Overcalling?

[Trophyhill]

One of the biggest complaints I've seen on various forums about other hunters is overcalling and ruining someone else's hunt for the day. So......what do you consider overcalling?

[Swede]

I may be a little extreme, but one little peep a mile away. lol Actually I have no exact definition. How many times does a person call from their ATV or pickup, in an area, before it is over called? I would guess once if the elk are around. I see and hear are hunters bugling and staying about two minutes, then bugling again and going on. They move about 100 yards and start over. I have heard them following a break below one of my stands, going down a near by ridge or going down the Forest Service trail, in the canyon doing this constantly. That is only one part of over calling. The other part is, when this activity is repeated by several hunters going out together, or when it is repeated several days in a row in the same area. I will add that quality calling is different than lousy calling. A person can work and area more with quality calling than a person can just bugling away.

[WapitiTalk1]

Matching vocalization of a transitioning bull with cows, bugle for bugle, as he keeps your location pinpointed while moving away; walking through the elk woods cow mewing every handful of steps; answering a bedded bull (from a distance) mid day; locate bugling from roads while the sounds of your engine, tires on gravel, and gear in the bed of your truck banging around from the potholes, is fresh in the elk's mind when they hear a call coming from the same location; and of course, making the wrong sounds at the incorrect times when into vocal elk (that's probably a topic for another thread). These are just some things that come to mind when I hear the term "over calling". In the very early part of the archery season, some would argue that almost "any" calling could be considered overcalling

[Gselkhunter]

You and Jeremy!

[Trophyhill]

You and Jeremy!

Dually noted

[Toby]

The calling that takes place from roads, trail heads, etc. the frequency of calls doesn't bother me so much.

[ElkNut1]

Not sure if there's such a thing as overcalling? Now calling from the wrong spots or while on the move through obvious openings can be a real issue. When employing various techniques as Cold Calling, Advertising or Breeding Sequences these can call for lots of calling on the hunters part & can be very effective with the proper setup & calling routine in any area. I choose areas void of other hunters for the most part, this doesn't mean I'm miles in either, it's knowing your areas well & where most hunters frequent them, I avoid those. Proper calling sequences can & does produce results, at times it requires lots of calling & other times it does not!

ElkNut1

[JPD350]

I agree that if you are saying the right things it doesn't matter how much you talk.

Two years ago I was in close with a herd and someone moved in from 2-300 yds below and started cow calling, my first thoughts were that this should be a good distraction for me. The hunter started cow calling and the bull was responding but the hunter just kept doing the exact same cow call over and over, after about 15 cow calls the herd was on the move, I had to laugh because the elk were gone and he just kept cow calling for another 1/2 hour!

[elkoholic]

That's why the "PlayBook" is so dang good! It explains differnt types of calling and calling situations. Without the help of the information inside the book and on this forum, I might still be that guy cow calling 30mins after the heard was gone. I think knowing what, and when to say the things that need to be said comes with experience and ones hunger to expand their knowledge.

[brun]

I agree that there is no set amount of calling that is appropriate in all cases. The most obvious and common overcalling in my opinion is cow calling from the same spot over and over again. Cows are most vocal when they are on the move. Cow calling from the same place over and over again usually spooks them in my experience.

[under H2O hunter]

Call as much as you have to but no more then you need to. Every area is going to have inexperienced hunters who have it in their minds that they need to bugle a lot. They bugle from their trucks, atv, ect. They bugle during all hours of the day even when the elk are silent all day long. If you are hunting public ground just expect to see and hear lots of foolish calling. Learning to distinguish between an actual elk and a false elk is important. Learning when to use the right sequence and sounds is very important. Now some people will ask. How do you know what works and what doesn't? Well with any sport you need to practice and study your opponent. I try and get my hands on as much footage of elk doing what they do best. I keep notes of my own encounters and what the set up and conditions were. I try and be as detailed with my notes. I review my notes and try and figure out why things worked or didn't work and over time you'll see patterns. One thing that you can't be afraid of is messing up. It's going to happen a lot to you but get out there and try different sequences that you feel confident in using. Yes over calling is something to keep on your mind but also learning when to NOT call is just as important in my opinion. Elk can pin your location like a GPS. So learning to call and move and staying silent and letting your set up work for you is something that a lot of hunters don't think about. Remember call as much as you have to, just no more then you need to.

[Trophyhill]

So is it fair to say that making the wrong sounds at the wrong times could be characterized as overcalling then?

[under H2O hunter]

What are you considering "The wrong sound"? If you have a true elk sounding back at you then you really didn't over call or make the wrong sound. Now working that bull you can over call and make the wrong sound in my opinion. So the question of wrong sound to me is pretty vague. Would you mind clarifying your question a little deeper? I don't think that "The wrong sound" qualifies as over calling personally but some may think it is.