elk call help...

[huskyhunter25]

i have always wanted to get into elk hunting more and more because calling them in is the coolest thing there is. but i dont know where to start with all of these different calls to choose from. i bought a hoochie mama last year and tried it out and they seemed to respond back to it great and all 3 pitches but i want to learn how to bugle. what is the best and easist bugle to learn? should i get a mouth piece or just the horn? and which dvds helped you become a better buggler? i have learned a lot by all the other questions on when and why to bugle now i just need to know what to use. thanks guy for the help.

 

[AMT]

Primos has an elk hunters pack that has a bugle, mouth calls, hoochie mama and video for around $50. I bought this pack a couple of years ago and have had good success with all the calls

 

[CatskillDraht]

I have that same pack. Also, check out Elknut's stuff. He's got great stuff, especially the playbook and the elk sounds cd. Good luck!

 

[mntman]

+1 Elknut.com, hard to go wrong there.

2nd part is to practice! My wife and daughters (neighbors too)get really annoyed with me bugling away in the house, so I now practice with my diaphrams on the way to work. 1 hour a day and 4 times a week, plus anywhere else. I just leave one in the car/truck and pop it in every time vs. turning on the radio now.

Mntman

"Hunting is where you prove yourself"

 

[BLU]

I am also happy with the Primos starter pack. Video is great and then practice, practice and practice some more, especially with changing and using different tones and pitches since elk are all different with their tones and length of bugles ect.

 

[elknut1]

http://www.elknut.com
Vortex Optics Dealer


Your best overall bet is to go with a mouth reed/diaphragm (they're the same) for best results if at all possible! In time you will be able to make any sound that cows & bulls make with them. This cannot be said of External bugles or external cow calls. Stay with single reed versions as most are user friendly. If you need additional suggestions on how to use them just say so?

ElkNut1

 

[utelkhntr]

Go with primos all the way!! They are so easy to use but produce the best sound you can get. Get the Primos terminator. It Gives you all the bugles you need from small bulls to large screaming bulls you can do it with this one. Also with the mouth call also stay with primos again. Mouth calls are more difficult to learn but sound great and leave you hands free...a plus if your a bow hunter. Definately get primos. There is instructions for them on the back of every call. The terminator bugle also comes with a cd. I've called in several bulls with the mouth call and killed them. I've also located many bulls with the terminator. Good Luck To You!

 

[huskyhunter25]

hey thanks guys for all the suggestions on which products to buy. sounds like primos or elknut you cant go wrong with. i will give them a try. and i loved the calling in the car idea. cause i know no one wants to hear how terrible i will be at the beginning. thats a great idea. thanks.

 

[nockednlocked]

I have both the primos bull horn and terminator bugles. The bull horn doesn't get the build up the terminator is capable of, but works well for posing as a smaller bull and it is ultra compact. I also love the primos hyper lip double cow call and the sceery ace-2 for in close. The only thing i have found with the ace-1 is if it gets wet, it has a tendency to want to 'stick' and not produce a consistent sound. Haven't found that with the other two. Just picked up the primos cow girl this year and so far it is really easy to use. If i had to pick though, it would be the hyper lip double and a hoochie mama for all around use and not having a ton of calls with you. Mouth calls have been harder to master for me, but if you do, you can produce any elk sound out there. Practice is key to good sound and the more calls you have, the more likely you are to have a call that produces a sound that specific bull is looking for. Also like the primos elk calling video, think it was made in 2004. my 2 cents.

Mike

 

[n2chukar]

Not to disrepect Primos, as they obviously have a ton of proven success behind them, but I would try Carlton Diaphragm calls as well. Mouth calls are kind of like bows, different people fit different products. I've always used Carlton with a great deal of success -- they just seem to fit my mouth better. My buddy uses Primos and it works better for him. Buy a couple of single reeds from both and see what works the best. Try a double reed and even a triple reed. Some guys have a hard time with the single reed and are great on a triple reed which is strange, but true. Practice in your car, drive your family nuts, teach your kids how to use them as well to really drive the wife nuts and just enjoy the learning curve which is not as hard as it seems. Then once your perfect with the call, remember not to call very much when your hunting!

 

[huskyhunter25]

see im a wasatch front hunter and have seen a really good 6 point bull and would like to go after him in 3 weeks. so i was wondering if it was worth it to buy these calls or just use my hoochie mama. cause i always hear bad stories on how the bulls never respond to wasatch hunters just cause there are too many people doing the same things. let me know how you feel about calling on the wasatch.

 

[Buckskin]

+1 on the Elknut calls and definately buy the audio CD of his playbook! I am a novice to say the least when it comes to elk hunting and have a trip planned for a Colorado hunt in September w/ bow. I can honestly say those CD's gave me more information about elk sounds, elk hunting and elk in general than I would have learned in 4 years of experimental hunting on my own. I have way more confidence going out there now of what to look for and how to set up and react to different situations that may occur. His diaphram calls are top notch also...

 

[Hondoarcher]

LAST EDITED ON Aug-04-10 AT 03:24PM (MST)[p]I have been a Primos die hard for years using all of their calls. I have purchased all of the Truth Big Bulls series DVD?s and watch them all each year before I go out hunting. Given that I have several videos featuring Wayne Carlton doing the calling. I have noticed that he has some tricks in his bag that the Primos guys don't. The main one being the way he does his chuckle. I think his is the most realistic. I have since been experimenting with the Carlton calls and have noticed they can produce different sounds. I just purchased the Carlton MacDaddy for my 13 year old son to use which came with an instructional DVD and I have been trying to master his chuckle using his triple reed diaphragm call and the grunt tube that comes with the MacDaddy.

If every hunter went into the woods with just a hoocie mama eventually the bulls would get wise to it and not respond. I think you need the ability to create different sounds. To do this you need different calls. Problem is if you are hunting alone it is very difficult to do this with one call unless it is a diaphragm call which gives you versatility. Wayne uses multiple calls but you will notice his bread and butter is the diaphragm.

I would purchase the hyperlip single from Primos or Wayne Carlton?s estrus whine and some diaphragm calls from Primos (they seem to be the easiest to use) and then get the calling instructions DVD from both Primos and Wayne and learn from both of them and decide for yourself who you want to mimic.

Primos have tried and true systems but it seams that Wayne?s techniques are more advanced. Wayne lives in Montrose Colorado and the Primos guys are from the South.

Also it can take a lifetime to master the art of elk hunting. A way to accelerate this is by watching videos of live hunts. The Primos have a system that works and they don't show you footage that is outside of that system. It works very well and that is what you should try for every time but things don't always go according to plan so when it fails you will not know what to do. I believe you need more information that what the Primos guys are showing you. I would look at the following providers:

Primos Truth Big Bulls ? Use their method of putting the shooter out 100 yards from the callers and off to one side so the bull will walk buy on his way to the callers and use a diaphragm cow call to stop him for a shot.

Hunter Specialties Prime Time Bulls ? Watch how Wayne calls the bulls in and watch for how they get bulls even though they fail to follow the Primos method. This is good if you are hunting alone and don't have people calling for you.

Real Tree Monster Bulls ? These guys make more mistakes but you can learn from them as well. Their most recent DVD (#7) shows several bulls taken with shots right in the front shoulder. Very interesting.

Hope this helps and good luck.

HondoArcher

P.S. Buckskin. What unit are you planning to hunt in Colorado?

 

[Buckskin]

Hondo,

We are hunting a drop camp in the middle of the Wilderness Area of 54. Any thoughts???

 

[ixsolracxi]

to learn to call and what the elk are saying?

hands down, order Elknuts DVD series, it's the best out there...prior to listening to his cds/dvds i managed to spook off the elk i saw, since then i have called them in pretty close...

as for calls, there are a ton out there and it's a trial and error for what may/may not work for you...i tried the terminator and hate it...it has since been delegated to practice grunt tube with a bugling bull diaphragm...grunt tubes that are the best for me are Rockie's and Elknut's tubes...Rockies Monarch and mouthpiece work well (www.buglingbull.com) and for Elknuts Chucklers Series (www.elknut.com)...for externals, i use a variety of calls such as Carltons estrus whine and fighting cow call (two of my favorites), Primos Hyper Lip Single and Hot Lips, the Cowgirl is not bad either, Hoochie mama is junk (you're better off with a diaphragm)...Woodswise Hyper Estrus sounds good, E.L.K. Cow Talk is good, I aslo like the Sceery calls...i use different calls to get different sounds to sound like you got it, different elk...given the short amount of time you have go with others say on this thread, in the off season, buy different calls and experiment...

good luck...