How in the world do you choose a diaphragm elk call? There are a million on the market and Rocky Mountain Calls makes some great ones! Do they REALLY sound that different from each other? In this diaphragm elk call review, I tested out 24 different elk diaphragm calls (6 from Rocky Mountain Calls side by side to see, hear, and feel the differences. So, here we go. Let’s see what makes these calls different.
Rocky Mountain Calls: Differences
Dome Style
A quick look at these calls and you’ll notice a couple differences between these designs. Dome, no dome(classic) and RipIt style are what we see here. The Amp frame is a classic well liked frame, and the new Rip-It frame gave me some amazing sound!
Frame Style
The other major difference between the smaller Phelps Amp and Rocky Mountain Calls vs the Native calls is the frame size. The Native offers a larger frame, meaning more latex to work with. This can offer more flexibility in the call. The larger frame also needs to be placed further back in your mouth, so if you have a bad gag reflex, you’ll want to make sure to take time to get used to that.
Latex Thickness and Stretch
The thickness of the latex used affects the sound the call makes as well. A thicker latex is a little more difficult to use, but can get some more mature elk sounds for you. Additionally, the degree with which the latex is stretched also affects the tone that can be made by that call.
Now that the boring stuff is out of the way, let’s talk about the sound and tone differences.
Elk Diaphragm Calls – Break Them In!
An often forgot about part of finding the right elk diaphragm call is to make sure you break in the call before you decide if you like it or not. Pulling it out of the package, doing a few cow calls and deciding it’s not for you just doesn’t cut it. Some diaphragm elk calls need more break in time than others depending on the thickness and stretch of the latex. Make sure to give the call a fair chance before throwing it aside. You just might be giving up on a call you would love!
Want ALL the details and info on ALL the elk calls we tested in this review series? Download my comprehensive spreadsheet with my notes on each call. This will help you easily find the call that best fits what you are looking for! Become a Backwoods Pursuit Exclusive Member (TOTALLY FREE!) and get access to this and much more in my Backcountry Library. IT’S FREE!!
Rocky Mountain Calls: Elk 101 Series
The Elk 101 series of calls by Rocky Mountain Calls is a great set that offers you the whole spectrum is sounds. You can purchase these calls individually or in a 3 pack that includes each one.
Rocky Mountain Calls Elk 101 “Champ”
The Elk 101 Champ (orange) is the easiest of the bunch to use. Cow/calf sounds come with ease from this single latex call. This is the perfect call for beginners to learn on, or when you need to be quiet and bring in that bull those last few yards.
Rocky Mountain Calls Elk 101 All-Star
The All-Star is a great all around call that gets decent big bull sounds, easy cow/calf sounds, and is moderately loud. A little more air is required to get this one going than the Champ.
Rocky Mountain Calls Elk 101 Contender
The Contender is Corey Jacobson’s recent introduction. This one gets you great sounds all the way around, but it’s a step up in difficulty from the All-Star
Rocky Mountain Calls Gold Plate Series
I love this new series! They are a bit more on the “advanced” scale, but man do they sound good! From great nasally soft cow calls, to an outright challenge, these calls can do it all!
Black Magic
The Rocky Mountain Black Magic is the easiest to use of this series and gives you some great nasally cow sounds, but can also reach up there for a great sounding bugle.
Reaper
The Reaper was my personal favorite elk diaphragm call from Rocky Mountain elk calls. With a sweet, nasally cow sound and a very controllable, great sounding bugle, I’ll be taking this one in the field this year!
Spellbound
The Rocky Mountain Spellbound elk diaphragm call gives you amazing cow sounds and those “dirty” bugles. I found the range to be a bit more limited on this one, but a great sounding big bull elk call
Hear the difference Yourself!
Check out our review of Phelps Game Calls diaphragm elk calls here!
Check out our review of Native By Carlton diaphragm elk calls here!
Don’t miss Part 2 of this series where we look at a handful of external reed elk calls from Native By Carlton, Rocky Mountain Hunting Calls, Phelps Game Calls, Primos, and Mossback!
In Part 3, check out our Elk Bugle Tube review where we put 5 different bugle tubes side by side!!
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