Alarm, Distress Calls

Elk use a sharp, medium-volume Alarm Grunt when they first hear or see something that is unknown or could cause a threat: ugh or arrgh, An elk using this call may be alarmed because it cannot identify the source of the disturbance. Some elk, particularly older cows, may try to discover what the disturbance is by looking for it, with their head held high in a horizontal position. Once the disturbance is discovered, and thought to be dangerous, the animal may issue a final loud Alarm Bark and flee; UGH. Cows and calves may perform a drawn-out Distress Mew when injured or trapped; meuuuw.

Agonistic Calls

These calls are termed agonistic because the animal is agonizing over the fact that another animal is too close. Both cows and bulls may produce a Hissing sound and use Tooth-Grinding as they approach an opponent. Cow elk use the loud Fighting Squeal during dominance fights: ME-EE-EE-EE-EE-UUW. Bulls use a low volume Dominance Grunt when they want another bull to move: UGH. Bulls may also use a Loud Inhale/Exhale when they herd cows. Bulls may also use one to four exhales referred to as a Cough when they want another elk to move, or after they have chased a cow. If the animal that the Cough is directed at does not move, the bull may show and grind its teeth, and bite or kick the other animal. Tooth-Grinding may produce a grating sound, or it may sound like a high pitched squeak, similar to a tennis show being twisted on linoleum. Bulls may also raise their noses so that their heads are parallel to the ground and use a low rumbling Threat Rumble when they threaten another bull: rrrr. This call cannot be heard farther than about forty yards. If the bull that the Threat Rumble is directed at does not move it may be attacked with the bulls antlers. I've have been unable to reproduce this very deep rumble.

Submissive Calls

Cows that are being herded or are trying to avoid a bull herding them often use a long drawn-out Submissive Cow Mew or a series of short Submissive Cow Mews: meeuw or mew-mew-mew-mew. Subordinate bulls use a lower pitched Submissive Bull Mew when they are avoiding dominant bulls. Bulls participating in sparring matches often perform a very similar sounding mew. Elk may also perform Tooth-popping, often while appearing to chew, as they try to avoid conflict with another elk.

Maternal/Neonatal Calls

Cow and calf elk use a variety Mews to communicate to each other. Cows use a high pitched nasal Maternal Mew to call their calves to come and nurse: ee-uw-uw-eu or ee-ee-eu. Calves use a higher pitched Calf Mew when they respond to their mothers: eeu. Calves use the high-pitched drawn-out Calf Contact Mew or Chirp when they are lost or trying to locate the cow: meeuw or eeeuw. Calves use a Loud Calf Mew when requiring urgent care: MEUUW. Cows often respond to these calls with a Low Cow Mew: meew. Calves use a soft Nursing Whine that rises and falls in pitch while suckling: ee-uw ee-uw ee-uw. Most of these cow/calf calls consist of one short to medium length note; but I have heard drawn out mews, and as many as four Calf Mews strung together.

Social Contact Calls

Cow elk and calves use a loud Social Contact Mew when searching for or trying to maintain contact with other animals of the herd: MEW or MEW - MEW. I have heard bulls use a short, one note Bull Contact Grunt when they were looking for elk they could hear but not see: ugh.

Advertising Calls

When a bull bugles it is telling any other bull within hearing, "Here I am, stay away." At the same time it is telling the cows, "Here I am. I am strong, ready to prove it by fighting, and ready to breed." Each bull has it's own pitch and cadence, that remains similar after they reach maturity. However, individual bulls don't always sound the same. Cows may become accustomed to a particular bull's calls because they hear the bull throughout the rut.

The Bugle is a loud scream, which is variable in pitch; higher pitched sounds often coming from younger smaller bulls, and lower pitched sounds from older larger bulls. A "Full Bugle Sequence" performed by an adult bull, begins with a Roar that often increases in volume, but may decrease in volume at the end of the call: rrrRRR, or rrrRRRrrr. The Roar is often followed by a high-pitched Bugle (which may rise two to four notes): eeeEEE, followed by a series of grunts called a Chuckle, which may sound like the braying of a donkey. The Chuckle often ends on a lower note than it started, because the bull runs out of air: UH-UH-Uh-uh. The Full Bugle Sequence sounds like: rrrRRR-eeeEEE-UH-UH-UH-Uh-uh.

During my research I found that yearling bulls rarely bugle. In fact, during the three years of my study of over 150 yearling/spike bulls, I only heard one spike bull bugle, only twice in 20 minutes. And no bulging by spike bulls was heard prior to the third week of September. Two year old bulls may perform a crude Bugle without the Roar or Chuckle. But, I have heard them perform a short Chuckle, I did not hear them perform a Roar.

I've heard bulls between the ages of 3 and 10 years old perform the Full Bugle Sequence, the Roar, the Bugle, the Chuckle, or any combination of the three calls. However, the roar always occurred before the Bugle, and the Bugle always occurred before the Chuckle. This resulted in bulls using only the Roar, only the Bugle, only the Chuckle, the Roar-Bugle, the Roar-Chuckle, the Bugle-Chuckle, and the Roar-Bugle-Chuckle (Full Bugle Sequence). Some bulls wre very melodious, performing a beautiful full Bugle Sequence, while others sounded like a woman screaming, or as if they were being strangled. Cows have been known to bugle in a higher, longer pitch than bulls.

I've also heard bulls use a low volume Growl while lying down or standing. This sound is similar to a Roar, but generally cannot be heard farther than 20-30 yards away by a human. I suspect it is a low-intensity form of the Roar.

Mating/Herding Calls

Bulls often use a two-note Glug when herding cows, and when they perform the Flehmen sniff as they inhale urine through their nose to check for estrous cows. It sounds like the animal is actually gulping water and it may be repeated several times: glug-glug or glug-glug glug-glug glug-glug. You can reproduce this sound by saying glug-glug at the back or your throat. The Glug is not loud, but I have heard it as far as 200 yards away in open areas. It is probably used as a close range call for herding, and to alert other bulls that a dominant bull is with a cow.

Bulls often breathe heavily when they herd cows or chase bulls; I've heard this Loud Inhale/Exhale as far away as thirty yards in open areas. I've also heard bulls perform a Coughing sound just before or after chasing another elk, often while they were herding cows. This Cough sounds similar to a Bull contact Grunt.

Cows may use a series of Submissive Cow Mews in the presence of aggressive bulls and while they are being herded by a bull; mew-mew-mew or a drawn-out me-ee-ee euw,

After watching several cows get bred I have heard no Cow Estrus Call. I don't believe there is one. There is no need for it because the cows are generally in herds with a bull, and the bulls are constantly walking through the herd, sniffing the ground and the cows for signs of estrus. I suspect that the calls many refer to as a Cow Estrus Call are in fact a form of Social Contact Call, performed when a lone cow or small group of cows is separated from the herd or is looking to join a herd.

In order to initially locate elk you can use just the bugle portion of a Full Bugle Sequence. You may also get a herd bull to come in to a bugle, but I've that found herd bulls may not challenge from another bull unless the other bull is within 30-40 yards of the herd, or the herd bull can see it. You should probably be in a wooded area or within close range of a bull when you use a bugle to get a bull to come in and challenge you.

If you are interested in a bull of any age you can use a high-pitched bugle, similar to a spike or two year old. If you only interested in bulls over the age of three I suggest you use a lower-pitched bugle, which can be preceded with a roar and followed by a chuckle, but a simple bugle will work. Don't worry about making mistakes when you bugle. After listening to over 1,000 bulges a day, I've learned that you probably can't make a bugle that doesn't sound like a bull elk. Probably the best calls to use to attract bulls, whether they are with a herd or not, are the sounds typically made by the cows and calves throughout the day, the Social Contact Calls and any of the Maternal/Neonatal Calls.

I've used the Fighting Squeal to bring in entire cow/calf herds, probably out of curiosity. Usually the herd bull will come in behind the cows, and eventually get between the cows and me, often putting the bull with 15-30 yards of my position as it gathers up the cows. I've also had spikes and lone bulls come into a Fighting Squeal. In fact, the largest bull in the herd, a massive 7x8 bull with two clubbed drop-tines, came in from 200 yards away as I continued to use a Fighting Squeal while crouched behind a small bush.

To find out when peak elk bugling occurs in your area go to the Peak Elk Bugling Dates Chart.

This article is based on the Elk Addict's Manual, 2003 Revised Edition, by T.R. Michels, available in the Trinity Mountain Outdoor Products Catalog.

Determining what call to use when you are hunting elk is not a matter of what time of the year you are hunting, but which sex and age class elk you want to attract. Cows don't normally respond to any call, preferring to stay with the herd and their young. However, lone cows may come to a Social Mew, Low Mew or other cow/calf call to join a herd; or to the Bugle. Older cows may respond to Distress calls and Maternal/Neonatal calls out of maternal instinct. All bulls respond to any call that may lead them to an estrus cow, especially a Social Contact Mew or Low Mew. Herd bulls also respond to Roars, Bugles, Chuckles, Contact Grunts, Aggressive Grunts, and Gurgles out of dominance. But, I've noticed that bulls may not respond to the sound of another bull unless they can see it, or it is within about 40 yards of the herd.

There are basically four different techniques for calling elk that can be used anytime. Deep sounding dominant bull sounds, particularly the Full Bugle Sequence is not as effective after the rut, because the bulls are exhausted, not as aggressive, and not as interested in breeding.

1. For cows and young bulls: Distress Call or Fighting Squeal.

2. For any elk: Contact/Cow Mew, Fighting Squeal or Contact Grunt.

3. For any bull: Contact/Cow Mew, Contact Grunt, Fighting Squeal, Glug or non-dominant Bugle.

4. For dominant bulls: Social/Low Mew, Contact Grunt, Fighting Squeal, Loud Inhale/Exhale, Cough, Glug, Dominance Grunt, Gurgle, Growl, Roar, Bugle, Chuckle or Full Bugle Sequence

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