Calling turns elk hunting into a conversation. A bugle can tell a hunter where a bull is, and the right cow calls can pull a bull close enough for a shot. The sounds are not hard to learn, and a few calls cover most situations.
The sounds elk make
- Bugle: the bull’s rising whistle, often ending in grunts or chuckles. Bulls use it to advertise and to challenge rivals.
- Cow mew and chirp: soft calls cows and calves use to keep track of each other. They tell a bull that elk are nearby and relaxed.
- Estrus whine: a longer, pleading cow call made near breeding time that can draw a herd bull or a satellite bull.
- Chuckles and grunts: short sounds a bull adds to a bugle, often when he is worked up.
Types of elk calls
Diaphragm calls
A diaphragm is a latex reed in a small frame held against the roof of the mouth. It frees both hands, which matters when drawing a bow. Every mouth is shaped differently, so most hunters try several before finding one that fits, and many carry two or three for different sounds.
External reed calls
Hand-held cow calls with an external reed are the easiest place to start. Most hunters can make a realistic cow mew with one after a few minutes of practice.
Bugle tubes
A bugle tube adds volume and depth to a diaphragm bugle so it carries across a canyon. Collapsible tubes pack down small for backcountry hunts.
Calling tips that work
- Use a locate bugle early and late in the day to find bulls, then move in before calling again.
- Cow calls are usually less likely to spook a bull than an aggressive challenge bugle.
- Set up with the wind in your favor. Most failed setups end with a bull circling downwind.
- In a two-person setup, the caller stays 30 to 50 yards behind the shooter so the bull walks past the shooter.
- After the peak of the rut, call softly and less often.
Call makers
Phelps Game Calls was founded in 2009 by Jason Phelps in Pe Ell, Washington, and its diaphragm elk calls are widely used. Rocky Mountain Hunting Calls began as Bugling Bull Game Calls and took its current name in 2012. See Elk Gear Manufacturers for more brands.