What's your favorite call?

[>>>---WW---->]

So, if you could only choose between one or two elk calls, what would you choose and why?

I'll kick it off here: for me it would be the raging bull and the heard master by Bugling Bull. Oh, and by the way, Elknut just happens to sell both of them.

The raging bull diaphragm has probably won more world championships than any other call. The herd master seems to have a much higher pitch than the raging bull and they both complement each other by being able to sound like two different bulls. If the elk aren't answering to the raging bull, there is always the chance that you can wake them up with the high pitch of the heard master.

For me, with these two calls, I'm able to duplicate just about every sound an elk can make. It works for me! So what's your favorites?

[>>>---WW---->]

The title of this thread is supposed to be (What's your favorite call?) not Watch! I was using that new Dragon devise that lets you talk into the mic and it types it out for you. I guess it just hasn't picked up on my backwoods southern english yet! LOL!

[cnelk]

Wayne Carlton's 'fighting cow' call has prob called me in more elk than any other.
With The Sceery 'Hyper-hot' being a close second

[WapitiTalk1]

I use a Berry double reed for bugling, grunts, chuckles and have for many years. They are very durable (long lasting) and I can get all the sounds out of them I need. I also use a Berry triple reed for cow calls. Yep, I use two diaphrams. I can't blow through the double bull diaphram, meaning, I can get extremely loud when needed without collapsing the latex but it isn't quite as good for cow talk as the triple for nasally, raspy cow sounds. I like the Bull Hooker for a reed call as a change up for cow sounds.

[flystrait]

Things that make you go Hmmmm.. I would have to think about this one

[eltaco]

Bugling Bull Full Rut Tone Top for me!! Might not have as many championships under its belt but it can be one mean reed when the situation calls for it! This has been my favorite reed in the field and earned us a lot of great action last season. Besides the sounds that I can get out of it, the fitment to my mouth make it absolutely perfect for me.

[Huntrgathr]

Paul turned me on to the Bugling Bull "Mellow Yellow" and although I've only been using it for a short time, I absolutely love it ! It requires very little input at all to produce sound. Most other diaphragms I've used require too much effort and are too loud. Pressured elk seem to like those quiet sounds...

[ElkNut1]

Huntrgathr, that's great that the Mellow Yellow is working well for you, it's my favorite call these days!

Theelkhunter , you should give the Mellow Yellow a shot! The Herd Master is there too in the store! It's right here. http://stores.elknut.com/Detail.bok?no=161

ElkNut1

[ElkNut1]

How old is the Mellow Yellow? The red primos call is a double reed, I'm surprised you get decent cow sounds out of it. Make sure the Yellow is not old or wore out. Bottom line, use what works & you are comfortable with.

ElkNut1

[Huntrgathr]

Huntrgathr, that's great that the Mellow Yellow is working well for you, it's my favorite call these days!

Theelkhunter , you should give the Mellow Yellow a shot! The Herd Master is there too in the store! It's right here. http://stores.elknut.com/Detail.bok?no=161

ElkNut1

Paul, I have the mello yellow. I seem to make better cow sounds from the Red primos. I do use it occasionally though.

I used to use the primos calls (mainly the white/orange one) as well but the mello works better for me. Everybody's different...

[flystrait]

After thinking about this question for a while. There really is no go to call for me, I have used several different manufactures over the years and still have bags full from what some have sent me and I would use several of them at any time. The top few for me would be the ALLSTAR that elknut sells, the primos white dome, Glacier Counrty Calls "blue blaster" and a few others. They all will work and can call in elk when used in the right situation. I will use one reed for every sound and I very rarley change them out. What the biggest difference's for me is, is it comfortable in my mouth, do I like the sound or tones the reed produces and do I have confidence that I can make any sound at any time. If you can go out there with the confidence that you can make all the sounds required at the right times the skies the limit. One more very important piece of the equation is how your tube performes or broadcasts sounds that you are making. This can make the difference in getting that bull to fully commit or not. Give them a beleivable story with the sound in HD. Or as close to HD as humanly possible and you will have great opportunities

CK

[JohnFitzgerald]

Mellow Yellow and the Full Rut for internal and the Sceery ACE 1 and ACE 2 for external.

[romey]

I dont leave the house without a mellow yellow

[ElkNut1]

Theelkhunter, if you had a new Mellow Yellow & didn't like it as much as the red Primos then stay with the red reed, you just like that one best, I'm sure you did not get a bad one. I only asked the reeds age because they do fatigue & need to be replaced after some use. The red reed being a double reed could last longer because of the two layers of latex. If the red is your favorite but you want to try a different one but similar then try The Closer, it's more of the style you use & like now. I don't think you'll like the Herd Master as much? Just a hunch! (grin)

ElkNut1

[buglmin]

I dont really have a favorite diaphram, used a lot of them over the years...Primos, Abe Melines, John Sarcasium, Wayne carltons, Knight and Hale...it doesnt matter, i can use them and get the sounds I want. But I dont go anywhere without my Carlton Fightin' Cow call and my primos Hot lips...I call them the 'Sin Sisters and their nasty lil cousin'....lol. These call over the past 18 years have called in a lot of bulls.
When we hunt other states, we carry different calls. We had a big bull in the Gila of NM that loved the Hoochie Momma, and a toad of a herd bull that loved the Cowgirl...he couldnt resist it. Something bout that high pitched call...And a bull last year liked the cow call from Doyle Moss...short and loud, but he loved it. For years it was the cow call from Abe Meline...and that call is unreal in the woods for the most realistic cow and calf sounds. I've heard nothing that comes even close...
At times, you gotta give a bull what he wants to hear, not what you wanna blow. And some bulls just love a high pitched whinny call...

[>>>---WW---->]

buglemin: Did I read the (John Sarcasium) right? There has to be a story behind that one!

[Z Barebow]

Probably the Mellow Yellow. I do like the white Primos also.

Either one, I can go from cow calls to bugling almost in the same breath.

[buglmin]

I dont think I spelled his name right, I'll have to go out and dig through some stuff to find a box from him.
Anyways, back in the mid 90's, John lived up north in Colorado, Momument if I remember right. I learned latter he had won several World championships and a lot of state calling contests...I'd found a big herd bull one morning, and had chased him for three mornings. On the third morning, Im in a screaming match with this bull, trying to push him into doing something stupid. Bout 150 to 200 yards away, another bull starts in...bout 20 minutes later, this guy comes sneaking into me, sees me, shakes his head and walk off. Soon, another guy comes walking in, walks over and starts talking to me, and thats how I met John.

[Indian Summer]

I've used lots of calls over the years. I'll say 1 thing. None of them ever sounded like they do now that I use a Chuckler tube. I always thought a tube was a tube for the most part as long as it had a resonating chamber at the end. Being an Elknut myself I about freaked out the first time I used Paul's Chuckler. 1 blow and I "chucked" all my other tubes right in the can. It was like..... !!!

[Swede]

Over the years I have had sever grunt tubes, but I have found Elknut's Chuckler series of tubes create a superior sound. I prefer diaphragms with a metal frame, so I can adjust them a little. I know I use too much tongue pressure, so the double reeds work best for me.

[WapitiTalk1]

X2 on the Chuckler grunt tube. I didn't know what I was missing as I packed my horse size grunt tube into the wilds for many, many years. Picked up the Chuckler last year and really, really like it.. 1/2 the size and exceptional tone.. Was sold the first time I tried it out.

[flystrait]

The chuckler is one grunt tube I have not tried. Based on all these endorsments I need to get one! How hard is the plastic? Is it soft when you sqeeze the tube or is it fairly rigid?

Thanks
CK

[mongopino915]

Have just experimented with every calls/reeds/grunt tubes made in the market. Figured out real fast that not all reeds are designed to fit my mouth and style of blowing.

Here are my favorites:

Diaphragm Reed - Raging Bull
Grunt Tube - Bully Bull
Open Reeds - Estrus Wine and Who's Your Daddy

[WapitiTalk1]

The chuckler is one grunt tube I have not tried. Based on all these endorsments I need to get one! How hard is the plastic? Is it soft when you sqeeze the tube or is it fairly rigid?

Thanks
CK

Pretty rigid Craig but why are you squeezing your tube? Sorry buddy, couldn't resist. I used a Carlton mega tube for years as I assumed it would magnify the sounds I was making better. I can get just as loud with the Chuckler EL as I could with my old mega tube and it's half the length and produces great reasonance/raspiness (yikes, I just used resonance and raspiness in the same sentence).. Just my .02. RJ

[msd1228]

I like several different calls, and use each of em on any given day since one bull will love the high pitch of a Fightin' cow, while another love the deep nasal of a Bitteroot Customs. If I HAD to choose 1 single diaphragm, it would be the Raging Bull, and if I HAD to choose a single external reed it would be a real toss up between the Fightin' Cow and my Bitteroot Customs.

Diaphragms

Bull sounds - Raging Bull and All Star
Cow - Raging Bull and Mellow Yellow

External Reed

Carlton Fightin' Cow
Carlton Estrus Whine
Temptress
Bitteroot Customs

[welka]

Tried a bunch of them, but always seem to go back to Mellow and Tormenter (green one on website). I hate the plastic dome ones, but its different for everybody.

[spyder24]

For locating and screams my go to bugle is the Primos Terminator. For cow calls my favorite is the Primos Hyper Lip Single. Mike