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Author Topic: Cow Bugle ?  (Read 1212 times)

Offline STIKNSTRINGBOW

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Cow Bugle ?
« on: August 25, 2011, 11:32:42 AM »
I was not sure if I was going to say anything about this on open forum or not, but see no reason not to.....
There was a guy I used to hunt with,
 that after a close encounter, where I called in a 3pt Bull in the Taneum decided he wanted to try that (calling)
He never really could get the hang of it.
All his bugles were weak and feeble, we would laugh about it.
I tried to help him get "the right sound", but no matter what, he still always had a very small sounding, little off key bugle.
He would walk around, practicing, but never really getting any volume.
Surprisingly, he started getting action, even managed to harvest a couple Elk.
We still kidded him about it, but as he said "it works, so its good enough for me"
...........................
I noticed while hunting in the Manastash, that I was getting more responses from low volume sounds than full voice bugles, as in they would answer a full bugle, but were actually coming in to the low volume ones.
...........................................................................
I talked to a hunter last year that was laughing about hearing "some idiot, calling almost like he was playing a flute"
I do not know if it was a hunter, but I do know there was a herd of elk in the area he heard the noise, as I watched them from on top of ridge feed out into opening. (I was on ridge, they were in bottom)
...
I remember watching on one of Angry Spike Productions DVDs, where they had an encounter (I think they called it "The Gate Bull" (?)) that was a bunch of messing around, just playing,  and called in a bull.
This was them just playing around, making small bugles and not being serious about their calls.
.........................................................................
Then I noticed on one of Elknuts DVDs, they relate a similar experience, and say it is surprisingly effective.
Where they just squeal out a bunch of very weak bugles, as I remember, they discovered this method by just messing around, joking about a guy that was just like my former partner.
and Bulls running into them.
...
Now if it was just me, and my own experience, I would chalk it up to luck.
But as I have observed first hand from my own experience, and see (on DVD) other hunters having the same results.
...
I cannot argue with results, and although I will continue to practice sounding as good as I can, with clear high notes, grunts, growls, chuckles, etc.
I will probably take a little time out of my normal routine of sending out location Bugles, lost cow/calf, regathering calls, etc.,
 to sit down in a good spot, take out my lunch, and just play around, trying to sound like a lonely spike, or cow that wants to send out a loud bugle, but just does not have the voice for it.
I intend to have my bow ready, as I have been caught by surprise before, and just have fun making strange low volume bugles, non stop for 1/2 hour or so.....
Who knows, it might bring in an Elk with a sense of humour, or not, but worse case scenario, some other hunter will laugh about "the guy out there that could not bugle worth a (?)"
And I eat my lunch.
But I am not there to impress other hunters, I am there to get an Elk within 30 yards of me, if using a "Cow Bugle" works, then I might have stumbled upon a new tool to add to my "bag of tricks", as I never really thought about sounding "bad", on purpose.
.....................................................................

Any similar experiences, or thought on this ?
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Offline TikkaT3-270Shortmag

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Re: Cow Bugle ?
« Reply #1 on: August 25, 2011, 02:34:47 PM »
Keep in mind there is no such thing as a perfect bugle.  If you sound too big you may run off bulls. 

Offline Todd_ID

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Re: Cow Bugle ?
« Reply #2 on: August 25, 2011, 03:29:43 PM »
I've done ElkNut's wild and crazy scheme probably 5 times in the last couple years and had elk come in 2 times.  Both times were when I knew there were elk in the area and both were nice 5 point bulls, and the 3 times it didn't work I was just hoping there were elk in the area.  The bulls both snuck in silent and caught me off guard and light-headed from all the calling, but it did indeed work.  I used it as a "why not try something wild" idea when nothing was working. 

Even better is his stolen cow sequence if you can locate a herd bull and his cows bedded midday.  That's brought big bulls close many times, but it's hard to pull of by yourself; it'd be much better to have a shooter there in front maybe 50 yards from the bedded herd because you've got to move too much to get the jump on a big bull by yourself.
Bring a GPS!  It's awkward to have to eat your buddies!

Offline archerE

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Re: Cow Bugle ?
« Reply #3 on: August 25, 2011, 09:00:14 PM »
Someone that I used to hunt with always sounded pretty weak when bugling :chuckle:. Never worked the times that I was with him. On one of the hunting videos that I have they show a lead cow send out what sounds like a weak bugle and the rest of the herd came running to catch up. They must have shown it 3 times pointing out the bugling cow :chuckle: Hey, it's worth a shot.

 


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