Foxpro Deadbone Review

The short version

• Buy it if — you want a cheap second call for the truck, or a first e-call for someone starting out
• Think twice if — you hunt at night, or you need reading glasses. The remote is the reason, not the call
• The headline number — 109.3 dB at one meter, better than I expected from four AA batteries
• The real headline — the remote stores inside the call, so you cannot leave it on a stand
• What it costs now — roughly $70 to $120 delivered on the used market

I once lost a Fury remote and spent seven hours looking for it. This call is built so that cannot happen, and if you have ever done it you will understand why that is worth more to me than another five sounds.

The Deadbone digital game call

The Deadbone is one of the simplest, lightest calls that has ever been on the market. FOXPRO took years of feedback from predator hunters and put it into a deliberately plain unit, and the call has a couple of firsts for the brand. It is the first one that lets the remote fit into the caller for carrying, and it is the first in years that does not let you change sounds. You get 15 high quality sounds and that is the list.

What impressed me most was how lightweight and portable it is. Having the remote be part of the unit makes it easier to carry in the field and to keep track of, which is the single most common way people lose money on an e-call.

The remote is a new look for FOXPRO and I was really impressed with it. The quick responsiveness impressed me the most. I used it on several stands and I was pleased with the LED indicator feedback and how fast the caller answered a command. This unit is a winner. Well done, FOXPRO.

Deadbone call volume test

With the unit running off four AA batteries, the power to blast loud volumes is out of the question. I expected it to land somewhere near the Spitfire, Wildfire and Inferno. In this test I used all of the sounds, with the unit placed 1 meter (about 40 inches) from the decibel meter, the same way every call on this site is tested.

The caller maxed out at 109.3 decibels on the Jackrabbit sound. I was surprised to see it perform that well. I was anticipating something in the 104 to 107 dB range. Every sound except vole squeaks passed 107 dB, and most sat in the mid 108s. It is not going to knock your socks off, and it called in the coyote below about an hour before I ran these tests.

Deadbone remote range

The remote range was put to the test in the field and produced the biggest surprise of the review. I was not expecting much once I got past 100 yards. Out in the brush I ran a measuring tape and marked 75, 100, 125 and so on up to 200 yards. At each mark I gave commands, adjusted volume and changed sounds, and once I was satisfied I moved further out. I could not believe how the remote kept responding on cue.

At 175 yards it missed my first command, but I realised I had the remote angled away from the call with the antenna pointing down. Once I held the antenna up and faced the call, it took 15 commands without a glitch. The same thing happened at 200 yards, I made the same adjustment, and again it did not skip a beat. I was seriously impressed.

NOTE: with this style of remote, do not use it like a TV remote by pointing it at the caller. Keep the antenna pointing up in the air so it can send a proper signal. If you are not getting a response, lift the remote higher or move the call closer. Better yet, make sure the call and the remote are both turned on.

Specifications

FOXPRO still hosts the Deadbone operator’s manual, which is worth downloading before you buy a used one. A secondhand call rarely comes with paperwork.

Feature highlights

• 15 FOXPRO high-quality sounds (note: these cannot be changed).
• Plays two sounds simultaneously.
• Single horn speaker.
• Pilot lamp and low battery indicator, green while on, blinking as the batteries drop.
• Made in the USA.

Weight, measured

Deadbone sound list

The sounds on this unit are a genuinely good selection. Whoever put this list together at FOXPRO did a great job. A lot of beginners think they only need a dozen rabbit distress sounds, but calling takes a rounded set of distress, confidence, territorial and curiosity calls. I have called and killed coyotes on the gray fox pup distress (a top five sound in my opinion), the snowshoe hare, the fawn distress, and the nutty nuthatch, which is Abner Druckenmiller’s favorite. Fifteen looks thin on paper. In practice it is a complete predator setup.

The per-sound preview clips that used to sit in this table are gone. FOXPRO reorganized its site and the old preview URLs are dead, so the numbers below are the ones to look up in the FOXPRO sound library or in the full sound list PDF.

If you want to know what to actually play once the call is set out, that is covered in how to call coyotes.

What I liked, and what I didn’t

What I like about the Deadbone:

• Lightweight and extremely portable.
• Only 15 sounds, which keeps your decisions simple. Too many leaves you second guessing on stand.
• No LCD screen, so there is one less thing throwing a reflection at an incoming coyote.
• The sound choices are well balanced and chosen by people who know what they are doing.
• The ability to play two sounds at once, although I did not use it often.
• The pilot lamp is a nice confirmation that your commands are landing.
• The speed of the call’s response to the remote.

What could be better:

• That same pilot lamp is a bit annoying in low light.
• The remote text is extremely small. I would not recommend this unit to anyone who uses reading glasses, and I do not know how FOXPRO could have fixed it short of shorter descriptions.
• Almost every other FOXPRO has a 1/4″-20 thread on the bottom for a small tripod. This one does not, so it sits on the dirt or on whatever you can prop it against. See the gear list for what I carry instead.

What I don’t like, and the potential problems:

• The remote has no glow in the dark labels, which made this unit genuinely difficult to run on a night hunt.
• The remote plastic feels much thinner than other FOXPRO remotes.
• The smaller antenna is nice, but it has real potential to snap. Take care of it or you will be bummed.

How it scored

Every call is tested at the same place against the same ten criteria, out of a possible 100. After five hunts, including one night hunt, the Deadbone came in at 84 out of 100.

• Caller design — runs without the remote, stores the remote inside itself, no tripod thread
• Call volume — 109.3 dB at one meter, above what four AA batteries have any business producing
• Sound quality — clean through the horn speaker at every volume I ran
• Portability — 1 lb 9 oz for call and remote together, batteries in
• Build quality — the call is solid, the remote plastic and the antenna are the weak points
• Remote design — printed labels far too small, and no glow in the dark for night work
• Remote functionality — 15 buttons, one per sound, nothing to learn
• Remote range — held at 200 yards in brush with the antenna up. Anything over 100 scores a 10
• Pricing — was strong new, and it is stronger now on the used market
• Best selling feature — the remote lives in the call, so you cannot leave it behind

There is not much to complain about here. The two things holding it back from a higher score are both the remote: the tiny printing, and using it after dark.

Buying a Deadbone now

FOXPRO discontinued the Deadbone, so eBay is where they turn up. There were three listed on 13 August 2026, all used, all in the United States:

• $59.99 or best offer — tested working, with the remote, about $12 shipping
• $60.00 buy it now — DB1 with the speaker and remote, about $14 shipping
• $110.00 buy it now — listed under a generic title, no returns accepted

Around $70 delivered is the going rate and worth it. Over $100 you are into FOXPRO Inferno and used Wildfire money, and both of those are better calls.

Two things to check before you send anyone money on a used one. Ask for a photo of the remote antenna, because that is the part that snaps and it is the part nobody mentions in a listing. And confirm the remote is included, because the call is useless without one.

FOXPRO does still list the TX Deadbone replacement remote at $20, which is a better safety net than a discontinued call deserves. It was out of stock when I checked on 13 August 2026, and there is a notify-me on the page. Note there are two versions, regular and Canadian, so match yours before you order.

See the Deadbones listed on eBay

Accessories worth having

1. A quality AA battery charger with rechargeables. This call eats AAs, and a charger saves real money against a fresh pack every other trip.
2. A carry case to keep the unit out of the weather and everything in one place when it is time to go. The FOXPRO-branded one is long gone; any padded case that fits a 7″ × 4″ × 5.5″ box will do.
3. A simple decoy to keep a predator’s eyes on the sound instead of on you.

What I actually carry is on the gear list.

If you would rather buy something current

The Deadbone’s replacement in my own truck is not a FOXPRO at all. The Lucky Duck Revolt 2.0 is the call that comes out first now, and the best coyote call page compares everything currently on the market, including the FOXPRO Inferno, which is the closest thing to a new Deadbone you can still buy.