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Elk calls are one of the most important tools for hunters, especially in archery season, along with a good pair of elk hunting boots and a few broadheads. There is nothing like hearing aspen and pine-covered ridges come alive with loud bugles as the September sun teases the landscape to life. If your plan this year is to create some sounds of your own—sounds that hopefully earn you an encounter with a ready-to-breed bull—you need good elk calls in your pack. 

One of the biggest mistakes elk hunters make is purchasing a slug of elk calls in the last town they hit before heading up on the mountain, and then trying to perfect their talk-like-an-elk game before hitting camp. It won’t work. Get the best elk calls—from bugle tubes to reed-style calls to diaphragms—and start learning to talk elk now. 

How We Picked the Best Elk Calls

I live in and hunt the West, and I’ve field-proven every call mentioned above. All have been responsible for calling in multiple bull elk, but as noted earlier, the calls that sound and work best for me may not be for you. You’ll have to invest some money and get some calls to find out which ones work best for you. 

The Best Elk Calls: Reviews & Recommendations

Best Overall: Phelps Signature AMP Diaphragm

Best Overall
Phelps Signature AMP Diaphragm is the best overall elk call.

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Specs

  • 90-day warranty
  • Made in USA
  • Quality latex

Pros

  • Jason Phelps’ personal favorite
  • Versatile cow/bull call
  • Built to exact specs and standards
  • Great for the competition stage or the woods

Cons

  • Beginners may struggle mastering it

Designed and used on the stage and in the woods by elk master Jason Phelps, the Phelps Signature AMP Diaphragm Elk Call produces quality bull and cow tones. You won’t find better latex, and each call is built to quality-control specifications. This call is the perfect option for the hunter that doesn’t want to tote a variety of diaphragm calls around the woods, and this one call will do it all. 

Best Elk Bugle Tube: Rocky Mountain Game Calls Bully Bull Elk w/Sitka Cover

Best Elk Bugle Tube
Rocky Mountain Game Calls Bully Bull Elk w/Sitka Cover is the best elk bugle tube.

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Specs

  • 1 1/2-inch mouth opening
  • 21 3/8-inches long
  • Weighs less than 12 ounces

Pros

  • Works well with all diaphragm calls
  • Creates even airflow
  • Includes camo cover and lanyard

Cons

  • Not inexpensive

A small and compact bugle tube covered in Sitka Gore Optifade Concealment Subalpine, this call sounds as good as it looks. The 1 1/2-inch mouth opening allows you to get a good seal around the outside of your mouth so you can channel your air into the bugle tube and create more realistic tones. The internal section of the mouthpiece is tapered to ensure perfect backpressure to help you hit the right tones and hold high notes steadily for an extended amount of time. This bugle tube allows you to talk realistic bull elk talk and stay away from those flute-style notes public-land bulls hear all the time. 

Best Beginner: Primos Hoochie Mama Elk Call

Best Beginner
Primos Hoochie Mama Elk Call is the best beginner elk call.

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Specs

  • 100 percent freezeproof
  • Compact
  • Priced right
  • Light and durable

Pros

  • Consistent and accurate sounds
  • Fool-proof operation
  • Tunable barrel 

Cons

  • Can go off at the wrong time

This hold-in-your-hand elk call produces fantastic cow elk talk; you can’t screw it up. All the call requires is for you to extend the barrel to the cow sound you’re trying to create (they are labeled on the barrel) and slowly depress the bulb (bellow) downward. You can cup your free hand around the barrel of the call to customize sounds, but this call rings as accurate as any I’ve ever used. A simple push is all it takes to create the perfect cow elk sound every time, and this call is an anxiety reliever for the beginner worried about screwing up. 

Best Reed-Style Cow Call: Phelps Game Calls Acrylic E-Z Estrus

Best Reed-Style Cow Call
Phelps Game Calls Acrylic E-Z Estrus is the best reed style cow call.

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Specs

  • Super compact
  • Band around reed
  • Lanyard

Pros

  • Easy to operate
  • Made for the elk rut
  • Produces loud or soft calls
  • Nasal estrous sounds
  • Color makes it easy to find when dropped

Cons

  • Not inexpensive

Phelps knows how to make elk calls, and this reed-style cow call is an excellent example of their dedication to helping hunters bring bulls in close. Machined from cast acrylic rod and laser engraved with the Phelps logo, this call looks as good as it sounds. With a bit of practice to figure out how much pressure you must put on the reed to create different pitches and tones, you’ll quickly know how to sound like a ready-to-breed cow elk.

Best Elk Diaphragm Combo Pack: Rocky Mountain Game Calls GTP 3 Pack (Black Magic, Reaper, Spellbound)

Best Elk Diaphragm Combo Pack
Rocky Mountain Game Calls GTP 3 Pack (Black Magic, Reaper, Spellbound) is the best elk diaphragm combo pack.

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Specs

  • Quality latex
  • Long-lasting
  • Priced right
  • Come in case

Pros

  • Cover a variety of elk sounds
  • Incredibly realistic
  • Latex stretched to match the purpose of each call

Cons

  • Tape can break down in calls’ back ends

A priced-right three-pack, these calls will create real bull and cow sounds. The Black Magic-my favorite—requires very little air to get crisp, clean bugles and quality cow talk. The Reaper is capable of ultra-aggressive bugles, and you can create estrus cow sounds with it, but that will take some serious practice. The Spellbound is made with double latex stretched to make raspy herd bull sounds. 

Related: Best Rifle Cartridges for Elk Hunting

What To Consider When Choosing an Elk Call

For most product categories, I encourage people to do as much research as possible before buying. Elk calls are different because you never know what elk call will sound the best for you until you try it. Of course, you want quality calls, and the manufacturers listed below make some of the best calls available, but the sounds made by them differ from call to call and from caller to caller.

Diaphragm, Reed, and Bugle

For instance, I know an elk ninja—a guy that has won multiple competitions and is lethal at bringing bulls bowhunting-close in the woods—and he sounds awful on a diaphragm call that I can make sing. On the flip side, I can’t bugle to save my life on the call he uses to dominate the woods and stage.

Get a bunch of elk calls and start playing. You’ll need a quality bugle tube, and I recommend staying away from stretchable tubes (too loud) and those with reeds covering the mouthpiece. You’re calling elk, not playing the flute in the high school band. The Hoochie Mama is a must, and you’ll want to try several different bite-and-blow open-reed style calls. Record yourself calling with your calls, and listen to your friends when they tell you, “Man, that one sounded good.” Over the years, you’ll develop a solid arsenal that you will use to bring elk close. 

FAQs

Q: What are the easiest elk calls to use?

The Primos Hoochie Mama is the easiest elk call to use because all you have to do is push the bulb. Several bite-and-blow reed-style calls can also be mastered quickly.

Q: How far away can you hear an elk call?

The distance at which you can hear an elk call depends on the call. If it’s soft cow talk, a few hundred yards is max, but if a bull is ripping on clear, crisp mountain morning, you can hear him several thousand yards away.

Q: How do I choose a diaphragm elk call?

Choose a diaphragm elk call by looking at the calls made by a quality diaphragm maker, and consider the reeds and latex. Easier-to-blow diaphragm calls will typically have a latex thickness of .003-inch. More advanced, typically harder-to-master diaphragms will have a thickness of .005-inch.

Q: What time of day to elk bugle the most?

The best time of day to elk bugle the most depends on the time of year. During early September, when the days are hot, mornings and evenings are best. During peak rut, which is smack in the middle of September, bulls can and often will bugle vigorously throughout the day.

Best Elk Calls: Final Thoughts

Few experiences in hunting are as intoxicating as calling a bull elk into bow range. Do it once, and you’ll be hooked for life. However, the public-land elk woods are crowded, and if you’re hunting open-to-anyone land, especially in an area that sells over-the-counter elk tags, your elk talk needs to be above average or you’re going to struggle. Learn how to master the locator bugle—a simple bugle with no significant beginning or finish—which is what elk use to see who’s around. After you master the Locator Bugle, search online for videos of live cow elk calls, and mimic those sounds on one of the diaphragm-style best elk calls. 

Why Trust Us

For more than 125 years, Field & Stream has been providing readers with honest and authentic coverage of outdoor gear. Our writers and editors eat, sleep, and breathe the outdoors, and that passion comes through in our product reviews. You can count on F&S to keep you up to date on the best new gear. And when we write about a product—whether it’s a bass lure or a backpack—we cover the good and the bad, so you know exactly what to expect before you decide to make a purchase.

Jace Bauserman
Jace Bauserman

Jace Bauserman is a full-time freelance outdoor writer who has been working with Field & Stream since 2017. Before going full-time freelance, Bauserman was the editor-in-chief of Bowhunting World and Archery Business magazines. 

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