Calling for Elk

[gathto]

For you guys that like calling for Elk. Do you use a cow only during the rut, or will you mix in a Bull Bugle in as well between the Cow call.

[Ddog]

personally i have 4 different cow calls and i also carry 2 bugles. Over the past few years i have learned that if one doesnt work it doesnt mean that there isnt anything around you. I had one bull only respond to the cowgirl call that in my opinion sounded like a high pitched whistle. On one occasion after dark my friend and i sat near the edge of a clearing and tried 4 different bugles and 5 or so cow calls. we had responses to 2 bugles, and i think it was 3 cow calls that worked tremendously.
i use all of them all season long, and then tend to stick with the one that worked to get the bull to respond and then i do occasionally throw in a bugle to get him all riled up, it has worked for me numerous times.

[gathto]

Has anyone ever called in a predator while calling

[brotherjack]

Yep, hoochie mamma makes a great bear call. Biggest black bear I ever saw in my life came in to a hoochie mamma (and like a fool, I let The Wife(tm) talk me out of shooting him, because it would have ended elk hunting for the day).

And good luck with the elk calling thing; I've been trying for years, and in all that time, I've had lots of bulls scream at me/with me from back in the timber, but I can count the number of bulls that have ever "came in to the call" for me on one finger.

[hunter1947]

When I set up first light I will bugle two or three times then I Wait and listen and glass for about 20 min ,if I get an answer I will wait and let him make his move providing the wind is in my favor.

If he does not come to my call I then move to wards him for a short dissidence and then set up and give a few more calls and see what happens ,if the bull is interested and coming your direction then set up as soon as you can ,they can cover ground really fast ,there depth of perception is unbelievable.

If nothing calls back to me I then move on for about 10 min then let one or two bugles go again wait for about 10 min if no answer comes back I continue on then I start mixing my calls every 10 or 15 min ,take note that I will set up when doing the cow calling as for a few bugles.

You just don't know how far a bull might be from you when you do a call ,so that is why it is very important to get set up before you do any calling of any sort.

Every time I set up to do calling and if I get no return call I then move on ,I do give a few bugle now and then just to see ,I keep doing this strategy when I am out there hunting elk.

Take note sometimes a bull will hear your call and say nothing back to you ,he might be interested and he might be coming in on you so be on the look out for him.

I have had many bulls come in without answering me ,why I think some bulls come in cautious is because some have probably had a beaten laid on them from a bigger bull.

When I do get an answer back from a Bull I always let him set the tone with his calling ,I try copying him.

If he bugles once and will not call me anymore I switch to cow calling wait and watch I will throw a few short bugles in once and a while just to let him know that I am the bull holding these cows ,not him.

If I hear nothing from this bull after 10 min I will move slowly toward the direction he called from last ,I will take 20 steps then watch and listen for 2min then continue doing the same thing moving in slowly.

I will give more cow calls then bugles when I get a reply from the bull ,he just might answer me back at sometime as he is coming my way.

If the bull holds back on me out at about 200 yards mark or so and I can't see him I will grab a big stick and pound the brush around me and stomp the ground a few times and give a bugle.

I then wait and watch listen for him ,I give a few short bugles his way just to let him know that I am a challenge to him and I will be coming in to take his cows from him.

He just might be a herd bull I am dealing with but then again he might not be a herd bull but I still play the same game with my calling to try getting this bull into my sight so I can identify his antler points on the one side or the other. .

[sako_300]

Converse to the above - if you have a bull that is very aggressive and is coming at you rapidly, hunker down and spray some cow estrus or bull scent around the area as he will be trying to wind you. A few cow calls always helps as well.

There's nothing better then a bull roaring in the bush 20yrds away from you pissed off trying to find something to fight...

[hunter1947]

Converse to the above - if you have a bull that is very aggressive and is coming at you rapidly, hunker down and spray some cow estrus or bull scent around the area as he will be trying to wind you. A few cow calls always helps as well.

There's nothing better then a bull roaring in the bush 20yrds away from you pissed off trying to find something to fight...

That is very true sako 300 ,I spay myself down with cow urine before I enter the field and when the bull is getting close I spray the air with cow scent or urine as well http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/icons/icon12.gif.

[Ron.C]

Has anyone ever called in a predator while calling


Last year I called in a cougar, and two black bears while calling elk. I heard both bears comming in, but the cat surprised me when I first saw it at less that 20 yards.

[4570hunter]

A few methods like run and gun work well too. Call and then run to the nearest location where you think the Bull might come through. Basically you are closing the gap between you and the bull.

Different calls work I use different reeds most people use factory calls. either works fine. It's not about calling it's about locating Elk. Find them first then call.

This year I am going to buy a decoy or two (montana) and see how that works. Elk have great smelling senses but I heard once they spot a cow decoy they come right in. I am not a fan of putting Urine all over my gear. This year like all years past I collect the urine and give it away or freeze it.

I have a cow elk tag this year so my hunt should be exciting as I try and ambush animals and the purpose of the Decoy is that when they look they will see something. Having a caller and a shooter really works well together
as well.

This year my 11 year old son will lost calf call and and bring them right into
me.

Having done Elk hunting Solo poses more things to consider but if you can find an afternoon watering hole set up a tree stand and watch them come in. No calling required & Salt licks work well too.

Good luck to all hunting Elk this year

Cheers

[pistolpete]

You guys gave him terrific advice.
One thing that a friend of mine from the EK used last year was the Elk smoke sticks. He never seen so many bulls come in.
i've got some for this year.
Good Luck everyone.

[hunter1947]

You guys gave him terrific advice.
One thing that a friend of mine from the EK used last year was the Elk smoke sticks. He never seen so many bulls come in.
i've got some for this year.
Good Luck everyone.


What the heck is an elk smoke stick ???:roll: ,never heard about this ???:roll:.

[willyqbc]

Well we use a method that is a fair bit different than what is conventionally used, i.e get response, set up and call/wait. We use the bugle almost exclusively. We walk as quickly as we can and bugle every 200 yards until we get a response. We have had much more success doing this than the bugle...wait....move a ways....bugle...wait method. I really believe that a lot of the time a bull who has any cows with him may well not respond to a bugle because he does not want the other bull horning in....instead we try to elicit a defensive bugle trying to warn off a bull that seems to be moving in on him. Once we get a response we begin moving directly toward the bull, bugling regularly to let him know we are coming to take his cows, this almost always gets continued responses from the bull we are working. As we get inside his comfort zone we have seen almost identical behavior from most bulls....they push their cows away and then circle back to face their adversary, circling trying to wind the other bull. Usually we are well inside 200 yards at this point and the shooter moves up from the caller to intercept the bull as he circles to get the wind. Our success rate at getting a look at the bull once we get the first response from him is well over 90% since using this technique and has accounted for about 40 close encounters with bulls in 21 days of elk hunting over the past 3 years. We do mix in some cow calls as we get closer to the bull, but predominantly we stick with the bugle....focusing more on a bulls aggressive response rather than his horny one!!!:grin:

Good Luck
Chris

[GoatGuy]

A few methods like run and gun work well too. Call and then run to the nearest location where you think the Bull might come through. Basically you are closing the gap between you and the bull.

Different calls work I use different reeds most people use factory calls. either works fine. It's not about calling it's about locating Elk. Find them first then call.

This year I am going to buy a decoy or two (montana) and see how that works. Elk have great smelling senses but I heard once they spot a cow decoy they come right in. I am not a fan of putting Urine all over my gear. This year like all years past I collect the urine and give it away or freeze it.

I have a cow elk tag this year so my hunt should be exciting as I try and ambush animals and the purpose of the Decoy is that when they look they will see something. Having a caller and a shooter really works well together
as well.



I've never tried an elk decoy either but I can tell you that once a bull moose spots a black garbage bag moving in the wind he'll go from being shy and coming in slow to running in licking his lips.

Not much different than the rest of us. Hearing it over the phone isn't the same as hearing it and seeing it in person. :biggrin:

[todbartell]

What the heck is an elk smoke stick ???:roll: ,never heard about this ???:roll:.

they're like a little scented stick that slowly smoulders and gives off a smokey stink. Never seen them for elk but have seen them for deer, moose, bear

[moosinaround]

they're like a little scented stick that slowly smoulders and gives off a smokey stink. Never seen them for elk but have seen them for deer, moose, bear
Careful with them this year! Might end up creating more burnt elk habitat!!

[hunter1947]

they're like a little scented stick that slowly smoulders and gives off a smokey stink. Never seen them for elk but have seen them for deer, moose, bear


:roll: I will have to try this one evening when I have a bull calling to me :roll:.

[todbartell]

Ive never used one but some guys swear by them for moose. Others Ive talked to say they dont work very well.

[RockyMountainHunter1]

Me and my hunting buddy last year were working down a ridge that was thick with timber letting off a few cow calls as we went.It was about 20 minutes before we let off a bugle. Right after letting it go were heard noises coming through the bush. It was getting closer and all of a sudden a pack of wolves were in front of us sniffing the game trails. They got to about 15 feet till my buddy let out a big yelp and the looked up and imediately took off. Looking back we should have open fired instead of yelling.I probably wont get a chance like that again and our day in that area was pretty much over knowing those wolves were there looking for the same elk we were.

[J_T]

Well we use a method that is a fair bit different than what is conventionally used, i.e get response, set up and call/wait. We use the bugle almost exclusively. We walk as quickly as we can and bugle every 200 yards until we get a response. We have had much more success doing this than the bugle...wait....move a ways....bugle...wait method. I really believe that a lot of the time a bull who has any cows with him may well not respond to a bugle because he does not want the other bull horning in....instead we try to elicit a defensive bugle trying to warn off a bull that seems to be moving in on him. Once we get a response we begin moving directly toward the bull, bugling regularly to let him know we are coming to take his cows, this almost always gets continued responses from the bull we are working. As we get inside his comfort zone we have seen almost identical behavior from most bulls....they push their cows away and then circle back to face their adversary, circling trying to wind the other bull. Usually we are well inside 200 yards at this point and the shooter moves up from the caller to intercept the bull as he circles to get the wind. Our success rate at getting a look at the bull once we get the first response from him is well over 90% since using this technique and has accounted for about 40 close encounters with bulls in 21 days of elk hunting over the past 3 years. We do mix in some cow calls as we get closer to the bull, but predominantly we stick with the bugle....focusing more on a bulls aggressive response rather than his horny one!!!:grin:

Good Luck
Chris hhmmm, don't get me started. Are we just talking about calling, or the entire approach. It's pretty close to the archery opening to get wound up.

You have to be prepared for a number of situations. Satellite bull vs herd bull vs spike or cow. A cow call or lonely cow/calf call, is your best chance to call in a spike. The big bulls are the most fun and our approach is very aggressive. Bugle and go hard straight at him. Close the gap by 1/2 as fast as possible. If you're in around 2 - 300 yards make a plan, but don't shy from agression. Many times it's using a cow call that works.

I also use about 3 different calls and include diaghrams.

[4570hunter]

I have used smoke sticks but never as a cover scent, light it up and walk over it a couple of times. Walk over to many times and you will feel like a coating of grease has been laid on you. Its strong odor last the whole day. Here is the bonus you don't have to worry to much about wind especially when it is swirling. I have never used as a stick burning in the wind and waiting for animals to come by. The smell is like a burning alpha smell with sweet aroma.

[WKCotts]

Ive never used one but some guys swear by them for moose. Others Ive talked to say they dont work very well.

Heard they are unreal for Elk too... had a buddy use them over in the EK last year

[rocksteady]

Variety is the spice of life....Especially if you are elk hunting....

I have used all of the methods mentioned here (except the smoke sticks) and there is no such thing as a sure thing....Depends on the mood of the bull, sometimes you gotta go hard and other times, you do the subtle soft calls...

Every bull/herd is different, depending on the day..

Having the ability to mix up your bag of tricks is sometimes all it takes to get the bull interested...

[Ron.C]

Having the ability to mix up your bag of tricks is sometimes all it takes to get the bull interested...


I think you just hit the nail on the head.

I'm far from an expert on elk hunting, but I have seen one method work extremely well one day, only to use the same method the next day and put the elk into flight mode.

Don't be afraid to try something new if what your using isn't working. What do you have to lose.

[lunatic]

Every situation is a little different and some very good methods have been mentioned. Another method I have used with success is called aggresive cow talk. Like others mentioned, it is good to have a variety of calls as each one has a different tone. Sometimes I get set up, and then using about 4 or 5 different cow calls, I call almost non stop for at least 15 mins. This simulates a harem of cows as they are always very vocal. I've had bulls come bellowing in looking to see if they could woop my ass and take "my cows". "Chumming" can be another very effective method. I believe it was talked about on here last year, so if you do a search you can probably find that thread.

[hunter1947]

Every situation is a little different and some very good methods have been mentioned. Another method I have used with success is called aggresive cow talk. Like others mentioned, it is good to have a variety of calls as each one has a different tone. Sometimes I get set up, and then using about 4 or 5 different cow calls, I call almost non stop for at least 15 mins. This simulates a harem of cows as they are always very vocal. I've had bulls come bellowing in looking to see if they could woop my ass and take "my cows". "Chumming" can be another very effective method. I believe it was talked about on here last year, so if you do a search you can probably find that thread.

Lunatic this is very true ,my brother and me used to set up in the evenings about 100 feet from the other and we would cow call aggressively on and off sounding like a adult cow as for a calf as for a herd of elk.

He would do 5 or 6 calls and after he stopped I would do the same ,then we both would call together then stop for about 5 min then do the same all over again ,we took a few good bulls this way ,you really got to keep your eyes and ears pealed when doing this type of calling ,most times that we can say is that the bull never called once when coming in ,90% of the time he just showed up from no where http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/icons/icon12.gif.

[Fisher-Dude]

Has anyone ever called in a predator while calling

Only a sow grizzly with a yearling cub that wanted to kill and eat us - other than that, don't worry! :-P

[hunter1947]

Has anyone ever called in a predator while calling

I have called in around 10 grizzly bears in my elk hunting years ,one time I all most got it ,I still think of that day around 20 years ago ,my last call in was with Trigger Scott from HBC ,that was 3 years ago http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/icons/icon9.gif.

[bowhunterbruce]

Has anyone ever called in a predator while calling
i am really hoping a grizzly comes in to my cow/calf calling,the wife and i have a moose and grizz draw.

[4570hunter]

WOW keep it coming I am learning lots here

[hunter1947]

Cover as much ground as you can when elk hunting the more you do your chances of bagging one is much greater.

On the average when I was a younger man I used to walk about 10 miles a day when hunting for elk http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/icons/icon12.gif.

[Nuzguy]

This is a great thread! Lot's of good insight here... Thanks to the forum. Any thoughts on calling and getting in close while hunting by yourself? I used to do all of my Elk hunitng with a partner and we could use the caller to pull the elk through the shooter. Now I'm on my own (I moved to BC, he's in Sask). I could really use some advice on calling and seeing elk while alone. I was up in the Coal Creek Pass area around Fernie last year an saw some great sign. I knbow they were there just could not get a response. Any insight on solo elk hunts would be greatly appreciated.

I don't post a lot here as I don't know any other hunters in BC but I sure do like reading. There's a wealth of knowledge here.

THANKS!

Nuz

[Ron.C]

Like I always say when I respond to these posts, I'm no expert. This is just what I've seen/learned or what's worked for me.
I've shot three elk with my bow "calf/cow/spike" while hunting by myself, here are a couple observations looking back on these elk plus some others that I've called in while hunting solo.

The Calf was a fluke, I just got dropped off around 3:30 pm, walked in the bush 100m, and let a cow call out, busted the cow/calf, but the cow left the calf and took off. One year while setting up my decoy, I looked up to see a 5 point at around 25 yards watching me. My bow was 30 yards behind me with my pack. Later that same day, around 1130 in the morning, I was walking out of the bush, and had it in my mind that the morning was done. I stopped breifly to see which was the easiest way up a hill and a lone cow was standing 30 yards to my left, broadside. She was gone before I could knock my arrow. I think the point that all the situations above have in common is this. A solo hunter is much quieter, and dispersses much less scent then two or more hunters and I think is more likely to unknowingly walk up on elk. So I think a solo hunter needs to put more effort to always be ready and never to let your guard down. And that's a very hard thing to do day after day after day.

Next I guess for me when setting up to call, I like to use a decoy, but I like to set the decoy fairly close to me. This way if an elk comes in, there is a visual reference near to where he heard the calls. This year I've attached some mono filament to the head so I can impart some movement if the situation seems right. I've seen elk totally focused on the decoy, even after they have seen me, especially when a bit of a breeze gets the decoy moving a bit. This is what happened the night I shot my spike.

Don't set up where you can see for miles/miles. I like thicker bush as I think this caters to a solo hunter. I think the elk in open areas have the advantage as they can hang up and check things out from a safe distance" remember I bowhunt ;)"
I think if you can get the elk in the thicker stuff to look for you, you have a good chance, especially if he see's your decoy/ If you can find a small opening in or around a thick area, even better. These are the spots I like to, place my decoy.

Always scan behind you as well as infront when you are calling. I've had several elk come in within bow range from down wind. Yes down wind. But not expecting it is a mistake. Not all elk will run out of the country if they get downwind. Also, you may catch a bear/cougar comming in. Last fall I had a cougar walk in from downwind just before sunset. He was within 20 yards before I saw him.

be flexible. Don't become hooked on one method. This is my problem. I have a hard time trying something new if one technique/call has worked well in the past.

good luck

[J_T]

Depending on the situation you can maybe make just about any call you want and it will work. The most important thing in elk hunting is the wind. They don't have a monster nasal system just for good looks.

Regarding the calling in predators. Have called in numerous Grizz to within bow range while working a bull.

[hunter1947]

One more note more so then not when I cover ground I have spotted elk in areas where I did not expect to find them so always expect to see elk at any given place.

[Nuzguy]

So last year I was up east of Fernie looking for Elk. Saw some sign but did not hear a peep. I met another solo hunter up there from Cranbrook and he was very helpful. Said the Elk had just "shutdown" and gone quiet. Has this happened to any others? Do Elk bugle and call for a few days and then go quiet or do they just move away?

[J_T]

So last year I was up east of Fernie looking for Elk. Saw some sign but did not hear a peep. I met another solo hunter up there from Cranbrook and he was very helpful. Said the Elk had just "shutdown" and gone quiet. Has this happened to any others? Do Elk bugle and call for a few days and then go quiet or do they just move away?Absolutely. Time to change tactics or location.

[eastkoot]

i am really hoping a grizzly comes in to my cow/calf calling


NO you don't!!!!!! You won't even hear him coming till it's too late. I suggest putting the wife out front as a decoy:p

[Fisher-Dude]

NO you don't!!!!!! You won't even hear him coming till it's too late. I suggest putting the wife out front as a decoy:p

Did you ever get the shit stains out of your gonch from that sow and cub that came after us? I threw mine away...

[hunter1947]

So last year I was up east of Fernie looking for Elk. Saw some sign but did not hear a peep. I met another solo hunter up there from Cranbrook and he was very helpful. Said the Elk had just "shutdown" and gone quiet. Has this happened to any others? Do Elk bugle and call for a few days and then go quiet or do they just move away?


You are correct I have had them turn there clocks backyards and shut up ,they are there and not moved ,many times if you get close enough to the bull you can hear grunts and chuckles thats about all ,heat is one factor that they might shut up another is that there are no cows in estrus at this time.

Then one day all shit will hit the fan and they start bugling the heads off again ,it could be that a few cows have come into estrus that restarts the bugling up again.