Game Calls

Which Game Calls Do You Need?

Whitetail Deer

For whitetail deer, essential options include a grunt call, a bleat call, and a rattling bag or rattling system. Calling activity is especially useful during the pre-rut and rut, typically from late October through November, when deer are more responsive to vocalizations and rattling.

Turkey

Turkey hunters can benefit from a diaphragm call, pot or box call, and an owl or crow locator call. These calls are commonly used during the spring gobbler season as well as the fall flock season, with different calls helping locate or attract birds in varying situations.

Elk

For elk, commonly used calls include cow and calf calls, a bugle tube, and a grunt tube. Cow and calf calls can be made with a diaphragm or external calls, while bugle and grunt calls are particularly useful during the September elk rut, when bulls are actively responding to competing and receptive elk.

Mouth Calls vs. External Calls

• Diaphragm (mouth) calls sit against the roof of your mouth and leave both hands free for your bow or gun. They're the most versatile option for both turkey and elk calling, but they take practice. Examples include the Power Calls Beau Brooks Signature Series, the Rolling Thunder Hunter Wallis HW4 and The Marge, and the Rocky Mountain Raging Bull and Mellow Yellow Momma.
  
• External calls are easier to learn and sound the same every time. These include deer grunt tubes and can bleats, turkey pot and box calls, and external elk calls like the Rocky Mountain Voodoo.
  
• Bugle and grunt tubes for elk amplify a diaphragm call to make a bull's bugle or deep grunts. Examples include the Rocky Mountain Rogue Bugle Tube and the Bully Bull Extreme.
  

Game Calling Tips for Every Species

Start soft and build volume only if animals don't respond. A deer, turkey, or elk that's close can pinpoint exactly where a loud call came from. Carry at least two styles of call so you can change tone when animals stop responding, and practice before the season, not in the stand.