Contributors to this thread:
What brand of elk bugles or calls do you use? Why??
Also, which kind don't you like?
I like the Primos palate plate diaphragms because they're the easiest for me to make sound good.
Ymmv.
I use primos cheap ten dollar pack from Amazon the white one is my favorite. But Im going to pick up a few from elk101 and check those out
My go-to diaphragm for everything is the Elk101.com ALL-STAR by Bugling Bull Game Calls.. As to why? Because IMO there's nothing better. First off, the sound is outstanding. Its a single reed, so it's easy to blow, but still highly versatile. You can make all sounds including lost calf, cow mews, grunts, squeals, you name it... including nasty challenge bugles. Lastly, it highly durable. It'll last a LONG time!
I just Youtube'd the Elk 101 All-Star..
WOW! What a fantastic sounding call. May have to pick one up.
I use the promos palate plate but use the small ones as they fir my mouth better
I don't like diaphragm calls. I like the E.L.K. Power Bugle and I just bought the Berry Thunder Bugle and that is really easy to blow and make some great sounds. For cow calls, I like the Carlton calls (the Long Ranger and Fight'n Cow). I also like the Flextone Bootie Call.
We go through hundred's of reeds a year, the # 1 seller is the Mellow Yellow. It is very user friendly & has a soft latex that is easy to manipulate than it's tighter stretched kin such as the All Star, Challenge & Mistress. These last 3 are great reeds but if you're a beginner you will most likely do best with the mellow Yellow. As for a Bugle use what you have if you have one at present, it will help magnify your bull sounds when you're ready to learn to use bull sounds. You can always upgrade as you continue to get better.
My favorite Bugle would be our Chuckler & my # 1 reed is the Mistress with the Mellow Yellow a close 2nd that I use more for cow calling than anything. Both these reeds have brought in many bulls for us.
ElkNut1
Mellow yellow for cow calls and the raging bull with a bully bull grunt tube for bugling. Both are really easy to use and sound great.
Primos palate plate is hard to beat for overall use. I like several of them but keep going back to the red. I use it equally for bull and cow sounds.
Whichever one works best at the time, never have been brand loyal.
Most any decent reed or diaphragm call.
Phelps Dragonslayer for both
I use three different bugles and an assortment of cow calls. The tones are different and I think that's important. Just an opinion but I have better success when changing up calls. The same bugle up and down the country side, with the same locator tone, grows stale. JMO
I am very much a novice on this subject. I bought a mellow yellow and within a few days I was able to start sounding like an elk. (Thanks Elknut) Now i have a chuckler bugle and drive the dogs and my wife nuts! I'm not great but keep practicing and sounding better every day.
In just the last year, I've noticed a few diaphragms that are better than what I have used before. The Phelps Dragonslayer started that for me, but now there are several others which have their own distinctive qualities.
Other than these developments, I wonder whether we will see anything else that improves growling sounds such as different tube designs as well as a portable system for rattling. There have been a few commercial rattling systems, but they weren't all that good, IMO.
Ditto for a better glunking call although of course there are various ways to make glunking sounds already.
The life expectancy of a reed depends on how much use it gets! Other factors are if you smoke, chew or have an acidic system or drink lots of pop while using reeds. These things can shorten a reeds life.
Best thing is to find a reed you absolutely love & stick with it, carry spares when hunting & you'll be good to go! Some of us like 2 reeds & others do not, do what works for you regardless of brand!
ElkNut1
I've had good luck with Primos calls, however, a couple years ago I switched to Rocky Mountain "Bugling Bull" calls and they give me the best sound out of anything I've tried. Their diaphragms are great, but the secret is this grunt tube...best on the market!
http://buglingbull.com/shop/elk-calls/126-bully-bull-elk-grunt-tube/
My favorite are the Primos Imperial plate (red) and Primos Ivory plate (white).
I can make very good sounds with any "palate plate" style reed with the metal tab on top but I absolutely cannot make any decent sounds with the All-Star (and believe me I have tried) or any other reed with the plastic dome on top.
It just goes to show, different strokes for different folks. If all I had ever tried were the plastic dome calls I would believe that I can't use a reed/diaphragm. Good thing the first reeds I tried were the Primos Palate Plates.
If you think you can't use a reed, you should try every style before giving up.
The attached photo is my collection of reeds I was practicing with as I drove west last September. I picked up the Orange Bugling Bull Estrus Excited reed on the drive out and it immediately became one of my new favorites.
I also use the Primos palate place, can't use anything else. By far the single reeds are my favorite.
Those looking for a Palate Plate style reed like Mike shows above & it's super easy to use you gotta try the new Raging Bull reed, this thing does great! It's the brown one! That one will accompany my Mistress reed this year!
ElkNut1
Yes, the Raging bull is a good one. The color doesn't come through very well in the photo but the second one down on the left side in my photo is the brown Raging Bull and the one below it I believe is the green Screaming Tormentor.
Mike, wow! You sure do hold on to reeds! That Scream N Tormentor has been discontinued for several years now! (grin)
ElkNut1
I think the most important part of selecting a diaphragm is finding one that fits your mouth. I've had good luck with the calls from Bugling Bull. I used to really like the "Palate Plate" style calls but the "Tone Top" calls like the 101 (green) and Mistress (pink) fit my mouth even better -- it's much easier for me to control the latex when the call fits snug in the roof of my mouth. I also just bought the "Threat" bugle tube and it is awesome -- I would highly recommend it for a grunt tube. My buddy has a crooked tooth in his palate that makes using diaphragms tough. He can make some really good sounds with the Matriarch -- it's an external reed cow call with a wooden barrel. For bull sounds, he Bugling Bull's Select-A-Bull with the Conqueror mouthpiece. Hope this helps.
