2015 RMEF World Elk Calling Contest

[WapitiTalk1]

Please join me in wishing Travis O'Shea (Trav) from Wapiti River Outdoors (one of our long time sponsors), the best of luck as he travels to Las Vegas today to participate in the 2015 RMEF World Elk Calling Contest. He placed very high last year and I have a feeling Trav and his exceptional elk calls are really gonna rock the judges this year! The sign in is today and the contest will occur on Friday/Saturday. Go get em Trav!

[Swede]

Best wishes Travis. We will look forward to hearing from you when you have finished. Your calls are definitely first class, so it is just the nut (elk nut) behind the grunt tube that needs to be properly adjusted.

[Lefty]

Travis ,..
Will you describe what takes place or the story you are to paint as you call onstage.
Ive watched a few competitions at Sportsman's and at International Sportsman's expos and I dont have a full understanding of what the expectations are for the caller

Dennis

[ElkNut1]

Hey Travis, best of luck sir!

ElkNut1

[msd1228]

Just an update for you guys - Travis called like a champ today and is into the finals tomorrow. I'm beyond crushed that I couldn't make it down this year, but Trav has been keeping me posted and he is doing us all proud like I knew he would. Day 2 is anybody's game - best of luck buddy!

[WapitiTalk1]

Just an update for you guys - Travis called like a champ today and is into the finals tomorrow. I'm beyond crushed that I couldn't make it down this year, but Trav has been keeping me posted and he is doing us all proud like I knew he would. Day 2 is anybody's game - best of luck buddy!

Thanks for the update Shane (it sucks pond water through a straw that you couldn't make it down). I've heard Shane's calling folks and it's world class, really. Again, best of luck to Trav... kick some butt mister!! RJ

[Swede]

Good luck Travis. Show em yer stuff. I have heard that the queen will come and kiss you if you win this one. Well maybe not, but it will feel great anyway.

[Old school]

Congrats Travis. Looking forward to hearing the results from today.
--Mitch

[msd1228]

Update:

Trav had another good day and was able to take a podium finish - 3rd behind Corey in first, and Brian in 2nd. The quality of calling required to make the podium is next level and I'm beyond proud of the leaps you have made in your calling over the last couple of seasons; it has truly paid off.

[Swede]

Congrats Travis. Maybe you will get the queen's kiss next year, but this was great.

[WapitiTalk1]

Top 3..... hell ya! Nicely done Trav!!

[ElkNut1]

Travis congrats, that's an awesome job & showing, you did well sir! Shane thanks for the updates!

ElkNut1

[Elkduds]

Congratulations Travis, and as always THANKS for your support of this forum. Any video available online of the competition?

[Wapiti]

Hey guys thank you all so much for all the support !!

I have a bunch of video and I'm going to get it to Rory and see if he can work his magic and get it all posted up. As you guys all know I am far from good with computers and if I post the video it will be some knitting video or something stupid !! LOL

I will also do a full on write up about the experience and emotions that run through you. I will be on here tonight and get that all up for you guys to enjoy !!

Again I would like to thank Shane for keeping everyone in the loop. In all honesty without Shane Donner I would not be even close to where I am with my calling and to Shane my brother I say thank you very much ! Shane is one of the best callers in the world and I am proud to share elk camp with him !! We both want to beat the best when we call on stage but we do not call against each other......we call with each other. If one of us wins we both win !! Shane my World Title is for you BROTHER !!

We will see you all tonight !!

Trav

[WapitiTalk1]

Yes sir, clips going up in a bit!

[Wapiti]

Well where do you start with something like a World Elk Calling Championship ?

Let me start out by saying all of us whether we are competing in the actual contest or simply cheering for a specific person to win, we ALL have emotions !!

I am a person that where's my emotions on my sleeve and yes very often tears flow !! Heck I cried when Shane finished second last year in the men's division !! Does this mean I am weak ? Heck no I am human and I have feelings and real emotions !!

So in saying that................on with the calling championships !!

Day one is the stressful day as you must first qualify to get to day two !! This is when the nerves are at an all time high ! A true champion deals with his nerves and gets through the tough times. All a caller can do is trust his dedication and training routine. Trust me if you do not train going into this you WILL fail. Leading up to the competition I was very sick with a cold and could barely breath air in, let alone breath deeply in and let out a bugle !!
Lucky for me I call on a reed almost every day when I can. Like a lot of you guys it may be a chirp here or a bugle there. Some days you really go all out and other days a couple cow calls will be enough. Well as luck would have it I was able to train my routine and get it down the day before I left !!

What happens on day one ?

You arrive and you check in and fill out a form that the calling will be video taped and you sign the waver form. Then all contestants must draw a number out of the bucket. # 1 goes first in the calling and then #2 is up and so on. I go up and draw #1 and say oh great !! Going first is tough because you do not know if the judges will score you easy or hard !!

So the rules are each caller gets 45 seconds for cow sounds and 45 seconds for bull sounds. You can NOT go over the buzzer or you are disqualified !! I get called up onto the stage and I start of with my cow routine and man am I ever nervous and my hands are shaking and I'm just hoping a sound..........any sound will come out of my dry throat !! Finally a cow mews comes out of nowhere and off I go with the cow routine. Then the time buzzer goes off and I get ready for my bull routine.

This is where it gets tough because you want to be as loud as possible but you can still over blow your reed so there is a fine line. Out hunting we do not really go for all out volume. In a large room such as the one we call in the sounds are drawn out and seem dampened by the walls !! This is where your practice of control comes in and you must harness the power and finesse of your reed all at the same time !!

I start into my bull routine and Somehow I get through it and I feel I called very well. Now you sit there and watch the rest of the crew go up one by one and do there thing. Finally they are done and the scored are totalled up and they start to announce the top 6 callers that will be moving onto the finals. This is where you want to hear your name called right away !! This year I heard my name and tears of joy welled up in my eyes but I held them back because my wife said " you better not cry if you make it " Man I am getting whimpy as I get older !! LOL

Now after are the names are mentioned you can go up and collect your score cards and see how the judges liked or hated your calling as some guys put it !! This a time where emotions are high as they were for me. I am looking at each score from the sheets and the first 4 judges are about the same 34 to 38 out of 40.......this is great I am thinking until I turn the page to judge 5 and see a 19 for a total !! Then I turn the page and see judge 6 has me at 22 !! Then judge 7 has me at 38 again !!! What the heck is going on hear and I show my wife. Instantly I am fuming mad at judges 5-6 and start thinking am I that bad ? Do I sound like a total beginner caller ? What the heck are the judges hearing that was so terribly bad ?

So that night I am looking over my score sheet and I had texted a few people and they knew my frustrations. Then I get a text from a guy that is really out spoken and straight to the point and he says " well you didn't call good enough to impress those two judges as I see it ". Well at that I am really mad for him saying that..................but then a a light goes off in my head and I start to think ok what am I missing with these 2 judges ? Was it my cow sounds or bull sounds ? Maybe it was both ?

So there I sit in my hotel room at the Luxor in Las Vegas going over my whole routine for 3-4 hours and changing this and changing that !!!! Finally I feel I have changed every thing enough and I will have a better outcome tomorrow !! But it's 3 am in the morning and I've changed my bull routine so it's the strongest I have ever had with all kinds of technical bugles..............but will it all fit into the 45 seconds ?? I have no way to know until I get on stage and bugle in the finals !!

Its now morning and I text Shane my new routine and his text comes back " Dang you have no time to rest in that routine hahaha ". Now I am thinking maybe I have over done things but NO I trust Shane and he would say if he had concerns about it all fitting and he knows my calling. Trust it and go with it and I go back in my mind to an earlier text from Shane that said " Lay'er all on the line today buddy !! It's anybody's game today !!

So we are at the championships and it's time to draw numbers again. This time there are only 6 numbers and I draw #5 !! Perfect I think as this is a great spot !! Caller #1 is called up and it's Brian Langley. Brian does his routine flawless as I had expected him to as he is a # time world champ. Plus he calls with ice in his veins and is cool as they come !! I then blank out until caller #4 gets called and Corey goes up and I Know what your all thinking here !!!.....................Oh crap Corey is right ahead of me and I call right after him......crap crap crap !!!............But not today !!! In fact I am loving every single minute of this as I know I have the strongest and most technically superior routine I have ever came up with !!

Corey goes up and does his perfect high note location bugle and a flawless lip bawl challenge and nails it down just like I knew he would !! I smile inside as he walks off the stage and caller #5 is called up !!

I start in on my cow routine but this time it's very quiet and the pace is slow and in total control. Mews and calf talk abound and I toss in a cow bugle and a lip buzz and go back to more BORING cow and calf talk. Thinking this must be what judges 5-6 wanted was BORING cow/calf talk !!!! Who knows I am thinking to myself, they probably can't even call on a reed themselves or show any kind of control that any of the good pro's have ! Mean while I get back into my routine and I have included barks mews and calf talk. I also added lip buzzes and voice estrus type stuff. Basically everything they should be looking for !!

Now it's my bull routine and I start off with a high note location bugle with a high note that pierces out across the audience and ends with multiple chuckles that fade away to nothing !! Then comes a high note bugle that ends in a lip bawl challenge that has such a smooth transition from the high note to lip bawl that in my head I am saying " wow perfectly executed ". Then comes a bark and a slow quiet set of yearning chuckles. Then I think CLOCK !!! How much time do I have left.............OK perfect still lots of time....Then comes the bugle that will make or break my whole routine......a BULL CALLING COWS bugle. This is a short 1.5 to 2 second high note bugle that ends sharply in a lip bawl cut off type finish. I fire off the bugle and instantly knew I had done it as well as I had ever done it !! In fact Shane would later comment to me that I had done it exactly like I was supposed to !! He taught it to me and was super impressed that I nailed it on stage !!

Now I knew I was in the clear with the clock and I had the hardest bugling done already it was time to close out the routine and bring it home !! So next was a lip bawl challenge bugle that had all the right tones that pissed off bull should have !! To finish the routine off was my extended high note location bugle that has a high note that never quivers or shakes and takes nerves of steel to nail down. this bugle end with a thumping grunt on the end and a series of herd bull chuckles !!! I look at the clock and still have time so I throw out 2 more barks just to finish off the clock and the buzzer sounds of.

Thank you caller #5 the announcer calls out and the crowd cheers as I am collecting my extra spare reeds. I turn and as I'm walking across the stage and look out into the audience and there is sheer joy and happiness on everyone's faces. I then think to my self " holy man we have a new world champion..... I did it ! ". After exciting the stage as I'm walking back to my chair a lady says to me WOW that was fantastic, this is going to be close but I think you just beat Corey !!!

I sit down next to my wife and the look in her eyes..........she had tears welling up !!!!! LOL I said you better not cry because you'll make me cry !! I knew right then I was her World Elk Calling Champion !!

I missed caller #6 completely as my world was upside down at this point.

So remember on day one I said you want to hear your name called right away after the judges had the totals finished ? Well on day 2 you do NOT want to hear your name first as they go from 5th to first calling off names !! So there I waited saying please don't call my name........but wait only 5 out of the 6 gets called up and I'm thinking was I 6th ? In 5th was so and so. In fourth was so and so and in third..............our brother from across the boarder Travis O'Shea !!! Instantly I am saying to myself ah crap I didn't win but then my wife says cheer up its better than nothing like last year !!! I am grateful at that moment and realise 3rd is just a number and I am still on the podium with a trophy for World Elk Calling Champion of 2015 !!! Finally all the hard work has paid off !!

Hands were shaken and some congratulations were exchanged and then Brian Langley came up and said you did very well today as he shook my hand. Brian is one stand up guy and I'm glad to now call him my friend ! There were a few other pro's there that never did come over and shake my hand and say anything nice about the calling but hey if that's how they roll then whatever !! Many of the other competitors were great and I talked with many newer guys and helped them and tried to encourage and calm them down.

When it comes right down to it, we all want to call against the best and beat the best. So one day that guy I helped in 2015 beats me in 2020 I can walk over and shake his hand and say " Man you called great today !". That's to me what this is all about !! Being #1 is just a number and inside you already know your a champion even if your trophy says 3rd !!

The worst feeling I had was last year when my brother and father died.......but on Saturday December 5th 2015 when I was on that stage and looked out into the crowd and saw there faces with tears and smiles of joy.................THIS IS FOR YOU DAD I AM THE NEW WORLD ELK CALLING CHAMPION !!!!

That was how the championship was for me and I hope I shared it with you all !! You guys are all my brothers and I thank you all for all the kind words and support you have all given me !! This World Title belongs the all of you !!

Thanks again
Trav

[Wapiti]

I forgot to mention the scores from judge 5-6 on the final day

Judge 5
cow calls 12
Bull calls 12
total of 24 !! Better then 19 I guess !!

Judge 6
cow calls 14
bull calls 15
total 29 Better then 22 I guess !!

But still 5-8 points each shy from all the other judges scores ! So that makes up the 10 point spread Corey had on me !! I hope they got fed LOBSTER that night from somebody !!!! LMAO !!!

[ElkNut1]

Nice run down Travis! Heck you never know what judges want to hear! (grin) I've judged quite a few contests in the past & I agree, as a judge I too have wondered where in the heck some of their scores came from. You just do the best you can as a caller & hope it's good enough! (grin) Congrats!

ElkNut/Paul

[Wapiti]

Thanks Paul,

I was watching for you as You had said you may have made it down. Maybe next year though.

I agree we can only do what we can and let the judges do there thing in the end does it really matter ? Our lives still go on and we are lucky to just be free to do the things we love.........like elk calling competitions and getting out there and hunting the real screaming beast !!

Until next year !! BUGLE ON !!

Trav

[longbowelk]

Travis a huge congrats on the results may not be what you wanted. However when at the whim of a person subjective opinion it can be hard to figure out what they want.

[msd1228]

Wow. Phenomenal write up buddy! Felt like I was right there watching you while I read. Couldn't be prouder of the way you bounced back. The improvement in your stage calling (I say stage calling because your non-stage calling was always top flight) was remarkable - you definitely learned to get a handle on those nerves. There's just no room for a quivering jaw, or a quivering anything, for that matter, when you are trying to hold a single, ear ringing note for an extended period. Quiver on the note and you are finished. That takes real mental fortitude. I know my calling would never be anywhere near where it is without all of the hours and hours you spent analyzing my sounds over the past couple of years. Iron sharpens iron.

With respect to the judging, its just so hard to figure out what they want. Do they want to see a full array of bugling technique, i.e. lip bawl to high note, low notes, high notes with no ramp up, etc, or do they want just plain Jane, clean bugling without much variety? Same with cow calls (maybe even more so with cow calls) - do they want plain Jane cow calling, or do they want the full gamut of voice and lip screams, cow bugles, estrus whines, etc.? Its truly hard to say. All a guy can do is put forth his best effort and let the chips fall where they may.

Can't wait till February 2017 so we can do it all again!

[ElkNut1]

I don't see any video clips? Are they up & I don't have something working here on my end? Thanks!

ElkNut1

[WapitiTalk1]

Weird, they were working last night. I'll try this again!

Contestant # 1.

Contestant #2.

Contestant #3.

[WapitiTalk1]

Contestant #4.

Contestant #5.

Contestant #6.

[ElkNut1]

Ahh, I see them now Rory, thanks!

ElkNut1

[Wapiti]

Hey Good stuff Rory !!

Sorry guys they are fuzzy. They are clear on my phone. But all you really need are the sounds of elk anyways !!

Close your eyes and get transported into the elk woods for a few minutes !!

Trav

[ElkNut1]

I just listened to the calling. Here's my take on it. # 4 walked away with it whoever it was, I couldn't tell? # 2 was number one the first caller. I had # 3 & # 5 tied, there would have been a call off to see who won.

On a sidenote I've been trying to get my son to call in one of these, he's pretty good, I'd seriously put him right at the top with the calling I just heard. Maybe next year! (grin)

ElkNut1

[Wapiti]

Paul you and Paul jr should both be in there !! You are both fantastic callers and you would have so much fun !! The great folks I have met at these things are guys that are now friends for life.

Talking elk and making memories !! Doesn't get any better !! If you don't want to call maybe you can be a judge ? after all you know all the sounds and you would be perfect for that !!

Also there will be no Calling championship in 2016. The RMEF will be alternating to different cities from now on and I believe they are working on Salt Lake City for 2017 !! Heck a lot of you elk guys can drive there in a few hours !!

Trav

[wapitibowman]

Were you #5 Travis? Elknut, what did you mean by #4 walked away wih it? Did you feel he was the clear winner?
I only listened to 1,4, and 5. I felt like number 5 was the best of the 3 I listened to.

Wapitibowman

[ElkNut1]

Travis, that's very kind of you bud! Thanks! Interesting they pass a year, I had not heard that? I see they did away with a sound selection this year instead it was Cow Sounds & Bull Sounds, I like it better that way! (grin) Once again Travis, nice job, it takes nerves of steel to keep ones composure!

Wapitibowman, yes # 4 was in my opinion the clear winner, not sure who it was though? His calling was clean, pure & not rushed. His grunts, chuckles & ending to his bugle separated himself from the other 5. Was Corey #-4 ? The first caller was very good as well but lacked what #4 displayed.

ElkNut1

[wapitibowman]

Yes, Corey was #4. I think Travis was number 5. I was really surprised with the amount of time they took in transition. I guess it's about quality of sounds not quantity...

[ElkNut1]

Thanks! Yes quality over quantity any day! When quantity is foremost a session can suffer, the caller tries to demonstrate too much stuff in a short amount of time thus rushing his routine. Stay calm & collected with quality eyebrow raising sounds & you will catch a judges attention!

ElkNut1

[wapitibowman]

It makes a difference when you listen to the clips with good headphones vs. the phone speaker. Much more clear and crisp! I can hear now the ending of Corey's bugling. Travis, I still think you sounded great!! Congrats.

Wapitibowman

[Wapiti]

This what makes things so interesting. Some guys would rather slow polished routines while others like technical routines. I was always under the impression that Worlds should highlight the technical bugling as your trying to find the guy who can do multiple bugles with clean transitions rather then 1-2 of the same bugles over and over.

I also always wondered why have a time clock ? Don't we want to hear the best possible sounds a person can make ? I say let they do as many bugles as they want with no time limit. The callers would still only be up there for a minute or two !! That's because there are only so many sounds you make before it will become boring.

Have you guys ever notice you can call really well at home or in your truck ? That is because you are not rushed. It's like my singing in the shower............pure perfection !! But get me out of the shower and I shatter windows !! LOL

Paul in all the competitions you have judged, do the judges talk to each other or is it each person on there own score sheet ?

There is really no right and wrong in the two routines but technical bugles will separate the good and bad callers in an instant. This is why the worlds used to have specific sounds that the announcer would ask each contestant to make. I think guys are asking for it back.

The reason for the no contest is the RMEF wants to change it back to Feb-March roughly and to have another in 2016 3 months from the last one in 2015 doesn't make sense. They are moving away from Vegas because its expensive and they are trying to build up the number of callers again as the numbers are low. Thus moving to different cities each year will allow new folks an opportunity closer to there homes. I feel this a great idea.

I know for a fact there are callers out there that have never called in a competition that would destroy myself or the Corey's and Brian's calling but we need those guys to enter !! Come guys join in and let it rip !! It's all for fun anyways !!

Trav

[msd1228]

I'd like to see the required sounds come back too - it forces people to improvise and shows you who is really capable of producing every vocalization at the drop of a hat. They still used to have a freestyle portion after the required elements, so people still got to run through their routines.

[msd1228]

I just listened to the calling. Here's my take on it. # 4 walked away with it whoever it was, I couldn't tell? # 2 was number one the first caller. I had # 3 & # 5 tied, there would have been a call off to see who won.

Paul, just for my own curiosity, I'm dying to know what it was that made you think caller 3 was in the same league as 1, 4, or 5? Just my take on it - his cow calling was extremely harsh and jagged - there was no demonstration of the ability to produce a range of subtle tones, and on his bugling the pacing of his chuckles was waaaaay off, he didn't demonstrate strong reed control (listen to the notes fluctuating), his tending moan had 0 voice inflection, and he completely blew out the reed on his last bugle - like the reed didn't even make a sound until the very last micro second of the bugle. I would easily put caller 3 in 5th place out of the 6 callers. There was a very, very, very, VERY large discrepancy between the 3 podium finishers and the 3 non-podium finishes this year, at least to my ear.

Again, I'm genuinely curious as to what you were looking for or what it was that caught your ear. Discussions like this are exactly how we figure out what goes through different people's minds when listening to a routine and it gives us all a better idea of how to structure things in the future.

[ElkNut1]

Shane, no problem. As I mentioned above # 4 was the clear winner that day from the calling heard. The other 5 would have made a nice contest if it were just them, it could have been a toss up after that or a "call off" -- The rest of the 5 callers rushed their cow sounds & all seemed to be in the same boat, maybe nerves, hard to tell. The other 5 also did not have quality chuckles or grunts, they suffered there & their scores showed it. As far as # 3 not giving a bugle you felt should have been different on his last one, well tough to say from my desk. (grin) I actually use sounds just like that, they sound hollow at first followed by a scream, bulls do it too when the are worked up hard! I can't speak for # 3 but it appeared it was done intentionally, just a guess! If it was a mistake he did well do continue forward & recover it. --- Judging contests is not easy, big issue is the first couple callers scores can be lower at times so there's room to still improve upon by the next callers. A judge is not supposed to go back & adjust scoring from previous callers. I don't like that rule!

All in all, it was entertaining & the best caller did win! (grin) I think Travis did a very good job as did the others, it's not easy to get up on stage & perform a solid routine everytime. Congrats guys!

Travis, the judges are not supposed to discuss scoring or share their scores with fellow judges or ask what another may think of a selective caller.

ElkNut1

[Lost Dog]

Congrats Travis! Wow!

You guys sound better than some of elk I have heard over the years. Better be careful out in the woods or you might get run over!

One question. Do the judges know who is calling? Or is it a blind judgement....kind of like "The Voice" on TV.

[Wapiti]

Hey Lost Dog !

Thank you very much. Yes the judges are locked up behind a curtain. We only let them out to go pee !! LOL

Thank you as we wapitibowman !

Thanks to everyone that was cheering for me !! This world title win is for all of you !!

Trav

[msd1228]

Thanks for your response Paul - again, we all hear different things, i.e. you and I have a 180 degree different view of much of the above calling, but that's precisely the nature of subjective competition. I think it's really valuable for competitors/prospective competitors to see all of the ways that different people can interpret the same sounds.

[ElkNut1]

Shane, very true sir! When sitting behind the curtain in the same room as with the callers it is definitely easier to determine the more quality sounds being used by the caller than from a video clip on ones PC. (grin) I'm sure all the contestants did great, you have to be pretty good just to make the cut! Judges do not have it easy when all contestants are so close in their abilities so looking for authentic tones, that's what separates them apart.

Travis mentioned Corey giving two main bull sounds! He's basically right, but listen how polished up they are, they are very good & realistic. The other callers were good no doubt about it but the rest of them lacked that believable tone that they were an elk in much of their routine. It's not how many sounds you give it's how good are the ones you do give! His routine was a 10, the next best was 7-8. Everything after that was closer to 5-6 out of a 10 for being the best #. There's a reason that Corey is a 10-12 time World Champion. Take note from his routine & very smooth transition from sound to sound, there's no urgency in his routine, the others lacked it. I'm not being harsh, but if I were to throw my hat into the mix I'd sure look at Corey's calling abilities real hard as the one to learn from & imitate. It's tough to debate his success! (grin)

We all know you don't have to be perfect calling elk but when you hit the stage & perform for the human ear you have to convince the judges you are one of the best & then things still have to fall your way, no guarantees! (grin)

ElkNut1

[CurlyTail]

Every one of those callers is amazing to my ear. I don't think my delicate male ego could endure the stress of competition however. Fun to listen to

[wapitibowman]

Paul or anyone-

Does it makes a difference in the hunting world to "real elk" how good a person sounds? I'm talking about those instances when an elk hangs up, would a more precise call or a better tone bring that bull in? I know there are lots of animals killed every year by subpar calling. What I'm asking is, the better you sound, the more real you sound, does it make a difference?

I don't have any desire to be a champion elk caller in front of judges, but I do want to sound the most realistic I can. Does the extra practice really help in the Elk woods?


Wapitibowman

[Sask.Elk.Guy]

Wapitibowman

I would have to say yes...I have found that the more I practice, the better tones I can get, and the more options I have available to me when in a clinch. Although "poor" calling will work some of the time, and good tactics will trump great calling any day of the week, I still think that great calling can compensate for sub-perfect technique. I've won some calling competitions, but I have yet to completely get inside the Bull's head and figure them out. But by being able to have the correct tones and variety, I believe it has assisted greatly in convincing the bull that I am for real, although my actions in how I approach him are not always the correct ones.

I think I would be totally lost if I hadn't done years of practising the calling in my garage. As poor calling, mixed with my less than stellar natural ability to respond properly to what the bull is telling me, would likely lead to me going to the grocery store all winter long to purchase beef from my freezer. In my hunting party is a fellow who, in my mind, is a very poor caller, but has an amazing ability to read the Bull's mind and knows exactly what's going on, but is fall less successful, because he just can't close the deal as often as I can. If he could improve his calling, I know he would be one of the best elk hunters out there.

So yes, we don't have to all sound good to the judges ears, but the best we can be at getting the proper tones and variety of calls, the better elk enthusiast and provider we'll be.