Bugle Boy Gets Early Start At Calling Elk

“It should be noted that when Dalton Williams was born, the doctor and nurses said he had a great set of lungs,” the boy’s mother recalled.

Today, Dalton is still using that wind-power to make sure the world know’s he’s around.

A few elk might be taking notice, too.

In March, Dale and Teena Williams of Nine Mile Falls, took Dalton to Walla Walla, where he took second place in the kids elk bugling contest during the Blue Mountain’s Archery Shoot.

“Most people couldn’t believe he could bugle at such a young age and that he knows the difference between a grunt call and a cow call,” Teena said.

Perhaps there’s a genetic connection, since Dalton’s father, uncles and grandfathers, not to mention numerous cousins, have savored the hunt for generations.

“I came home one afternoon when Dalton was not even two months old and he had an elk bugle he was playing with,” Teena said.

Dale had been entertaining the boy with the call but marveled at how quickly the toddler developed an awareness of what bugling was all about.

Teena was carrying Dalton in a backpack when he first helped his father bugle in an elk.

But the talent did not develop overnight. Like any skilled hunter/caller, Dalton had to hone his skill for many months, before he could mimic the sounds of an elk.

Indeed, Dalton had considerable experience when he stood center stage to display his talent before the bugling contest judges.

Yet he may be the youngest ever to place in such a contest.

“The grunt tube is 20 inches long and Dalton was only 32 inches tall when he competed,” his proud mother said. “He was only 20 months old.”