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Elk hunting requires a lot of physical preparation, a healthy dosage of grit, and a few good elk calls. Here at MeatEater, it’s no surprise that we’re fans of Phelps Game Calls, and that’s exactly what we use to chase bugles through the mountains each September.

Whether you’re looking for a bugle tube, diaphragm, or an easy-to-use external call, you’ll find several different options from Phelps Game Calls for a variety of hunting situations and tactics.

To get a breakdown of each call, I talked with Jason Phelps himself about what makes each one ideal for various calling scenarios. After all, he designs them and has more than a few bull elk under his belt. Whether you’re looking for an ultra-realistic call, something to cut through wind and vegetation, or a beginner-friendly cow call, you’ll find plenty of options from Phelps. These are some of the best calls for a variety of elk hunting situations.

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Whether you buy Phelps game calls or you prefer another call maker, make sure your elk calls have these key ingredients.

If you’re ripping a bugle to get a response or you need to make soft, convincing cow chirps, make sure your call has a wide volume range.

You won’t carry a call that’s hard to use. It’s as simple as that. When it comes to diaphragm calls, you’ll have to find which one works for you. For bugle tubes, you shouldn’t have to blow out a lung to rip a loud call. Elk hunting demands enough of your lungs as it is.

You don’t have to win any calling contests, but you should be able to produce realistic elk sounds with a good call. If the hunter three ridges over can tell you’re not a real elk, you can bet that bull knows something’s up, too.

As a lifelong elk hunter and caller, Jason stressed the importance of realism in calling, especially in highly pressured areas. While the weight reduction was a driving force behind the Phelps Carbon Fiber Bugle Tube, Jason noted that the sound quality has just as much, if not more, significance in the overall design.

“The lighter weight is great,” he said, “but it has to sound good, or it’s just not worth making because it’s a more expensive and time-consuming product.”

Obviously the sound quality hasn’t been an issue. Jason said that the carbon material even offers a cleaner, more realistic sound profile than metal or plastic bugle tubes. Not only does the carbon material make it more realistic, but it differentiates it from everyone else trying to entice that herd bull.

“I can tell when someone’s blowing a plastic tube,” he said, “but it’s harder to differentiate between the Carbon and a real bugle, and you can get those shrill high notes that you want out of a bugle tube.”

Jason noted that the only downside of the Carbon is the price. At $179, it costs several times more than the renegade. He acknowledged that most hunters aren’t going to pay that for a bugle tube unless they’re fanatical about sound quality and counting ounces.

All bugle tubes share the same issue: they’re massive. The Phelps Kyven looks to solve that problem by offering a collapsible body that doesn’t sacrifice sound quality.

“The collapsible tube packs down great,” he said, “but it also has good sound and it’s extremely loud with great back pressure, so it makes it easy to run a diaphragm through it.”

Jason noted that the excellent back pressure makes it a great bugle tube for locating bulls in big country. However, the Kyven only takes diaphragms, so it’s not compatible with the Easy Bugler Mouthpiece. While the Kyven isn’t as expensive as the Carbon, it’ll still set you back $100. But if that pack space is worth it, then I’d say it’s money well spent.

Jason was excited to talk through Phelps newer products but wanted to highlight one of the company’s most popular tubes, the Renegade, which offers loud, realistic calls at a budget-friendly price. The Renegade is a big tube with an even bigger sound. If you’re looking for a bugle tube with the brass to cut through thick vegetation or down a steep ridge, you should consider the Renegade.

“We sell a ton of the Renegades,” he said. “Most hunters won’t want to swap out this one (Renegade) for one of the newer tubes, and that’s totally fine. It’s awesome for new callers, but it can also do anything that the most experienced hunters need from a bugle tube. It’s just a great, loud call.”

While the Renegade runs a bit larger than Phelps newer bugle tubes, it’s still a reliable call that elk hunters of all experience levels can run when they’re trying to locate a bull.

No two elk respond the same. A herd bull might come charging into a challenge bugle, but a satellite that’s been thrashed probably needs to hear some soft cow calls before he’ll come check you out. That’s why it’s a great idea to have multiple calls at your disposal.

Phelps offers a few different elk call kits, but Jason highlighted his own, of course, as an excellent all-around option. His kit features one PDO (Phelps Diaphragm Organizer), two pink amp diaphragms, one green amp that he uses throughout most of elk season, a METAL bugle tube, and the EZ Estrus, an old-school external call with a deep mature cow sound.

“I could take that kit, and that’s all I would need,” he said. “I can be super effective throughout all of elk season with these calls.”

If you’re looking for several calls and trying to stay on budget, the Phelps’ Kit will actually save you $32, as opposed to buying each call separately.

Like the best turkey mouth calls, certain elk diaphragm calls might work better than others, because everyone has a different size/shape mouth. That’s why Phelps offers the Beginner AMP 3-pack, in hopes that anyone should be able to find at least one call that works for them.

“There’s a wide enough range for most people,” Jason said. “You should be able to find at least one call in the pack that works for you or gets close. Our newer diaphragm calls are awesome, but we haven’t seen a need to change the AMP. They’re just great calls.”

Jason said that once folks find a call that works for them, they can use the Elk Call Matrix to find other Phelps calls in that same ballpark. Sure, there’s some trial and error involved, but for around $10 per call, it’s a relatively low entry point for some of the best elk calls available.

If you’re not confident in running a diaphragm or you nearly choke on them every time you try to call, you should consider the EZ1. This external cow elk call includes three different reeds, so you can make three different vocalizations, and it improves upon the EZ Suk’r.

Jason noted that one of the improvements on the EZ1 from the EZ Suk’r is the volume range and that instead of inhaling air like the EZ Suk’r, you simply exhale to run the call.

“It’s quite a bit louder than the EZ Suk’r, though you can tone it way down for close-quarter calling, and it’s half the size,” he said.

If you’re worried about losing such a small call, Phelps already thought about this potential conundrum and included a retractable lanyard that conveniently attaches to your pack.

“This is a true hands-free call that you can run with your bow at the ready,” he said.

If you’re not a fan of one of the sounds, it features three distinct cow elk voices so you can find the one that sounds best to you.

Ladderstands are popular options for high-traffic deer spots, but they are prime candidates for location burnout. If you want to go this route, learn to think through the details to give your stand sites the best chance of producing all season long.

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The 1538 distribution of Cabeza de Vaca’s Relacion about his shipwreck and trek across the Southwest marks the beginning of books that tell the stories of the American West to the larger world. Hundreds of thousands of books later, in this episode of The American West Dan, Randall, and guest Dr. Sara Dant reveal their favorite western authors and book choices.

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I first heard about the frontal shot on an elk from a friend and watched a few clips on YouTube to try and learn more about it. My interest was peaked, but the shot still seemed risky to me. Shooting right at the chest of an elk doesn’t seem to leave much margin for error. Not to mention, in my dozen years of guiding elk hunters, I’d never seen anyone attempt it.

Then, in 2020, I went elk hunting with Jason Phelps. While backpack hunting in Colorado, we started talking about frontal shots. Jason had a lot of experience with them, and his outcomes were all positive. His confidence in the frontal shot rubbed off on me to the point that I felt I would give it a chance if the perfect opportunity presented itself.

Three days later, I shot a bull head-on at less than twenty yards. The arrow disappeared inside the bull, he ran 75 yards, and tipped over. (You can watch that hunt here.) Just like that, I was a believer.

Although the shot had worked perfectly for me, I wanted to know more. What exactly was I shooting at when I took the frontal shot? How was my broadhead interacting with the vitals? I decided to pick the brains of Jason Phelps again, as well as Dr. Joe Freeman, a veterinarian of 14 years who has spent his life studying animal anatomy and is an avid elk hunter, to understand the science and rules behind this devastatingly effective tactic.

For Jason Phelps, mastering the frontal shot was born out of pure necessity. Phelps hunts in thick coastal timber where visibility is extremely limited.

"The majority of the elk I was calling in were coming in straight on, without ever presenting a broadside or quartering-away shot," he said. By the time a bull would stop to figure out where the calling was coming from, the gig was up, and Phelps was rarely presented with another shot angle as the elk whirled and left.

"I kind of decided that I had to be able to make that shot if I wanted to be successful," he explained. In 2003, while calling for a buddy, Phelps had a bull came straight in to him instead and stopped at eight yards. Phelps drew his bow, aimed for the spot above the heart where the lungs connect, and released. The bull tipped over dead after just four lunging steps. "It worked better than any broadside shot I've ever had," Phelps recalled.

The frontal shot is not as scary as you might think. When an elk is standing perfectly broadside, you have a massive vital target of about 16 by 16 inches. The target for the frontal shot is much smaller, roughly the size of a football standing on its end.

Dr. Joe Freeman breaks down this target window anatomically. The "football" you are aiming for is the thoracic inlet, an opening in the skeleton that leads directly into the chest cavity. "You've got a nice opening with nothing; no bone in the way if you hit the target," Dr. Freeman explained. This vital window on a mature bull elk gives you close to 12 inches of target from top to bottom and about six inches left to right.

What makes this shot so incredibly lethal is the sheer volume of vascularity located right inside that window. When an arrow enters the thoracic inlet, it is entering an arterial superhighway.

"Within that opening, you've got the carotid arteries, the jugular veins, and once you get inside the thoracic inlet, if they're facing you head-on and your arrow or bullet continues on, it's going to take out the heart, the base of the heart, and may clip a lung depending upon the angle," Dr. Freeman said. A heavy arrow that penetrates deeply will also continue through the liver and into the rumen.

Because the frontal shot targets the jugular veins, carotid arteries, and the aorta at the top of the heart, it results in massive, instantaneous blood loss. Dr. Freeman actually believes the frontal shot can be more devastating than a perfect broadside shot. He noted that you can poke a hole through the peripheral edge of an animal's lung on a broadside shot, and the animal might survive for a long time if a major vessel isn't cut. But the frontal shot severs the main arterial connections.

"I think you will bleed 'em out quicker most of the time," Dr. Freeman said. Phelps agrees entirely, noting that when you hit the area where the lungs and heart connect, "you're running them out of air, and you're running 'em out of blood very quickly."

While the frontal shot is unarguably lethal, it is entirely dependent on the discipline of the hunter. You cannot force this shot. Both Phelps and Dr. Freeman have strict criteria that must be met before they will ever consider letting an arrow fly.

Rule 1: Keep It Close

Inside of 20 yards, a bull simply does not have enough time to react, move, or jump the string before the arrow arrives. Phelps shares this exact standard, stating he wants the elk at 25 yards and under.

If you take this shot at 40 yards and the bull takes a single step as you shoot, that six-inch window vanishes, and you will end up outside of the cavity and possibly embed your arrow into the heavy shoulder bones. That will not result in a dead elk.

Rule 2: True Frontal Only

Rule 3: Head Up

If a bull has his head down sniffing the ground, feeding, or drinking, his spine rotates directly into the flight path of your arrow. Trying to thread the needle over the skull and under the spine on a feeding elk is a recipe for disaster.

Rule 4: Elevation Matters

If the bull is above you, your arrow's upward trajectory will crash directly into his heavy chest plate and sternum before it can reach the vitals. As Phelps explained it, you want your arrow to fly on a path that is parallel to the length of the bull's body from nose to tail.

So, you have a bull perfectly broadside, head up, standing level at 15 yards. Where exactly do you place your pin?

Many hunters use the color change on an elk's neck—where the dark brown mane transitions to the lighter tan hide—as a reference point. However, both experts warn against aiming exactly at this line, because the length of a bull's mane can vary drastically depending on his genetics and the time of year.

Dr. Freeman suggests aiming about two to three inches above where that color change happens. This puts your arrow dead center into the thoracic inlet.

Phelps echoed this, noting that hunters taking the frontal shot often make the mistake of aiming too low and hitting the breastbone. "You need to actually get up into what most people would consider the neck, the throat of the elk," Phelps said. His rule of thumb is to look at the elk, visualize halfway up its body depth, and place the pin there.

Finally, if you are going to take this shot, you need to shoot an arrow with enough mass to do the job. Phelps cautions against attempting a frontal shot with a very light arrow setup. While the thoracic inlet itself is soft tissue, it’s surrounded by heavy bone.

"My idea is to always drive that arrow as deep into the back of the cavity as I can," Phelps said. A heavy arrow guarantees that even if your shot is slightly off, you have the momentum required to punch through and cause devastating damage.

The frontal shot is certainly not for everyone, and is absolutely not a shot you should take if you’re uncomfortable or lacking confidence at close ranges. It demands incredible patience to pass on the shot if the bull hangs up at 35 yards, if he’s slightly quartering, or if he happens to be standing on a bench above you.

But when the stars align—when you have a screaming bull stomping into your setup and he locks up at 15 yards, staring a hole right through you—you no longer have to wait and pray for him to turn broadside. The anatomy is there. The lethality is unquestionable.

If you stay calm, pick a spot a few inches above the color change, and send a heavy arrow through that football-sized window, you won't be tracking your bull for hours. You'll be standing over him in seconds.

Flooded corn is bad for farmers but good for ducks and duck hunters. Steve and Ryan Callaghan join Sean Weaver in South Dakota for a memorable duck hunt. Presented by Busch Light

This week, Cal talks about the aftermath of Cornell's bear processing brou-ha-ha, a social media reward for whoever "snitches" on a Wyoming wolf hunter, a controversial new deer feeding law in Michigan, and a whole lot more.

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Steven Rinella talks with Dan Moutrie about: the first trail camera; the evolution of trail cameras; fair chase standards; game management and quality deer management; drones and hunting; chronic wasting disease; the evolution of hunting technology; and more.

Presented by Can-Am, the leader in ATVs, SxS, and Utility Vehicles www.can-am.brp.com

Find our favorite trail cameras and hunting products at www.moultrie.com

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Trail cameras have become a staple for whitetail hunters, especially over the past decade. Where legal, they can be handy tools for locating and hunting deer or other game animals. They’re especially effective if you’re interested in targeting a specific size or age structure of deer (i.e. a target buck), and can help you hone in on that deer’s home range. Consider that cellular trail cameras make this information even more accessible and immediate.

Of course, you’ll need to avoid a few common mistakes if you want to get the most out of your trail camera strategy. If you’re considering running trail cameras for your whitetail or other big game pursuits, this guide can help you figure out everything from choosing one to finding the best spots to place them all season long.

Traditional trail cameras don’t give you immediate access to photos and videos, but they also don’t require cellular service to function. Trail cameras require SD cards and tons of batteries to run. Depending on the weather conditions and batteries, you might have to change them multiple times in a season. If you’re lucky, you might have a camera that lasts you an entire season or longer before you need to change the batteries.

You also have to regularly check your camera, if you want to stay up-to-date on your intel. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait until the season’s over before you go pull your SD cards.

Unlike traditional trail cameras, cellular trail cams allow you to view your photos and videos without physically checking your camera. This means you can monitor deer activity without putting pressure on a specific hunting area.

Unfortunately, cell cams only work in areas where they can get good service. Otherwise, you’ll have to go pull your SD card or move your camera to a spot with service, which defeats the purpose of having a cellular trail cam.

One of the benefits of having a cellular trail camera, like the Moultrie Edge 4 is that you can easily organize and store your photos in an app. You’ll save time and money when you don’t have to keep up with a pile of SD cards.

While trail cameras can certainly provide incredible scouting info, it’s not as simple as placing one on just any tree. You have to consider trigger speed, distance, and false triggers. Where legal, you might have to do a little prep work to make sure you get the best photos possible. Depending on the time of year, you’ll want to consider where you should place your trail camera.

Consider the time of year. Are you summer scouting for whitetails, looking for season-long hunting data, monitoring the rut, or trying to find a buck’s core area. These factors will determine how you need to approach your camera setup.

Food sources, travel routes, terrain traps, and scrapes are great places to set your trail cameras. Ag fields, food plots, or feeders (where legal) can give you a good overview of your local deer herd. Travel routes like creek crossings, worn trails, soft edges naturally funnel deer through certain areas. Similarly, saddles, pinch points, benches, bluff gaps, etc. that might be difficult to hunt without busting deer can be good spots to leave a camera all season long. Of course, scrapes are natural communication hubs for deer, and the right ones might clue you into several different bucks using that area.

Most hunters just find a tree and hang their camera at waist height. I’m not saying this is wrong or that you shouldn’t do it sometimes, but there might be a better way to set it up if you’re trying to make sure it doesn’t grab a mature buck’s attention.

Again, you’ll want to consider the time of year when you’re hanging a trail camera. There are also a few mistakes you can avoid to make sure your trail cam photos don’t suck. Luckily, trail cameras like Moultrie’s Edge 4 allow you to utilize features like Live Aim to fine-tune your setup and see exactly what’s in frame.

Trail cameras have sparked contentious debates since they first came out. A lot of western states have even banned them on public lands for portions of the hunting season. Arizona actually banned them outright for the purposes of scouting or hunting. Just this year, Idaho banned the use of cellular trail cameras on public lands throughout its hunting season.

Some states that ban trail cameras on public lands might allow them on private lands. Others allow cellular trail cameras but restrict hunters from using immediate intel to hunt that same day. Trail camera rules vary by state, so make sure you research your local regulations before purchasing one.

One of the main ways you can derail your hunting is by relying solely on trail cam pics to determine where you hunt. While cameras might clue you into a big buck’s habits, they can give you plenty of red herrings. A single picture of a buck might mean he’s living in the area or simply passing through. You need more information to confirm or deny that theory. Scout around, look for tracks, rubs, potential bedding areas, or spend a few evenings behind some glass to get a visual if you can. Use that picture as a piece of the puzzle.The worst thing you can do is plan your whole hunting season around one image and miss the rest of the story.

You can also sabotage your setups by checking your cameras too often, leaving you scent and potentially bumping deer. This reason alone makes a compelling case for cellular trail cameras.

Trail cameras are great tools for giving an estimate of your local deer herd. They can give you great intel, but they won’t tell you the whole story.

Just because you don’t get any trail camera pics one day, doesn’t mean the deer aren’t tearing it up at that location. I once watched a pile of deer feed just out of range of a camera. If I hadn’t been hunting that day, I would have assumed the woods were dead. You can’t believe everything your cameras show (or don’t). Make sure they aren’t making you a worse hunter. Use camera intel to inform your hunting strategy, not dictate it.

Trail cams aren’t just for the whitetail woods. Where legal, you can use them to locate elk, turkeys, bears, or other critters. Just make sure you follow local rules and regulations. Like with deer hunting, trail cameras can be a convenient tool when it comes to hunting. They can give you great intel, but you’ll have to use your woodsmanship and critical thinking to decipher what it means.

Brent’s got a couple survival stories this week. Not so much as in life and death survival, but situational. One's from a young teen who had a prolonged stay beyond a planned trip. The other is from an adult who adapted to take care of his family. You’re gonna like this one for sure. It’s time for MeatEater’s This Country Life podcast.

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Going public may be the Americans’ only chance of escaping Turks and Caicos—but they’ve been warned that doing so could be a death sentence.

With years in prison hanging over them, Ryan Watson, Bryan Hagerich, Tyler Wenrich, and their families launch a campaign to expose their treatment to the world. Their story goes viral, drawing millions of supporters and the attention of the United States Congress. But publicity is a double-edged sword. As bomb threats shut down airports and strangers circulate the Americans’ locations online, the men and their loved ones begin receiving threats of their own.

In the concluding chapter of Blood Trails: Paradise Prison, the fight for freedom escalates into an international confrontation involving a congressional delegation, the State Department, British officials, and the Turks and Caicos government. Along the way, troubling revelations raise questions about how the law was enforced—and whether Americans were being treated differently from other travelers.

Their strategy has forced the world to pay attention. Now, as the first sentencing approaches, no one knows whether that pressure will bring them home—or provoke the punishment they’ve been fighting to avoid.

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