gselkhunter

Lets do it! Find yourself a double reed diaphragm call, I prefer a white tape call. The white tape is softer than the colored tape. Chew the tape to soften it and I don't mean chew holes in it, just soften it. if the tape doesn't conform to your mouth it will leek air and make learning harder. The call will go into your mouth with the open end of the horseshoe tword your nose. There will be a marking on the frame, a seam or dimple this goes to the bottom or your tongue side. Push the call up between your teeth and as far tword your nose as possible. See if you can hold it in your mouth. It may take some getting used to. If you feel like you are going to puke, take it out. Put it in again, if it is still feeling bad you may have to trim the tape at the back. If you have to trim the tape no more than a 32nd of an inch at a time. When you can hold the call in your mouth and not gag you are ready to begin.
Now starts the fun part! Take in a breath and start a steady stream of air out and say SHOW. High light the sh sound. SHHHHHOW. The reed[diaphragm] will vibrate on your tongue and make sound. At this point you may want to spit it out, it tickles pretty good. You will get used to it. Now the importance of the sh sound is it puts your tongue in the right place to make sound. You are not going to use the very tip of your tongue, but back a little bit. If you got sound you are on your way, if you didn't put the call more forward in your mouth if you can. And start again. I have only had one person where this didn't work. Ok now you have sound, perfect.
Step two. To learn control of the reed. If you can get sound without saying SHOW, take in a breath, start air out and keep the sound going the entire length of the breath. If the pitch goes up and down a little that is OK for now. The thing we are looking for is to keep almost no pressure on the reed and have sound. This is the basis for the low tone of a bugle. Now to get the pitch to go up will be done with the tongue. Blow a steady stream of air out and slowly put pressure on the reed with your tongue, the pitch will go up. And do it again, the pitch should rise to a higher pitch. Now you have 3 notes. You want to be able to start at the bottom note and go through to that high pitch and hold it, then go back down. Once you have this 3 note progression up and down YOU ARE READY TO ELK CALL.
Basic cow call: Start with the high pitch and drop to the low pitch, saying NEEAHH. I use other word to change the way the call sounds but this will do to start.
Bugle: This is a 3 part deal. Part 1 Low tone on the reed, add to this your voice[2 tones], take your voice and go as low as you can and say errrr, then take your voice up in pitch and errrr again. 1 low pitch reed, 2 pitches voice together err-^err. Part2 Stop your voice and go up to high pitch, low med high, in 3 steps. Part3 Now stop the reed sound and go to a low voice pitch and say AHHH. This is the end of the bugle and the start of the grunts.
Grunts: We won't get into the difference of grunts and chuckles now.Basicly they are done the same way, just different timing and sound. You just hit low voice, now go up to high pitch and drop back to low voice saying ahhh. Again high pitch to low voice saying ahhh. Now there is another part of the grunt that worries a lot of people. After high pitch to low voice ahhh, YOU SUCK IN AIR, and you do this between all grunts. This gives your grunt a real sound, but people worry about swallowing the diapragm. I have not swallowed one yet. Learn the high to low first, then add the breath later. You can practice each part of the bugle by it's self, then put it all together. This is a lot of info, take it a step at a time and it will all come together in time. Once you start you will want to hear somebody doing this, buy elknut1's tapes, I am telling you they are a great tool. You will have questions along the way, by all means ask.
Gselkhunter

jones123

Thanks, that was quick! I'm off to get a call. Will let you know how it goes.

gselkhunter

You are welcome Jones123. Let me know how things go. And again if you have question ask.
Gselkhunter

jones123

Already been to Scheel's and bought the Carlton Classic Triple Reed. No doubles hanging on the rack. Tried your advice and it worked already. Here, Listen . .

[>:] S-H-H-Fhfthft.

Oh, wait that wasn't it. OK - here goes . . .

[:-] S-H-H-hey big boy, looky here!

Sound like a cow? Here I go for a bugle . . .

[:'(] S-H-H-H-e-excuse me sir, but would it be OK for me to follow you to those cows please? []

I think I need to get meaner. Time to get the DVD. Meanwhile I'll keep working from your post.

Thanks Again - I'll keep you posted.

gselkhunter

Great! Have fun and work hard. Elknut1 is waiting for your call, we spoke last night. Thanks for the call Paul, I had a great time swapping war stories.
Gselkhunter

elknut1

gselkhunter---I too enjoyed our conversation very much!! For those of you out there that have read some of Greggs posts, you can get a sense of confidence out of his posts on calling at comps. Let me assure you it's not just a bunch of hot air, he's the real deal. He can defenitely hang with the best!

jones123---The only thing I'd add to gselkhunters advice would be to start with a single reed call, it's much easier to get sounds out of it for a beginner. As your tongue becomes accustomed to it then you can graduate to a double reeded call & if you desire to do so then you could advance to the triple reed. Most cow sounds will be done with a single reed in hunting situations! Hope this helps!!----------------------------ElkNut1

jones123

All the advice helped. I've been making quite a bit of noise with the triple reed in the truck to and from work today. Not consistent, but noisy and I can change pitches.

I drive an hour each way to work, usually alone, so I should have time to practice to tapes. On your advice I will get a single reed to see if I can do better, they're not that much.

Thanks

gselkhunter

Your going to get hooked! It's a bad addiction, I love it.
Gselkhunter

rather_be_huntin

Jones123 - Warning!! You are stepping into a world that you can never leave. Once you're hooked there is no cure. First after practicing a while you will show your friends and they will be impressed and you'll be the man everyone wants to hunt with. But that's nothing compared to the first time you're out in the Rockies somewhere on cool clear autumn morning just after first light and you let out your new but heavily practiced bugle. You've been trying to be quiet as you walk to get away from the roads and other hunters while you look for your hunting spot. You can hear every little detail. Maybe a slight breeze going through the aspens. Or maybe there is no wind and you only hear a few squirrels milling around. The smell of fall is in the air and you don't want to disturb any of it. But it's time to try the "new" call. You're nervous because even though you've practiced for hours now it's time to put it to the test. But you finally shake off the nervousness and crack the quiet fall morning with your first bugle. It's a somewhat high pitched non-threatening bugle with no chuckling at the end. It's more of a "hey where's everyone at?" bugle. Then the hair on the back of your neck will stand up when that first bull responds in the distance. You and your buddies will do all you can to contain your excitement as you make a game plan to get closer to the bull. Is that a bull worth pursuing? Which direction is the wind blowing? Do I bugle back or cow call? Do I try a cow call now or should we get closer first? Oh man I can't wait for fall!!!!!!!

Paul - I am 27 so you're right I am under 30. Just curious how did you know that?

jones123

Thanks, I've been warned.

Lots of friends tried to warn me off of dating women, too. Said I might wind up married. Maybe even kids. Naww, not me. I have self control.

Well, gotta go take the boys to scouts and get away to practice calling. The wife won't let me do it in the house.