Hello everyone,
The call I will be showcasing is my custom molded howler. prototype was made from cow buffalo horn and sent to Reese Outdoors for Loren to do his magic.
This howler looks and sounds exactly like a genuine buffalo horn howler, and is the howler that won the FnF Idol contest in the puppy distress division.
Rich Cronk has been calling predators since the early 1980's. His first coyote was called with a cheap tape recorder he borrowed from one of his children. That first coyote was taken on first night out, and on the second stand. It was a moon lit night, and about four inches of fresh fallen snow would make the dark outline of a coyote show up well when it came out into the field after the rabbit he heard screaming. The strategy was simple. We stood in the shadows of the treeline while the cheap tape player sat about twenty yards out into the open field. The rabbit had only been singing for a few seconds when the coyote ran up and tried to take a bite out of the tape player. One shot from the ten gauge ended that coyote's career, and started a whole new career for Rich Cronk. Rich has been hooked on coyote calling ever since that night.
Rich called and killed quite a few coyotes with that old tape player, but it wasn't long before he decided that fooling coyotes with a mouth blown call would be more of a challenge. Rich's first mouth blown calls were of enclosed reed type long range calls from Burnham Brothers. The coyotes were easy to fool back then, says Rich. "The coyotes came like a dog to a whistle". A month or so with the Burnham Brothers calls, Rich decided that it would be even more of a challenge if he were to make a call with his own hands and fool the coyotes with it. His first do it yourself call was made from a tine of an Iowa whitetail, and the reed was a JC products cottontail reed wedged inside the drilled out antler tine. That little call worked just fine, and it wasn't long before Rich was making calls for other folks as well. Sometime in the late 1980's, Rich made the trip to Marble Falls, texas for a visit with the great Murry Burnham. Murry taught Rich how to make the lip squeak sound, and Rich presented Murry with the little deer antler call that he had made. Murry said that the deer antler call "sounds just like a snowshoe".
Rich is now an Internationally known call maker, having made calls for hunters all over the U.S., Canada, Australia and sweden. His biggest passion in life is calling predators. He would rather call coyotes than eat.
Contact Info:
Rich Cronk
1826 Ave E
Council Bluffs, IA
51501
(712) 322-0168
cronkcalls@aol.com
Hi Rich!! Nice lookin howler!! Can't wait to use it this fall!! :eyebrow:
:eyebrownod:
Man for a minute there I thought ya had your shirt off! :doh2:
Way to go Rich
Can't wait to get my hands on that horn. :yoyo:
It will be mine!
Rich that is a real nice howler you got there.
I got one of Rich's howlers a few years back with the original horn on it. I'm sure this one will sound the same.
Good bio Rich....... :confused: ........just messing with ya man. :laf:
Very nice rich,you are the man.Thought you had your shirt off also.
A couple of you guys thought I had my shirt off in the photo? Oh Man! I got a zipper on my chest now so can't go without a shirt anymore. :nono:
Nice write up Rich.
I have one of Rich's cowhorn howlers and a killer call. They both see alot of use!
Cool....thanks for sharing Rich!!! I don't have any of your stuff....but I am going to remedy that soon!!
Joe
Cronk Howlers are so easy to blow, a 1 year old could do it!
In fact, here's one! Click this link.... http://www.rainshadowmotors.com/howler.wmv
I had to get one of Mr Cronk's horns to start my collection. Nothing else could be more appropriate! This is my 1 year old blowing on it, with my 3 year old giggling in the background.
Good to see you posted up here, Sir!
Rich,
That is a nice looking call and from a well known and respected call maker. I have several of your calls and have been known to practice along with your CD when I am on the road. Keep up the great work.
Jerry
Rich I noticed that Fox Pro hat I thought you were a Minaska man. It doesn't matter just curious?
:congrats:
You make great calls sir! I have always been impressed with all the help you have given new call makers and generously given help to new hunters! I am lucky enough to have one, hope to add one or more to my collection in the future. Take care-Greg
Rich,
Thanks for donating the howler. I to started with an old tape player a long time ago, and I believe we were using Burnham Brothers tapes. Great write up.
Nelson
Nice bio, Rich, and nice lookin call. Thanks for being part of FnF.
Semp
Jim - ya really got to stop fantasying about men with their shirts off. :biggrin: :roflmao:
wv_yoter ,
The new Foxpro website is scheduled to go live next week. You may find a surprise or two on it.
There is something very fitting about having Rich showcase as we kickoff the season.
Rich, having your participation in the showcase is excellent and as it should be. Having you participate the way you do here at FnF, well that is just plain awesome. You and the other call makers here make this place special. Thank you!
Hey Rich.Very nice call,writeup,and hat.I have admired your calls for a long time.Thanks for donateing the call and your participation on this website.There are alote of us here that look up to you and sure are glad to have you around. :highclap:
Rich,
Mighty fine looking call and nice bio. I've heard nothing but good about you and your calls from all sorts of places...
Thanks for sharing.
Richard
Great Bio, I have a Cronk White Lightning I got from you a couple years ago, its #14 :biggrin:
I've called everything from crows to fox with just that one call, and you can even howl great with it.
I currently dont have a cowhorn howler, that would be a great addition to my small collection.
Hope I win :eyebrow: :yoyo:
Rich, that is good looking call and a nice bio. I'm glad we have ya here at FnF.
Brian.
I have one of Rich's cowhorn howlers and a killer call, and really like them both. Rich makes great calls and I'm sure the molded howler is no different!
I own four Cronk calls responsible for lots of sedated coyotes over the last five years. They were my first customs and he's the reason I'm making calls myself.
Brad
I have a antler call and White Lightning call from Rich. Damn fine calls. I should've bought one of his howlers when he was about the only one selling them on PM. :doh2: That one looks like a winner Rich. :congrats:
Rich, Great Bio as others have said. I want to thank you again for answering a question I sent you when I purchased one of your Taylor made calls on EBAY some time ago. I really enjoy the calls I have purchased from you and hope to add another to the calling arsenal. Take Care,
Dave
Hey Rich. Thanks for the write up, and thanks for puttin up the howler. :thumb2: :highclap:
Nice write-up Rich. Seen many a dnady looking horns come out of your corner over the years. :congrats:
Nice looking calls Rich, and nice bio too. Maybe one day I can be one of the reknown people using your calls. :biggrin:
Good looking calls Rich. Ya make one with a GPS unit in it? LOL (Um, the track thing you wanted.... :roflmao:)
AWH,
I don't own a GPS unit yet, but when I get one you will be in big trouble. I gonna come out to your house and shoot all of your big footed coyotes. :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:
Come on down Rich. I need all the help I can get. When the wife starts telling me she wants to try it.....well, me and Cam still have trapping I guess. :roflmao:
Great looking call Rich. I still need to add one of yours to my growing collection.
Guy
My one killed coyote from last season came to the sounds of a rabbit being clubbed on a Cronk KIller Call. Matter of factly it was a double that showed, I got one, I ain't greedy. I have had a dozen or so call ups with that there Killer Call since getting one a few seasons back. As soon as that one hit my lips I had to get another. The others such as the Screamer, MR Antler and my favorite howler The CS Special are exemplary as well. Great calls and great guy. Thanks, Mr. Cronk!
I like the looks of a big howler like that..
Nice work! :congrats:
Hey Rich, Here's one of your howlers. Your calls are the best. bar none.
call looks good i hope i get my hands on one soon
woohoo :yoyo: now thats a horn call right there but it looks like it should do cat calls :eyebrow: I have a couple Cronk calls and they are awesome, Rich you should right a book with your experience and call making talent it would be a hit ....my hats off to you Sir
That howler that 9th posted up there has a sexy look now don't it? :eyebrownod:
Thanks for all of the kind words guys, I appreciate them. I guess that Outdoor Life magazine is going to do a story of sorts about my calls. I shipped a couple of calls and a CD off to them yesterday.
Great howler and right up Rich. I think you make some of the best looking howlers in the world. I dont know about the sound though cause i dont have one of your howlers. haha so that better be heading my way :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin:
Very nice Rich :highclap: :highclap: :highclap:
Nice howler Rich, thanks for bringing it in. After sanding/polishing a few buff horns I understand why you had it molded!
I haven't been on the www. much lately but, I'll put a post on here for a chance to get a cronk howler molded or not!
I haven't gotten to know Rich personally threw the forums but, feel like I do know him from the positive everything people have spoke about him and posted about him through the years that I've been around the forums and the varmint calling world.
Keep on making them Rich!
Rocky
Hey Rich,
I hope you are feeling and doing well ! That's a nice howler you got up for adoption there at the start of this post. I wonder how it sounds compared to the horn howlers that you make?
Bob
Bob,
I ain't doing too bad for an old coot. Been walking a little over a mile every day for about six weeks now. Have been out in the hills a couple of times in search of the elusive coyote, but no luck. They still haven't recovered from the mange outbreak. I have also been sanding a few buffalo horns while weather is still nice enough for me to do that outdoors. The dust off from those black horns is terrible. I have been real pleased with the molded howlers. You have to look real close to see that they ain't real horn, and they sound just like real buffalo horn to me. I won the pup distress contest on this board recently, and I used a molded howler to make the sound. The howlers haven't been selling recently for some reason. Maybe folks are feeling the economy crunch? Right now I am working on two killer calls and a long range antler call. All three of those calls are going to the same guy.
Hey Rich: Great presentation of another great call. I am rapidly developing a "Need" for one of those, even though I have one of your custom Cowhorn howlers, a Buffalo horn howler, and your Killer Call. I am pleased to report that my demonstration of the Cowhorn howler and the Killer Call at my seminar yesterday were the highlight of the hand calls segment. When I cut loose on that darned Cowhorn howler, customers on the main floor dropped what they were looking at and looked for a place to hide from that monster coyote that just had to be upstairs (lol). Both were so much louder and realistic than any of the other calls that they all took down the info off my sign of how to order theirs. Keep up the good work, and keep up the health improving. Those Iowa coyotes better head for cover with the Old Master back up and after them. :highclap: :highclap:
Will draw for a winner of the call tonight! So, if your not in yet you better hurry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :biggrin:
Rich thanks for stepping up and putting all this up for us! And the suport to the board!
Brent
keekee,
Glad to be of help sir. :wink:
Brent ? :confused:
Well..........Brent musta got busy so I tossed all the names in and it looks like BasinBoy is gonna be packing himself a new Cronk Howler this season :eyebrow:
Congrats Bud...hope you enjoy it...and you do know that we require hero shots with new calls and the kills they bring right?
:biggrin:
Thanks again to Rich for participating in the Showcase, and giving the members an opportunity to learn a little more about you and for offering up some of your work. Much appreciated sir :congrats:
WOOHOO!!!! :yoyo: :yoyo: congrats on the howler
Congrats BasinBoy!!!! :yoyo:
Brad
WTG BasinBoy and thanks to Mr. Cronk.
Nelson
Way to go Basinboy !!!
Basinboy: You are getting the best when you get a howler from Rich Cronk. If you don't have one of his Killer Calls, I suggest you get one to go with your howler. You'll really be set with those two calls with you. Congratulations, lucky guy! :yoyo:
Cody,
Looks like you will be calling coyotes as well as shooting deer. Congratulations.
Jerry
Congratulations Basin Boy. You will like that Cronk Howler.
Bob
Basin Boy,
I will need your shipping address. Would you send me a private message or shoot me an E mail please?
Congratulations Cody!! ..... and thanks Rich!! :congrats:
I'd forgotten about this, congrats on the fine call basinboy !! :congrats:
Congrats BasinBoy. :congrats:
BasinBoy hasn't even been in here to notice he won yet has he? :laf:
Git in here son!
:congrats: :congrats: Congratulations BB!!!!!!!!!!!! You got a nice one there for sure!!
haha thanks ya ive still been helping a couple of friends with the deer hunt so i havent been able to check in here much. ill get ya my shipping address. alright. thanks again
-Cody
Rich got the Howler today and it sounds great! I can get some great howls out of it along with some great elk bugles! Thanks again!
-Cody
Cody,
I'm glad that you like that howler. Thanks for letting me know that you received it. :wink:
never used a howler, we use a tape recording of a fire siren. i'm shure the howler would bradcast the sound further and be much more effective. just getting into mouth blown calls with some interest and i would put that howler to good use. course i'm shure all you people will give me hints on what to do. the horn does look very real in the picture and haveing helped do some de-horning i can appreciate it not being real horn, real horn can be hard to get in any amount.
Rest in peace Rich :sad: