What European deer callers consider an art, Americans might find hysterical, cringeworthy or even uncomfortable.
During the 2026 Deer Calling World Championships in Germany, competitors crammed huge tubes into their mouths and produced what, to the uninitiated, might sound like a Sasquatch having gastrointestinal problems.
They were trying to replicate the iconic “roar” of the mighty red deer, a big-game animal that resembles and is closely related to Wyoming’s elk.
Viewing the video of the competition left quite an impression on noted Wyoming outdoorsman Paul Ulrich.
“Holy hell, my first thought was that very similar to some of my hunting buddies destroying kielbasa around the campfire after a day of hunting on the mountain,” Ulrich told Cowboy State Daily.
‘The Roar’
Bull elk are well-known for their bugles, or screaming calls, during the rut or mating season.
Their European cousins, red deer, arguably got the cooler call, biologist Kevin Monteith noted.
“It’s not a grunt, it’s literally a roar,” he told Cowboy State Daily.
“The rut, in New Zealand, is actually called the 'roar,'" added Monteith, a biologist at the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Wyoming and a taxidermist.
Red deer were introduced to New Zealand in 1851, when a pair was sent from England to the South Island. That first introduction failed, but a later release in 1861 established a population.
They’ve since thrived, and New Zealand is a prime red deer hunting destination.
Elk and red deer are closely related enough that they can interbreed, and “that’s been done intentionally” in some instances, Monteith said.
Echoes Above The River
Wyoming hunting guide Brad Carpenter once took a hunting trip to New Zealand.
He wasn’t hunting red deer, but rather Himalayan tahr, a wild goat species introduced to New Zealand in 1904.
“They’re just a goofy, shaggy thing that bounces around the mountains,” Carpenter told Cowboy State Daily.
He was there in March, when the red deer roar occurs.
“I never did get to see the red deer, but I heard them,” he said. “You could hear the roars echoing once we got up above the river. They say that sound is impressive. But then again so is bull elk bugling.”
As far as the huge, awkward red deer calls, Carpenter said they’re similar to huge birchwood moose calls he saw hunters and guides using in the Yukon.
Ulrich also said he’s never hunted red deer, but he has a brother-in-law who once shot one in Argentina.
“When I saw his pictures, I was surprised at how big red deer are,” Ulrich said.
Red deer were first introduced to Argentina in 1906 by industrialist Pedro Luro.
Calling All Sasquatch
Ulrich added that the red deer calling contest reminded him of rumored attempts to call sasquatch, or Bigfoot, in Wyoming.
“The sound and methodology of red deer calling reminded me of Bigfoot hunters trying to call in a Bigfoot,” he said.
Ulrich wouldn’t tip his hand when asked if he’d ever seen a successful Bigfoot calling.
“To protect the innocent and the guilty, I won’t reveal the names of those involved or say how successful that technique has proven in luring a Bigfoot,” he said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
