Best Elk Call Mouth Diaphragm

[skidderman]

I am having pretty good luck with the Rocky Mtn Momma, (yellow) as well as the red. In addition I just ordered two different ones from Wapati river and two more from Phelps in the US. Going to be doing some testing.

[Bugle M In]

I feel in some situations when you're in tight to a bull with a hot cow or two, if you don't sound like a worthy threat to the bull, you won't get him to come in. I don't believe you can overpower a bull with your bugle, although using the wrong sounds will shut him up. In early season, if a bull bugles on his own with a long drawn out, high pitched bugle, and you hammer back with a growly dominant bugle with hard grunts on the end, you will have very limited success

Yup.
IT can be a little perplexing to why sometimes a lone bull has no issue coming in, and another acts like he is, and then heads off?
Hard to know whether he has cows elsewhere, and decided to wonder off to a wallow for some time during hot days or what?
Reminds me of one bull, who responded hard, chuckled etc, was coming in, and then off he went on a tangent elsewhere?
Happened 3 times during the week, but the 3rd time, I decided to "hunt him down", and was successful, but again, he was trying to pull off the same stunt, and I never some evidence of cows nearby, and he was more then big enough to be a contender?
I try not to locate call using a "big bull" sound, either high whistle, or, a call that has about a run of 4 notes, but I try not to get to
"raspy" off the bat.
Sometimes I will just do the odd high note, and a few chuckles.
Always with a cow call here and there, before and after bugling to locate.
Then, if a bull responds, that when you have to see what he does?
Does he leave cause he has cows, or does he feel safe, far enough away?
If he isn't showing any signs of coming in, that when hunting with a partner, who can move silently in that direction is a big
plus, while I sit back a call, and hopefully my partner can get in there.
Trying to match calls, and sounding as big, but not bigger, is what I try now.
Believe me, I have been told that I sound too big, on many occasions, so it's a work in progress even after all these years,
but I am getting there.
The 2.5 I find is just the "most versatile" reed you can use....atleast for me.
Carltons are good quality, the latex is really good, but I still end up going thru 2 of them in 6-7 days of hunting.
And I usually have a cow reed, a 2 reed and a 3 reed packed just in case.
And a couple of cow mouth calls, the primos one, that looks a little like the hoochie mama, but is a mouth call...love that one.
And one from bugling bulls, which sounds good as well.
Just depends what happens, and if it's slow, I try the different calls, instead of just sticking to the 2.5 and single reed.

[Greenthumbed]

Excellent advice! Thanks guys!
I've been working my way through Corey Jacobson's Elk101 course this winter with hopes of getting into some elk this up coming season. Every little tidbit helps!
BTW, if anyone is thinking about taking the elk101 course, I'd say do it. It's only $100 and well worth it in my mind.

[Bugle M In]

I think the very 1st video I watched, was a VHS of Larry D Jones, and Wayne Carlton hunting together.
Met Larry a few times....he sure loved his elk hunting, and I give him credit for my success, and really bringing
Elk hunting to the public to learn...IMO.
Since then, things sure have advanced.

Now if someone could come up with a bugle that you use mouth diaphragms, but the bugle itself could carry a little of
that "flutie" sound, as well as that "deep resonance" that you just cant do like a "real bull elk".
Amplified sounding is the best way to describe it.

But yes, with lots of practice and desire, one can come close to sounding like the real thing.
God knows how many times I had hunters come into my calls, or sit there waiting for me, and having a hunting partner on the
other side of the river, going up to these folks and telling them that it was me, not a real bull, only to have them tell my partner
that he was BS'ing them...lol.
Only once did I go into one call, and the call was also coming to me.
Turned out we were both hunters, and we laughed.
Turns out he won a few celling competitions over the years.
Anyways, he showed me his bugle, which was basically an old corrugated radiator hose from some old truck made years ago.
The soft rubber helped get rid of some of that plastic, tinnie sound that one gets from those plastic bugles.
Plus you can stuff it in your pocket, as it is soft and flexible etc.
Definitely something to have when a bull gets closer, and if you are still bugling at that point.
Mind you, if you get him on a string, just cow call, but don't do too much.
They know "exactly where you are".
The lack of calling at that point gets them coming in closer, so why muff it up.

[Greenthumbed]

I use a corrugated tube to call with. It seem to work for me. I can't stuff it in my pocket though. It about 2' long. I think it might have been a drain line for a dishwasher or something. I have it attached to a leather lace that I throw over my shoulder and carry the tube under my arm or strapped to my pack. It seems more packable than one of those bugle type things and it sounds pretty good I think.

[todbartell]

every year my bugle tube gets bigger and bigger lol

The Elk101 course is very good. Corey's tactics lean towards the aggressive end of things, but lots of good info to be gathered there.

[Brambles]

JP...The Phelps Game Calls AMP frame diaphrams are the best diaphram going....

[todbartell]

I have a few of the AMP, they're good.

[HighCountryBC]

Have ziplock bags full of diaphragms from over the years. Pretty much stick with stuff from Rocky Mountain now. Phelps diaphragms definitely occupy some space in those bags too but I pretty much stick with 2-3 calls while there's a bunch that end up not getting used.

Single-reed diaphragms are definitely the easiest to learn on and most versatile. You can make any sound you need with them. The triple-reed "herd bull" calls I find are junk for the most part. I've used diaphragms for a very long time, can make every sound I want, and I only use single-reeds. YMMV.

[Fisher-Dude]

every year my bugle tube gets bigger and bigger lol

Mrs Bartell is laughing out loud at that statement.

I'm thinking it's time to turn back the clock and use my dad's old handmade calls. Either the traditional bamboo or the more advanced aluminum pipe.

Elk don't bugle back these days to the fancy new shit, so might as well go back 35 - 40 years to when we'd have bulls charging in to these old relics. We killed way more elk back then than we do now!