Why do cows make differnt sounds?
Elk
Contributors to this thread:
I'll preface this by saying my formal education is in analytical analysis of natural processes, with a primary degree in Environmental Interpretation. I'm not some amateur hack who wanders around in the woods bumping into elk. I've been fortunate enough to spend entire pre-rut, rut and post-rut cycles living among the same herds of elk, sometimes big herds of as many as 50-60 in a controlled, undisturbed environment on a big (unfenced) ranch. I was able to get to know different cows, their voices and personalities and see how they reacted to different stimuli during the rut cycle.
I'm not claiming to be an "expert". Just a trained observer with a deep interest in elk behavior. I was lucky enough to have a unique "laboratory" in which to study elk,
It's my observation - not a declaration - that just as every woman has voice, intonation, inflection and accent, so, too, do cow elk. Some have a more nasally, buzzy voice, while others are more shrill. A rare few croak like frogs when they mew. Some yell a lot, like Hillary, while others are more subdued and rarely speak, like Nancy Reagan. Some are more excitable, but others are more grounded and mellow. Some of this has to do with social order within a herd, but that's a topic for a different discussion. Other times it's the individual personality and the way their vocal mechanisms are constructed.
If Christina Aguilera and Madeline Kahn say the same multi-syllabic word, it will sound different, even though they are saying the same thing. One will be nasally, more excited and higher-pitched with a New York accent, while the other is deeper, subdued and more gravelly with a European accent. If you line ten women up and ask them to read the word "Hello", each will say it differently, with their own unique inflection, pronunciation and pitch.
I believe cow elk are the same, and some misinterpret these vocal nuances as cows saying different things, when in fact they may be saying the same thing which sounds different to our human ears. So we may jump to inaccurate conclusions.
I'm not declaring this to be true. Simply my educated observations made over 40 years. I'd be interested to know what others WHO ARE OPEN TO OTHER'S OPINIONS may think and have observed when spending time with the same elk on multiple occasions.
Couldn't agree more. Elk, like any other species, aren't made with a cookie cutter. Volume, tone, inflection, and emotion will vary from individual to individual, although they might all be communicating the same thing. One reason it helps to also have visual confirmation of their body language in order to make an educated guess as to the true meaning of any vocalization.
Lou--I'd say your spot on. Even though I've never hunted elk, but this year will be my first. Been a lifelong whitetail hunter and yes many animals sound different. Each animal has its own personality and voice just like us. Just as bucks and bulls make different sounds and tones, it only makes sense that does and cows do too
Elk sound inflection/differences isnt limited to cow elk either. Each bull has its own sound too.
This is why I carry 2-3 different external reed cow calls and 2-3 different bugle reeds.
You mean they don't all sound like a Hoochie Mama? Ahhhh maaaaan...
Agree 100% something I've believed and witnessed myself for many years. I just haven't ever said much about it because it seems like a lot of hunters want to imitate the perfect "tv" bugle. lol I use different calls to sound more like a small herd of elk than one lone cow or bull. I also believe that our calling often pushes the elk herd away. They are used to hearing the same "voices" all year long or at least throughout the spring, summer, and into the fall. New voices come in the fall that they aren't used to and it can get them spooky. It also works to our advantage when the bulls are worked up.
Jaq....damm me for saying Buzzzzzzz. Got respect for all with way more experience then I. Just couldn't help myself....:)
Just like humans, we all have different tones.
...which all means there can be a lot more "elk psychology" when it comes to hunting applications of calling than just tooting on the horn.
If Mr. Bull knows all the babes in his neighborhood, is he likely to come running when he hears a new honey, or more likely to r-u-n-n o-f-t when he hears a new voice because he knows something is up? These are the kind of things that make me overthink nearly everything.
nijimasu, that's something alot of people do. Although calling elk isn't necessarily easy, it's certainly not as complicated as some try to make it.
Learn the basics, practice until you sound realistic, and you'll be way ahead of the game. With experience, you'll learn the little nuances that we've been talking about, and you can then incorporate them into your calling if you wish. However, you'll still experience great success if you just get proficient with the basics.
Keep in mind, many times it's not so much what you say, but when you say it.
Calling mule deer has taught me volumes about elk calling and vocalizations. As Wyo points out, when and where you say it matters more than trying to overcomplicate the process.
Appreciate all the PMs from experienced elk hunters on this topic. The marketing hype often overwhelms hunters to the point where they don't know whether to scratch their watch or wind their ass. One need only look at the success of the simple Hoochie Mama as an example. It doesn't even come with an instruction manual, yet has accounted for thousands of dead bulls. :)
Kind of like hen turkeys. Lots of crazy sounding turkeys out there. Lots of crazy sounding elk!
Last year I called a herd bull in to point blank range by just walking fast in the dark. I needed to get below and around to hunt a herd in the early morning before they climbed a steep slope to bedding. They were in a daily pattern and when the bull was with his cows he paid no attention to calls, even aggressive challenge bugles when I was right next to the cows.
One morning I was rushing through the timber in the moonlight, stepping on branches, crunching pine needles, etc, not worried because I was still at least 1/3 of a mile from the sage park where they parked for the night.
He had left his cows to go on nighttime recon, and when he heard me walking, he roared up out of the draw below me and ran up to ten yards, screaming. Too dark to shoot, and this was a 360-class public land bull.
What did I "say"? The when and where said to him that I was another bull making a beeline toward his cows, and he needed to cut me off. That was the "language" I inadvertently used to call him right to me. Maybe I should market a "bull elk walking" call...
Yep, sometimes you don't need to say anything. I've called elk in just by breaking some branches (on purpose).
Completely agree! But if you make up some fancy names for each cows voice, and do some back yard videos, you too can become an over night "expert" and take the suckers for an expensive ride... ;-)
I don't know that much about elk. I learned a whole bunch about calling from turkeys and deer.
I agree whole hardily that animals are individuals. They also have different moods at different times. What worked yesterday might not work today. I cant tell you how many times I have had a bird gobble his head off one day and have lockjaw the next.
Nijimasu, "when to say it". I have found this to be the most important part in calling. From what iv learned so far I plan to do what the elk are doing. If the bulls are bugling. I will too. If the cows are talking go for it. If there quite I will be too.
I yodled a bull in from almost a 1/4 mile away once. He was on private land where I couldn't get to him. It was getting late in the morning and he was laid up and bugling from his bed. But what the heck! So I answered him and we got into a long drawn out shouting match. I was mocking everything he did.Finally he got POed and gave me a double yodel. So I thought "what the heck" nothing is going to happen anyhow. So I came back at him with my best impression of a triple yodel. He came uncorked and actually ran a 1/4 mile straight as a string right to me. It was amazing that he knew exactly where I was from that far away.
I wonder if he would have come any quicker if I would have used the Estrus, (OOPS), I mean Contact Buzz on him.
HDE, stick-popping is one of my favorite "calls", especially just outside bedding areas. That, and a few calm mews, have brought in as many elk for me as aggressive calling. Good point.
I think it's because elk are noisy critters anyway. Popping branches and sticks breaking is a natural sound to them.
I agree Lou. God Bless men
Mad cow scream, most effective technique I've used in my elk hunting life.
Usual response from friends after the entire herd runs in, stops at a few yards and the dust clears: what the **** was that??
Bob, I believe I heard Hillary make that same sound, and my response was the same too!
I was calling a bull one year for my Dad and just couldn't get him to commit completely. I backed off another 30-40 yards away from him which put us about 60-70 yards apart. I started breaking branches and then literally ran back to where I was stomping the ground as hard as I could. Then, back again and to the side. Once I did that he came in on a run! My dad didn't get the shot because our fantastic NM wind swirled like it does and the bull caught our scent. Sure was fun though and I learned that it's a good idea to always break some branches while just walking through the timber.
That video of the mule deer migration in Wyoming was a real eye opener on the vocalization of them. Never knew they made so many different sounds.
How has the grinner not shown up on this thread yet?
DL, it's funny that many don't realize how vocal muleys are. A well known bowhunter wrote a mule deer feature in one of the big magazines last year and started it off with something to the effect that "unlike whitetails, mule deer can't be called or rattled in."
I about spit Wheaties all over the table.