Call Review; The Good, Bad and Ugly

[trophyhill]

After seeing a little chatter about certain calls both named and un named on the other thread I thought I\'d start another thread as titled where we can talk about various calls, tubes etc the good, the bad, and the ugly. Let\'s try not to make the ugly personal if possible how bout it elk killers?

 

[Colorado_Lew]

I use the primo\'s mouth calls. The palate plate ivory is my favorite but have also used other models in their lineup like the sonic dome style.
I\'ve also used Rocky Jacobsen calls and they are just as good, just harder to find here, except at Sportsman\'s Warehouse. For a tube I use a kids baseball bat. A trick with this is to reverse it and bugle into the big end!

 

[WW]

I have two favorite diaphragms. My go to call is the Raging Bull and for a little higher pitch I like the Herd Master. Both are made by Bugling Bull Calls. I\'ve tried several others but these palate plate calls work best for me.

If you like external reed cow calls, the Carlton Fighting Cow Call and Bugling Bull\'s Temptress are both good ones. With a little practice, you can get a lot of variation out of the Temptress.

When it comes to grunt tubes, the Bugling Bull/ Bully Bull is a great one with good quality. His Monarch system is nice also but I\'m not even sure that one is still available.The Chuckler sounds good as well. But it is very crudely made. Nothing more than a plastic ball bat with a hole cut in the end with a hole saw and some hockey tape wrapped around it for a deadener. They don\'t even cleanup the sawed hole and it is rough. But with a little customizing you can make a good sounding tube out of it.

 

[Deertick]

Bugling Bull diaphragms just fit me better ... not sure if they sound better or not -- you\'ll need to ask an elk!

I\'ve tried the Primos stuff and some others, but they seem either too small or too large ... unfortunately, if you are new to the market, you\'ll need to get several different brands and try them out and find out what fits you the best.

The temptress is very easy to use and very versatile.

 

[americanbwana]

Primos white and red, some yellow thing I got a few years ago, and the Primos I Maka da Bull crazy. I probably need to refresh my diagram calls as they are a few years old.

I rarely bugle, but when I do its Dos Equis (Couldn\'t help myself).

Honestly, I carry a tube once in a while. Not sure of the brand. I just don\'t use it.

 

[Bob Frapples]

AmericanBwana- The most interesting elk hunting moderator in the world.

 

[cnelk]

I was recently sent some new mouth calls from Wapiti River.
I got 5 new calls, tried some out, waiting to try the rest

Pink Lady - Cow call
Very nice call, does what you need it to

Ridge Runner - Universal Call - cow & bull [my favorite so far]

Bull Buster - single reed bull call [Jury out]

Sure Thing - double reed bull call [another fav, but giving it to my buddy Herb]

\"Lucky\" - Triple reed herd bull call [to be tested yet]

 

[flystrait]

Here is a reed review I put together last summer. Some good, some decent, some not so good.

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[bowhunter]

I also recieved some calls from Wapiti River. I recieved 3 in the regular frame and 3 in the smaller frame. I have a small narrow mouth and it is hard to get a standard frame to fit in the top of my mouth. I have to keep it moved further back and that causes a unwanted reflex. I use some Primos compact ones last year and they fit well but they had the hard dome in them. The top of my mouth was raw if I had the call in there for a long time. I like they way the small frame Wapiti River calls fit much better. Now I need to practice practice practice.

 

[trophyhill]

Thanks for the review Craig! Anyone else? I\'m really liking the Phelps reeds! Doubles and triples. They work best for me.

 

[flystrait]

Thanks for the review Craig! Anyone else? I\'m really liking the Phelps reeds! Doubles and triples. They work best for me.

Glad to hear you are using Phelps he makes some great calls and he is a pretty good guy as well.

I use Glacier Country Hunting calls for all my reeds.

 

[archery bum]

anybody have any opinions on open reed calls, are they worth having around your neck or just stick with the mouth calls

 

[cnelk]

Absolutely!
I think you should have at least 3-4 different calls with you at all times - either mouth calls or open reed
Some days the elk like one, other days they wont even acknowledge it.

It was mentioned in another post, but I like the Fightin Cow and Sceery calls for open reed calls.
I saw others like the Temptress which I will be getting

 

[WW]

I tried the Sceery calls once. The sound was OK but it spitted up . When that happens it is done for. When I\'m working an elk, I don\'t have time to be cleaning a call that is too wet to work.

On the other hand, the Fighting Cow Call hardly ever spits up. And if it does, all you have to do is blow through it backwards and you are right back in the ball game. Plus, I really like the small size.

The Temptress Is a great call also. Haven\'t had mine spit up yet. Maybe I\'m just lucky! What I really like is all the different veriations you can get from this call.

I tried the Carlton Lonesome Cow Call once. It found the same home as the Sceery. (trash can)

Do I need to mention the Hoochie Mama? (an even deeper trash can) :crazy: But on the brighter side, if you like to hunt fox squirrels, It is one of the best squirrel calls on the market.

 

[archery bum]

I tried the Sceery calls once. The sound was OK but it spitted up . When that happens it is done for. When I\'m working an elk, I don\'t have time to be cleaning a call that is too wet to work.

On the other hand, the Fighting Cow Call hardly ever spits up. And if it does, all you have to do is blow through it backwards and you are right back in the ball game. Plus, I really like the small size.

The Temptress Is a great call also. Haven\'t had mine spit up yet. Maybe I\'m just lucky! What I really like is all the different veriations you can get from this call.

I tried the Carlton Lonesome Cow Call once. It found the same home as the Sceery. (trash can)

Do I need to mention the Hoochie Mama? (an even deeper trash can) :crazy: But on the brighter side, if you like to hunt fox squirrels, It is one of the best squirrel calls on the market.

so maybe if you get the right one?

 

[cnelk]

WW
The Sceery calls I use are all open reed.
I remember the ones you referred to, they had a black rubber tube for the mouth piece?
Yes, spit or moisture was not their friend!

This is the Sceery hyper hot call that a guy can really hammer on to get some volume and good whines

 

[Glacier Country]

Where do I begin.... As a call manufacturer I have figured out that it is hard to please everyone.... Some guys want just a cow call, some want just a bugle call, some want to be able to do everything with one call... Some want Mouth calls, some just want an external call. People want different calls for a variety of different reasons.
So Who makes the best call is very subjective ... A better question is who makes the best call for you? Your calling ability, Experience and Style of hunting should all come into play. When considering your choices, all of these factors and many more come into play.

So lets start with the New elk hunter...

I sometimes walk into some of the stores that carry my calls to check their inventory of my calls, and there will be a guy standing there looking at the variety of calls scratching his head. He picks up several different packages, sometimes reading the backs, to see which one he wants. Unsure, he usually puts them back and continues looking. This is when he should go to the call manufacturer\'s website and listen to what the call sounds like. But most people don\'t do that. When I see that confused look on his face, I have no problem trying to help him out. I will ask him questions about his experience and whether he\'s tried any calls. I tell people if you have not used any calls,you need to try several to see which you are more comfortable with and which fit you the best. I will ask them about their pallet, explain a little bit about bite calls, and explain the differences in some of the calls and I probably will slip into the conversation that they can\'t go wrong with the Orange Enrager, Watermelon or Sweet Temptation cow call (that I make) or if they have a narrow pallet - the Raging Bull (that Rockie makes). Rockie knows I do this and probably giggles all the way to the bank! It doesn\'t hurt that the Store clerks sometimes walk up and call me the \"Elk Whisperer\" or something like that, or tells the customer that he was just ripping on the Secret Weapon or the Orange Enrager and it sounds awesome! I am also not afraid to whip out my phone and play a voice memo of what some of my calls sounds like.

Is a single reed Mouth call always easier to use than a double reed Call? The short answer is No... A lot depends on the thickness and stretch of the latex. Wether it is a cow call or a bull call?? Is it a call that makes better cow sounds but will do some bugles or a bull call that does better bugles mixed with some pitchy cow sounds?
It kind of depends on the individual user as well. How much tongue pressure they apply. Skill and ability,to be able to get the reed to break over to the different tones, all can vary using each call. Lets just say IMO there is more to it than meets the eye.
I Hope this helps ----> Troy

 

[huntography]

Last year was my first full archery season of elk calling and hunting.

What worked best for me was a combination of the following:

- Phelps Dragon Slayer and Pleading Hotty -
- Mossback game calls [Now Duel Game Calls] Beast II and III and 21 inch double chambered elk bugle
- Glacier Country Calls - Troy\'s Secret Weapon and Sweet Seduction
- Allstar

All over Colorado, it helped me get close to elk and call in some bulls.

One of the reasons I love elk hunting so much is because we can be aggressive, call, locate and then make our stalk towards the elk. As many of you know, it\'s such a rush.

I love trying new calls, so please keep the feedback coming.

Rudy

 

[Swede]

All I know is that I have preferred the palate plate diaphragms for years, but lately I have had to rethink the whole matter. I tried the Orange Enrager and it is very easy to use and makes sounds as well as any out there. I also like the fact that I was consistent with the sounds I could make.

 

[Glacier Country]

All I know is that I have preferred the palate plate diaphragms for years, but lately I have had to rethink the whole matter. I tried the Orange Enrager and it is very easy to use and makes sounds as well as any out there. I also like the fact that I was consistent with the sounds I could make.

Hey Thanks For the Shout Out Swede, I really appreciate that.
The Orange Enrager is a great call for the beginner or A Veteran ... Out of the package you can do pitchy cow and calf calls and great Bull sounds.As the reeds stretch the cow and calf calls get better and the bull sounds are softer on the high pitch. I also have a recipe I am going to market We may call ?? the Secret Weapon2. It is basically an easier to blow version of the Secret Weapon but still gets into a good high pitch. Which is an attack trigger for bulls. Remember what I always say... Tone, Intensity and Pitch. For most guys It will be a go to bull call. Around here locally the word is getting out about this call and some new ones I am playing with already. Thanks Again Troy GCHC