Learning how to call

[Deafirishman]

Gonna throw this out there...as some of you already know that I am deaf/hard of hearing hence my username. I would love to learn how to call in a bull for my hunting partners whom have done so many times for me. My question is will I be able to perfect the call without really hearing what the right pitch is suppose to be and not sounding like a bull high on meth or scaring the bejesus out of them? I understand it's a difficult question to answer without actually knowing what it's like not to be able to hear. My hunting brothers know I'll do anything for them in the elk woods but I would like to try and take it to another level. Think it's a lost cause or not ?

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[Rangerz]

Depending on your level of hearing loss, might be able to get a recorder and turn the volume way up or call in front of a friend who calls and can tell you when you get it right.

Might also try the good old Hoochi Mama. A simple squeeze will make a cow call.

Hopefully others will chime in with other ideas.

Good luck!

[WapitiTalk1]

Aaron, my meager opinion but I would think so. Where there's a will, there is a way, right? OK, you and I are hunting together in Montana and it's "your" turn to call today. From on a ridge, you throw out a locator bugle with your Berry Thunderstick (sorry, Thunder Bugle)... I affectionately call them "Thundersticks) . They are pretty easy to use and make a great, far reaching sound! I've recommended them to many elk hunters (for really, over 20 years) that can't quite get the diaphragm thing down. OK, we get an answer and I relay that it's on the other side, about half way up, across the draw. It's around 0900 and that bull and possibly cows, are moving to where we kind of know they are gonna bed. Now, we get on our horses (err, legs) and work the wind left, down, across, and up till we figure we're relatively close and on the same elevation to where the bull sounded off. Your time again.... I set up where you can see me and give you the hand signal to throw one out. Ahhhh, wee, eeeh, eeeeeeeh a short bugle! I motion to you that he's still a good 150 yards up the side hill. We need to move now as the thermals will be changing soon. Close enough now I figure and I set up, look back at you, and signal some cow cows this time... you pull out your bite and blow cow call (there are a good handful of them on the market)... meeew, meeew.. only two seductive calls needed right now. And we both sit, watch; I'm doing most of the detail listening and I hear brush breaking and something approaching.... I key you again to make a couple more cow sounds. Meeew, meee... and you physically see antlers moving towards you, and ultimately, by me.... Once you think barney bull is in my line of sight, you throw a loud "ARRGH", into your tube (nervous grunt) and barney stops to get a visual on you. At that point, you see the bull do a 180, fast, as my Darton Maverick II blasts an arrow through it. Now it's time to sit a while, have a snack, drink some water (gotta stay hydrated for the job ahead), and hope barney keeps heading in the direction he took off towards the NF Trail to facilitate an easier pack out . Yes sir, I think it's possible. RJ

[Swede]

I think you becoming a caller is a tough proposition. It is bad enough that you can't clearly hear the sounds you make. What is worse is you will have a very difficult or impossible time hearing what is going on with the elk. Did you hear that distant elk? What direction? What did he say? Calling is not just about you making the correct sound. You need to know how the elk are reacting to it. I don't want to rain on your parade, but I think you would do good to practice shooting more. Have you considered a tree stand?

[Swede]

RJ posted just as I finished the post above. I kinda, sorta agree with RJ, but not really. If I have to stay in sight of you and signal every time, and every type of call to make, we are going to be very limited. As a shooter, sometimes I want you a long way back and out of sight. You may need to lay down behind a log or something. Sometimes I need to stay still and wait for a perfect moment, and still want you to bugle/rake/stomp.
If you have your binoculars and see me hold up three fingers on my right hand, you can know to cow call now, or I have two fingers up on my left hand and am pumping my arm so I get the call I want, it could work. I just hope you hear well enough to know the sound you are making. Still we are at a deficit.
I would rather call for you, but even that has its problems.

[Elkhunttoo]

My brother in law about 7 years ago lost almost all of his eye sight, most people with his vision walk with a cain. Yet, he has shot a deer almost every year since he lost his sight. It has to move and then stop, and he can't be in the scope for very long or he can't focus on it. It has been frustrating at times for him for sure. We have watched some dang nice bucks at 80 yards that didn't move and so they looked the same as the brush(no shot, no kill in that situation). Yet, every year he hikes like crazy chasing big game. Lots of times he hears the elk or deer before I see them. It has been a very humbling experience for me, I have learned a ton about being a better hunter from him.

I have called in plenty of bulls with bite and blow cow calls and the hoocie mama... I think the hardest part would be to get with your partners and making hand signals for what they want and when... good luck!!!!

[Lefty]

I would think the muscle memory would take over if you practice. Someone needs to be your sounding board
Maybe consider an open reed style call instead of a diaphragm.

For bugling maybe the Primos blue reed calls would be easier to learn

Keep us up dated on how you are progressing

[cohunter]

I have no doubt you could learn to call. I think most callers really do it by feel for the most part. Obviously the hearing part makes it easier to learn, but I bet with a good coach you could do it just fine. As Swede said, the real trick is not going to be figuring out HOW to make the sounds but WHEN to make WHICH sounds. That's going to take some real teamwork and planning - something like Phantom (or whatever his name is ) mentioned. Bottom line: Most of us enjoy elk hunting for the challenge. Overcoming the odds is for me more than half the joy. You want to do the same... it's what drives us. I say go for it! Might not work out, but at least you gave it a go and that's what it's all about. I think you've already overcome a good deal more than most of us on the board! Taking an elk with earplugs in sounds like a pretty stiff challenge to me! I admire and have a ton of respect for your perseverance. Keep it up!

[Swede]

I really don't like to put a plug in for another forum, but mtnmutt on Backtrakoutdoors has severe hearing problems. She hunts elk, so if she is still around over there, you might contact her and see if she can help you out. She may be like a bunch of others that have bailed on them.

[Deafirishman]

Thanks for the replies and suggestions my fellow wapiti brothers. I'll give it a shot and see what happens. Worse that can happen is my hunting brothers will tell me it doesn't sound right. I most certainly don't want to have a bull or cow to tell me that. Any suggestions as to where to look on-line to purchase a simple to use bugle and/or cow call ?

Swede..I will look her up and thank you for the suggestion. Hopefully I can find her and seek some input.

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

Not knowing the amount of your hearing loss, this is really a hard question to answer. There is a lot more to elk hunting than just calling. And I'm sure your friends appreciate your companionship even if you can't hear well enough to call one in for them. They are true friends for sure. And I don't want to burst you bubble but when it comes to calling elk, sometimes it is best not to say anything at all, rather than to make the wrong sounds and mess up the hunt.

Can you hear the sounds your partner makes at all when he calls? If so, you stand a good chance of learning. It just takes practice. Where there is a will, there is a way.

[Deafirishman]

Not knowing the amount of your hearing loss, this is really a hard question to answer. There is a lot more to elk hunting than just calling. And I'm sure your friends appreciate your companionship even if you can't hear well enough to call one in for them. They are true friends for sure. And I don't want to burst you bubble but when it comes to calling elk, sometimes it is best not to say anything at all, rather than to make the wrong sounds and mess up the hunt.

Can you hear the sounds your partner makes at all when he calls? If so, you stand a good chance of learning. It just takes practice. Where there is a will, there is a way.

Thanks for kind words. Much respect to you. As for my hearing, my right ear is pretty much gone. My left ear is profound to severe. I wear hearing aids in both ears. Can hear somewhat with my left ear but it's nowhere near what a normal person hears. I can hear them call but the pitch and tone is tough to differentiate. It's definitely challenging and not easy. I've been close friends with the guys I go with for 40 plus years. I'm an only child and call these guys my brothers. They've been extremely supportive of me over the years. It sure would be great to call one in for those guys. It would make my elk hunting circle complete. It's my last goal to complete and I understand it may not be attainable but I won't give up on it either.

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[Swede]

Deafirishman, you have the right attitude. I see where you lost 31 pounds and are near your goal. congratulations on that too. Now at least you can't be called fatirishman. I have about 12 pounds to lose to reach my September goal. I am on target for my July scouting trip. I don't want to be called fatswede.

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

I have a friend that has so sever hearing loss that he lost his job because of it. He was a control room operator at a power plant and he couldn't hear the alarms when they went off. Since then, he has a new type of hearing aid that fits above and behind the ear on the bone. His hearing has vastly improved. If you want, I'll ask him about it. But it isn't cheap for sure.

[Deafirishman]

Deafirishman, you have the right attitude. I see where you lost 31 pounds and are near your goal. congratulations on that too. Now at least you can't be called fatirishman. I have about 12 pounds to lose to reach my September goal. I am on target for my July scouting trip. I don't want to be called fatswede.

Lol. Thanks. I gained a bunch of weight when I was laid up after my knee surgery. Was hiking around Idaho last season with 3 meniscus tears and bone rubbing on bone under my kneecap. It was a painful trip. Some folks will say I'm slightly overweight and don't need to lose weight but I did it anyways so I can be the smallest guy in our group Some say I'm built like a clydesdale as well. I feel better after losing 31 pounds so far. It'll help make this season's hunt more enjoyable.

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[Swede]

Deafirishman, I completely understand about putting on the pounds after an operation. I had a similar type of situation. It was easy to snack when I was laid up. I can take the pounds off too, but keeping them off requires real discipline. I am going to work on that too.

[Deafirishman]

I have a friend that has so sever hearing loss that he lost his job because of it. He was a control room operator at a power plant and he couldn't hear the alarms when they went off. Since then, he has a new type of hearing aid that fits above and behind the ear on the bone. His hearing has vastly improved. If you want, I'll ask him about it. But it isn't cheap for sure.

Sorry to hear about your friend losing his job over his hearing loss. Hopefully they could have found a replacement position for him. My left ear hearing aid was purchase in 2014 and it cost over $6000. It's one of the top of the line hearing aids. The one in my right ear is over 10 years old and I probably won't replace it once it quits because there is no hearing aid strong enough for that ear anymore. It's pretty much gone now. I have been deaf/hard of hearing since I was 2 and I will be 45 in 6 more days. It's been a lifelong challenge but wouldn't change any if it. If anything, it's made me try harder for things that I want to accomplish. No loss there, just my gain.

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[CurlyTail]

If you can speak and communicate with other people, my guess is that you can speak and communicate with Elk. It may take a bit more time and practice, but I bet you can do it

[Swede]

My guess is that deafirishman can read lips quite well. All he needs to hear you is for you to face his way. Just a guess on my part.

[Deafirishman]

If you can speak and communicate with other people, my guess is that you can speak and communicate with Elk. It may take a bit more time and practice, but I bet you can do it

Thanks for the words of encouragement. I appreciate that. I can communicate with people just fine. I heavily rely on lipreading as well. It'll be challenging and I will give it my best shot.

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[Deafirishman]

My guess is that deafirishman can read lips quite well. All he needs to hear you is for you to face his way. Just a guess on my part.

You hit the nail on the head Swede.

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[Tigger]

Simple! If you want to know what the elk are saying.....read their lips!

All kidding aside, good for you. Your hunting partners would be proud just to know you want to do this for them.

It may be harder, but hand signals will work. Patience. Also, cold calling might be a great option as many times they slip in without calling back. Read ElkNut's playbook.

[Swede]

I or my hunting partner have been in situations where I wish he would call or he wishes I would bugle at some specific moment. I have been thinking about our Irish friend's dilemma. Would a string tied back to the caller help? Maybe it would work in some situations for other hunters too. If the arrangement was good, the shooter could give two short jerks for a cow call. One long pull for a challenge bugle. Etc. Just keep it simple.

[Deafirishman]

Simple! If you want to know what the elk are saying.....read their lips!

All kidding aside, good for you. Your hunting partners would be proud just to know you want to do this for them.

It may be harder, but hand signals will work. Patience. Also, cold calling might be a great option as many times they slip in without calling back. Read ElkNut's playbook.

Lol. I was waiting for a comment about reading elk lips. I discussed with my hunter brother last night that I may only be good for cold calling set ups because it'll be extremely tough for me to 'talk' to the elk. I ordered 2 open reed style cow calls last night from Bugling Bulls Game Calls. We shall see what I sound like after some practice. There is an elk game farm about 2 miles from my place, I could practice in front of them behind the fence. Lol.

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[Deafirishman]

I or my hunting partner have been in situations where I wish he would call or he wishes I would bugle at some specific moment. I have been thinking about our Irish friend's dilemma. Would a string tied back to the caller help? Maybe it would work in some situations for other hunters too. If the arrangement was good, the shooter could give two short jerks for a cow call. One long pull for a challenge bugle. Etc. Just keep it simple.

My hunting brother and I are pretty good at communicating without making any sounds. I'm quite sure we will get together a few times this summer and do some calling sequences. I would like to get the cow calling down before I graduate to bulging. Any how to call videos that you'd recommend ? I'm actually pretty excited now that I'm gonna give it a try. Like I stated earlier, it would make my elk hunting circle complete if I am able to call one in for the guys. That alone would be more satisfying then actually harvesting one myself. I really do appreciate the input. Much gratitude. Thank you sir.

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[Tigger]

the elknut videos are fantastic. He does a great job of going over cold calling setups.

regarding the elk farm....I hope it has a good fence.

[Swede]

With your determination Irishman, I too think you can make something happen. Just work out a plan with your partners. I will look forward to seeing some pictures on the 2017 meat pole. Best wishes.

[Deafirishman]

With your determination Irishman, I too think you can make something happen. Just work out a plan with your partners. I will look forward to seeing some pictures on the 2017 meat pole. Best wishes.

Thank you Sir. Really looking forward to giving it a try. It's gonna be fun. Successul or not, there will be pics coming.

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[Deafirishman]

the elknut videos are fantastic. He does a great job of going over cold calling setups.

regarding the elk farm....I hope it has a good fence.

Thank you sir. I'll have to watch those and learn a thing or 2. Patiently waiting for the 2 calls I ordered to arrive. I'm pretty sure my wife and kids are gonna get sick of me calling all the time. Lol.

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[Swede]

I'm pretty sure my wife and kids are gonna get sick of me calling all the time. Lol.

If my experience is any indicator, that won't take long.
It is fun is to be driving around in town and practicing with your diaphragm. You will get some straaaange looks. Just ignore them and act like you heard nothing. You should be able to play that part real easy.

[Deafirishman]

Gonna give these a try. Mainly the one on the left. I bought the other one for a buddy of mine in our hunting group. We shall see how I sound after some practice....

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[elkaholicid]

I commend you on your desire and willingness to learn to call and I will help you in any way that I can. I think one thing that is being overlooked is the heightened of other senses. When a person loses one of their senses the other senses will become more heightened to help the body compensate for that loss. In your case I would imagine the feeling of vibration has been increased.
What I mean by this is that when you use an external reed cow call or bugle you will feel the reed vibrate. This vibration can let you know if you are producing a high pitch or low pitch based on the amount the reed vibrates. You will have to work with your hunting partner so that he can let you know when you've made the right sound and then you can focus on that vibration of the reed as a muscle memory tool to help you learn the sounds. Bugling will be no different as you just have to get a bugle where you can feel the vibration on the reed. I would recommend the Thunder Bugle Pro Magnum from Berry Game Calls.
When out hunting, you and your partner can work out hand signals so that he can let you know what the bull is doing in response to your calling. You'll have to set up close enough to each other so that you can see the hand signals but I think this is achievable.

[Deafirishman]

I commend you on your desire and willingness to learn to call and I will help you in any way that I can. I think one thing that is being overlooked is the heightened of other senses. When a person loses one of their senses the other senses will become more heightened to help the body compensate for that loss. In your case I would imagine the feeling of vibration has been increased.
What I mean by this is that when you use an external reed cow call or bugle you will feel the reed vibrate. This vibration can let you know if you are producing a high pitch or low pitch based on the amount the reed vibrates. You will have to work with your hunting partner so that he can let you know when you've made the right sound and then you can focus on that vibration of the reed as a muscle memory tool to help you learn the sounds. Bugling will be no different as you just have to get a bugle where you can feel the vibration on the reed. I would recommend the Thunder Bugle Pro Magnum from Berry Game Calls.
When out hunting, you and your partner can work out hand signals so that he can let you know what the bull is doing in response to your calling. You'll have to set up close enough to each other so that you can see the hand signals but I think this is achievable.

Thank for the advice. I appreciate that. I have been practicing for about a week now. Not sure if I have the right pitch down yet but will see my hunting partners in a few weeks so I'll have them listen in and they can point me in the right direction and I'll continue practicing until I can get it perfected to the best of my ability. Now that you mention focusing on the vibration on the reed, I'll work on that more so rather than focus purely on how it sounds. As for hand signals, when we set up we usually can see each other if the landscape presents that for us. Some areas it's tough for us to do especially in the thick timber. We usually have a pretty good system down on communicating with each other silently. We are usually on the same page. Talking to the elk is gonna be even more of a bigger challenge for me ....

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