Elk or Hunter?

[kiddogy]

If you’re in Colorado from September 15th on its most likely a hunter.

I’ll never understand the guys who purposely call guys in? Why slow down both of our days.

If I think it’s a hunter I will cow call 3 times real fast. But more then once that’s spurred the guys on.

could be they thinks you is an elk

 

[7Bartman]

I mix it up, but every third call or so, I'll put something in there to let other hunters know I'm not a bull. I can usually tell other hunters bugles (e.g. terminators, vacuum tubes, etc...). Big herd bulls tend to sound very hoarse to me from the bugling.

 

[roosiebull]

Also, look for them to cow call your return bugles!

ElkNut/Paul

haha! sooooooo true

 

[Roksliding]

People - sound like “primos videos” buuuuuugle chuckle chuckle chuckle, repeat. Just flat sounding. (And usually downwind)

Real elk have a personal touch to their bugle. Sound different, all of them whether they lack emotion or are pissed or “horse” sounding from screaming all night...... from what I’ve seen I’d say the worst buglers in the woods are usually elk. They obviously haven’t seen many elknut/Corey Jacobsen videos.

 

[mastercaller70]

well I have not been doug flutied yet but have doug flutied about a dozen folks.
several calls are easy to gauge - like a hoochie or a berry buzz. most of the time, I can tell by the volume. I find hunters tend to blow hard with little finesse. there is definitely certain traits like lack of growl or "flutie" sounds that give the hunters away. My hunting partners get flutied all the time lol
good luck

 

[Vandeman17]

I have called in a handful of hunters over the years and I am a mediocre call at best. It has never bothered me as just a simple wave, smile or whatever and off we go. Unless absolutely certain it is a hunter, there is no harm in closing some distance to investigate. I have had a few times I was 99% sure it was a hunter yet there stood a bull that sounded TERRIBLE!

 

[87TT]

They're ALL elk until visually confirmed for me.

 

[CX5Ranch]

It’s been my experience that bulls will respond to your bugle/cow call very quickly.

A hunter takes about 3 or more seconds

Or 3 minutes. Sometimes my bugle gets hung in the brush or I have to spit out the beech nut first

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[Wrench]

When you bugle and it sound like timber is falling and the bugle you were wondering about covered 100 yards of think nasty in 8 seconds uphill.....


you might want to draw.

 

[Jqualls10]

Biggest give away is repeating the exact same sequence over and over. Many hunters have their sequence and do not vary from it.

 

[Vedauvoo]

I used to think I knew. Still pretty sure I can tell most hunter calls for reason listed above. But I also have guessed hunter, then bump into a bull. If I am 2 or more miles from a road I'll go with the real deal. Closer to a road more likely a hunter.

 

[CamoPirate]

Came up on a ridge where a guy was sitting with his son the other day, bugling back and forth with a bull. I hustled so hard up that hill thinking my cow calls were working.

It's sad to be a noober.

 

[Bigborealaska]

Worst bugle I ever heard was from a 6x6 bull. I almost messed up the opportunity because I thought it was a hunter that had no clue how to bugle. I don't think anyone really has a clue hearing just a bugle or two but given enough time and bugles you can kind of tell by the reputation.

This is spot on. I've heard real bulls bugle like crap and though for sure it's a hunter. I don't ever second guess myself anymore.

 

[Fowl Play]

I go by location, cadence, repetition, situation, etc. Some you hear and just know… nothing can imitate that volume/hollowness. If it sounds like Godzilla at the top of the mountain... It’s no hunter. But… I have heard some downright terrible bugles from nice bulls.

If you’re getting bugle responses but they are moving away — bull. If they quickly answer a cow call— bull. If the bugle comes from far off trail or in a deep draw — bull. If a convincingly sounding bugler starts getting quiet at the end and trying to cut around downwind — assume bull. Repetitive calls, calls from a great glassing high point, from where I know there is a trail, etc. I will typically assume itss a hunter. But even then you never know with 100% confidence unless they do something “fishy”. If I’m ever in a bugling exchange with something I believe is a hunter, I’ll typically intentionally throw two exact bugle, 3 chuckle combos. In succession. More than once the “elk” magically stopped calling.

 

[Wrench]

When a bull is fired up and rips a bugle at you from 10 yards....it's something you will never forget. It will ruin you with those deep tones and rattling vibrations....you're never going to replace that with a whiffle bat and a stretch band.

 

[TuckTruck]

I learned a long time ago that you have to put eyes on it to know for sure. I’ve heard a bull sound like a kid blowing into a shitty vacuum hose, and I’ve heard a hunter sound like the meanest bull on the mountain, and I’ve gotten burned so many damn times thinking a bull was a person or a person was a bull that I made a promise to myself that I will confirm every freaking time!

 

[Gerbdog]

I usually know its a hunter if theyre trying to run the same game on me as im running on them.... as in trying to fire me up while im trying to fire them up.... Bulls dont seem to follow a calling strategy.

This year i was on a bull a couple times that had the longest, drawn out, single note bugle ive ever heard.... it just kept going... and you would think "thats a long bugle"... and then "well this probably will stop soon"... and then "what the heck is with this bulls bugles".

 

[intunegp]

The day before I killed the bull in my profile picture, a couple hunters had been cow calling all around my glassing spot all afternoon. I went back early the next morning, the last day of the season, to glass at sunrise. Right as daylight was breaking I heard a quiet, wimpy sounding bugle. Immediately got discouraged and thought my friends were back.

I kicked myself in the ass and decided not to pack up and move immediately just because someone was calling within earshot. Spotted the bull moments later and watched him come straight to me from over a mile away. He bugled two or three more times before I shot him and they sounded just as weak as the first one.

Prior to that experience, if you had played me a recording of the sounds he made, I would have bet good money that it was someone learning to call or getting warmed up. Now I only base those assumptions on hearing repeated, identical sounds or sequences, or visual confirmation.

 

[WCB]

When you hear a real bull up close (200yards and in) you just know. The hard ones are the ones 1/2-a mile (or the furthest you can here a call/elk)

There is a fullness or realness you can decipher. It is like hearing the best electronic predator call playing a rabbit in distress and then hearing the real thing. It is just different.

But 100% there is not one person on earth that can honestly claim they call tell 100% of the time elk vs hunter. There are some damn good callers and some damn shitty sounding elk. One of the easiest ways to tell is like someone above mentioned. It sounds exactly the same every time and is in the same sequence in the same spot or calls a bunch in one spot....moves a couple hundred yards in silence then calls a bunch again...then moves...etc.

 

[ElkArcher918]

Sometimes the worst sounding bugles are actually from elk.There's been a few times I've dismissed repetitive bugles convinced it was a lousy calling hunter and turns out it was a nice elk. I think poor call cadence, repetitive, and overly long call duration can give one a hint that it may be hunter.