Primos Hoss Bugle

[Hornhunter]

Anyone gonna try out primos new this yr ?

[JohnFitzgerald]

The tube looks ok, but the first thing I would do is take the mouth piece off.

[westaner]

Just went to their website and about choked! $60 for that thing! Hope its made in the USA for that price.

[Hornhunter]

60 dollars thats pretty spendy i would take the blue reed off to and use mouth reeds

[spyder24]

I already have the Terminater Bugle made by Primos. It would be hard for Primos to make a better sounding bugle using the blue reed. If I need a bugle for using a diaphram call with I would use my Chuckler XTR and still have the option to use the external mouth reed. Mike

[PHELPS GAME CALLS]

I think I'll pass. I will be using my own bugle tube and if I wasn't there are better offerings from elknut or Bugling Bull.

[WapitiTalk1]

OK.. I'll be the bad guy... Reed bugles have their place for locater sounds but that's about it IMO. Or, for guys that have false teeth that can't get a good seal with a diaphram. If you are truly interested in making quality, various elk sounds, you've gotta practice and become proficient with diaphrams..

[horseshoe]

ok, i'm a rookie here, my first ek hunt was last year. but, i think this is like turkey hunting, you don't always have to make the best call just the right call. and pauls stuff is about that very thing. i bought my calls before i got into reading all the forums and got the primos stuff. went to otc colorado diy. called in 2 bulls
with ...easy now guys! a blue reed in a baseball bat, hoochie mama, and imakadabullcrazy...with various other diaphram calls and reed calls used by two others in our group. and, judging by the all the talk, the 5x5 we called in was probably boss hog in that otc unit. used all the wrong stuff....go figure!

i will say this, you can usually pick out a hunter using the terminator, but i wonder if the elk really care?

[ElkNut1]

Do elk care about a specific sound from a bugle? Can they feel threatened by a repetitious sound? Yes & no! Bugling for bulls is a powerful tool, it's one thing to make contact & receive response & whole nother thing getting close or calling them close & having a good shot opportunity. Bulls can become call shy from bugles as well as cow calls. The bugle you use can play a huge part in ones success. Is everyone in your area using it? Bulls can become accustomed to a certain sound if busted by it enough times that sound can raise a red flag! Sound association is the issue here! Do the elk in the area hunted associate a possible threat with a selective sound or tone? In time, you bet they can just as many elk do towards over use of a hoochie mama! Doesn't mean either should never be used, means be smart in their use!

Doesn't matter what bugle you use, be unique & creative with it & don't allow elk to associate your sound as a threatening one! Problem with many of the External bugles is you are held to specific tones, you cannot apply the same feeling & emotion as readily as with a mouth reed & grunt tube, your sound selection with reed & tube is limitless! If you take 3 guys with a mouth reed & a grunt tube & all are using the same grunt tube & have them give a variety of sounds & you could not see them you would have great difficulty picking one over the other, they would not sound the same at all! Now take the same 3 guys & give all 3 any external reed bugle of the same & have them call again, you will find that they are nearly identical in sound & tone because external reeded bugles are very limited in sound & tone choice. Most experienced hunters can pick out an external reeded bugle when heard in the woods over time. Guess what, so can elk! So being unique & using the correct sounds at the right time all play apart.

Hunt areas that receive a lot of pressure with external bugles & few elk to choose from & you could have a tough time. Use that same External bugle where there are tons of elk especially high bull to cow ratios & fewer hunters & you could do much better because of a lot more bulls (competition) that may not have been busted yet or there are lots of young bulls! Bottom line, you are much better off with a mouth reed & grunt tube in many areas. Turn that Terminator into a grunt tube & use mouth reeds & you'll be much better off! Bugle use is still important, knowing when to use it & when to put it away depending on the encounter is extremely important towards ones success!

ElkNut1

[horseshoe]

i hear ya paul. but still, the most important part i learned fro you and others was the importance of what the different calls mean and how and when to use them. to us flatlanders a bugle was a bugle. at first we were all trying to do em with the growls, grunts and chuckles. then i read how the different calls caused bulls to gather up the girls and head out! now that was not what i wanted!

i still have a long way to go but i am understanding more and more. the elk sounds in this forum are great! keep em coming.

by the way, even with turkey hunting i am uncomfortable with a diaphragm call and thus, use boxes and slates. using the blue reed was likewise easier. i modified to make it more unique so i would not sound like all the others, so i am concerned how i sound as well.

[horseshoe]

forgot to mention the tips and tactics section is great as well. hell, this whole site ties a lot of stuff together...the cd, play book, & experiences in the mountains!
only 2 months to go....

[PHELPS GAME CALLS]

horseshoe, I agree with you and I preach the same thing in my seminars. An elk hunter does no need brand "x" or "y" elk call to be successful. They need to practice and make sure that they can make "the right call at the right time" as well as have the knowledge of how to setup, etc.... What I will say is that some calls are easier to work and easier to make those right sounds in the heat of battle.

In hunting situations I use three calls almost exclusively; 1)locator bugle 2)estrus whine 3)challenge bugle or scream. That's it! I understand all of the other calls and what they are used for but those three sounds are all that's needed most of the time (at least for me).

Now for a side discussion I practice to be the "BEST" caller that I can. I know that best caller is very subjective and what does it mean? I want to be able to imitate any bull sound that I hear in the woods. I use imitation almost exclusively when creating the threat and I want to be good enough to sound identical to the bull I am trying to call in.

Now how does all this relate to a $60 Primos bugle tube. I don't need to spend that much to accomplish the goal of killing bulls.

[horseshoe]

ya, sorry if i got a little off track there. $60 is pricey even if the hoss is a good bugle. and, as for its design, while not exact.....to copy is the best form of flattery!

[JohnFitzgerald]

+1 Phelps

Go with what you're comfortable with but we should always push ourselves to become better hunters.

I didn't notice the price in my first post. $60 WOW!

[PHELPS GAME CALLS]

I know I thought it might just be one of those inflated MSRP's but I confirmed it is selling for $60 in the new Cabelas.
I wonder how many people will fall for this new flavor of kool-aid (I mean fancy marketing hype).

[JohnFitzgerald]

OK.. I'll be the bad guy... Reed bugles have their place for locater sounds but that's about it IMO. Or, for guys that have false teeth that can't get a good seal with a diaphram. If you are truly interested in making quality, various elk sounds, you've gotta practice and become proficient with diaphrams..

LOL Sorry Phantom16, we all said "not it" in that meeting you missed.

[WapitiTalk1]

OK.. I'll be the bad guy... Reed bugles have their place for locater sounds but that's about it IMO. Or, for guys that have false teeth that can't get a good seal with a diaphram. If you are truly interested in making quality, various elk sounds, you've gotta practice and become proficient with diaphrams..

LOL Sorry Phantom16, we all said "not it" in that meeting you missed.

I thought something was stinky when everybody said "sure, go fishing... there's nothing going on at the meeting today ...

[mattstanton]

you could not pay me to give up my chuckler. beats every other tube I have used hands down.

[mongopino915]

No doubt Primos makes great calls and the blue reed design is very easy to use, that is why most hunters carry them. Their elk hunting videos are hard to beat but their elk hunting technique and calling is very one dimensional. It does help hunting on private ranches.

Most of the members on this site probably do not use the blue reed but most of the hunters I see in the wood carried nothing the blue reed. That suits me just fine.

The Hoss tube looks cool and pricey but the first thing I would do is cut a 1/4" off the small end.

[foxvalley]

$60.00 for the Hoss, are you kidding me!!?? Knowing what the elk are saying, and saying the right stuff back,ie. carry on a conversation, is way more impotant than any call out there. Practicing, and sounding like an elk goes hand in hand.
However...... I love the terminator! It's loud, consistant,souds like an elk,easy to use,and yes you can make it sound unlike any other"terminator" How much of your bugle comes from your diaphram??? How fast does that blue reed come off to switch to a diapham call? Now you have the best of both worlds.( Sorry Paul..... I do have all your other stuff though)

[ElkNut1]

Ha Ha, no sweat Foxvalley, I always say, use what works for you! I agree, the reed used is what makes the bugle!!! If you have old reeds or reeds that you can't get comfortable with or are too stiff then a guy will suffer & often get frustrated. He wants to always blame the bugle! (grin) As you point out, it's much more important to understand specific encounters you are in, this trumps great calling!

ElkNut1

[Lefty]

I have always thought Primos calls,.. all kids were priced for a good value for the typical hunter. I did notice on the Primos site that the Hoss calls are for compitition.

I dont really know what the difference other than volume might be?
I do know in waterfowling few callers can make a good compitition calls work as well for hunting the volume is just too much ,.. sort of like driving a funny or sprint car to church

[mongopino915]

I was at Sportsman's Warehouse and saw the Primos Hoss. I was curious at how this thing sounds so I bought one just to try it out. It's listed for $45.00.

When I got home, the first thing I did was cut off the blue reed part for use exclusively with the diaphragm. At first, I was a little disappointed in the lack of volume and thundering low notes (compared to the Bully Bull by Bugling Bulls) but after playing with it overnight, this tube would probably do well in the elk woods as the sounds are real clean, clear, and non-threatening. It has nice back pressures to allow for nice clean transitions between notes and the sounds are pleasing to my ears. Not sure about the elk though. I will definitely put it to use this September, along with other tubes, just to sound a little different at times. Bottom line, it has and will always be the guy/girl behind the tube that makes the sound. Just my 2 cents.