MISSOULA, Mont. — At a competition riddled with compelling storylines and after years of knocking on the door but never finishing on top, Beau Brooks of La Center, Washington, wowed the crowd and judges alike to complete an unbeaten run to win the professional division of the 2022 Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation World Elk Calling Championships, presented by Sportsman’s Warehouse.
“For my whole life, I’ve always wanted to win the world elk calling competition. This has been one of my biggest goals,” said Brooks. “I looked at the board and it was stacked, and I thought, ‘This is going to be hard, but this is exactly how I want to win it.’ To me, personally, it means the absolute and total world!”
One year after exploding onto the scene at the age of 11 and finishing as runner-up in the women’s division, now 12-year-old Ella Lees of LaGrande, Oregon, defied her small stature with powerful calls and execution to make an unbeaten run through a bracket that included four past world champions.
“I wouldn’t be able to be here without my friends and family. I feel great and just feel like I’ve improved a lot since last year’s competition,” said Lees.
Erik Berglund of Pasco, Washington, who gave up hunting more than a decade ago when his father passed away but was taken in and mentored years later by close bowhunting friends to begin again, won all five of his matches to win the men’s division championship.
“It kind of makes me feel reconnected with him so I’ll never ever, ever miss a September,” said Berglund. “It was an incredible experience. There were a lot of great competitors, amazing callers. I’m kind of beside myself with the outcome.”
Kelton Allman of Santa, Idaho, was the only 2021 champion to successfully defend his or her title. He beat friend Landon Tweedy 4-3 in the tightest finish of any title match to win the youth championship. And in his final year of competition in the pee wee division, Sam Wolcott of Rexburg, Idaho, used only his voice and a grunt tube to win the 2022 title.
Below is a list of top finishers in each division.
Professional Division:
- 1st – Beau Brooks, La Center, Wash.
- 2nd – Tony Gilbertson, Veronia, Ore.
- 3rd – Corey Jacobsen, Donnelly, Idaho
- 4th – Joe McCarthy, Caldwell, Idaho
Men’s
- 1st – Erik Berglund, Pasco, Wash.
- 2nd – Dayton Vaughn, Clinton, Mont.
- 3rd – Patrick Littrell, Peyton, Colo.
- 4th – Kody Garvin, Elberta, Utah
Women’s Division
- 1st – Ella Lees, LaGrande, Ore.
- 2nd – Marisa Pagano, Anaconda, Mont.
- 3rd – Jessi Jacobsen, Donnelly, Idaho
- 4th – Jessi Sletten, Berthoud, Colo.
Youth Division:
- 1st – Kelton Allman, Santa, Idaho
- 2nd – Landon Tweedy, St. Maries, Idaho
- 3rd – Samuel Jacobsen, Donnelly, Idaho
- 4th – Hadrian Hodge, Pueblo West, Colo.
Pee Wee Division:
- 1st – Sam Wolcott, Rexburg, Idaho
- 2nd – Hunter Littrell, Peyton, Colo.
- 3rd – Jace Wangsgard, Eagle Mountain, Utah
- 4th – Breuna Phillips, Harrisville, Utah
“We are grateful to all the competitors, their family and friends, the elk hunting and elk calling community, and our valued sponsors for their support of RMEF and the world championships,” said Riza Lesser, RMEF managing director of marketing.
In addition to presenting sponsor Sportsman’s Warehouse, other sponsors include Bow Spider, Browning, Eberlestock, Gerber, Hoyt, Leupold, Montana Decoy, Nosler, Schnee’s, Swagger and Traeger.
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Click here for a link to multiple photos from the event.
About the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation:
Founded more than 38 years ago and fueled by hunters, RMEF maintains more than 225,000 members and has conserved nearly 8.4 million acres for elk and other wildlife. RMEF also works to open and improve public access, fund and advocate for science-based resource management, and ensure the future of America’s hunting heritage. Discover why “Hunting Is Conservation™” at rmef.org or 800-CALL ELK.
