Bugle Call and Tactics

Joined
Feb 17, 2016
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I've had good success with diaphragm cow calls but seem to always be working smaller satellite bulls. My hunt has always been a little later in September and the larger herd bulls pay ZERO attention to any cow call once they've herded up. I've decided to try my hand at bugling to see if I can get a better reaction with the big bulls. Anyone have a specific call they love? Any hints on when the best time of the rut is to bugle?
 
Some years great bugling early and others late...I bugle when I start hunting 9/6 and use a bugle 70/30 over a cow call...you have to find a call your proficient with for sure and learn the variety of calls they make...as noted in close they can decipher good from bad easily. Practice practice practice but if not relatively proficient best to put away the bugle and use others tactics....many options to get it done and be successful. Good luck
 
I wouldn't call myself a bugling aficionado but I am pretty damn good on the cow calls. Called in 3 bulls that way in two years. Last year they were already herded up and could care less about cow calls but I still called in one bull to about 175 yards. My bugling is coming around though so I suppose I will use it more this year.

As for the calls, for bugling I have used a phelps herd wrecker and a Bugling Bulls call that I didn't care for much (found them hard to use) but I picked up a Phelps "the beast" this year that I like alot. For cow calls, cant beat a mellow yellow mamma...however, everyone's mouth and calling techniques are so different that its hard to find a call that works for everyone.
 
I'm not super experienced, but I've called a few bulls in with a bugle, and scared quite a few off as well. I have way more confidence bugling than I have cow calling. To me, it is by far the most fun elk strategy. You are literally trying to get an 800 pound testosterone-filled animal to come fight you. Can it get any better than that? Here are some things I have noticed:

You've got to be close. Inside that bull's comfort zone, so he sees you as a threat to steal his cows. Where I hunt, the woods are thick, this is typically less than 100 yards.

You have to fully commit to it, be aggressive, and live with the consequences. Your calling doesn't have to sound picture perfect like a calling competition 3-note bugle (most real bulls don't), but has to have that bad-ass attitude that challenges the bulls. Be loud, project the notes, and use aggressive grunts. If he bugles back, I almost always cut him off with a bigger bugle of my own, and that seems to be what triggers them to come in .

You are going to scare some bulls away and it may not entirely correlate to the size of the bull. Herd bulls are smart and know when they need to fight vs bail over the next ridge.

Realize that 95% of the time, the bull is going to try to circle downwind of you. I try to use terrain/topography and movement to counteract this, but they are going to beat you more often than not. It's by nature a very aggressive tactic that backfires more than it works. But when it works, man is it an adrenaline rush.
 
I didn't see any mention of Paul's (elknut) videos or playbook, so I'll give them a pitch. If you haven't read elknut's playbook or watched any of his videos, I would suggest starting there. Paul provides some excellent information in all of this resources that will surely get you on the right track. The only thing that will teach you more is experience, and that takes time. Paul has already put in the time, and his information will help cut the learning curve.
 
Later in the season when Bulls have their cows and refuse to leave try this.
Don't cow call at all! Cow calling while in the area of the herd will get a rise out of the bull and get the cows talking, continued cow calling at close range and failure to join the herd will often alert the cows causing them to take the bull and head out,we've all done this!
This year when you're in a herd, instead of cow calling or using a challenge bugle with the multi tones chuckles and all the attitude do this,bugle to the cows and not the bull.
A short 2-3 second single high tone bugle with a little raspy ending will be talking to the cows and often cause the bull to walk over and check out the competition.
 
Depending on how good you are with your calling...another thing to consider is make a few soft calf noises and not long after just do a straight chuckle....maybe 8-10 chuckles long

Really tends to work em up
 
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