Newby question

[kyelkguy]

Will be in the Steamboat area Sept 22nd, no guide, private land with elk. I have all the videos ,trying to educate myself. bought a primos bugle call, can't blow it, all I get is high screech's nothing low and nasally. I have gotten a blister on my top lip. Can I get by with just cow calling? I feel pretty good about that. Any help would be appreciated.

[Brijake]

IMO, bulls should be bugling enough for you to find their location and that is half the battle. Cow calling should be your ticket anyway as sometimes if you bugle, the bull gets his cows out of the area in a hurry. Don't give up on the bugle totally, sometimes it just takes awhile through trial and error to get it right.

[Trophyhill]

bugling outside of 100 yards for me has ran bulls off in the past with an exception last year when I bugled from a bulls bed and he was outside 100 yards. at that point he was on his way to investigate the new bull on the block but I had moved toward his bugle and used a couple cow calls to put him where I wanted him and killed him. this year I really tried to get under that 100 yards and was as close as 75 when i'd challenge with a bugle and had great success getting the bulls into bow range for a couple friends. if you're hunting alone you might consider calling and moving if a bull is coming in and you know it. they have an uncanny sense to pinpoint your location from your sounds.

[cnelk]

Can I get by with just cow calling?

Yes - have fun

[kyelkguy]

Thanks alot, I guess I just needed some confidence. I have never called in a 600 lb turkey before.

[cnelk]

Thanks alot, I guess I just needed some confidence. I have never called in a 600 lb turkey before.

Or a turkey that can smell

[fm]

Cow calls where working really well for us while we where out there. We had a allot of close encounters with fired up bulls using only cow calls. Never used a bugle once, never needed to. The wind killed allot of close encounters for us this year.