Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Elk calls for inexperienced.

I volunteered to go on an archery elk hunt in Colorado in 3 weeks. I have never hunted elk beefier however I am hunting with an experienced hunter. Is there a call that is reasonably priced that will work?

If you don't know much about calling elk, I'd pass on a call. Quiet is better than wrong.If you really have to have one though,look at any of the Skeery cow calls

A wrong call or call at the wrong time can send the elk into the next drainage about as fast as if they smell you

This is very sound advice...

So your saying spot and stalk?

So your saying spot and stalk?

Yes, spot and stalk can be effective in certain situations, especially if the elk are silent. Your hunting buddy sounds like he can probably blow a call... so let him be the caller and you be the shooter! If you're not at least a moderately experienced caller, I'd resist the temptation to do so. For what it's worth, Primos makes a push cow mew call called the hoochie momma, but I'm pretty sure every elk in the West has heard one at some point. Nothing screams "hunter" like a hootchie momma!

Find a bull in the morning by listening to them locator bugling at first light. They will be rounding up their cows and listening for any satellite bulls who respond. It is hard to bugle a bull away from his cows but you can often cow call them away. They think they are leaving a cow from their harem behind and will many times return to a lost cow or calf call. That is what I recommend you try. They are much easier to learn to blow than a bugle. Try a Carltons or other closed reed call. Good luck!

Mature bulls just prior to gathering up cows can be susceptible to bugling. Once they have cows with them bugling can be just as likely to make the bulls gather up his harem and vamoose. Cow calling can be effective for keeping a bull around or make him curious.

In popular or semi-popular hunting areas bulls are generally quite wise to bugling, and i't's wise to try not to look like an elk in those areas while bugling or cow calling 'cause you're liable to be arrowed or have a musket ball winging your way...............

Most diaphragm bugles are within a few dollars of one another. A double reed is the easiest to learn bugling and cow calling.

Back in the day, I used an empty 06 case as a bugle to arrow my first archery bull, but those days are pretty much gone...............


Casey

I'm an inexperienced elk caller so I'm qualified to answer. I'd get a few different cow calls like the Sceery saddlesore mentioned, a mouth call, and maybe a hoochie mama hand call. They all sound a little different which is good and they're not expensive so try out a few. Primos makes good bugles. I agree with the others that you can't count on calling them in where there's hunting pressure but its always good to be able to call, sometimes it's the only way to get a shot, especially in archery season.

And there's no way to hunt elk that's more fun.

Maybe some DVDs on when to use them.

+1, when and how, there are different techniques you should be familiar with depending on the situation.

Not too long ago,RMEF started a new site.Elknetwork.com. A lot of how to's and whys on it

The "new hunters" showing up here are using the Call loud , call often approach.



The best would be to have a successful person teach you. Learn from video etc., but understand that what works well in one area doesn't work everywhere equally. Hunting pressure, wolves, etc. can effect things. Spending time out with someone who hunts the area you're in successfully will be your best bet. Finding someone willing to teach is hard.

Saddle Sore has it right. However, you can still be successful not calling much. A satellite cruising a herd with a hot cow and engaging with herd bull vocally is a great time to just be quiet and put on a stalk. You can hunt wallows to some degree, or water trails. If you can get below a bedded herd and find a water source and a trail heading down to it, it is a great place to set up early mid day.

If there are lots of hunters in the area, you'll likely call in enough of them to have a great beer party. You won't find many elk, though.

If there are lots of hunters in the area, chances are the elk have left so calling (and elk hunting in general) will not be very good.

See Rock Chuck's post above.......

Yes, I saw that. It was so profound it caused a brain fart.

I agree with the above posts, don't call until you have an idea of what - and when - to use one. You are as likely to blow out the elk, as attract them.

In 2012, I got into a little valley in Unit 4 in Idaho in the mid-day to early afternoon. The valley was alive with bugles, there were elk there, and at least two bulls were taken that day by other hunters. I sat and listened, trying to sort out what was were, and who was what. I made a couple calls myself and had too many replies to be all elk...it was almost humorous. I finally backed out, and decided to come back in the next morning, from the other side.

At this point, I'd met one party coming out - they'd seen too many hunters. I had an out-of-state motorcycle come down the trail packing out a bull in the no-motorized area, met another hunter packing out a bull from opening day, and generally figured it was a going to be a long day without much action.

The following morning - I walked in to a point in the trail where I could break off and move to a hillside that seemed passed by with the crowd of hunters. I sat and looked, glassed the valley, and planned a route for the day. About 5 minutes later, I had a 6x6 on the ground that was trying to sneak out of the area. He walked up on me out the brush about 60 yards away, and was trying to figure his route out of the area.

Point being - all the commotion the previous day had run this bull underground - he was sneaking out.

If you have to take one - take a Primos Hoochie Mama Cow Elk Call - if you spook an elk or a group, a quick squeeze on the Momma may stop them for a second look. It's pretty easy call to use, and leaves less to chance.

The bad news - about every hunter has one...

If you are going as a hunter, you shouldn't be calling, your partner should be - from some point behind you.

Speaking of brain farts... I've found that lurking around in the timber sounding like an elk on crowded public units, particularly during ML season is a sure fire way to catch a little round lead ball in your azz!