When to cow call

[stuckintherut]

Do I'm having a little trouble with cow calling. I use the huchi mama for the most part. Just last night I came to an edge of national forest anf private land. On the private land, not 10 yards into it, there was about 30 head of elk. Bulls and cows. They are in full rut and was great to watch them. However, they were still on the wrong side of the property boundry. I was about 50 yards into the national Forrest hoping that they would step over and they had no idea that I was there. It was getting dark and I was running out of time for them to wander acrossat the pace they were going. I decided I would let one cow call go and see if I could draw a bull in. Instead, ask of the hard, didn't even look up, they just bolted further into private. What did I do wrong?

 

[RUTTIN]

You used a hoochie  mama. Sorry to be a downer but in my experience every time I have saw a hoochie mama used when I could see the elk, they get out of dodge. It seems to work for the primos guys, but I won't use one or let my partners.


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[turbo1967]

I have had no luck with the hoochie mama, but to each their own, myself I would have done some scraping and some lite bugles and then worked into some stronger bugles after a response. IN my opinion the scraping is the key ,at close distance bulls come to scraping more than any thing.

 

[stuckintherut]

Thank you for the replys, what cow calls would you recommend

 

[Jeremiah Johnson]

The hoochie was awesome when it came out in 2002 but for educated elk they have for the most part been hoochied out....that thing left my pocket back in the 2000s.......find other calls that are realistic and not made with the push of a button if hunting OTC areas

 

[IdahoElkHunter]

I would recommend that you try a diaphragm call. they can be hard to use, but being able to use one gives you more versatility. you control the sound that comes off the reed rather than the repetitive sound of a squeeze call.

 

[ribo451]

I used to think that I could tell a hoochie mama when I heard it and would know it was another hunter. But I have been fooled twice now by elk that sounded just like it.

The problem I have with it is there is no volume control. If you use it 50 yards from elk, it sounds like it's almost an alarmed cow call. It's real loud and sudden.

I use a Carlton lonesome elk cow call. It's a bite and blow call but it makes realistic sounds and you can blow as hard or as lightly as you want. I currently don't have this particular call but I do have several of them in the mountains and plan to buy a couple more before next archery season.

I still carry the hoochie mama because it doesn't lock up like other calls with a reed can and I have found if I can get a bull fired up he likes the hoochie mama just fine if he already believes there are elk there. But I prefer not to start a calling sequence with it.

 

[frankh_541]

I use the hoochie momma mixed with other calls to sound like more than one cow, using them as a directional call (behind you and muffled) can sometimes make them think there is a cow a ways away and they will walk towards you, as a rule of thumb I only use mouth calls that close and direct them away from the elk so they do not pin point my position...