Well its time for me to get serious!
 

The RMEF Idaho State Elk Calling contest is comming to town in two weeks! Its being called the "Screaming of the Tetons", Sportsman Warehouse here in Idaho Falls is hosting it. From other forms I do visit everynow and then it appears that quite a few "Top Dog" callers are comming to town. It looks to be as good as contest as the finals of the ISE show in SLC. To be honest I have been so busy working that I haven't practiced much, but I am not far off from sounding as good or better than the Salt Lake show back in Marchin which I took third place. One thing I am worried about is I am fighting my alergies, (hay fevor) this time of year as usual. I am worried about shortness of breath that comes with my alergies. AlsoI need to get on the horn with GSelkhunter, elkaholicid, and of course elknut to fine toon my program. Nothing like learning from the pros!;) For anyone who is planing on comming here for the contest let me know and maybe we could hook up. Thanks and good luck to all.

RE: Well its time for me to get serious!
 

Idahoelkinstructor,

First off, Good luck, I hope all goes well for you. I was just curious if you have ever called against or know Rocky Jacobson from Kamiah Idaho? I've visited with him up at the Spokane bighorn show the past couple years. He's a really nice fella. He produces his own line of bugles and turkey callsand I believe was the Rocky Mountain foundations 2002 world Champion. Don't quote me on that but I know he was a world champ elk caller. Anyway just wondered if you knew him.I have his Bugling bulls and Beyond Volume 2 DVDon elk calling, its good. Once again good luck.

Troy

RE: Well its time for me to get serious!
 

shed33, I know of him but have not meet him yet. elkahokicid (Michael) isa prostaff memberof Rocky's company Bugling Bull Game Calls. I have had the honor of talking on the phonewith Michael, andhe is a greatguy as well. I hope thatMichael can introduceme to Rocky and his son Cory or I can meet them soon.They will maybe be here for the show, either way theyareallgreat callers and I would love to have the chance to learn from them. Jason
P.S.I am sending you a PM.

RE: Well its time for me to get serious!
 

Tape it, see what those folks are doing.

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Hey best of luck to ya Jason,kick some butt.
BBJ

RE: Well its time for me to get serious!
 

Jason, not to put no pressure on you but if Rocky is competing he is tough dude to go up against. I had a chance to meet him down in kalispell a few years back at the sportsmans show. If I remember correctly he won champoinship in salt lake (?) 2 or 3 times, only to lose to his son to take the title from him from what I understand. I believe his daughter placed also. I got his vidieoand spent around $50 bucks on calls and neat stuff like that. I liked him so much I went back down their (75 miles) to see him the next day.I wish you the best of luck and let us know how you fair.;)
Bobby

RE: Well its time for me to get serious!
 

Jason,

I believe Michael will be at the Idaho Falls contest next weekend. Dad and I won't be able to make it, and I don't think Steve Cordell (2nd place at Salt Lake) will be there either. I did hear Dan Witmus and possibly Walt Ramage will be there, but they will be in the pro division. Definitely let us know how you do! And good luck!

Corey

RE: Well its time for me to get serious!
 

Thanks to all, for the good luck wish.
Corey, its good to hear from you.I knew that Dan was going to be here, but I didn't know about Walt. I did know that I wouldn't becompeating against you or other"Pro's":) I sure hope someday that someone will think I am good enough togo pro and want me on there team. Big Grin.AnywayI might justhave to drive over to Boise and meet you and your dad in person when all of ushave the time.:)Right now I am in Salt Lake at primary children's medical centerfor doctors apointments for our son. I'll be back in Idaho on Friday. But since I am here,I'am hoping to meet up with big Al Moris. (if he has time, and is in town) I talked to himbackin Marchand he gave me his number and told me the next time I am in town to call and we could hook up and work on my calling. I know that he is your competition, but I am willing to listen to anyone who has theknowledge ofelk calling incompetitions. After all education is the exchange of ideas. I know everyone has there own style but I hope to take the best of everyone who is willing to help me and form my own style. I look foward to meeting Mike at the show he and I talked for a few hours on the phone, but it will be neat to put a face with his voice. Got to run, and good luck to everyone. Thanks Jason

RE: Well its time for me to get serious!
 

Hey, Idahoelkinstructor there is no use worrying about elk calling and all of that jazz. You won't be able to hunt elk during the peak of the rut with a bow...you will be doing something else:D Better check the Idaho draw results.[8D]

RE: Well its time for me to get serious!
 

Best of LUCK!!!

RE: Well its time for me to get serious!
 

Cool antelope doesn't open until the 25 of Sept, sothat gives me plenty of time to kill a elk with my bow!

RE: Well its time for me to get serious!
 

Jay I should add that we have a month to kill our lopes, for me to give up elk hunting inSeptember with bow no way!. :D Don't worry though I'll still go with you on opening day or days. Be ready for hiking!. I am not sure about the others in party, will they be up to it?[:-]

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Little buck will be. The rest, I don't know about that[8D]

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Just got back home, I did get to spend a few hours this moring with Al Moris. All I can say is what a great unselfish guy. He gaveme plenty of advice for this next week competition. I just hope I can or am good enough to perform what he taught me, time will tell, but I do have a final week to practice and prepare.Jason

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Hey Jason!

How'd it go? How did you do?Do you have the results from the Idaho Falls bugling contest?

Thanks,
Corey

RE: Well its time for me to get serious!
 

Corey,
Well it didn't go the best for me. I am still in shock and a bit hurt to be honest. I am not saying I should have won, but I didn't make the cut and go on to the top 5 and I am not sure why. Before the results were announced Big Al who was there and heard me said I did go fast (just 5 minutes before the mens division started Wayne annouced that the men would only have 30 seconds for cows and 30 seconds for bulls. That did throw me for a bit of a loop, and I admit I didn't give my best program because I practiced my butt offand was ready for a 2 minute program.)Al then told me, "You'll do better tomorow because I know you won't be caught off gurd and you can learn from today." But still I did do a good job overall. Well, at least I and two of the judges thought so. The winning score for round 1 was a 88, 5 place was 82, I scored a 80. Judge #1 gave me a 30, judge #3 gave me a 32 and judge #2 gave me a 18. I don't know what he was looking for but, I guess he didn't like what he heard from me. There was 24 men in the contest Idrew # 15 to call. Ithink that out of the 5 that qualified for the finals none were after the 10th caller. The man who won the contest is from Eagle, Id. and it was his first contest ever.I'll try and find the names and post them here.Al also told me to not loose any sleep over it and move on to the next contest, and that judges can sometimes suck. Again I am not saying I shoud have won but I feel like I should have placed in the top 5. Oh well thats life and I still did have a fun time and I also learned a lot as well. I will try again in 2 weeks, in Montaina. I'll do my best and lay my cards on the table and see how it stacks up from there. I did make sure that I supported the top 5 who went on and even offered my bugle tube to a few of them it is a wiffle ball bat type set up like Dan Whitmus's tubebut with your tube tamer on it. Anyway all of them had a bite an blow type tube/reed, like yours or the type like Primos and Berry's. A few can't remember who also had a regular tube like the carlton with a diaphram, in addition to their other bite and blow tubes. Moving on, I was wondering if I could maybe call you and pick your brain about contests? If of course that is ok with you, and I hope I am not oversteping my grounds by asking so. Take care and maybe we can meet up in the furture.

RE: Well its time for me to get serious!
 

Hey Jason!

Sorry to hear the news on the bugling contest. If it makes you feel any better, until 2 years ago, there was a streak of6 consecutive years that the person who won the professional division at the RMEF world championships didn't make the finals the following year...

You have to always remember that this is a contest that is subjective to human ears. Especially at the smaller contests, the judges all have different ideas of what an elk sounds like. One judge might not have gotten any sleep the night before and can't concentrate. By the time they get to caller #4, they have forgot what caller #1 even sounded like, making it impossible to make a qualified comparison between the two. I have never been in a contest where I could honestly say I agree 100% with who the judges pick for the top 5. Imagine at the world championship when there are literally 75+ callers that the judges have to listen to, for 2 minutes each. They can't possibly compare the first guy to the last guy. You just have to remember it is a subjective contest, and anybody has a chance. Once you make it into the top 5, it gets a little better, as it is somewhat easier to compare all 5 callers against each other. But once again, it is subjective. Experience makes a big difference. I'm not really sure why, but I know several guys who can call great who went to the RMEF contest for their first time and finished near the bottom. Within 3-4 years, these guys have won the men's division of the world championships. It's not that they improved drastically, they just tune in on what the judges are looking for, etc. Don't give up! I know exactly how you feel. You feel robbed, you practiced a ton, and some guy who doesn't sound very good to you made it into the finals. Next time, someone else will be sitting on the sidelines, and you can bet that they will think they should have beat you.

It's not like an archery shoot, where if you're on, you win. If you practice and shoot your best, you have a great chance of winning. With bugling, you can do it the way that you think is just perfect, everyone will come up and tell you that you have it in the bag, and your heart will sink when they don't read your name on the top 5 list. All you can do is shake it off, practice some more, and go to the next one. Walt Ramage (Primos) didn't make the finals in 2004. He won the professional division in 2005. I believe that 6 out of 7 years dating back to 1997, the guy who won the professional division didn't make the finals the next year. In fact, from 1997 to 2002, no one won the professional division more than once, and there has never been a caller win the professional division back-to-back. That should shed a little light on just how subjective it really is! The key is to be consistant. Pick up on the little things that the guys who are consistantly in the top 5 are doing. It'll come to you in time.

Fell free to give me a call any time, I'd gladly help out with any info I might have. E-mail me at [email protected], and I'll give you my number. Don't be discouraged. Are you going to the ISB shoot this weekend? They usually have a calling contest up there on Friday night.

By the way, do you know who the top 5 in the pro division were?

Take care,
Corey

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Yeah Jason, are you going to Stanley? I have been waiting fora call on camping directions. I will be heading up thursday night and plan on getting some photos of the elk with my long range camera. I will be staying until sunday morning. My daughters are leaving for home tonight after 3 weeks with old dad and I should be home sulking :-(

RE: Well its time for me to get serious!
 

Corey,
You'll get to know me. For the good or for the bad!! ;) I'm Jason's wife. Of course, most would say that I am biased, and maybe I am. But even from the comments from the other competitors, Jason very easily should have been in the top 5 (and of course in my opinion, the 1st place winner!!)!!! :) The man who actually won the men's competition came to the finals and when he found out that Jason wasn't in the top 5 he said, " I practiced ALL night because I thought that I was going up against you for the finals! " Many of the people in the audience said they were surprised that he wasn't in the finals as well. Thanks for your kind and wise words to Jason. When none of us knew what to say, you did and it was just what he needed to hear. I am hoping that you and Jason are able to become good friends. I know that he looks up to you and Paul, Al and of course Michael. He is very humbled to be able to count these other menas his friends. Jason is a great guy with great ambitions and I will do whatever I can to help him realize his dreams. You don't know what it means to me to be able to see peace on his face after such a hard and disappointing fall. Again, I thank you for giving him that peace. Good luck in all you do and I'm sure you'll hear more from Jason, and probably me, too!!! :D

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Jason------The calling comps are a challenge and can be great fun, there's no doubt, and all want to be winners!! But you have no reason to hang your head, that's for sure!! You've got a great family, and a great supportive wife!! How many wives would come on a public forum and state the things yours did. (Hikchick) Mine wouldn't!!

We've talked a time or two, and you're a winner my friend!! I'm serious too!! I've seen the efforts of your practice with awesome results! Like Corey, says, be patient, give it time, learn what the other top callers are saying, (calling) and doing to keep popping up to the top the way they do. You have the ability to be at the top, and you will. Mark my words, if you continue on with the desire you have along with your talents, there's no stopping you! I've heard you call, I've heard many of the top guys call, you're right there with them & you're getting better all the time! Good Luck, and feel free to pick my brain anytime!! There's no doubt Corey can be a tremendous asset to you, defenitely pick his brain!!! <grin>
ElkNut1

RE: Well its time for me to get serious!
 

Corey, and Paul thanks for the kind words. I will be in contact with both of you soon. Corey all I can say is wow you hit the nail on the head, you right about the croud, also about half of the competitors came up to me and told me they looked foward to seeing me up on stage the next day. I will not let this stop me I know I am still new to comptition but I can say I honestly love it. I was nervos but once on stage I feel like its SHOWTIME ;)and I know this is weird but I sure like that feeling. Not saying I love it moe than calling in the real judge in september:Dbut because elk calling is all about elk, well I love it and yes Paul your right that I have the desire to continue on and be one of the best, I admit that its my dream to win in the mens division. Then maybe someone will think I am good enough to go pro and sponsor me so I can have a chance to compete on that level as well. Well I got to run, oh Paul I got your package in the mail yesterday and thanks it means a lot. Take care Jason

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Jason, it was nice talking with you. I look foward to seeing you and your friend in Stanley. That weekend is always a blast, see you there.

Paul, can we count on you for a beer at the campfire???????????????

RE: Well its time for me to get serious!
 

Elkcrazy8---Not sure, if I do, how can I get a hold of you????--------Paul

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Paul, I will be camped on the road that goes from the main highway to bear valley. It is also the way to cape horn. I will also be at the bugling contest just before dark at the registration area friday night. There will be a sign with my last name at the turn off road. As you are coming from Lowman, the road will be on the left just as you hit the flats that go by the shoot site and into Stanley. I will keep one cold just in case (-:

RE: Well its time for me to get serious!
 

It's good to see everyone still hanging around here.
Jason,
Sorry I haven't been on here for a while. Things a little hectic right now. You know where I stand on this matter because of the conversation we had on the phone the other morning. Keep moving forward. I do consider you a friend and you are welcome to call me anytime. As long as it isn't 11:45 at night again. Just joking. This post should show you how much support and how many friends you have on this site. If there is anything I can do to help just let me know.

Corey,
Can you help me with info also?

elkaholicid
Michael

RE: Well its time for me to get serious!
 

Micheal, we haven't had that beer yet!!!! Are you possibly going to Stanley this weekend?

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Hey Chad,
I sent you my number but you haven't called yet for the beer. I will be in Salem, Or this weekend at the Sportsman's Warehouse for a couple of seminars and a calling contest. I wish I could be with all of you in the mountains. Try not to have too much fun without me.

elkaholicid
Michael

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Jason. U may have not won or placed in the top 5 and I have only spoken to U once but somebody that goes out of their way and phones somebody they have never met and long distance just to help is a WINNER in my books. I have been busy guiding on the river so havn't had a chance to phone Paul (yet) but will as I have a friend headed to Idaho the end of this month for a wedding and I am hoping he will be able to get me some of those tapes of Paul's.

Thanks again for the info.


Jim.

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Canuch-eh, thank you but I realy didn't do much, I will talk toanyone who wants to talk about elk hunting! :)I am getting ready to head to Stanly in about 1/2 hour so good luck to all.

Michael, good luck in Salem, I'll be cheering for you.

Chad I'll see you tonight!

Jason

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Theabove post was me I just forgot to log in under my name. Oh well kind of funny.

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Chad,
I'll meet you at the registration booth for the elk calling contest tonight.Then I'll follow you back to your campsite.

Thanks,
Jason

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Jason, I did not get a chance to say goodbye. I got kinda wrapped up in some stuff going on and when I went to look for you I couldn't find you. It was great meeting you and bugling around the camp site. We drove up to see the elk again before we left. We saw 300 or so and some dandy mule deer bucks.

Corey, it was nice getting to talk with you. I hope your visitors had a great time.

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Chad it was a fun time all around, your right it was a lot of fun to bugle around the camp fire! You, Shane and the rest of the creware some very good elk callers. I just wished I could have stayed longer till today. Rusty and I went and shot another course right after the last time we saw you. When we got back I looked for you guys but figured you went and were either at camp or looking at the elk again. I wanted to try and go find you but Rusty wanted to stay for the drawings and auction. After that is was dark and we needed to start getting home. We got home at just about 2:00 in the morning. Thanks for letting us stay with you guys, next time I'll make sure I have more time to visit and play!:D

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Jason, i am going to nickname you the 'GROWLER' bull! You can sure get one heckof a growlout of your bugle tube. I sure am glad that we finally got to meet up with each other, had a great time sitting around the campfire, sure sounded like a herd of elk were coming from all directions (LOL). Keep doing what you are doing, (bugling), you sound awsome now, and you areonly going to get better, Your growler bugle gives me goosebumps everytime i hear it, reminds me of a bull we nicknamed------------------- (the growler bull)years ago, coming from a deep canyon... You and Rusty are super great guys to be around, hope we can meet up in the future,
RobinHood36>>>=============<>