more than just the job that gets done.
There's a reason you buy a Stevens at Wal*Mart, and you go to a different place, and pay more, for a Savage...
Without seeing (test driving) one, or knowing Les (which I don't), I'd guess his calls are in the Savage class.
Krusty 
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Think about how stupid the average person is, then realize that half of them are stupider than that!
Posts: 1912 | From: Deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia | Registered: Jan 2003
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RedRabbit
Knows what it's all about
Member # 796
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posted October 04, 2008 06:28 AM
Krusty,
Ok, I believe your confused with Mark Zepp and Les Johnson. Yes Zepp's calls are made out of aluminum and the price is probably right maybe a little low, since how one of them is made with what looks like 3 JC reeds inside the barrel had to be some machining to get the reeds stacked that close...For $15 at the seminar thats not a bad deal.
Ok, back to the topic Les's calls are $29.95 for one and for all three its 89.95 not including tax thats steep when you compare other calls across the rack...
Custom calls are a different animal when you consider the thought that goes in to them then the blood, sweat and tears that go into making them. OK! maybe not tears, but I think you can relate.
Kirby Taylor helped him design the call I dont know who this guy is.
Ill probably end up with all three calls, but right now Im saying ouch! befor the fact.
Posts: 241 | From: SE IDAHO | Registered: Jan 2006
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coyote whacker
Knows what it's all about
Member # 639
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posted October 04, 2008 07:27 AM
Krusty yes your are confusing calls, Les's calls are made from what looks like acrylic plastic, albeit more money than other plastics, some of the top end duck calls are made from the same, but who is going to pay 125.00 for a duck call to go smashing through the swamps with? These are competition calls, hardly any get used in the hunting fields.
I would agree 89.95 for 3 calls that all give various forms of distress sounds and some puppy vocals seems a little high even with the 1.10 cost of the mini DVD. Each to his own those that want to drop 30.00 on a rabbitt squaller great others won't though, just the facts! At 16.00-18.00 I'm betting the retail sales would be much higher just a guess.
Each to his own, but many have other good mouth calls that are far cheaper, I have some alum body calls that cost 15.00 and these come with a lifetime guarantee.
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This is done on my time and my dime. My views may differ from those of others!
Posts: 376 | From: USA | Registered: Apr 2005
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Scott F.
Knows what it's all about
Member # 1961
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posted October 04, 2008 11:39 AM
I've hunted with Les and have seen him work his own calls out in the field and I was impressed. Remember, his calls come with an instructional DVD also. The retail packaging presentation is also top-notch. All that costs money.
If you can't afford the more pricey calls on the market then stick with the cheaper ones. Your grumbling about it here wont change their prices on the shelf.
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-Scott
Posts: 113 | From: Arizona | Registered: Oct 2007
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Krustyklimber
prefers the bunny hugger pronunciation: ky o tee
Member # 72
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posted October 04, 2008 11:50 AM
Okay, so I was confused and combined elements of two guys' work... I still find it hard to listen to guys bitch about call prices.
Hunting is a luxury, for most, it's not something very many people do on a shoestring budget, or out of necessity, no matter what animal they hunt.
Hand calls, are (IMO), compared to most of the other "tools" used, woefully under-priced, and just as often under-valued (monetarily, and in practicality).
Krusty
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Think about how stupid the average person is, then realize that half of them are stupider than that!
Posts: 1912 | From: Deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia | Registered: Jan 2003
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RedRabbit
Knows what it's all about
Member # 796
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posted October 04, 2008 03:35 PM
yeah! Im certainly not one that has alot of money to throw around and just like everything I do, I try to make my hunting as cheap as possible thats why I try my hand at call making from time to time using horns, antlers etc. they'er not works of art but they work.
Im not bitching, but I dont hold back my criticism, but thats just the way I am. I dont feel his calls fit in the custom call class, price range.
His calls are probably great I can clearly see he, or they nailed the angle of the mouth piece and the width and depth of the air channel.
Thats why I want to know who this "Kirby Taylor" is, since he helped him design the calls.
Red
Posts: 241 | From: SE IDAHO | Registered: Jan 2006
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Krustyklimber
prefers the bunny hugger pronunciation: ky o tee
Member # 72
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posted October 05, 2008 12:05 AM
"Now I'm not saying you are one of "those guys", but this crap gets old. (sigh)
I'd rather give calls away... than to be screwed out of them, for $30.
"Without seeing (test driving) one, or knowing Les (which I don't), I'd guess his calls are in the Savage class."
There's an eclectic new class of calls, the production custom.
Some, like Les', are commanding a significant price.
With others, competition has spurred a price war of sorts, and they are selling for the $15 you guys want to pay.
Just like the Stevens Savage analogy, you can (usually) find a tool that will do the job, in your price range... but you also (usually) get what you pay for.
Krusty
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Think about how stupid the average person is, then realize that half of them are stupider than that!
Posts: 1912 | From: Deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia | Registered: Jan 2003
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Randy Roede
"It's Roede, like in Yotie
Member # 1273
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posted October 05, 2008 08:15 AM
Yes there are cheaper calls out there, yes they will call coyotes, yes there are more expensive calls out there and they will call coyotes, visit with a call maker about the cost of making a call they do invest alot of money on the cost of the call and the hope that it will return a profit. It's not always a money making deal or amount of money some assume.
The amount of time they donate to promote at seminars and answer those same old questions over and over. I don't know if a person could make enough $$$ to make it worthwile. The hunting, editing ,traveling, etc. It all figures into it. Let alone being worth a dam as a caller to kill stuff. I know he loves what he is doing but it's not all sunshine and roses. He's got to have a ton of his own cash invested in this deal to go along with the sponsors cash which only comes around after you have sold yourself to them.
How do they say that,"DON'T HATE THE PLAYER, HATE THE GAME"
"PEACE OUT, WORD"!!!!!!!!!!
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The only person dumber than the village idiot is the person who argues with him!
Posts: 669 | From: Pierre SD | Registered: Mar 2007
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UTcaller
NEVADA NIGHT FIGHTER
Member # 8
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posted October 05, 2008 09:03 AM
I know that Les has killed a hell of a lot of coyotes in his life.Won a ton of contests too.And I'll bet that if you ask him which call he was using to kill most of those coyotes he would say it was with one of those "cheap" calls(Crit'r calls $10.00).I know that Q Wagoner has killed a $&%* load of coyotes in his day to,again with a "cheap" ol Crit'r call,and I could probably list another dozen or so guys that have done the same with a "cheap" ol Critr call.
I'm not saying Les' prices are to high or even if they are not high enough I really couldn't say,never seen or heard them.But I do know that the "cheap" $10.00 calls that he used before he went out on his own are tough and very effective calls and have accounted for alot of coyotes.So it is possible to save some cash and still kill alot of coyotes.FWIW
Good Hunting Chad
[ October 05, 2008, 09:04 AM: Message edited by: UTcaller ]
Posts: 1612 | From: Utah | Registered: Jan 2003
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Leonard
HMFIC
Member # 2
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posted October 05, 2008 11:00 AM
Les has killed a few coyotes with a critter call, but that doesn't mean he has no opinion on how it could be improved, or made easier to use, at least for him. You know, Toyota didn't invent the automobile, nor did Henry Ford. You take an idea and create a different version, if not, (arguably) an improvement.
If the intermediate people involved in concept to reality need a cut of the action, that's not my concern. The market place will determine if Les has a worthwhile product at a fair price.
I will say this much. I wish I had kept the first "portable" electronic caller I designed and built many decades ago. It was a Motorola 8 track player with 4" (stereo) speakers in the sides, and I lugged a separate (non spill) aircraft battery for power, which also powered a spotlight. Yeah, the whole rig probably weighed over fifteen pounds, no remote, of course, but this was way before Dillon ever thought of game calls, it was when the only thing available was a 45 record player.
Now, who's the one that capitalized on a concept, and who was too dense to see an opportunity? Me? I had no desire to share my creation with anybody. I thought it gave me an edge. Brilliant. Might have gained a belt buckle along the way. Whoopie!
So, whoever can make a living from these things, I suppose I should be a bit jealous and envious, but that was never my goal, to make money from my passion and hobby. We all have a few regrets, missed opportunities, etc.
There are people that deserve reward and a few that are decidedly "undeserving". In my opinion, (not that anybody asked me) I'd put Byron in the undeserving catagory and Les in the deserving catagory.
Hell, if Ed Sceery can afford airplanes and Canadian fishing trips by selling rabbit calls, why not Les Johnson? Ed has a degree in somethng or other, but how many contests has he won? Ya know, when the rubber meets the road?
Good hunting. LB
edit: I threw away the case, but I still have components around here somewhere? Let me see what I can find.
[ October 05, 2008, 11:05 AM: Message edited by: Leonard ]
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EL BEE Knows It All and Done It All.
Don't piss me off!
Posts: 31462 | From: Upland, CA | Registered: Jan 2003
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RedRabbit
Knows what it's all about
Member # 796
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posted October 05, 2008 08:47 PM
Yeah, I here ya there Leonard like bottled water who woulda thought, and then I see your mixed urine idea put it in a pressured can, now bottle. I believe you have one hell of a think tank here even though thats not what its all about....If I were to do research on predator hunting this is where Id start first. You really got some front line ppl here....and certainly my hats off to Les he's come a long ways good to see he did put out some calls.
Randy Roede, I used to work with a guy with the same name only his last name has an "s" at the end. It threw me for a curve at first when seen your name on the board definately not the same guy.
I hope your wrong about the "not all shunshine and roses" part. I hope Les benefits the most from his success and his new calls and elevates this sport as a result.
Some ppl use lip pressure and some use both lip and teeth in combination, as I do the latter when I use a howler, since my teeth are worn down flat to some extent on my upper central incisors its an aid to using a howler atleast thats the way it feels for me. To me it comes easy, but some calls by design have inherent features that lend them selves easy to use and Les's looks like it has those features. I hope you can give us some more feed back espeially when you howl in some coyotes with that call id like to here about it. Oh! Thanks for posting those pics...damm good job!
Chad, that critr call is a damm good call for the money its hard for me to open a stand with anything else. I just let it rip with the pee-wee and just wait and here they come then clasp my hand over the exit slide out at the end of the reed for some low level volume squeeks when they go out of sight for a bit.....Works like a charm.
[ October 05, 2008, 08:50 PM: Message edited by: RedRabbit ]
Posts: 241 | From: SE IDAHO | Registered: Jan 2006
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