A 10-year-old Rexburg boy took top honors during the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation World Elk Calling Competition held July 23 in Park City, Utah.

Sam Wolcott placed first in the Pee Wee Division where he competed against six other children. Seven judges oversaw the competition.

“They say, ‘Do cow sounds.’ You do that, and they say, ‘Make bull sounds.’”

The son of James “Tex” and Sarah Wolcott, Sam Wolcott previously competed in other elk calling contests, but the Park City event was his first time doing so at the world championship level.

James Wolcott also competed, but, after not placing, he and his family instead focused on Sam Wolcott’s competition.

“We wanted him to win it, and he did. Quite the accomplishment for a little 10-year-old,” said James Wolcott.

James Wolcott says that his son works on his bugling every day.

“It takes lots and lots of hours of practice to get it right,” James Wolcott said. “You need lots of air. Kids can really pick up the sounds easier. They can learn it.”

Sam Wolcott practices in the morning and doing so gives his vocal cords a good workout.

“It stretches them, so they can sound better,” he said.

Sam Wolcott says he has to be cautious that he doesn’t overdo it.

“You do it too much, it messes with your throat. It takes a lot of voice training,” he said.

The Wolcott family got interested in elk calling after James Walcott heard what he describes as the “miraculous sound” of the elk.

“I got addicted to it,” he said. “It’s a one-of-a-kind unique sound you hear in September when the bull elk are bugling and mating.”

According to the Elk Hunters Guide webpage, the sound a bull or male elk makes is defined as being anything from a low growl to a high-pitched scream lasting for a second or more.

“Bull elk will bugle for multiple reasons,” it said. “One of the main reasons is to announce their presence and to locate other bulls. While bulls may bugle at any time, this activity most commonly begins a few weeks before the rut and lasts a few weeks after the peak of the rut,” it said.

The cow elks aren’t as loud as their male counterparts but still manage to get a bull’s attention.

“This almost sounds like a ‘whine,’” said the webpage that adds, “The call can drive a bull crazy.”

James Wolcott and his family hope to bring more attention to elk calling by participating in the second annual Game Calling & Hunting Workshop at Rexburg’s John Adams GMC. It is scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon on Aug. 27 at 890 W. Main St.

The dealership's service technician Britton Bowen is helping to organize the free activity. He reports that Rocky Mountain Hunting Calls, Mountain Archery and Idaho Fish and Game will make presentations during the event. There will also be a bugle calling competition with prizes being awarded.

The car dealership held the event last year, and everyone enjoyed it so much that the dealership decided to hold it again this year.

“I had a blast last year,” Bowen said. “We wanted to do that again. We have a community up and down this entire valley that are pretty avid hunters.”

Bowen has practiced his elk calling skills while hunting for about six years

“There's some really smart animals in that forest that I can't trick very well,” he said.

Despite that, he continues elk hunting anyway, Bowen said.

“It's a pretty big adrenaline rush, when you have something like an elk screaming at your face from 15 yards,” he said.

Bowen said the dealership would like the workshops to continue. The expectation is that the dealership's Game Calling & Hunting Workshop will continue, Bowen said.

"We’d love to see this take off as a really successful thing each year,” he said.

For more information on the event, call the dealership at 208-881-9075.