The elk is one of the largest species in the entire deer family and can be usually found in habitats on the edge of forests. The male of the breed have very large antlers, which if on the receiving end, can cause an awful lot of damage, so when hunting the creatures, they should not be taken lightly.
The bonus with regards to elks is that they are extremely vocal, but the flip side of that is that it means there are more sounds to learn, compared to other deer. It is during the rut when most success will be attained, simply because both the bulls and the cows are really chatty all through the daylight hours.
Their “language” revolves around five specific forms of vocalization. There is the “chirp”, which tends to be a contented noise they make when not a great deal is going on. Then there is the “mew” which seems to indicate a variety of feelings, from submission to basic communication. The “bark” is very abrupt and is an alarm call, which alerts all the group to imminent danger. The final two can often be used in combination and these are the “bugle” and the “chuckle”. The former is easily the most unmistakable and is used by how to call elk to show dominance and also to challenge rivals. The chuckle is just an add-on to further enhance the initial call.
The bugle call is quite a simple piece of kit and is key to learning how to call elk. It is basically a long tube, in which sits a diaphragm and the beauty of this rudimentary item of equipment. is that not only does it mimic the bugle call, it can also, with a little practice, copy the mew and the chirp too. Much depends on the amount of air pressure used, there are subtle differences and only persistence in the activity will enable the mastery of it.
Naturally the aim is to trick and confuse the bull, either by drawing him away, or intercepting him on his way in to the herd. Time spent in the forest is really the only way to gain command of the sounds necessary to confound the creature, enough to throw him off track and entice him into view. These mighty beasts are not as dumb as some would have you believe, so it is often a case of listening to the responses and retaining concealment for as long as possible, to ensure the elk is not spooked and the opportunity is missed.
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