E.L.K., Inc. is not located in a fancy, many-thousand square foot facility decorated with trophy animals and racks of designer clothes. Rather it occupies a modest 600 square-foot storefront on Park Street in Gardiner, MT. Its only trophy decorations are a few antlers hanging here and there throughout the store and some hunter’s snapshots. Its designer clothing consists of a few embroidered and camouflage hunting caps.

There are no smooth-talking sales people selling high-dollar equipment and promising successful hunting with each purchase. In fact E.L.K.’s best salesman is its owner, Don Laubach, an easy going, western-shirted Montanan with a great sense of humor. Don just happens to be an expert, 53-year veteran hunter and the inventor of “Cow Talk”, the call that revolutionized elk hunting.

Don says, “Before 1984 I was a self-employed accountant who had started hunting with my dad for our freezer and not for sport when I was nine years old. As seasons passed and I gained experience it became obvious to me that to call a bull elk effectively any time of the year, not just rutting season, I needed to sound like a cow elk. So I made a simple device for my own use that proved my theory.

“In 1984 Gordon Eastman a renowned outdoor movie-maker from Wyoming asked me to help produce an elk calling video and when he found out how I called elk he informed me I had something that would revolutionize the elk hunting world. Little did I know how true his statement was!

“Like any fisherman with a favorite fishing hole, I was reluctant to share my invention. But Gordon convinced me to market the call and in 1985 we formed E.L.K., Inc. (Eastman Laubach Kreations, Inc.). We did not have the funding to have calls molded nor the foresight to realize the demand. We operated our business entirely from my home and in the first year I built over 10,000 calls in my basement. I could not keep up with the demand.

“Major hunting magazines began featuring articles about ‘Cow Talk’ and our volume of mail grew to 10 to 20 pounds a day! I still thought my call was just a fad but the next year we sold over 50,000 and again I could not keep up with the demand.

“I hired people to help and this allowed me time to exhibit at trade shows, attend markets, develop new products, write books and work with Gordon on new videos. When Gordon died 6 years ago, I bought ‘Eastman’s Outdoor World’ video business and started producing videos on my own. Soon I will offer DVDs. Today we have over 40 distributors that sell our products worldwide, including Japan, France, England, Germany, Canada and Australia. We have increased our line of products from one call to over 70 related items.”

The shelves at E.L.K., Inc. are stocked with calls and related accessories for attracting elk, deer, turkeys and coyotes along with instruction books and videos - most sell for $10 to $25. Besides the products Don developed there are other related items including binoculars, scents and lures. Part of Don’s success has been a darn good product and his niche market. A much greater factor has been Don’s “down to earth” approachability and the power of “word of mouth” advertising. He comments’ “I’m not in this business to promote myself; I’m here to help people”. And people do call and they do come – some for help learning to use his calls, some to say “thanks”, some to meet the inventor, and some just to find out where the best sightings are. All are welcome.