Just incredible hey lol, literally retartedOriginally Posted by HarryToolips
HuntingBC Champ
Just incredible hey lol, literally retarted
Bushwhacker
Lol yup....
Bushwhacker
If you're considering mouth diaphragms, which take far more practice (according to elknut they typically take 1 -6 weeks to gain any sort of proficiency), then Rocky Mtn or Phelps would be my recommendations... the mouth reeds are very rewarding when you put the time and practice in - can make a greater variety of calls with them..
So much to learn
I use the mouth reeds, they take practice and you have to try a bunch to see what works for you. There’s some I can barely make a sound on and others I can sound pretty good on. Depends what fits your mouth. My favourite is a brown one from Rocky Mountain elk calls? There’s some Phelps ones that I like as well. It’s good to have a couple so you can sound like more than one elk.
Last year in the September archery season we were bugling and cow calling but couldn’t get them to come in. Near the end of the trip we decided to switch to just cow calling. We took the quads up way before light. Shut them off and then waited 20 min or so then started hiking in to a spot with lots of sign we knew they were travelling through not that far off the road. Waited awhile until it was just about light enough to shoot and started cow calling.
We cow called for two hours and finally got a bull to come in that my friend shot. The week of getting our butts kicked in the heat was all worth it but we learned we probably should have switched it up a bit with the calling and tactics earlier. There’s lots of guys with their own strategies out there, I would recommend learning as many as you can to grow your knowledge base.
And now is the time to buy a few calls and practice the whole drive to and from work!
So much to learn
Oh, I had a bugle tube from Rocky Mountain that had a bigger mouth opening, lost that in the woods so I tried a similar Phelps one. Then I lost that in the woods last year and j270wsm hooked me up with the Phelps metal bugle tube mid trip. I think the metal one sounds the best of all 3 I’ve tried, but they all sound good.
HuntingBC Champ
Get yourself one of those kids' Wiffle Ball bats, cut the ends off, paint er up with flat drab olive spray paint, get yerself a pack of Rocky Mountain diagrams and save yerself a bunch of $$$. Watch some World Champion Elk callers on YouTube.
Practice, practice, practice.
MM
Member
If you’re gonna go with Phelps diaphragms, buy two of each. The reeds blow out after a couple months of hard use. Of all reeds I find Phelps the easiest to make and hold different tones.
HuntingBC Champ
Wapiti River elk calls and bugle tube
Last edited by RackStar; 07-05-2025 at 04:36 PM.
HuntingBC Champ
The plan is september 4-13. Do u guys use a different approach at different times? I might change my holidays and go a bit earlier.
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Senior Member
I personally use mouth reeds. Everybody’s mouth is different, so it can be a lot of trial and error of what you like best. I’ve spent a small fortune on reeds trying to figure out what works for me. I really like the Riven calls and try always have 5 or 6 for the season. Phelps I’ll use in a pinch, just make sure you buy lots of Phelps, they blow out fast. The Rocky Mountain bully bull grunt tube never leaves my hand either. If you’re not very experienced with reeds, start practicing now. Learn your basic cow chirps and a location bugle. That’ll get you going. As you progress and get better at it, start practicing all the other beautiful sounds of the elk woods. Lots of how to you tube videos. Good luck
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