that is why you see the pro's use a mouth reed, or change cow calls every year. If they didn't become conditioned we would all still be using the little plastic one with rubber bands cause it was easy and mostly hands free.
Or
Is it just Primos being good at marketing?
oz
Got to have emotion in your calling.
ElkNut1
A great caller/hunter could go forth with about any decent, popular bugle and a Hooch Mamma and be successful if that was the only option.
I suppose elk can be conditioned, but take a 4 year old bull as an example.
He's been through 4 seasons about a month long each. How many times has he actually been in a situation where he was able to connect human bugling to danger? I would guess maybe once or twice a season? What are the odds those 4-8 encounters were guys using the same calls and if they were, what are the odds they actually sounded the same?
By using varying cadence, inflection, and emotion into your calling, I don't think any elk is going to remember any call from year to year. That said, if an elk has had a near death experience with a hunter, and was able to associate that bad experience with calling, then that elk will most likely be timid about committing to any calling. Also, if a hunter is calling without cadence, inflection, and emotion, if WE can identify a phoney, you can bet your bottom dollar an elk can do the same.
For fun one morning on a December cow hunt, I used one of those elk whistle straws out of my dads big soda mug, With it I called in 2 6 points bulls from over 800 yards out to with in 40 yards of the truck. Calling is important, but knowing when to call, when not to call, when to be aggressive, when to meek, are all far more important than the call itself.
That's a very true evaluation there!
As far as elk knowing various hunters bugles from year to year, that would be a pretty far reach, hunters are pretty safe from that concern! Understanding elk sounds is a key to upping ones success, this is why so many elk hunters use calls even if they don't want to give them much credit!
ElkNut1
