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... and, you can also dig into the ElkNut Tips and Clips here on WapitiTalk.

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

[Swede]

I am good enough to call in other hunters, but rarely will an elk approach within shooting distance. I generally just stay quiet and wait for them.

[Tigger]

solid. I am happy with where I am at. Some may laugh at my skill level, but the elk seem to love it when I whisper sweet nothing's their way!

[>>>---WW---->]

Not sure I like the choices you have given. I can easily make all the four basic calls plus a heck of a lot more other sounds that elk make. But I still punched in a #2 on the list. Only an elk can be rated as a #1. And even some of them can sound pretty sick at times.

[WapitiTalk1]

Only an elk can be rated as a #1. And even some of them can sound pretty sick at times.

Truer words were never spoken. On more than several occasions, I have heard bugles that I "knew" had to be from a human (sounded absolutely horrible) only to end up being a bull. Along this same line, I was hunting the WA peninsula many years ago when the archery elk season bled into early OCT (told you it was a long time ago). I set up camp and headed to a place where I could throw out some location bugles over the sleepy Humptulips river. What I heard back was very discouraging..... there were what sounded like cattle across the river, mooing back at me! The next morning, I still decided to hike down and across the river to the spot where I had gotten into elk before (and the same spot the cattle were mooing). Come to find out that the "moos" I heard the night before belonged to a couple of big, old, "bugled out" Roosevelt bulls. BRAAAAAAAAA... they couldn't buy a mid or high note

[7mmfan]

I can blow on a bugle, and about 50% of the time it sounds like an elk. I watched a video the other day of me bugling from a couple years ago it was TERRIBLE. I was embarrassed just watching it by myself. Really wish it wasn't on Youtube. Oh well. I feel pretty confident with my cow calling, it's worked for me enough times now. I won't be in the elk woods until October 12 though, so I'm just hoping for an opportunity to use them again like last year.

[Trophyhill]

I have great control over my reeds. Very confident I can make all sounds minus 1 that I struggle with so I just don't do. Can't wait to get it started!