what is a good bugle for roosevelts

[BowBender87]

learn to use a diaphram reed for bugling and get a tube.  I prefer the JONES double reed.  The "snap on" reed bugles you will see in stores just dont sound like elk. I have no doubt that sometimes they work but the better you sound the better chances you have.  Don't let people detour you from using bugles.  Sometimes using agressive bugles is the only thing that will work.  If you pick up a reed now and practice all year you should be good to for for september!

[throttlejocky20]

None I have better luck with a mouth reed and cow calls. There are alot of people that think its ok to blow there horn all over the place and the bulls get shy and stop ansering. I had one bull this year come in to cow calls he hung up at about 90 yards and never made a sound. Remember just because they are not vocal dosent mean they are not coming in.

[JPhelps]

I know the question is about elk bugles but here is my  on calling Roosevelt elk.  All of which is from my 14 years experience of calling elk in SW Washington.

The specific call doesn't matter as much as being able to produce the right call at the right time.  This takes buying many different elk calls (especially diaphragms) to see what works best for each caller.  Mouth shape is a key factor.  External calls come down to the tone you're looking for and ease of use.

Creating the right setup to call in a bull is the single most important thing I have found to consistantly calling in bulls.  Is the wind right?  How is the bull reacting/responding to calls?  What time of day is it? Etc...
Paul (elknut) does a very good job of explaining elk vocalizations.  With that being said I only use three calls 99% of the time to call a bull in during the rut.  They are the locator bugle, estrus whine and challenge bugle.  In all of my readings on calling in bulls this is the same strategy and methodology used by other good elk hunters/callers such as Corey Jacobsen and Steve Chappel.

Also you may hear it said that Roosevelts don't talk much and people approach them different than Rocky Mtn elk.  I have not found this to be true and call very aggresivley (part of the fun).  Everyone eventually will come up with their own way of calling and I say use what works best for you.

My advice to you would be to buy some different calls (the calls mentioned in this thread would be a good start) and practice and see what works for you.  YouTube videos of live elk is a great resource for practicing calling.

I also do all my bugling through a modified $5 whiffle ball bat.

[colockumelk]

 

Jphelps. Sounds like we have the same exact bugle. In fact somewhere this year I lost my bugle. If it was a $30-40 storebought I would be pissed. But mine is homemade so oh well

[christopheri]

Yeah dude you should get his worse than wolves cds it will change your life.

I cant agree that it is life changeing but I do like Pauls aproach and the way he explains what each sound or series of sounds meanes to an Elk. It has been an excellent vidio for learning. I am new to Elk hunting and Elk hunting has changed my life forever!

[colockumelk]

So in a round about way it was life changing

[dylanb]

First of all thank you guys for all the help. I think I made my mind up on the bugling bull ' select a bull' the reason is you can use a diagram or aregular snap on band and you can make small medium and big bulls all with the twist of the tube.

[foambeetle]

TONS of instructional stuff at RHR (Roe Hunting Resources) on vocalizations, etc.  To get at all the content at RHR you have to pay a few $, but it is well worth it.   

From what I've seen the "twist of the tube" does not do much w/ the select a bull tube.


Good advice from JPhelps:

"My advice to you would be to buy some different calls (the calls mentioned in this thread would be a good start) and practice and see what works for you.  YouTube videos of live elk is a great resource for practicing calling.

I also do all my bugling through a modified $5 whiffle ball bat."

[colockumelk]

First of all thank you guys for all the help. I think I made my mind up on the bugling bull ' select a bull' the reason is you can use a diagram or aregular snap on band and you can make small medium and big bulls all with the twist of the tube.

Not saying that tube is a good tube but its overpriced IMHO.  For one thing I can make small medium and big bull sounds without the need for a twist thing on my tube.  Also you are not going to "blow away" an elk with how big your sound is.  Anyone who has had an elk scream at them 50yds or less knows what I'm talking about.  Even a small raghorn will put out WAY WAY more sound than you could ever possibly hope to put out.  When people say big bull or medium bull etc they are referring to the tone/pitch of the bugle, not the amount of volume.  Our tiny lungs can't put out close to the amount of volume as a real elk can put out. So I don't know why some bugles have the volume restrictors on them.  IMHO they are useless and can only impede your calling.

 Second I would never go into the hills with one of those snap on bands.  They sound like what they are, a person calling.  I primarily use the remedy.  I can do cow sounds, spikes bugles, and medium sized bugles.  All with one call.  I don't have to change anything out.  This means if I'm doing a "threat" set up I can instantly go from a cow sound to a bull sound instantly.  With a snap on band I dont see you doing that. 

I would buy elknuts chuckler or Rocky Jacobson bully grunt tube for cheaper than the one you listed and just learn how to use a diaphram.  Because once you do you wont ever use the snap on stuff.  Also if you want to call in bulls you wont want to use the snap on stuff.  Now I will say this the thing I do like about the tube you mentioned is the fact that it collapses down in size.  That is its only redeaming feature IMHO. 

[JPhelps]

I agree that any of the calls that have a snap on or pre stretched plastic reed gives the caller very little influence as far as adding emotion into the call.

Also a caller that wants to continue to get better and progress in their calling will limit out using these type of bugles.

Not to mention I don't personally like the sound they make.  With the time you have until next year, I would suggest an open tube and diaphragms.

[dylanb]

Well is there any diaphragm/tubes that you would prefer

[colockumelk]

Elknuts Chuckler or rocky jacobsons bully bull grunt tube.

[Elknut1]

Jphelps & Colockumelk are 100% correct!  An external bugle will limit you immensely, it doesn't mean they do not work or one cannot find success with them but you are very limited in your growth of possible sounds you desire to imitate as you grow in knowledge & calling ability!
  I would certainly check out Phelps game calls as well, his cow call is very nice that he offers & would compliment any mouth reeds you decide on!

  There are some very good calls out there in the various brands available to elk hunters today, we all have slightly different builds so it's not rare to find one call feels & works better than another! As to your question, the Closer & Mellow Yellow calls are what I would recommend to you as a beginner or a veteran elk caller! These 2 are the most user friendly calls on the market & this is very important in how they work & feel now & you can grow with these calls, actually you would never need anything different than these 2 to be come a very good elk hunter & caller! If you are looking for a lightweight Grunt Tube Bugle that would go good with these reeds I would recommend the Lil Chuckler Starter Kit. This Kit includes the 2 reeds, Bugle & a 1-Hr. DVD called Mastering The Mouth Reed. The Bugle DVD & Calls go well together & will get you on the right track to start your learning process now.  Here's a link to this Kit!
  http://stores.elknut.com/Categories.bok?category=COMBINED+PACKAGES&searchpath=130257487&start=13&total=13

  ElkNut1

[colockumelk]

Hey Paul since I advertised all that stuff of yours when am I gonna get the free stuff you promised me

[JPhelps]

I agree with Paul that the Closer, Mellow Yellow and All-Star are all you need to call in any bull whether you are a rookie or world champ caller.  ElkNuts and Bugling Bull Tubes all work well.

I am also going to give away one of my best kept secrets.  The Knight and Hale "Prosecutor" turkey call is the best bugling diaphragm I have ever used.  Yes I typed that right and it is marketed as a turkey call.  The only downside is that it doesn't make very good cow talk (the rasp prevents a clean break).  This diaphragm is for real, and was my go to locator and challenge bugle reed this year.