i have a jonny stewart Cassette player and i'am looking to upgrade. looking for something that is lighter and more up to date. the cassette player has been great for me but i'am ready to move on. been looking at the fox pro fury and the scorpion whats the best way to go. would like to hear what you think. also would like to get the best bang for my buck.
Put your old cassette caller away and don't sell it until you are sure you are satisfied with the performance of whatever you upgrade to. The short battery life of FoxPro units I am familiar with does not fit my style of hunting. Of paramount importance is the quality of the crow sounds the caller produces, sometimes newer and more expensive is not always better. Enuf said, good luck.
For what it's worth, here's what I did. I had a Lohman CD player caller and it was (still is) great. Loud but a pain in the butt to run a speaker and wire all the time. AND, not having the sound right at your fingertips like a cordless caller.
SO, Watch Em and I went together and bought a FoxPro Spitfire. Not their expensive end caller (we paid $199) but a good caller. It comes with 24 sounds (you pick them) and it's has decent volume. We love the fact that it has a remote, mute feature, etc., etc. We've only had it for a year BUT I do not regret buying it at all.
If you don't want to spend lots of $$$, I recommend the Spitfire. Oh, and battery life... Not an issue with us. We went out and bought a recharging unit and 4 double A's for $20. Once those batteries are charged up...they last for a VERY long time. Actually, our caller hasn't died yet due to low batteries.
I just tried out the new CS-24L unit (by Fox Pro) with two 30 watt speakers. It took over 11 hours to charge the AA batteries for the first time, after that the charger would charge them within 8 hours after being used most of the day. I bought a charger where I can charge all 10 AA batteries at one time. I keep a spare set just incase I have a problem in the field.
This unit had plenty of volume, I shot 635 crows with it in 3 days of hunting. On the last outing I shot 133 in the morning with my 20 gauge 870 and 247 in the afternoon with the 12 gauge Beretta. I would recomend this unit to anyone who is looking for a new e-caller.
Bob A.
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Hi, I have the Firestorm, so far love it. Enough volume for me. Maybe one day it won't be, but it has the ability for external speakers. As for battery life, my camera burns through batteries faster . I've taken it out for three afternoon shoots and one morning shoot and the first set of batteries are still in it. Mind you it was not on the whole time. When crows were not working I turned it off and on until I got a response, then let it work its magic. I also took it out one afternoon for a coyote hunt. Set up at 3 stands and let it run for a half hour each. This is my experience.
We in the TCP have used a wide range of ecallers - Johnny Stewart cassette, Lohman CD, and Western Rivers digital for example, in addition to a variety of FoxPro units - FX3, FX5, Fury, Prairie Blaster and Snow Crow Pro I and II.
We would highly recommend the FoxPro Fury model for all around ease of use, sound volume, duration and portability. As Pat, Bob A. and Polish Hammer have stated, battery life with rechargables is excellent. All of the FoxPro's are effective devices and will serve you well. If you ever experience any issues, note their customer service is outstanding.
Let us know what you choose and how that works out for you.
I have the Scorpion. It's very compact to carry and take out in the field. It takes 8 AA batteries and they last about 5 to 6 hours using only the speaker built into the unit. It's plenty loud enough and I usually have 20 crows circling around within 5 minutes. I will probably add another external speaker to it though.
I have a Foxpro FX3 and it is murder on crows, pun intended...battery life has never been a problem but a few threads back youll find you can easily rig up an external 12 volt for cheap for long term high volume crow hunting. The versatility is unmatched I have Foxpro, Johnny Stewart and Bob A. sounds on my caller, and still room for predator hunting sounds.
And the remote and caller weigh next to nothing, just m experience.
. I've taken it out for three afternoon shoots and one morning shoot and the first set of batteries are still in it. 
Mind you it was not on the whole time. When crows were not working I turned it off and on until I got a response, then let it work its magic. I also took it out one afternoon for a coyote hunt. Set up at 3 stands and let it run for a half hour each. This is my experience. 
