Whether hunting public or private land, the fundamentals of calling elk remain the same.
Calling Elk Bow-Close
Michael Waddell

The “Professor”, Waddell’s largest bull came from the Gila National Forest in New Mexico. Public land bulls like this can be call shy and may require some double teaming with a separate caller to fool. Master the cow call and you will call in elk bow-close. Use the bugle to locate as well as seal the deal on an aggressive bull.

We heard the bull bugle at first light and snuck into his core area. When I hit a lick on my bugle, the bull simply came unglued and stormed our position like a tank, crashing through brush and small lodgepole pines like they were matchsticks. Before we could react he was in our lap and we were pinned down, me hiding behind a camera, too scared to touch the tripod for fear my shaking hands would ruin the footage. All I could see of my partner wedged against a stunted pine was the tip of his undrawn arrow quivering on the rest. Before a shot presented itself, the bull smelled a rat and disappeared as quickly as he arrived. While this experience didn’t result in a dead elk, it did hopelessly addict me to calling them.

It seems that in all walks of life, be it the animal kingdom or humans, communication is a key ingredient for all social interaction. However, not all living things communicate to the same degree. If you ask my wife, I am sure she will tell you I am lacking in the communication department; in fact, I’m sure she believes I don’t listen to her at all, but when it comes to communicating with animals I can barely shut up. Of all the animals I love to communicate with, elk rate right at the top.

By nature, elk are very vocal. The uninitiated often simply think of bulls bugling, but cows, calves and bulls make all sorts of noises year-round. If you encounter a large herd, while you might not hear anything from a distance, if you get close you will hear lots of subtle vocalization. Most of the time these are sounds of contentment, but depending on what’s happening the vocalization reflects it. Elk can convey contentment, danger, curiosity or a cow in heat. Bulls, for instance, only bugle primarily in the rut, but they also communicate to establish a pecking order. After spending a considerable amount of time chasing the mighty wapiti, I’m convinced every elk in the herd knows each other by sound alone. This happens with the cows as well as the bulls, and based on my evaluation, somewhere in this mix is the deadly secret to calling elk bow-close.

Imitation Is The Sincerest Form Of Flattery
It seems that the more vocal a herd, the better the odds are for success at calling them. Some cows call subtly, while others are loud-mouth ladies actively looking for a date. By listening, it gives you a better opportunity to imitate the particular tones and intensity of the herd.

Master the cow call and you will call in elk bow-close. Use the bugle to locate as well as seal the deal on an aggressive bull.

By calling, we are automatically intruding into the social club without an invitation. The closer we can sound to a known elk and match that intensity, the better the odds are of filling a tag. Even though we may sound like an outsider to the herd, luckily for us, love-crazed bulls are not looking to be intimate with just one or two cows; they are looking for all the love of every cow in the world, so taking advantage of their sexual frustrations and promiscuity is our salvation.

It doesn’t take a world champion elk caller to trick bulls within range. By simply paying attention to the herd and understanding simple elk rhythm, tone and, more important, volume when calling, a hunter can depend on an elk call to be a valuable asset to dulling broadheads.

Public Versus Private Land
Since I started hunting elk 16 years ago, on private as well as public ground, I’ve realized comparing these two different types of ground is like comparing night and day, and it is all about the amount of pressure each receives. Generally speaking, private ground bulls are way easier to call than public ground animals, but this is not always the case. Some private land gets a lot of pressure, which can make for some pretty tough calling duels with elk that can serve you up a humble pie every time you bust out a call. Conversely, some public land, either through sheer remoteness or hard-to-get tags, is like calling the best private land in the nation.

Hunting untouched land and cow calling to bulls that have never heard a Hoochie Mama would obviously be nice. It wouldn’t take long working over these uneducated elk to start feeling like an elk-calling pro, only to be deflated the first time we went to the national forest and mixed it up with bulls so well known by local hunters that they have nicknames. However, regardless of where you hunt, the basics of calling remain the same.

Start with mastering the cow call and all its various inflections. Your basic reed-type calls are the easiest to learn as well as get proficient with. You will find two kinds; both are bite-down reed-type calls, one being enclosed and the other having an open reed or reeds. These calls make a very realistic sound and before your wife can run you out of the house you will master the basics.

I rely heavily on the cow call and think most of the time hunters are better off sticking with it over a bugle no matter where they are hunting. However, learning how to make a basic bugle is important, especially for locating bulls at a distance before getting close and working him with your cow call. In addition, sometimes it is the bugle that finally provokes a dominant bull to commit, especially during the early season when bulls are still sorting out their pecking order.

This public land bull didn’t sound like much when he bugled, but he turned out to be a lot better of a bull when he responded to some subtle calling and snuck into 16 yards.

In the Gila, the trophy potential is off the chart, sporting some of the biggest bulls in the country, but just because the big ones live there doesn’t mean that you automatically make one call and they come running to get in the back of your truck. These mature jokers have a Ph.D in avoiding hunters.

Over the last six years I have hunted this area religiously and have had the opportunity to shoot some nice bulls, all by using elk calls as an aid to close the coffin.

Notice I said, “as an aid,” meaning the call was just one thing in a bag of tricks to help smoke these monarchs. My biggest bull that came out of the Gila was a 378 P&Y bull that earned the name The Professor because he always seemed to take you to school when you applied too much pressure. However, this bull was vocal and would bugle his butt off. He also seemed to be fairly easy to find, not only by his gnarly, raspy bugle that set him apart, but frequently he could be found early in the morning in a large meadow just south of a particular water hole that always attracted a large herd.

The Professor was not the only bull in the area that had large headgear, but it was the Professor that seemed to call the shots. I had caught this bull in the open several times, but calling seemed to really make him uneasy when you were in close. However, he would bugle hard to distant cow calls and seemed to be whole heartedly interested, but he had a sixth sense when you moved in for the attack.

Finally, we decided to have a caller stay behind as we worked him coming off the meadow at daybreak. By doing this we could keep him interested and bugling as we stalked in closer. The caller always was no closer than 80 yards behind me. While the caller kept him occupied, I slid within 50 yards and gave him a G5 Tekan right behind the shoulder. This hunt was really a stalk, but the call and caller had a big part to do with his demise. Once we started quartering the bull, we found a piece of an old arrow lodged just below the backstraps, so obviously someone had him in close before and gave the teacher an education, which explained why he was so wary.

The Double Team
As this old bull showed, hunting with a partner can work extremely well. It not only puts the hunter out in front of the call, it gives the hunter a chance to move and adjust the angle based on where the bull might be approaching. Likewise, the caller has the flexibility to move and apply a lot of different calling techniques.

The double-team plan worked again on another hunt. It had been hot, and the bulls were only bugling early and late. As soon as the sun would rise the elk woods would turn into a ghost town.

Just after daybreak on the fourth day of our hunt we heard this bull bugle. He hit it only two times, both very weak. He sounded like the littlest rag horn in the land, but with no other game in town we went after him. Getting as close as possible to where we thought the bugle came from, I eased up and sat down by a pine stump while my buddy moved back and to my right about 40 yards.

Neither of us was very optimistic about our chances. My buddy made one or maybe two very soft cow calls on a two-reed diaphragm, then he started raking a tree and rolled a few rocks. We sat there for possibly 10 minutes in silence, then out of nowhere appeared a wide 6×6 coming directly to us.

At 25 yards the bull let out a soft chuckle, looked over his surrounding, and kept walking in the direction of where the last rock had been rolled, which led him 16 steps from my pine stump. By now I was at full draw, waiting for a broadside shot. When the arrow left my bow, I knew we had killed a call-shy monster by keeping it low-key and staying patient. Needless to say, I was never convinced by the two times he had bugled earlier that he was a shooter. This was a lesson in itself. Never judge a bugle until you can see what is making the sound.

The most exciting way to bag a bull elk is to get him in close, and the best way to do that is with a call. Confidence in your call is critical, because if you’re insecure about using your call, there is a good chance you will spook elk. Have confidence in your calling ability and become just another elk in the herd where you are hunting.

Find a call that works for you and not what works for someone else. Think like an elk and do as elk do. Realism, rhythm and volume control can make the difference between bringing them in or running them over the next ridge. Remember, it’s not always about calling. It can be about just patiently listening to the sounds around you and applying minimal calls while practicing good woodsmenship and stalking skills that could help you put that monster on the back of the truck.

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Michael, Nick, & T Bone

Saturday I went to the Big Buck Expo in Greensboro and there is little doubt that the appearance of the Bone Collectors was the major draw. This was the second year of the show and although the attendance appeared to be better than last year the number of vendors appeared to be a lot less. Hard to say whether the economy or last year’s show was to blame for the drop off. One would think the appearance of Michael Waddell would also help draw vendors as well as spectators but it didn’t appear to.
The show although small was pretty good. Muzzy Hunting Camp where the Bone Collectors did a hunting seminar was a huge draw. All the seats were full 30 minutes before the start and once it got started the standing room in the back filled as well. I’d estimate there was almost 500 people at the 11:30 Seminar. The wait outside their booth to get an autograph and to shake their hands was also very long. No doubt they are some of the most popular people in the industry.
I went to the NCWRC presentation on hunting on Public Game Lands that was interesting but there was less than 10 of us for that presentation. I got to meet my local game warden at that presentation as well as learn more about habitat improvements on the game lands.
I picked up a few hunting goodies and got to see some friends so over all it was a pretty good show from that perspective. I’ll go into more detail about that in future posts.

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“To be a part of this elite group of hunters is quite an honor for me,” stated Keck. “Johnny Morris and I have hunted together many times and he is passionate about passing on our rich hunting heritage to the next generation.”

Keck, named One of Hunting’s 25 Most Influential Personalities of the 20th Century by Peterson’s Hunting Magazine, is the former CEO of the National Wild Turkey Federation and the voice and face of the organization for 30 years. He played a leading role in the restoration of the wild turkey across North America.

Rob Keck’s departure from NWTF last year was somewhat of a surprise but it’s good to see him joining the Red Head Team.

The RedHead Pro Team is a group of world-class hunters with over 3 centuries of combined field expertise. Members include Brenda Valentine, Bob Foulkrod, Jim and Angie Ryan, Lee and Tiffany Lakosky, Walter Parrott, John Paul Morris, Allen Treadwell, and team leader Jerry Martin.

I look forward to seeing Rob Keck back on TV.

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Greensboro here we come!!! The summer Expos with Michael, Nick and T-Bone have been nothing short of a blast. If you’ve never met Michael and the guys in person, you’re in for a treat. They are as crazy (and as real) in person as they are on TV. They’ll be at the show during all show hours Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Also, don’t forget to bring your bows and your bucks to the show. We’ll be hosting an “Open” 3-D shoot all weekend and we’ll have official P&Y and B&C scorers on hand all weekend scoring deer. The scoring for one deer is included in your admission price. Additional deer may be scored for only $5 each.

As you may recall last year’s show was dismal as far as attendance went with many of the vendors pulling out early because of the small crowds. This show came in on the heels of the very successful Buck Masters shows that were held in Greensboro while the venue they typically used in Alabama was under some major renovations. Buck Masters seemed to draw a bigger crowd so we’ll see how this year goes for the Big Buck Expo.
I hope to get up there at some point this weekend and check it out as I’m getting pumped for another hunting season that will soon be here.

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Scott Miller/Vail Daily

Last month Tred Barta suffered a rare spinal stroke while preparing to head to Alaska to film his TV show. He is currently in a rehab facility making some progress.

Tred Barta is just learning to use a wheelchair. But he’s still pretty good with a long bow, and looking forward to his first horseback ride since a spinal stroke last month cost him the use of his legs.

After a stay at Denver Health Medical Center, Barta’s now working — and working hard — at Craig Rehabilitation Hospital in Denver. The product of that work could keep him on TV. More important, he expects the work he’s doing now to let him hunt, fish and explore the backcountry again.

Keep Tred in your prayers if you want a more tangible way to help an account has been set up to help with medical expenses.

Tred Barta’s time at Denver Health Medical Center and Craig Rehabilitation Hospital are going to run up some pretty scary bills. Here are a couple of ways to help:

Donations are being accepted by the Vail Valley Charitable Fund. Send them to:

P.O. Box 1275,

Avon, 81620

Or call 970-845-6339. Mention the donation is for Tred Barta. Donations are tax deductible, and credit card payments can be made via the internet at: www.vvcf.org.

Wells Fargo Bank in Eagle has established the Tred and Anni Barta medical fund. Call 970-328-6361 to learn more.

Vail Daily

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Don’t forget the Moose Lottery is being drawn tonight from Fort Kent Maine. Tom over the Black Bear Blog is doing a live stream from there. One of these years I’m going to have to get up there for the lottery but like many of you tonight I’ll be sitting around my computer straining to hear my name or one of my many friends and relatives. Good Luck.

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Starting today the Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education will be closed on Sundays to reduce expenses. The Centers Hours will now be Monday through Saturday 9 to 5.

The Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education features exhibits and programs that interpret coastal North Carolina’s wildlife and habitats, natural history and cultural heritage, with daily showings of an award-winning documentary, and a calendar of events and educational courses. Admission to the center is free, as are the educational programs offered. Located in Currituck Heritage Park on Highway 12, the center is next to Currituck Beach Lighthouse and the Whalehead Club. For more information, call (252) 453-0221.

I guess with the problems with the State budget this is not surprising. Although one has to wonder how much money comes from the general fund as opposed to license fees.

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Barta, host of “The Best and Worst of Tred Barta” show on the Versus cable TV channel, suffered a spinal stroke a couple of weeks ago. It started while he was horseback riding near his place on Salt Creek near Eagle. He credits quick care by local doctors for getting him to Denver quickly.

Since then, he’s been in a hospital room at Denver Health Medical Center,…

Initial reports made it sound like he was traveling to Alaska to film his show when it happened but he was actually still at home. I’m sure that if this event happened in Alaska it would have been even more challenging. The extent of his paralysis is from his abdomen down.

“He’s fine from the belly button up,” Barta’s wife, Anni, said.

From the belly button down is a different story. Barta has feeling in his lower body, but can’t walk. He’s been accepted as a patient at Craig Hospital in Denver, one of the country’s leading facilities for helping people with spinal cord or brain injuries.

Tred plans to have his TV Show, “The Best and Worst of Tred Barta”, document his rehab from this illness, which could be interesting. As an individual who has helped a lot of people over the years and now is depending on others to help him this has to be different. In Tred’s own way here is a quote that will sure become a classic I’m sure.

“When you help an old lady across the street you don’t think anything about it,” he said. “When you’re the old lady, you do.”

Good luck Tred with the rehab we’ll keep you in our thoughts and prayers as you fight this.

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Sportsman, television personality, and Salt Water Angler Tred Barta has been reportedly paralyzed from the chest down a result of a rare spinal cord stroke according to Sport Fishing Magazine. Tred Barta host the popular “Best & Worst of Tred Barta” on the Versus Network.

Spinal Cord strokes are a rare medical condition.

Spinal cord infarction is a stroke either within the spinal cord or the arteries that supply it.

Like with the more common cerebral stroke the prognosis is better with timely treatment.

Recovery depends upon how quickly treatment is received and how severely the body is compromised. Paralysis may persist for many weeks or be permanent. Most individuals have a good chance of recovery.

National Institute of Health
Tred told Sport Fishing Magazine

“Don’t take a single second of your life for granted.”

You can follow the link to the magazine where they have a way for you to send along your best wishes to Tred as he fights this.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Tred and his family as he fights this battle.

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Here is the Press release from Game Trails:
“Sturgis, Kentucky. April 8, 2009. – Misstatements of fact and misleading information related to a misdemeanor case involving Game Trails, a company with operations in Kentucky, has prompted this release to clarify the record.
On March 19, 2009, Game Trails, LLC, and its general manager Dirk MacTavish pled guilty to misdemeanor violations of the Lacy Act. More specifically, the violations were technical in nature and involved the mistagging and telechecking of deer. Both Game Trails and Dirk MacTavish paid fines. No other sanctions were imposed: no probation; no loss of hunting rights; and no loss of outfitter’s licenses. Gregg Ritz was neither charged nor plead guilty to any violation, misdemeanor or otherwise.
At all times throughout the process, Game Trails and Dirk MacTavish were forthright and cooperated fully. The mistakes in tagging deer were admitted and the matter was resolved. As noted, only fines were paid on technical misdemeanor violations. The case has been officially closed.
The relevant facts with regards to this case can be accessed through the United States District Court, Western District of Kentucky, Owensboro. However, the same cannot be said for subsequent reports, which have been littered with half-truths and false accusations. The facts have been misconstrued and inaccurately characterized. This statement will present the truth.
In addition to the aforementioned, the relevant facts are as follows. In 2006, Games Trails was instructed by an agent of the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife and mandated by the land owner Kimball International to reduce the number of deer on the property to help reduce crop damage. Game Trails had been informed by Kimball’s on-site manager that the crop damage caused by deer population had resulted in Kimball International offsetting the tenant farmer’s annual lease in the amount of $35,000. Authorities at Kimball advised Game Trails that its lease would be terminated if the deer population was not reduced.
In an effort to comply, Game Trails conducted the largest ever camera survey for whitetail deer in association with the Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA) to determine the proper number of deer to be harvested. A formal report was presented to Kimball International by the QDMA with a recommendation to harvest 200 deer. However the Commonwealth of Kentucky conducted an independent deer damage assessment and concluded that the harvest number was far greater than 200.
Game Trails sought the advice and cooperation of local Kentucky authorities to request and receive special consideration with the harvest process. The request for special consideration concerning the deer management program was rejected. Instead, Game Trails was informed that if it needed assistance in reducing the population, then it should consider allowing local authorities, their friends and family access to hunt. This idea was not satisfactory to Kimball.
QDMA, on behalf of Game Trails, then appealed directly to officials in Frankfort, Kentucky, the state’s capitol, to request special consideration for the doe harvest. Again, Game Trails was denied special consideration and was informed no consideration would be given as long as Game Trails was in possession of the hunting lease.
Later, in 2006, Kentucky issued Game Trails several hundred Animal Control tags to accommodate the additional deer harvest requirements. The harvesting of the deer and use of the Animal Control tags were improperly managed by a former Game Trails’ site manager, who applied the tags to any hunter; essentially “community tagging” the animals. The former site manager performed all operational aspects of the business and personally tagged every animal. He was later terminated for performance issues unrelated to this incident. It must be noted that no deer went unchecked and all deer were harvested by licensed hunters.
To further clarify and correct the misinformation circulating we would like the public to know the following:
• Neither Dirk MacTavish, General Manager of Game Trails, nor Gregg Ritz, owner of Games Trails, tagged or tele-checked any of the deer harvested;
• There were no charges or fines levied against Gregg Ritz;
• Neither Dirk MacTavish or Gregg Ritz made false statements to Investigators, or any other authorities;
• Neither Dirk MacTavish nor Game Trails lost their outfitting license, hunting rights or were placed on probation;
• Every deer killed was processed and given to families in need;
• With the exception of this 2006 incident, no other violations were found to have occurred during the period in which Game Trails occupied the property;
• Felony prosecution of former Game Trails’ employee Chris Helms is only incidental, and is unrelated to this matter; neither Gregg Ritz nor Dirk MacTavish have any involvement with that case; and
• Kimball International sold the Sturgis, Kentucky land last November (four months prior to this event) and the new landowner chose not to sublease the hunting rights, resulting in Game Trails closing its Kentucky operation at present.
Due to the mistagging and telechecking at Game Trails, the personal and business reputations of Game Trails, Gregg Ritz and Dirk MacTavish have all been unfairly tarnished. Mistakes were made, and a fine was paid. But Game Trails and Gregg Ritz have built a name of excellence and integrity in the industry, and these technical violations should not diminish that reputation. It is unfortunate that multiple inaccuracies have worked to do just that. Basic fairness dictates that those involved should be judged on the facts of record in this case, and those facts alone. “

This was originally posted as a comment but I wanted to make sure my readers saw this before I take off for the turkey woods. It certainly seems like the State of Kentucky attempted to twist this story around but I was getting this feeling before this press release.
One example was the impression left by the Kentucky Wildlife Press Release that Game Trails LLC had somehow fled the state or was forced out by this investigation when this certainly was not the case.
We’ll continue to follow this story and update, now I’m off to the woods.

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