Elk Diaphragm Call

• Each diaphragm calls sit against the roof of your mouth and leave your hands free. You can use them on their own for cow and calf sounds, or inside a bugle tube for bull sounds. Options include the Mellow Yellow Momma for soft cow calls, the Raging Bull for raspy bull sounds, the Champ 2.0 and Contender 2.0, and the Steve Chappell Royal Point and Signature Series 3-pack.
  
• Bugle tubes amplify and shape a diaphragm call into a bull's bugle so it carries across canyons. Examples include the Rocky Mountain Rogue Bugle Tube.
  
• Grunt tubes add the deep, guttural grunts of a mature herd bull, which can provoke a response from a bull that's holding cows. Examples include the Bully Bull Extreme.
  
• External cow calls like the Voodoo produce realistic cow and calf sounds without a diaphragm in your mouth, which makes them a good fit for beginners.
  
• Calling systems like the Select "A" Bull give you several calls in one package.
  
  When to Use Each Elk Call
  
• Pre-rut (late August–early September): use soft cow mews and chirps, plus occasional locate bugles to find bulls without pushing them away.
  
• Peak rut (mid–late September): use estrus cow calls, challenge bugles, and grunts to pull in bulls that are holding cows or looking for them.
  
• Post-rut (October): go back to cow and calf calls. Bulls are worn out and less likely to answer aggressive calling.
  

Building an Elk Calling Kit

Most elk hunters carry three things: a cow call (diaphragm or external), a bugle tube with a matching diaphragm, and a backup diaphragm or two in a different reed style. Cow calls bring in more elk than bugles do, so if you're only going to master one sound, learn the cow call first.