For my very first blog interview, I have the pleasure of talking with Marc Reindell of Wildlife Callers. Marc, along with his partners, Mark Healy and Dave Martens, are experts at calling in predators (mountain lions, coyotes, foxes, etc.). Based in Arizona, Wildlife Callers offers true customer-oriented service. Let's hear what Marc has to say about their company and how they can help hunters interested in chasing predators.
What is your hunting background and how did you personally get started in predator hunting/calling?
Mark Healy has been predator hunting/calling for 28 years. Dave Martens has been predator hunting/calling for 5-6 years with Mark Healy. Together they have called 16 confirmed mountain lions and harvested three. I am new to the calling scene with my focus more on the video aspect of field work and maintaining the website. Mark Healy, Dave Martens and I comprise Wildlife Callers. Our main focus is calling mountain lions here in Arizona where we are based.
How did Wildlife Callers come about?
Wildlife Callers came about one year ago. We formed the company with our goal being to provide the predator calling community with a source of information on calling techniques that new hunters drawn to predator hunting could apply in the field as well as sharing some of our calling experiences. We did this by starting our blog. The idea expanded into becoming an online retailer of high end calling equipment.
What kinds of products and services does Wildlife Callers offer?
Wildlife Callers is the only authorized dealer of the Wildlife Technologies brand of electronic callers - the MA-15 and the MA-21. The callers are fully customizable so the customer can choose the sounds they want added to their caller. Wildlife Callers offers over 300 different Wildlife Technologies sounds to choose from and all the sounds are true animal recordings. We work directly with the customer on sound selection based on their location.
We also carry a full line of Mojo Outdoors decoys designed for predator calling and we are expanding into the firearms realm as well. Currently, we carry DPMS upper barrel assemblies and hope to have our FFL very soon so we can offer a full line of firearms.
What is the most challenging aspect of running this kind of business?
Being an online retailer presents many issues. The biggest is being found. We have spent many hours optimizing the website to be easily found in Internet searches. In fact, we just finished a major upgrade to the site to enhance speed and search-ability. Another challenge is the very nature of hunting. Being a seasonal activity means having to broaden our horizons so we don't become stagnant during the off season.
Is there a big interest among hunters in pursuing predators?
Yes. As tags for deer, elk and other large ungulates get harder to come by, hunters are looking for other avenues to expand their hunting seasons. Predator calling is something that can generally be done for longer periods of the year in a lot of places, especially in the west. Coyote calling is by far the most common form of predator calling and, in Arizona, allowed 12 months of the year. Other calling opportunities include bobcats, foxes and mountain lions. We were very disappointed in the recent ruling on wolves in Idaho and Montana. We would have liked to have given that a try!
What advice would you give to someone wanting to get started hunting predators?
Do your homework! Calling predators presents challenges that you don't find in other hunting activities. Predators can be very aggressive and elusive. Learning about your prey is very important. Learning what type of equipment you will need can also be a challenge as there are many choices, IE: hand calls, electronic calls, use of decoys, proper stand set up, proper choice of firearms, etc.
What do you see for the future of Wildlife Callers?
We are very excited about the company's future. We had a very successful first year and, moving forward, we look forward to continued growth based on offering top of class products combined with world class customer service. When a customer contacts Wildlife Callers, they will always speak to one of the owners. We will spend as much time as the customer wants or needs to know they are making a purchase based on product knowledge, not just talking to a salesman.
What are the different ways Wildlife Callers can be contacted?
Wildlife Callers can be contacted several ways. We have a contact form on our website at www.wildlifecallers.com, a toll free number: 877-734-1010 or via e-mail at info@wildlifecallers.com. In addition, we can be reached via Facebook, Twitter (@WildlifeCallers) and we have a YouTube channel. For any of these options, just search Wildlife Callers and you will find us!
I want to thank Marc for taking the time to be interviewed! If you are interested in hunting predators, give these guys a shout. They know what they're doing and can get you pointed in the right direction!
