There are so many types of coyote call systems and devices that it’s simply impossible to choose one right away. And choosing is especially hard for beginners, or perhaps those who have to deal with predators for the first time now.
The best advice I can give to the new folk is to read up on the different types of coyote calls and the situations they fit best. Then they can figure out what they actually need. After that, it’s important to read the product reviews and see if it’s any good and worth the money. Then it’s fine to proceed to buy the product that has the quality and fits the needs.
Another piece of advice, before I get into the ICOtec GC101XL review, is not to base a buying decision around the price of the product. I’m saying this because the product prices don’t reflect how a product might work for one user’s particular situation. For example, there’s no need to buy a multiple speaker, electronic programmable unit for a single coyote just once. There’s no need to invest that much money!
Instead, one can buy something much simpler and not waste a lot of money. In this example, a person would only need a single speaker, mouth-blown coyote call.
Yet another example for this is the particular product that I’m reviewing in this article – ICOtec GC101XL coyote call. Its amazingly low price made me skeptical at first, I have to admit. However, when I tried it, I was pleasantly surprised. So, my advice is to check the specifications and reviews first, and not the price.
Now that I got that out of the way, I want to go to my ICOtec GC101XL review. This ICOtec model is one of the cheapest and most popular coyote calls on the market right now. I bought it, tested it, and now I’m ready to share my thoughts with fellow coyote hunters. Hope the readers find this review useful.
Overview
The first thing that shocked me the most is this product’s price. I got it for $49.99 off Amazon. I also checked its price on other websites. It goes for $49.99 most of the time, but I occasionally ran into higher prices. The highest I saw it go was $67, which is still pretty decent for this great product, I’ll have to admit.
When I opened the package, I noticed right away how incredibly light the device is. It weighs only 0.75 pounds. Thanks to this feature, I was able to carry it in my pocket, which is really convenient. There’s also a strap to attach it to the belt. If I had a belt, I’m sure that would have been useful to me. I’m sure it would be for other people, too.
I liked the fact that it uses just plain 4 AA batteries. I was worried that it might require some other type of batteries that are incredibly hard to find since this has happened to me a couple of times.
After turning it on, I noticed right away that the sound was incredibly loud. I was amazed, honestly. Such a tiny and simple looking device, yet such a powerful sound.
I was really fond of the 12 animal call features that it has. It can also play 2 sounds simultaneously. It’s even more effective that way, I think.
The device itself is, as I said, simple-looking. Don’t get me wrong – that is a good thing! There’s no need for instructions, basically. I just pressed the button, and it worked. I like that a lot, actually.
All the animal calls are of very good quality. I really did not expect such a simple and cheap device to have any quality in it, but it certainly did.
Without a doubt, ICOtec is one of the best coyote call manufacturers out there. A couple of their coyote call products are top-sellers. I personally like them, too.
After browsing through some ‘top 10′ coyote call products’ lists, I noticed that ICOtec’s products are the most prominently featured ones everywhere.
User reviews are what speaks the most about this product. Although I was looking for them, I didn’t find many bad reviews, to be honest.
So, that was my overall ICOtec GC101XL review. Next, I’ll list some of the product’s most important features.
Key Features
As I already mentioned before, ICOtec GC101XL is quite lightweight, weighing only 0.75 pounds. It’s also very small, being that its dimensions are 4 x 2 x 4 inches. The material that this product is made out of is very tough and durable, as well. Also, there’s a one-year warranty for it.
This coyote call device comes with a remote control that has the 12 animal call options, as well as volume control buttons. It’s quite easy to manipulate, even for beginners.
The speaker itself requires 4 AA batteries, whereas the remote requires a single 23 A battery. Many of the reviews I read said that the batteries lasted really long in this thing.
A handy little feature that the speaker has is a place to put the remote in, so it’s hard to misplace it. This feature is particularly great for those like me, who always lose things.
As I said, the speaker is incredibly loud. It puts out 5 watts, which is quite enough to do the job. The website says that its range is 100 yards. I think, realistically, it’s about 50 yards at most. The reviews say so, as well. However, 50 yards is fine. Long story short – it will get the job done anyway.
ICOtec GC101XL has 12 animal call options – female and male coyote, coyote howls, coyote pup distress, crow baby distress, jackrabbit distress, woodpecker distress, mouse voles, cottontail distress, red/grey fox distress, and fawn distress. There’s also an option to select two to play at the same time. All these sounds were licensed by Wildlife Technologies, which is the leading company in bioacoustics.
According to the website, this product is ideal for bow hunters. And, it works especially well with coyotes, foxes, wolves, bears, and crows. But, I suppose it works okay with other types of predators, too.
The material that this product is made out of is very tough and durable, as well.
Pros/Cons
Pros
1. Convenient
It’s small and lightweight, and it has a great design. It can be carried around easily. The remote holder makes sure it doesn’t get misplaced.
2. Durable
It’s made out of durable materials, and its design makes it resistant to certain damages. The batteries last long in it, too.
3. Easy to Navigate
It’s great for beginners. There’s no need for any previous knowledge or an instructions manual. The remote control buttons have sound names written on them, which is basically all I need to know.
4. Effective
It has a decent 100-yard range. The 12 options are more than enough to attract almost any time of animal or vermin. Again, while reading through the reviews, I noticed most of them say it worked instantly. One ICOtec GC101XL review from Amazon said ‘The first time I used this call, I shot a coyote within 20 mins. Coyote literally ran straight at the call.’ And according to some users, the ‘2 sounds simultaneously’ option worked especially well for them.
5. Cheap
It goes for around $50. But, as I said, it’s worth much more than that.
Cons:
1. Jackrabbit option doesn’t work as well
I didn’t notice this myself. I came across a couple of user reviews that say the ‘jackrabbit’ option lacks a bit.
2. Only one-year warranty
Again, I don’t personally mind this, but here it is. Some users said that they would like the factory warranty to be longer. In my opinion, I don’t think this is a notable issue considering the product is quite durable and not likely to break.
Why Buy the ICOtec GC101XL
I’m going to get straight to the point – ICOtec GC101XL is a great product. And not just that – its price is surprisingly low when compared to other similar products.
It basically has all that a beginner hunter might need. It’s easy to use, and it actually works, which is more than I can say for some other coyote call devices I ordered.
One ICOtec GC101XL review said that it’s a mediocre product, meaning that it does satisfy the primary needs and that’s it. But, I can see that coming from an experienced hunter who is used to more complex animal calling systems. This product is more on the simple side, which is why I said that it’s great for beginners. It’s also useful to those who need a calling system only occasionally.
The bottom line is – it’s a decent product considering its price, and it has everything a beginner might need.
Final Thoughts
All throughout this ICOtec GC101XL review, I’ve rambled on and on about how great this product is. Is it really that amazing, one might ask. Well, yes it is, actually. I really have nothing bad to say about it. Other users who reviewed it didn’t seem to dislike it either.
Personally, I liked the fact that it’s light and simple. For me, it worked perfectly from the moment I took it out of the box. I already had the batteries, so I just shoved it into my pocket and went outside. I didn’t have to sit down and read the instructions thoroughly since there weren’t any. And, I didn’t need to, honestly. It was that simple.
And, I’m sure a beginner hunter would find it as easy to work with as I did.
Long story short, I really liked the product. I got my money’s worth and even more. What’s not to love?
Anyway, I hope this ICOtec GC101XL review was in any way useful. I know I would have appreciated it back when I was a beginner hunter.