Calling all Elk!

[WapitiTalk1]

For those of you wild bohemians that will be hunting wapiti during the rut (SEP and into very early OCT), how's your elk noises sounding at this point? No, you don't have to be a competition level caller to "get er done" in the elk woods but you will definitely not fare well if your cow sounds resemble a raven in a foothold trap, or, if your bull sounds sound more like a screaming goat than a bull elk. It's not too late to tune up your elk sounds... If you don't have the Elknut APP, its well worth the low price...

So, how would you rate your elk sounds at this point in time?

[vandeman17]

I THINK I am sounding better than years past but it is always hard to tell in your car and living room. True test will be how it sounds in a few weeks in the Eagle Caps

[Crunchy]

Getting better each year.  Probably took me 10 years just to figure out what I was trying to accomplish with each call and when to use them. Now I know enough just to be dangerous 

[coachcw]

Not sure how I sound but it seems to piss of the bulls !

[WapitiTalk1]

Not sure how I sound but it seems to piss of the bulls !

That’ll do sir 

[nwhunter]

Curious what your thoughts are at the tail end of the rut like Sept 30 into early Oct when the bulls are starting to get tired and rut is starting to taper off. It can still be really good but seems like if the weather changes things get quiet in a hurry. Do you still call a bunch or chase bugles and sneak in or ?? Every situation can be different but bulls that have been rutting for almost a month I have found to be tough to call in ..

[JakeLand]

I’m not good
You need a student?

[Mudman]

I have mastered the cougar in heat bull call!!!  Oh, and the "Oh sheet I dropped my diaphragm" sounds..

[boneaddict]

I think I can hold my own.

[Skyvalhunter]

 

[coachcw]

I honestly think its about all the sounds you make not just bugles , branches , rocks , cows , along with tempo and aggression there's way more into triggering a bull than a bugle , I've heard so many bulls respond back and fourth never to close the gap. Being aggressive and getting a feel for each bull is huge , bulls with cows are a different beast . time spent afield and knowing wind patterns along with not being afraid to fail will make you a much more effective elk hunter , I have had bulls hang up and have rolled across the ground and  broke sticks   even ran strait away from them calling and chirping what ever it takes . If a bull has cows and is moving away from the call we will go right after him typically at some point he will bed those  cows and you can work in close then trigger a response ..... all this gets me fired uP ! good luck .

[baker5150]

I figured I'd give elk calling a try this year, so I bought a bunch of diaphrams and a bugle tube from Phelps.

They must have come from a faulty batch, because they didn't sound anything like an Elk,
so I returned them.   



In all honesty though, I always need practice.  Takes me a couple weeks to get consistant again.

[WapitiTalk1]

Curious what your thoughts are at the tail end of the rut like Sept 30 into early Oct when the bulls are starting to get tired and rut is starting to taper off. It can still be really good but seems like if the weather changes things get quiet in a hurry. Do you still call a bunch or chase bugles and sneak in or ?? Every situation can be different but bulls that have been rutting for almost a month I have found to be tough to call in ..

"Do you still call a bunch or chase bugles and sneak in or ??".  There are several phases to the elk rut and are all a bit different with what's going on, but, one thing remains the same.... as long as there are cows coming into their estrus cycle, the rut continues.  If there is a hot cow in the mix, the bulls will still be vying for their attention.  Advertising, challenging, rounding up, you get the picture.  The majority of the cows hit their estrus cycle around the third week of SEP.  That time frame is arguably the most prolific time of the rut! This said, a cow will continue to come into an estrus cycle until she "takes".  For some cows, they may come into two or three cycles before they take and that may push into early, even mid OCT.  To answer your question sir, it depends on what is going on with the area or group of elk you're targeting.  If there is a hot cow in the mix, vocalization will continue and bulls have a hard time keeping their traps shut.  As always, I try to let the bull(s) give away their location/presence unsolicited before I open my trap.  I do lots of nocturnal and early morning listening to locate vocal bulls then plan my hunt from there.  I seldom make any noise at all until I'm close to the group of wapiti. Sure, there are times when I'll throw out some locators but again, I normally won't make another noise until I feel I'm close enough to the elk to check out what's going on before I do any calling.  Each situation is different and a hunter has to be able to assess the situation before making a move and determining the best plan to bring a bull home for dinner.   

[SuperX]

I don't know if my sounds are the 'necessary' ones, but I make them confidently 

[Stein]

I got all practiced up and then plans ended up with me having a rifle this year instead of a bow.  So, I mainly use them to annoy my family until next September.