Hunting Washington Forum
Big Game Hunting => Elk Hunting => Topic started by: Mark251 on August 11, 2015, 01:52:02 PM
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Hi Folks,
I've been a deer hunter most of my life but this fall I'm getting my first opportunity to hunt elk. I drew a cow tag (an antlerless tag) for an early November hunt here in Eastern Washington. A hunting buddy has suggested getting and practicing with a Hoochie Mama to prepare for the hunt. I know that it's a great call for bulls but would any of you use that call for an early November antlerless hunt? How about the Baby Hoochie Mama? Any ideas?
Thanks for the help!
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It's good at creating a chirp sound, which in general is a "all is well" sound made by elk. If you are still hunting it might help you locate or keep elk calm.
They are awfully expensive. I have one but don't like that I cannot inflect and make different sounds.
For that hunt and time of year, a call becomes much less important. Almost completely unnecessary but it is good to have if you are trying to stop a spooked elk I suppose.
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Great calls for young children. For adults I think there are far better and less limiting options, get a Phelps call. He's a sponsor on here.
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Last year I called a young bull within range (like 8 ft) with a Hoochie Mama but I wish I'd had a diaphragm in my mouth to use instead.
Nothing bad about them really but like TBar said - limiting and really only make the chirp sound even though they advertise it to make and estrous sound. For $30, you could get a few calls and see what works for you.
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I used both to call in a bull from 297 yards down to 42 yards. Had them behind me, pointed in different directions. He called back a few times then made his way down the hill.
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I got one for free when I renewed my eastmans mag a few years back and I sometimes carry it in my pocket. When I am doing a calling sequence I will throw it in sometimes along with my reed call to try and make it sound more like a herd of elk with different tones and inflections. Can't say I would use it as a stand alone call though as it is limited in sound options
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They for some reason get crap flipped about them, but the work just fine. I like my phelps reed calls because you can change tones and munipilate the calls, but I used the hoochie moma and baby hoochie for years and had success. They are simple to use and do sound good, I preferred the baby over the mama myself. Still use the baby in synce with my mouth call if I want to represent myself as more than 3 or 4 cows.
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Wouldn't waste the dinero on one of those goofy things. As vandeman said, it can be used to add a bit of a different tone during various calling sequences (cold calling or breeding sequences) but they're really not the best choice as a stand alone call. Elk talk year around... yes, even into November and beyond. It would serve you better to obtain a call that not only makes casual cow/calf sounds (herd talk) but can also make lost or regathering cow sounds. That would serve you better in elk battle.
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I like mine
But I also REALLY like my sceery
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There's never a bad time of year to have a cow call handy ! The hoochy moma can sound redundant if the button pusher doesn't very things up a bit...and it will sound un natural
But with that it mind it's easy to make good calls with it and may be all it takes to locate a group of beded cows in a draw
Get one ! Or jump up to a hyperlip single and bring them in on a string !
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$14.99 - doesn't seem too pricey
http://www.amazon.com/Primos-Baby-Hoochie-Mama-Call/dp/B002KEMVCY
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I'd be ok with one for a rifle or muzzy hunt. If archery, it's a great secondary/locator but there's really no substitute for a diaphragm call when you are trying to an animal in close - be it turkey, elk or whatever. That said, I'd much prefer one to no call at all.
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I love my hoochie even with my various mouth calls.and I like to say hoochie.
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Better than nothing. I had one for years for modern rifle season. I've called in a heck of alot of spikes with one. It all depend on each individual elk. Is it the sound they are interested in at that exact time or not.
I use a cow call during rifle alot. Sometimes out of pure boredom but mostly as I walk through the woods.
Are there better calls on the market? Yes but these hoochies do work.
Try to learn to cow call with just your mouth, its amazing how you can stop an elk dead in his tracks with a simple mew with just your mouth.
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Thanks for the insights. I think I might start out with a Hoochie Mama and then begin practicing with a reed call. I've never used a reed call but I'd like to learn. I appreciate the advice!
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People talk crap about them but they do work. I use one along with a who's yrr daddy and a mellow yellow diaphragm and have called in plenty of elk with these calls.
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Nothing but fake sounding pieces of junk, now days elk are more timmed to calls, you have to sound real , specially if you bow hunt and want to get up close,Wayne Charlton once said , all you really need is that lost calf short and sweet,I totally agree , I have proved it more than once , and I mean for the real close stuff, had a 5+4 come stomping up hill on just one little chirp,also had three cows look in my derection and fighting each other to get to me first , and that was nothing but one little suitle chirp, ive got a 50$ read system call and it is still in the silly piece of non perishable plastic they hemedically sealed it in, I think I will throw it up in the air and shoot it with my ten gauge, just because of how much that plastid pisses me off. Bow hunting is all about finding them then getting close, a suitle cherp will do the rest trust me . :twocents:
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Nothing but fake sounding pieces of junk, now days elk are more timmed to calls, you have to sound real , specially if you bow hunt and want to get up close,Wayne Charlton once said , all you really need is that lost calf short and sweet,I totally agree , I have proved it more than once , and I mean for the real close stuff, had a 5+4 come stomping up hill on just one little chirp,also had three cows look in my derection and fighting each other to get to me first , and that was nothing but one little suitle chirp, ive got a 50$ read system call and it is still in the silly piece of non perishable plastic they hemedically sealed it in, I think I will throw it up in the air and shoot it with my ten gauge, just because of how much that plastid pisses me off. Bow hunting is all about finding them then getting close, a suitle cherp will do the rest trust me . :twocents:
The hoochie mama does a fine job of making a chirp sound :dunno:
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Ibelieve it takes to much of a squeeze to get it to work at all hence the to strong of a sound been using that thing for 30 years then I met a man named Wayne Charlton I don't know if you know him or not but he is the bible writer to me when it comes to elk , he preaches the act of calling 24/7 and he told me save your money, I don't recall what its name is but its a little tiny piece of tube whith a tiny reed in it, he swears for bow hunting its all you will ever need, these days all bugleing does is tell the critters were you are because most hunters aren't pros. at it so all we are doing is ruining it for those who are so if you haven't won any compititions lately leave the crap at home for the kids to play with they will love it , that's were mine mostly are. :twocents:
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Nothing but fake sounding pieces of junk, now days elk are more timmed to calls, you have to sound real , specially if you bow hunt and want to get up close,Wayne Charlton once said , all you really need is that lost calf short and sweet,I totally agree , I have proved it more than once , and I mean for the real close stuff, had a 5+4 come stomping up hill on just one little chirp,also had three cows look in my derection and fighting each other to get to me first , and that was nothing but one little suitle chirp, ive got a 50$ read system call and it is still in the silly piece of non perishable plastic they hemedically sealed it in, I think I will throw it up in the air and shoot it with my ten gauge, just because of how much that plastid pisses me off. Bow hunting is all about finding them then getting close, a suitle cherp will do the rest trust me . :twocents:
You sound like a disgruntled fired employee from the Hoochie Mama company. Hoochie Mama
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Ibelieve it takes to much of a squeeze to get it to work at all hence the to strong of a sound been using that thing for 30 years then I met a man named Wayne Charlton I don't know if you know him or not but he is the bible writer to me when it comes to elk , he preaches the act of calling 24/7 and he told me save your money, I don't recall what its name is but its a little tiny piece of tube whith a tiny reed in it, he swears for bow hunting its all you will ever need, these days all bugleing does is tell the critters were you are because most hunters aren't pros. at it so all we are doing is ruining it for those who are so if you haven't won any compititions lately leave the crap at home for the kids to play with they will love it , that's were mine mostly are. :twocents:
The Hoochie Mama is far from being my favorite call but I killed a bull with it last year. Elk are not quiet animals :twocents: I had it in my rain jacket pocket and that made it plenty quiet if that were necessary.
Bugling can be a great way to locate/bed down bulls at a distance and it can be a great way to challenge a bull with cows. I don't think you have to be an awesome sounding caller to bugle effectively. Half the bulls I hear sound very unlike the stereotypical bugle sound.
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Get good with a mouth reed, you will enjoy it much more and be a much better caller. Elk do not make the same sound every time they make a noise, the hoochie mama does. If you want to sound like an elk, use a reed.
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They for some reason get crap flipped about them, but the work just fine. I like my phelps reed calls because you can change tones and munipilate the calls, but I used the hoochie moma and baby hoochie for years and had success. They are simple to use and do sound good, I preferred the baby over the mama myself. Still use the baby in synce with my mouth call if I want to represent myself as more than 3 or 4 cows.
I couldn't have said it better. If you tried some calls and have trouble making them sound good then try a hoochie, they work better than most experienced hunters will admit! I think because they are popular and get used by a lot of hunters that more experienced hunters like to crack jokes about them. When you have time to learn and get better move on to other calls.
We carry cow calls and use them during all elk seasons, I know they can be effective at calling elk to you any time during the fall/winter.
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Get good with a mouth reed, you will enjoy it much more and be a much better caller. Elk do not make the same sound every time they make a noise, the hoochie mama does. If you want to sound like an elk, use a reed.
Yes I agree, I have elk calls of every nature and prefer a mouth reed over a hoochie mama.
My point was this: I killed a bull elk when I left my mouth calls in the truck. All I had was a baby hoochie mama call. He was at 120 yards when I ranged him and I called him in with nothing more than a hoochie. That young bull definitely thought I sounded like an elk :twocents:
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The last bull me and my uncle got involved no calling at all , just good strategic planning and glassing and stalking , we nevewr let him know we were there we spotted him , we stalked him , we bedded him , and we woke him up with a 35 yard double lunger, so that being said I would never put down a good reed caller or bugler but as Wayne put it being suitle will work more often theses high pressured days , you guys can preach all day but just remember who wrote the bible, that would be mr. Wayne Charlton, ive done all my listening when he stopped talking, THANK YOU GOOD KNIGHT !
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There are multiple ways to skin a cat. There are some "high pressure, aggressive" elk hunters who kill a lot of bulls every year. Enter: Jason Phelps ;)
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Calls are a matter of individual preference, some work better for some people than others. No doubt other calls can sound better and are more fun to use, I have a couple preferences that are not hoochies. But, if you can't get another call mastered then use a hoochie. If you play with the hoochie a little you will learn that you can get different sounds out of it. One muzzy elk hunt several years ago all I had with me was a hoochie and an old bugle, most everything was sold out at local stores, I did buy another call but I couldn't get it to sound right so I used the hoochie. I called a nice 6x6 to us from about 500 yards that we passed, then we went after a bigger herd bull the same day, there were three bulls with those cows that were answering, I called the bigger bull into a good shooting position just before dark and we nailed it. Proof a hoochie will work on a smart herd bull that had probably been called at by many different hunters during the archery and rifle seasons earlier in the month!
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:tup: Nice.
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Get good with a mouth reed, you will enjoy it much more and be a much better caller. Elk do not make the same sound every time they make a noise, the hoochie mama does. If you want to sound like an elk, use a reed.
Yes I agree, I have elk calls of every nature and prefer a mouth reed over a hoochie mama.
My point was this: I killed a bull elk when I left my mouth calls in the truck. All I had was a baby hoochie mama call. He was at 120 yards when I ranged him and I called him in with nothing more than a hoochie. That young bull definitely thought I sounded like an elk :twocents:
I have had it work before as well, and I am sure they have been successful for numerous hunters. I think a guy is much more versatile with a mouth reed, you can bugle and cow call and your hands are free. I guess that would be my biggest pet peeve about a hoochie mama, elk will respond to it, but it is much nicer to get set up while archery hunting with a reed over a hand call. You can be ready to draw or at full draw and still make a call to turn a bull or make him commit.
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Get good with a mouth reed, you will enjoy it much more and be a much better caller. Elk do not make the same sound every time they make a noise, the hoochie mama does. If you want to sound like an elk, use a reed.
Yes I agree, I have elk calls of every nature and prefer a mouth reed over a hoochie mama.
My point was this: I killed a bull elk when I left my mouth calls in the truck. All I had was a baby hoochie mama call. He was at 120 yards when I ranged him and I called him in with nothing more than a hoochie. That young bull definitely thought I sounded like an elk :twocents:
I have had it work before as well, and I am sure they have been successful for numerous hunters. I think a guy is much more versatile with a mouth reed, you can bugle and cow call and your hands are free. I guess that would be my biggest pet peeve about a hoochie mama, elk will respond to it, but it is much nicer to get set up while archery hunting with a reed over a hand call. You can be ready to draw or at full draw and still make a call to turn a bull or make him commit.
Agreed :tup:
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I'll have the Hoochie Mama in my bag this year along with a few different reeds and the Carlton Fight' N Cow call. Honestly, I've not heard much elk noise in the woods so far so they very well could remain in my pocket for the opener.
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Give me a missle launcher and a lunar modual periscope and I will call one into range with my Suzuki sameria ,,,beep! beep!
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Thanks for the help, folks! I love this forum.....
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The last bull me and my uncle got involved no calling at all , just good strategic planning and glassing and stalking , we nevewr let him know we were there we spotted him , we stalked him , we bedded him , and we woke him up with a 35 yard double lunger, so that being said I would never put down a good reed caller or bugler but as Wayne put it being suitle will work more often theses high pressured days , you guys can preach all day but just remember who wrote the bible, that would be mr. Wayne Charlton, ive done all my listening when he stopped talking, THANK YOU GOOD KNIGHT !
You may want to consider taking what your idol Wayne has taught you and complimenting it with others who are equally successful. Just a constructive thought. That is unless you are content with stopping short, limiting your influence, and generally being a narrow minded individual.
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The last bull me and my uncle got involved no calling at all , just good strategic planning and glassing and stalking , we nevewr let him know we were there we spotted him , we stalked him , we bedded him , and we woke him up with a 35 yard double lunger, so that being said I would never put down a good reed caller or bugler but as Wayne put it being suitle will work more often theses high pressured days , you guys can preach all day but just remember who wrote the bible, that would be mr. Wayne Charlton, ive done all my listening when he stopped talking, THANK YOU GOOD KNIGHT !
You may want to consider taking what you idol Wayne has taught you and complimenting it with others who are equally successful. Just a constructive thought. That is unless you are content with stopping short, limiting your influence, and generally being narrow minded individual.
It's also funny when you consider the bugles etc. that Wayne Carlton sells :chuckle:
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I for one would be a mistake to be labled narrow :chuckle: ,but it is good to know that America is eating well, me being a very dedicated bow hunter , I just hate to see a brute like that go down to a missle siloe, can you emagine that critter up close on a 40 yard shot ,well I can, as for waynes calls , at the seminar he said in front of 300 people everone has to make a buck ,but he also said to compare prices and quality he seems to believe they are very compairible, any ways I only own and use one call and he doesn't make it, but he highly recommends it and the method I use it for,wich is that lost calf deal , it has been very exciteing to say the least. Well good luck out there guys , im going to pass on this early fired up start we are getting and we are looking at some late season trail chaseing this year, I guess ive come to terms with what really is has a chance of happening with all the juiced up fools who will be out there trying to circle us bow hunters with unexscapeable fire rings, from jeep clubs , over heated amplifiers or full blown open headers on that 74 chevy pickup with turret gunner in the bed with a knife in his teeth and a bow laying on the cab with some kind of fire water in the other hand.Boy does that sound like success , I DONT THINK SO L E W I S !!