Practicing my bugling.

[Hawker]

Do any of you have some tips for making realistic chuckle and grunt noises? I feel mine sound to man made. The rest of the calling sounds are sounding good.
Thanks

 

[whitingja]

You using a mouth reed?

 

[eltaco]

Assuming you're using a mouth reed...

It's basically a cow call with a faster and lower drop off. More of a E-UGH sound that comes from your diaphragm. A grunt should have a thumping UGH sound. Honestly, a lot of the low tone comes from your tube... some tubes do it well, and some just are too high pitched. I use a modified whiffle ball bat with a 4" barrel to achieve the sound that I'm looking for.

If you can make a inhaling sound in between the grunts without swallowing your mouth reed, it'll sound even more realistic.

 

[TJ]

Check u-tube for a clip with Rocky Jacobsen. He has good explanation of how to do it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-Pqzrc7YJY

 

[bikerdavet]

Elknut - lot's of good how to information. Just my 2 cents.

 

[5MilesBack]

I will just throw this out there..........you don't have to do chuckles and grunts to be an effective elk hunter.

 

[Jeff Martin]

I will just throw this out there..........you don't have to do chuckles and grunts to be an effective elk hunter.

I agree. Nothing negative towards those guys that think they speak the language, but stick to locating them and killing them. Rosetta Stone for Elk is not necessary IMHO

 

[Hawker]

So what sounds should I key in on?

 

[Ross]

Follow eltacos instruct on the grunts and as noted grunting proficiency is not required to hunt elk, but the more options you have the better and my recommendation is if the sound is not realistic it is better to not try it and stick with other options.

 

[ElkNut1]

Consider focusing on the most commonly used sounds many of us use every year to call for location or attract elk to us in certain situations. I like having 5 sounds which all are important & have their place! Along with these sounds raking a tree/brush rolling rocks or foot stomping around can add to the picture you are trying to paint in the minds eye of an elk!

Location Bugle -- Used for locating or finding where elk are! You are not trying to call them to you with this sound!

Advertising/Challenge Bugle -- This sound can also be used as a location sound but is primarily used once bulls are located & you are within 125yds, closer is better! This sound is used by bulls when trying to attract cows to them that they know are nearby, especially cows in or nearing estrus, these cows are generally with another bull so this intruder bull (possibly you) will give his best efforts with advertising himself bugles to draw these cows over his way. This is done because it's the cows who choose the bulls that will breed them so they are looking for the more dominant qualities in a bull.

Nervous/Popping Grunt -- This sound can be a reaction sound by any elk if they are startled by noise or unidentifiable movement. It's commonly used by all elk asking for a visual or identity to an elk they've heard but cannot find or see as well. This is my # 1 sound that all should learn, it will stop a moving elk for the shot at nearly any distance where elk are within earshot to even a few yards away!

Cow & Calf Chatter - Used to imitate social herd talk & movement to mom & junior keeping tabs on one another. If separated junior can get quite chatty looking for mom or any elk for assistance.

Estrus Buzz -- Also a good location call used on high volume with demanding tones! This sound is used in several instances such as when elk are separated & trying to regroup. It's also used when they are in search of other elk they've heard & cannot find. It's also an invite with more moderate tones with less intensity used such as when within earshot of other elk groups. This is not a sound used by cows to attract bulls to breed them! This sound is used throughout the year by elk for communication.

These 5 can be mastered & their use understood by both us & the elk, meaning we know why we're using a certain sound for a certain occasion! Each one has a specific use & meaning to the elk so representing them correctly as hunters is important. Just because we can make certain elk sounds doesn't mean we will call a lot of elk in. Understand the use of each one & it will aid you & give you confidence in your hunt! -- As you become a confident caller in the future & would like to incorporate additional sounds to your arsenal then consider the more difficult sounds such as Grunts, Chuckles, Glunks, etc. Like the other sounds know their meanings as well & you will know when to apply them or understand what you're hearing when the elk themselves are using them, this will help you to form a solid game plan in what to do next!

ElkNut1

 

[Ironman8]

Would you use any of these sounds outside of the rut...in say Nov. General Season? If so, which ones? Or are elk (bulls) typically quiet and non-responsive come November?

 

[Ross]

I have had some good bugling action come late October into early November when the 3rd or 4th estrus kicks in for those few cows not bred yet. I tend not to use calls this time of year other than a few cow calls, but that is not to say a little calling would not peak the curiosity of a bull or bulls if a cow is ready this time of year. The window is short but if in the woods when these few cows come in it can be very intense for 24-72 hrs...

 

[ElkNut1]

Like Ross mentions it can be a tight window come Nov to be in the right place & right time to be around those few cows that are entering the 4th estrus cycle, if it happens it can light the bulls up. I've had bulls screaming in Nov in the past but also have had as a quiet a Nov as is possible so nothing written in stone here. Thing is, is to get creative when sounds are considered for that time period. In many cases as a rifle hunter at that time I'm looking for a response or a sighting by drawing elk out just enough into the open from good vantage points while glassing. The use of the Estrus Buzz on high volume 10-12 times in rapid succession has sparked a bugle or appearance on various occasions. On other occasions I've used the Nervous/Popping Grunt 10-15 seconds apart doing this 1/2 dozen times & received a response or sighting. So it's not just a classic bugle or cow mew that's used by us as these sounds don't ask for aid or assistance from other elk as do the Grunt or Buzz. Those are key factors for us!

On another note I rattled in a 6-point bull & killed him on Oct 29th. I had done several rattling session of 15-20 minutes about 1/2 mile apart from one another in the timber until this bull came storming in, he sounded like a herd of elephants crashing towards me from 200yds out. I heard him coming & he stopped 40 yds away, that was the 1st I saw of him on his approach. I shot he went a short distance & 2 cows stepped out, that was why it was so loud as they came at me, there were 3 elk crashing in! You just never know so be prepared to try about anything within reason to stir emotions, of course hours of glassing doesn't hurt either! (grin)

ElkNut1

 

[MAT]

Leave the bugle at home, seriously. Especially if you hunt Colorado. I rarely use mine, even to locate elk. Bulls bugle at cow call too, sometime even more so. I actually use my grunt tube to cow call. I've seen more elk spooked by a bugle than anything else. All due respect to elknut his aggressive methods don't work so well on pressured elk. I've tried all of them, so unless you are hunting very low pressured elk don't go making bull sounds all over the country thinking you'll get bulls running at you. The ONLY time a bugle might work is if you are within 100 yards of a bull, but I've spooked more than I've called in. If he has cows he might run at you before gathering his cows and leaving the country. And it's the last part that new elk hunters fail miserably. You can hunt a single herd all week if you are careful, but get aggressive and they will leave the country. Not a big deal if you have tons of elk, but if you have a honey hole then you have to spend days looking for another one which is wasted time and energy. Just like any predator, wait for a good opportunity, if not today then maybe tomorrow.

The best advice I can give anyone is do NOT spook elk if you can avoid it. The hardest part about high pressure elk hunting on public land is finding them. Keep blowing a bugle and either they will leave, or other hunters will find you (the later is a big reason not to use one too). Personally I love calling but rarely do it anymore.

 

[eltaco]

I must say that I completely disagree with that assessment for CO. I hunt OTC in pressured areas and find tremendous success bugling. I find more often than not that I'm one of the few guys bugling and it's my biggest advantage over everyone else in the area. Perhaps this varies from region to region, but I'd rather leave my tent behind than my grunt tube... there are few things in my pack that are of higher importance.

It truly boggles my mind how many people have difficulty locating elk in my hunting area and refuse to learn to call...

If you are hunting heavy timber, your ways to locate elk are either sitting trails or water, randomly walking into them, waiting for them to be vocal, or calling to them. If you don't call and they aren't being vocal on their own, your chances of locating them in heavy timber are significantly diminished. Locating quiet elk is literally like finding a needle in a haystack. If you happen to have elk in open country, obviously silently locating and stalking is more feasible.

Learn how to speak elk and be confident in your calling and I promise you it will pay off in CO.

 

[mt100gr.]

I don't know CO, but I too, have great success bulging in otc areas in MT. If the timing is right, they can't resist. Last Sept in a freak high country blizzard I called bulls across an open forest road a couple different times. We had at least 7 different bulls bulging that evening and plenty for the next few days. I don't know if it was the weather or what but it was wild. We couldn't break branches for a fire without a bull coming in and screaming in our faces.

I test the waters before I bugle much, but if it's time, I would leave my bow in the truck and take my bugle if I had to choose. I love talking with those critters when they are fired up....might take my backup bow though...

 

[mt100gr.]

And to the OP, see what the elk think of your sounds. I have heard some horrible elk sounds come out of elk. I was sure I had called in a hunter one time and when I watched a young bull yodel-howl-squeak I almost died...

 

[Ross]

A collection of racks says I would be silly to leave the bugle at home, unless I am just sight seeing. Can't say enough about becoming proficient and exoerimenting with calls. They don't work every time nor every day but when they do there is nothing better when hunting elk, both for the adrenaline rush and for notching tags. I would recommend not leaving the bugle at home IF you are proficient.

 

[ElkNut1]

All we hunt is public land OTC pressured elk, you just have to learn how to use your equipment correctly, timing is everything even with cow calls! We hear this same thought in our neck of the woods, that is you cannot use bull sounds on our elk yet we prove every year that you can. Most hunters just want to blow there bugle & have bulls come a running, it doesn't work that way as most here know! We don't walk through the woods blowing any elk call repeatedly without a solid purpose in mind. We locate then shut it down, move in quickly for a shot opportunity, any calling that's needed after the location is encounter dependant! With over 150 elk on the ground in the last 22 years by the 5 of us in the ElkNut Crew I'd say we're doing something right. This includes us calling bulls in for others, we all do quite a bit of that! Whether hunters want to use a Bugle, Cow Calls or both, know when to use them & fit in with your sounds, use sounds when needed that elk expect to hear under specific encounters. You need to be one of them!

Because we own a set of golf clubs does not make us good golfers, we still have to know the role each club has & how to use it. With proper training & diligent practice we can become respectable at the game, this applies to our elk calls as well!

ElkNut1

 

[5MilesBack]

I would recommend not leaving the bugle at home IF you are proficient.

That's the key right there.