Who Here Has Heard A Bull Glunking?

[jdb]

"They squirt it constantly like a squirt bottle and mists urine all over themselves and in the air". I like to do the same thing! It really works with the ladies

[boneaddict]

Hornseeker and I had a gorgeous 6 point next to us one night and we had him lit up with pen lights at about 15 feet or so and he was pissin all over himself.  That was probably the first time I heard that noise.  Took me a minute to figure out what it was but at night with those lights you could see the mist.

[ICEMAN]

fill me in what is glunking?

I thought it was the sound from beer a bottle when I am pouring a frothy cool one? Glunk, glunk, glunk.... Last one was a Bud, not a Bull...

 

[Elknut1]

  I figured there were a few who had experienced this sound! I agree it's a very subtle sound & cannot be heard very far off. I've talked with hunters over the years that have this sound confused with "chuckling" which is "ape like" in sound & tone. Many times bulls will use very light or low volume chuckles & guys mistake that for glunking. You've got great ears to recognize this sound at 100yds or so, better than mine for sure! (grin)
  What does a bull do to make this sound himself? I've asked this to a whole lot of different hunters during our Seminars & no one has known the answer yet? Most feel it's a guttural thing by bulls, well, it is not! They make this sound by slapping their tongue against the roof of their mouths in a clicking or stabbing like action.  Hunters can imitate this sound best with a mouth reed if you're good or another great way is to perch your lips together & act like you're trying to spit a piece of hair off your lips, let your lower lip lead out beyond your upper lip slightly & pop the sound out. With practice you'll get it down very good. Once there do it into the mouth of your Grunt Tube, it works & sounds great!

  Bulls Glunk in the presence of cows or trying to call cows their way, it's not just an estrus thing but also a Dominance feature, bulls will also use this sound to call a new cow (you) over to them. It's a Dominance & Signature sound to bulls, it's generally only done by the more mature bulls in a group or given area. Because it is a Dominance thing among bulls it's a real slap in a herd bulls face to have another bull come in close to his herd & try to call his cows from him with this I'm bigger, badder & deserve those cows more than you. Remember it's the cows who choose the bull they want to be with, bulls will use this sound "glunking" to display their manhood & their deserving to be the chosen one to keep/have those cows & breed them. So it can be a challenge to the herd bull as well as an action on this new bulls part (you) to persuade those cows they should be with him instead. That's his ultimate goal is to have those cows for himself, he's trying to prove his worthiness!

  Now you can see why a well placed glunking action is very deadly at the right time!! Get in tight, glunk & give a series of rapid soft chuckles at the end & you'll be demanding for those cows to take notice of you, in doing so you'll most likely have a pretty pissed off herd bull, you'd better have an arrow nocked!!! (grin)  Great responses guys!!

  ElkNut1

[tlbradford]

I'm with Houndhunter...I need to hear the sound to tell you if I have ever heard it in the field.  From your descriptions there is a good chance I have heard it, but it is not something I have tried to replicate when calling.  Sounds like one I need to learn though.

[billythekidrock]

I'm with Houndhunter...I need to hear the sound to tell you if I have ever heard it in the field.  From your descriptions there is a good chance I have heard it, but it is not something I have tried to replicate when calling.  Sounds like one I need to learn though.

Take your grunt/bugle tube and hit it with your open palm. It will make a sound very similar.

[Fullabull]

Ok guys, I have a theory regarding this sound and another possible use for it. If you ever listen to a dog when he's hunting or really looking hard for something, they take in air through their mouth and you can hear their tongue smack up against the top/back of their mouth . They do this because it heightens their sense of smell (you can do it as well and smell better). Maybe that's why you usually only hear it when a bull is around cows as it allows him to smell a little better when he's excited. It's just loud because they are a very big animal.

Just a thought   

Fullabull

[boneaddict]

Very good theory Fullabull

[Elknut1]

  Fullabull, Thought about that for the last several years, just couldn't make a connection as to if that's what he's doing. We've talked about it at hunting camp as well. I believe I heard someone mention it on Bowsite too a couple years back, it's always intrigued me as a strong possibility.  It's as if a bull is literally tasting the air instead of smelling the air, that's a thought that we've come up with!

  Not sure about the dog thing! (grin)

  ElkNut1

[bucklucky]

I have thought the same thing. Hunting hounds I know the exact sound especially when they wre grubbin a real cold track. Souds like a glunk just at a smaller level.

[Fullabull]

Hi Paul,

That's exactly what it is,,,Tasting the air, many animals do it because it enhances that sense. Since many animals do it when they get excited while using their nose to find or check things out, I thought I would throw it out there as another possibility. But I think it's more of a means of communication than anything else, like you were saying.

Good thread BTW

Fulla

[SNIPER10]

I have heard the sound quite often when I am in the magic circle of 100 yards from the bull.  I have heard it from several hundred yards when I am out way early in the morning and the woods are silent.  Most folks pop their palm against the end of grunt tube to make the sound.  That sounds alright but it is never very loud and not as crisp as it is with a real bull.  I use the "Full Rut" diaphragm from Bugling Bulls Game Calls to make the glunking sound.  You have to choose a call that has fairly loose latex so it is deep.  Drop your tongue off of the call and then say the word, "HUK".  That will put just enough air into the call to make it pop.  Bulls make this sound in a series of usually three to four glunks.  It is very difficult to get the exact cadence of a bull, but they don't seem to worry too much about cadence.   

JT

[bulldown]

I've heard it quite a few times in the field but 2 years ago we had a bull that glunked probably 15-20 times per minute.  That is no lie!  He was extremely fired up and just finished fighting or facing off with a larger bull just before we got into him.  In fact, all the commotion and bugling led us right to them.  I was probably within 80 yards of him with 2 callers behind me.  He had 8 cows with him and glunked non-stop for at least 45 minutes.  My guess is that he had or just lost a hot cow and was still really fired up.   One would think that a bull that fired up would come to a challenge call especially after he just got whooped but he was chicken and wouldn't come in.  Either that or he did have a hot cow and wasn't going to leave her.     

Bulldown!

[cackle]

is this the sound you guys are talkin about

[Elknut1]

  Although that sounds like a  hunter trying to imitate chuckles & glunking sounds, the latter of the glunking was closer to what most are referring too.

  ElkNut1