Some crafty automotive sound wizards team with our resident waterfowl guru to create a mega-power goose caller that inspires
by Brad Fenson
If you are old enough to remember Tool Time with Tim “The Toolman” Taylor, you will recall that bigger is always better. More power, more speed, more everything generated a manly grunt of complete satisfaction.
Finding the ultimate electronic caller for snow geese or other game is challenging. Building your own can be a labor of love that allows the creative mind to overcome any obstacles. A great starting point is more power, more amps, more speakers, better sound, lights, power meters, and deep-cycle batteries. The big, bad snow goose caller needs a reliable, solid case to protect the investment and ensure dependable performance under all weather or hunting conditions.
With these parameters in mind, I put together a crew of experts to design and build the ultimate snow goose e-caller: Darryl Dahl, Business Services Manager for BB Distribution and Certified Radio of Edmonton, Alberta; Colin Martin, former Certified Radio employee, installation expert, and carpenter; Dave Cameron, former Certified Radio installer and entertainer.
Here is what you need for a build of your own…
- MTM Case-Gard Dry Box – Having used several MTM Case-Gard cases, we knew this would be the perfect housing for our project. A Dry Box with the O-ring is critical to keep dust out of electronics. The most important part is maintaining the box’s integrity after cutting holes and adding a full-size deep-cycle RV battery inside.
- Wood mounts – Colin made custom wooden mounts to hold down the battery.
- Dremel – Dave cut off the sharp ends of all the screws on the inside for safety.
- Speakers – We mounted 6.5-inch Powersports speakers by PowerBass USA on the ends of the Dry Box. Marine-grade speakers make them ideal for any weather.
- Amplifier – For the four-channel amplifier, we used SounDigital USA.
- Wiring – Speaker wire and RCA cables were sourced from Wirez.
- Sound deadener – SoundShield USA sound deadener was used anywhere there might be extra vibration.
- Installation components – Metra Electronics makes Install Bay components, such as the terminal cups and speaker quick disconnects. These allowed us to make four additional horn speakers to attach to the system.
- Battery and power controls – Interstate SRM-24 Deep-Cycle; gold-plated battery terminals with wingnut connections; dual USB with a digital voltmeter; Install Bay on/off switch; Install Bay speaker connects and terminal cups. Other components included fuse and fuse holder and smaller primary 18 ga wire.
- Audio control – Audio signal came from a Powerbass Bluetooth controller, connecting to a smartphone. It also has an auxiliary 3.5mm input for a direct audio connection. We used 16-gauge Wirez speaker wire, RCA signal cables, and Y splitters.
Four horn speakers were added to the system with quick-attach cables. The speakers were mounted on white plywood bases to have them added as additional decoys.
The team installed all the components and wired up the system in a few hours. All connections were soldered and taped up to last for years and to operate under any weather conditions.
Performance
Output-wise, with four-horn speakers and two coaxial speakers (driven with 400 watts), this electronic caller is super loud. The four-horn speakers each have 30 feet of speaker line that you can extend out in the decoy spread, projecting a realistic sound to the incoming geese. The two box-mounted speakers can play music at camp when relaxing at the end of the day.
Other Potential Uses
The system is ideal for calling snow geese in the spring or fall but deadly on predators. The unit would be perfect for ice fishing, where you can have music and connect your electronics to it for power. Use the system in the boat to run your electronics or trolling motor. At camp, you can use it to charge your devices or play music around the fire.
MTM Case-Gard Storage
MTM Case-Gard offers dozens of shotshell and ammunition storage cases and dry boxes. An ammo crate utility box is ideal for storing ammunition needed for a multi-species hunt. Check out MTM Case-Gard for more information.
ALPS OutdoorZ Legend Layout Blind
The Legend Layout Blind from ALPS OutdoorZ comes fully assembled and ready to hunt. The tarpaulin floor helps trap heat and insulates the hunter from the wet or uncomfortable ground. The zero-gravity chair not only keeps you off the ground but allows you to maintain a low profile. The outer material of the blind is durable and camouflaged. It is fitted with stubble straps to weave cover onto the blind. The unit has backpack carry straps, zippered flag doors, a padded headrest, and a rear zippered door for access to storage. The doors are hinged for quick closing and spring open when it is time to shoot.
