Elk Calling 101-301
08-27-2011, 10:56 AM
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Elk Calling 101-301
This is ferom my Elk Addict's Manul. It is copyrighted and may not be copied or reprinted without written permission of the owner. I give permisiion for it tio be published here. It is based on 5 years of guiding for elk in the Rockies, and several years of hunting for elk.
I hope it helps some of you.
Elk Calling Techniques
When I am in elk habitat I bugle in the evening to locate bulls. Then, if there is time, I try to hunt the bull that night. Even if I don’t hunt that night I may have located a bull for the next morning. In the morning I bugle right after I wake up, to see if I get an answer. Whether I am calling in the morning or evening, if I don’t get an immediate answer, I wait 15 minutes and try again. If I still don’t get an answer I move to a new spot and try. Hopefully I hear more than one bull and have to decide which one to try for. Most of the time there is only one bull close enough to get to before the elk go back to their bedding area; and the decision is made for me. If there are numerous bulls nearby, and one sounds deeper than the others, or its grunts sound like a braying donkey, I usually try for that bull. Generally speaking, only the grunts of old bulls sound like a donkey. Young bulls have higher pitched bugles, cannot chuckle properly, and their Full Bugle Sequence may crack or be incomplete. When I get a response, and decide which bull to hunt, I try to get within 50 yards of the bull before trying to call it in.
I don’t use the bugle of a dominant bull when I am trying to get a bull to come in, because the sound of a dominant bull may drive off some bulls. I prefer to use the sound of a 1 or 2 year old bull, because it will not scare most bulls. If the bull is a long way off, if I am not on public land, and if the bull is willing to answer a bugle, I move in on the bull, bugling every few minutes to keep track of where it is. I don’t call too often, because the bull may locate me before I see it. If I am on public land, where the bulls have been bugled to a lot, or where bugling may attract a hunter, I only use the bugle to locate bulls. Then I move in on them. Once I get close to the bull, or it gets close to me, I use cow calls, chirps, mews and whines to get it to look for the cow it thinks it hears. The breeding urge is usually stronger than the fighting urge at close range. I may use a Contact Mew along with a Contact Grunt, the Bugle of a small bull, or a Glug to convince the bull that a young bull is with an estrous cow.
Bull Elk Response to Calling
Before I go any further I must mention that you may be calling to different ages and social classes of bulls, that the social status of bulls can change during different phases of the rut, and that due to age, social status and rut phase, you will probably encounter several different responses to you calling by different bulls. According to European researcher Anthony Bubenik most ungulates (hoofed animals) have five maturity classes. These social classes can be defined as: kids, pre-teens, teens, prime age and seniors. Each of these classes can generally be separated into male and female groups. Wildlife researcher Brown used four social classes in reference to white-tailed deer defined as: immature, subdominant floaters, group core members and dominant floaters. American researcher John Ozoga combines these terms into what more clearly defines the social hierarchy of male whitetails. These social classes are: kids (1.5 years old); subdominant floaters (1.5-2.5 years old); fraternal group members (2.5-4.5 years old that have not reached maximum body and antler size); dominant floaters (alpha or dominant breeding bucks 5.5-9.5 years old); and seniors (bucks past their physical prime, often non-breeding 8.5 year or older bucks). He further divides the fraternal group members into primary group members (3.5-4.5 years old) and secondary group members (1.5-2.5 years old).
We can probably adapt these definitions to bull elk fairly easily, making slight adjustments for age and terminology. In bull elk I see these maturity classes as yearlings being male elk under the age of 1.5 years; subdominant/immature floaters as 1.5 year old bulls (that may either stay near the herd or join bachelor groups); young bachelor group members as 1.5 -2.5 year olds (that have not reached maximum body or antler size), subdominant herd bulls as 3.5- 5.5 year olds (that stay near cow herds with dominant bulls); dominant herd bulls as 3.5 - 7.5 year olds (that control herds for part of the rut); and seniors as over the age of 5.5 years (that may be solitary or may join senior bachelor groups.
Generally speaking the age structure and physical condition of the bulls in the area will determine the social class of the bulls. In areas with (normal) socially balanced bull:cow ratios of 35 or more bulls per 100 cows bulls under the age of 2.5 years will rarely have harems and can be considered as subdominants; bulls from 3.5 -7.5 years may be either subdominant herd bulls or herd bulls; bulls over 5.5 years may be either herd bulls or seniors. Since herd bulls use up so much energy during the rut, they may no longer be able to fend off the challenges of subdominant herd bulls, and they may either become subdominant herd bulls, or senior bachelors. As the testosterone levels of the 2.5 year old or older bulls rise, they may eventually take over a herd during the later stages of the rut, often sometime after the first week of October.
How individual bulls respond to your calls will depend on the social status of the bull and the stage of the rut. Some yearlings, subdominant/immature floaters and young bachelor group members may bugle in response to your calls prior to peak breeding (mid to late September), and if they have not been beaten up or chased off by and older bull, they may actually come in to bugles and cow calls. However, if they have been beaten up or chased by an older bull they may either go silent, or move away when they hear a bugle. Depending on their testosterone levels some young bachelor group members may come in to bugles, and will probably respond to cow calls. Subdominant herd bulls are likely to respond to bugles and cow calls, and since you probably don't sound like the herd bull, they may actually come in and challenge your bugles.
Herd bulls will often respond to any bugle, but depending on how the bugle sounds, and how close it is, they may react differently. I've found that herd bulls rarely try to run off another bull unless it gets within 40 - 50 yards of the herd. Bulls that remain outside of that range are rarely physically threatened by a herd bull. Herd bulls hearing a challenge from a bull they are not familiar with (not one of the subdominant herd bulls) outside of that range may do one of two things; it may respond without physically challenging, it may respond while pushing the cows away from the other bull, or it may go silent while pushing the cows away. However, once another bull gets within 40 - 50 yards the herd bull will generally either put on a dominance display involving tree or shrub thrashing, raking the ground with its antlers, pawing the ground, and/or shaking its antlers in the other bulls direction while growling, roaring, bugling, grunting or coughing. You can respond by making these same calls, raking a tree or bush with a stick, and pawing the ground. But, remember, i you want a bull to respond to your bugling by coming in for a fight, you either need to get within its 40 - 50 yard space, or corner it. Herd bulls may also respond to cow/calf calls, or a combination of subdominant bull calls and cow calls.
Senior bulls often respond to bugles, but will rarely come in. If you are calling to a bull that responds but doesn't seem to be coming in, move in on it, no matter what age you think it is. When you are moving in on a bull you should be "stalking" it because you don't want it or any other elk to see you. But, you don't have to worry about being totally silent; an adult elk weighing over 400 pounds will make noise and break twigs as it walks through the woods. Senior bulls may come in to cow/calf calls.
If a bull is coming to my bugle, and is completely enraged, I seldom switch to a cow call. If the bull wants to fight, and expects to hear a bull, then give him the sounds of a bull. If the bull is more interested in fighting than breeding I use thrashing, rattling and tipping techniques to keep him enraged and coming. An enraged bull that is willing to fight is either totally frustrated because it hasn't been breeding, or you have gotten within the "space" of a dominant who wants to kick your butt. In either case give the bull what he wants to hear, challenge him often, sound like a small bull, and enjoy the thrill of a bull coming in, maybe on the run, slobbering and red eyed. Watching a bull rake and thrash a tree, gore a log and throw it over its head with its antlers, is a thrill that doesn't happen to many hunters. Watch and enjoy, even if you don't get a shot.
If you can't get the bull to come in, you may be able to bring in the cows by using a long drawn out Fighting Squeal, which brings the cows in out of curiosity. I've had cows come running to a Fighting Squeal from as far as three hundred yards away. You can also use the Distress Mew if you are hunting cows; it may attract a cow out of maternal instinct.
I hope this helps some of you. If you have questions - ask here or feel free to e-mail me direct at [email protected].
God bless,
T.R.
I hope it helps some of you.
Elk Calling Techniques
When I am in elk habitat I bugle in the evening to locate bulls. Then, if there is time, I try to hunt the bull that night. Even if I don’t hunt that night I may have located a bull for the next morning. In the morning I bugle right after I wake up, to see if I get an answer. Whether I am calling in the morning or evening, if I don’t get an immediate answer, I wait 15 minutes and try again. If I still don’t get an answer I move to a new spot and try. Hopefully I hear more than one bull and have to decide which one to try for. Most of the time there is only one bull close enough to get to before the elk go back to their bedding area; and the decision is made for me. If there are numerous bulls nearby, and one sounds deeper than the others, or its grunts sound like a braying donkey, I usually try for that bull. Generally speaking, only the grunts of old bulls sound like a donkey. Young bulls have higher pitched bugles, cannot chuckle properly, and their Full Bugle Sequence may crack or be incomplete. When I get a response, and decide which bull to hunt, I try to get within 50 yards of the bull before trying to call it in.
I don’t use the bugle of a dominant bull when I am trying to get a bull to come in, because the sound of a dominant bull may drive off some bulls. I prefer to use the sound of a 1 or 2 year old bull, because it will not scare most bulls. If the bull is a long way off, if I am not on public land, and if the bull is willing to answer a bugle, I move in on the bull, bugling every few minutes to keep track of where it is. I don’t call too often, because the bull may locate me before I see it. If I am on public land, where the bulls have been bugled to a lot, or where bugling may attract a hunter, I only use the bugle to locate bulls. Then I move in on them. Once I get close to the bull, or it gets close to me, I use cow calls, chirps, mews and whines to get it to look for the cow it thinks it hears. The breeding urge is usually stronger than the fighting urge at close range. I may use a Contact Mew along with a Contact Grunt, the Bugle of a small bull, or a Glug to convince the bull that a young bull is with an estrous cow.
Bull Elk Response to Calling
Before I go any further I must mention that you may be calling to different ages and social classes of bulls, that the social status of bulls can change during different phases of the rut, and that due to age, social status and rut phase, you will probably encounter several different responses to you calling by different bulls. According to European researcher Anthony Bubenik most ungulates (hoofed animals) have five maturity classes. These social classes can be defined as: kids, pre-teens, teens, prime age and seniors. Each of these classes can generally be separated into male and female groups. Wildlife researcher Brown used four social classes in reference to white-tailed deer defined as: immature, subdominant floaters, group core members and dominant floaters. American researcher John Ozoga combines these terms into what more clearly defines the social hierarchy of male whitetails. These social classes are: kids (1.5 years old); subdominant floaters (1.5-2.5 years old); fraternal group members (2.5-4.5 years old that have not reached maximum body and antler size); dominant floaters (alpha or dominant breeding bucks 5.5-9.5 years old); and seniors (bucks past their physical prime, often non-breeding 8.5 year or older bucks). He further divides the fraternal group members into primary group members (3.5-4.5 years old) and secondary group members (1.5-2.5 years old).
We can probably adapt these definitions to bull elk fairly easily, making slight adjustments for age and terminology. In bull elk I see these maturity classes as yearlings being male elk under the age of 1.5 years; subdominant/immature floaters as 1.5 year old bulls (that may either stay near the herd or join bachelor groups); young bachelor group members as 1.5 -2.5 year olds (that have not reached maximum body or antler size), subdominant herd bulls as 3.5- 5.5 year olds (that stay near cow herds with dominant bulls); dominant herd bulls as 3.5 - 7.5 year olds (that control herds for part of the rut); and seniors as over the age of 5.5 years (that may be solitary or may join senior bachelor groups.
Generally speaking the age structure and physical condition of the bulls in the area will determine the social class of the bulls. In areas with (normal) socially balanced bull:cow ratios of 35 or more bulls per 100 cows bulls under the age of 2.5 years will rarely have harems and can be considered as subdominants; bulls from 3.5 -7.5 years may be either subdominant herd bulls or herd bulls; bulls over 5.5 years may be either herd bulls or seniors. Since herd bulls use up so much energy during the rut, they may no longer be able to fend off the challenges of subdominant herd bulls, and they may either become subdominant herd bulls, or senior bachelors. As the testosterone levels of the 2.5 year old or older bulls rise, they may eventually take over a herd during the later stages of the rut, often sometime after the first week of October.
How individual bulls respond to your calls will depend on the social status of the bull and the stage of the rut. Some yearlings, subdominant/immature floaters and young bachelor group members may bugle in response to your calls prior to peak breeding (mid to late September), and if they have not been beaten up or chased off by and older bull, they may actually come in to bugles and cow calls. However, if they have been beaten up or chased by an older bull they may either go silent, or move away when they hear a bugle. Depending on their testosterone levels some young bachelor group members may come in to bugles, and will probably respond to cow calls. Subdominant herd bulls are likely to respond to bugles and cow calls, and since you probably don't sound like the herd bull, they may actually come in and challenge your bugles.
Herd bulls will often respond to any bugle, but depending on how the bugle sounds, and how close it is, they may react differently. I've found that herd bulls rarely try to run off another bull unless it gets within 40 - 50 yards of the herd. Bulls that remain outside of that range are rarely physically threatened by a herd bull. Herd bulls hearing a challenge from a bull they are not familiar with (not one of the subdominant herd bulls) outside of that range may do one of two things; it may respond without physically challenging, it may respond while pushing the cows away from the other bull, or it may go silent while pushing the cows away. However, once another bull gets within 40 - 50 yards the herd bull will generally either put on a dominance display involving tree or shrub thrashing, raking the ground with its antlers, pawing the ground, and/or shaking its antlers in the other bulls direction while growling, roaring, bugling, grunting or coughing. You can respond by making these same calls, raking a tree or bush with a stick, and pawing the ground. But, remember, i you want a bull to respond to your bugling by coming in for a fight, you either need to get within its 40 - 50 yard space, or corner it. Herd bulls may also respond to cow/calf calls, or a combination of subdominant bull calls and cow calls.
Senior bulls often respond to bugles, but will rarely come in. If you are calling to a bull that responds but doesn't seem to be coming in, move in on it, no matter what age you think it is. When you are moving in on a bull you should be "stalking" it because you don't want it or any other elk to see you. But, you don't have to worry about being totally silent; an adult elk weighing over 400 pounds will make noise and break twigs as it walks through the woods. Senior bulls may come in to cow/calf calls.
If a bull is coming to my bugle, and is completely enraged, I seldom switch to a cow call. If the bull wants to fight, and expects to hear a bull, then give him the sounds of a bull. If the bull is more interested in fighting than breeding I use thrashing, rattling and tipping techniques to keep him enraged and coming. An enraged bull that is willing to fight is either totally frustrated because it hasn't been breeding, or you have gotten within the "space" of a dominant who wants to kick your butt. In either case give the bull what he wants to hear, challenge him often, sound like a small bull, and enjoy the thrill of a bull coming in, maybe on the run, slobbering and red eyed. Watching a bull rake and thrash a tree, gore a log and throw it over its head with its antlers, is a thrill that doesn't happen to many hunters. Watch and enjoy, even if you don't get a shot.
If you can't get the bull to come in, you may be able to bring in the cows by using a long drawn out Fighting Squeal, which brings the cows in out of curiosity. I've had cows come running to a Fighting Squeal from as far as three hundred yards away. You can also use the Distress Mew if you are hunting cows; it may attract a cow out of maternal instinct.
I hope this helps some of you. If you have questions - ask here or feel free to e-mail me direct at [email protected].
God bless,
T.R.
Last edited by trmichels; 08-27-2011 at 10:59 AM.
