Elk Bugling Activity Report

[Bugle M In]

Great thread, going north in a few days, have some cow calls, what would you guys suggest I get to get the bulls attention? Thanks!!

For cow call, a hoochie mama from Primos, or I maka da bull crazy or lip service or from buglin bulls, one of their cow calls.
Some would say get 2 different ones to have more than 1 sound.

Also, for beginners I would say get one of the primos bugles with the blue rubber ring on it.
Power bugle works to for beginners but those little thin bands get wrecked real easy.

If you really want to get into it, then most would recommend a mouth reed.
My go to brand is the Wayne Carlton Dome diaphragms, 1 in a cow call and I really like the 2.5 versions as I can do the most with those.
But they are hard to find (I have to order online usually).

[willyqbc]

https://berryhuntingcalls.com/product/thunder-bugle-3/

all i'm looking for in a bugle is that it is LOUD! I want my sound to cover as much ground as possible. Berry thunder bugle fits the bill. the reed inserts have proven to be very sturdy over the years, and its pretty easy to get the hang of. Tried assorted mouth reeds over the years, but couldn't get close to the volume out of them, even with a tube. The actual "tone" or sound of the bugle really doesn't matter much in my experience....you don't need to be a maestro to get a bull to respond. An old friend of mine who was a very successful elk hunter...all he used was his kids recorder from elementary school band!!! I kid you not! Anything that will produce a low tone followed by a high tone/whistle will work. If hunting with a partner have him/her throw in a different color insert so both your bugles sound a little different. Many a morning when not getting any responses we were able to get them responding by having one person bugle and 3/4 of the way through that bugle, have your partner step on your bugle with one of their own....can be an effective way to get quiet bulls to speak up.

For cow calls, i don't use em much, but when I do, i like the bite down reed style....I carry a couple different makers in this style https://www.primos.com/primos-huntin...24/c-106/p-286

[Islandeer]

Thanks for the advise, appreciate it.

[Ron.C]

Have to echo what Bugle M In said. I carry all kinds of cow calls because you never really know what they will respond to from day to day, elk to elk. But , that Primos I maka da bull crazy has been a killer call for us. It really seems to make a great estrous cow sound. Very nasaly.

One thing I have learned through error is to always start out with a soft cow call when hunting in the timber. I have busted elk that were unknowingly within a hundred yards of me by starting with a big bugle or real loud locator call. On three very memorable occassions, watched big racks that were no more than 100 yards chase their cows away from me.

Now, I usually like to do a few soft cow/calf calls, sit and listen and for about 5 or 10 minutes before I go into any sort of loud location calls. Being good is one thing, but it's just as nice when you stumble onto them and still manage to get the jump on em

[Bugle M In]

Yup, the Berry Thunder Bugle comes about as close as one can get to a mouth reed without being one.
Insert is just like the center/main part of a mouth diaphragm.
Also, I forgot, Buglin Bulls make some decent bull calls as well.
I use that big ass tube for my calling at times as well as just an old rad corrugated rubber hose.
(the rubber is better than plastic as it removes the tin sound that you get from plastic tubes, imo)
Use the rad hose when things are close.
To reach out there, its the big one! (especially when calling across noisy rivers)

BUT, don't think you go buy one and your off to the races.
Still takes some practice if you never have done it before.
Just don't practice around the wife or dog

[Redthies]

I don’t want to derail this bugle talk, but a quick caliber / bullet weight question for the elk veterans: where I hunt whitetail, there is always elk around. In your opinion, would 7-08 with 150 grain be sufficient? I have other options, but this is my favorite deer set up and would likely be in hand during a chance elk encounter.

[Darksith]

I don’t want to derail this bugle talk, but a quick caliber / bullet weight question for the elk veterans: where I hunt whitetail, there is always elk around. In your opinion, would 7-08 with 150 grain be sufficient? I have other options, but this is my favorite deer set up and would likely be in hand during a chance elk encounter.

yes that bullet will suffice with decent shot placement. Don't try and shoot 1000yds with it or anything though, but 2-300 you should be fine

[Bugle M In]

yes that bullet will suffice with decent shot placement. Don't try and shoot 1000yds with it or anything though, but 2-300 you should be fine

This^^^^^^^^ would be my opinion as well.
I used a 270 a lot with either the old 150gr or the newer 140gr bullets out on the market.
I have taken elk out to 325 yards, and it works.

The reason I carry a 300 win mag was because the bullets on a 270, even at 100 yards, were not "passing thru and thru".
And the problem there is, no exit wound, makes for crappy blood tracking if the bull takes off.
The 300 Win has no issues there.
NOTE: the 270 bullets would go as far as the other side, right to the "inside" of the hide, and I found a lot of my bullets over the years while
skinning, but always on the inside of the hide. (so no thru and thru and why I went bigger caliber)

[KodiakHntr]

The reason I carry a 300 win mag was because the bullets on a 270, even at 100 yards, were not "passing thru and thru".
And the problem there is, no exit wound, makes for crappy blood tracking if the bull takes off.
The 300 Win has no issues there.

Bullet construction matters much more than what is stamped in the bottom of the brass.....
A 7/08 with stout bullet construction can result in a pass through, while a 300WM with a soft point can be caught in a bull...
I’ve caught bullets from the 300wm and the 300 Ultra on bull elk, and had pass throughs from much lesser cartridges. Shoot enough of them, and you will see that nothing is certain when the bullet hits flesh. I certainly understand hedging your bets when it comes to elk and wanting a bit more WHOMP though.

[Bugle M In]

Wanted to add, the Hoochie Mama can be a bit of a pain in the ass, because the call doesn't always work well.
What I use, that sounds "exactly" like the Hoochie is the "Single Hyper Lip" from Primos.
I use that one a lot.

One other thing on the "I maka da bull crazy" call is it comes in Orange and Green.
The green is "much louder" than the orange.

Anyways, back to the reports for me.