I need help ( Elk Hunting

[Bobfl]

I have recently done an elk adventure and have no problem bugeling elk.
I bugelled 20 elk and got five down, one to 30 meters, two to fifty, one to 100 and one to 200. I used the aggressive bugle on four of the elk and never went into the bush to stock them. On number one. I went into the bush but it never came with in sight but was within 30 meters in the timber. Two and three I bugelled the elk to fifty meters, they grunted, I did not have a grunt so I aggresively bugled and I did not hoochie these to get them out of the timber. They left. Three did the same thing. the fourth, I brought within 50 meters of the timber edge and soft hoochied him. Thought he was hooked hard. He also left after 20 min. Of the five I should have seen three.

[bearass]

Sounds like you are doing pretty good to me.Are you checking your wind?
If they are hanging up get closer.Some years its comes easy some years you run into problems thats the way it goes.Sure is alot of fun though.Thats the, thing I love about elk hunting you don,t have to kill something to have a good time

[mark]

Just wait till you get one into 10 feet, that's exciting!

[bearass]

Also Bobfl When a bull comes in he wants to see cows hear cows and smell cows.I think some times if they only hear and all the other senses are not fullfilled he will hang up.

[guest]

Cow mews, bugles, grunts, raking trees, down wind of coarse, if they are trying to wind you by circling, move with them ...just a matter of time .

Good luck to you

CT

[Ltbullken]

Aggressive herd bull bugling insn't everything, try some cow calls and immature/satellite bugles together when he gets close.

[chola]

Aggressive herd bull bugling insn't everything, try some cow calls and immature/satellite bugles together when he gets close.

exactly...patience and perseverence will pay off..get some cow in heat scent to mist around the area too...sounds like your are having a great time...good luck

[Brambles]

Elk know Exactly where the sound is coming from, they expect to see something and get nervous when they don't, you need a second caller who is positioned 50 yards behind the shooter or you could try a decoy.

Project your bugles and cow calls behind you or in your jacket when they get close.

[JDR]

What are you supposed to do when he pisses off with his cows every time you bugle near him? If I just cow call he holds, but doesn't move in. Not sure if I should just cow call and try and sneak in thereby risking being seen by him or his cows or if I should try to get real close and bugle? Any ideas?

[chola]

What are you supposed to do when he pisses off with his cows every time you bugle near him? If I just cow call he holds, but doesn't move in. Not sure if I should just cow call and try and sneak in thereby risking being seen by him or his cows or if I should try to get real close and bugle? Any ideas?

He's already got his harem..he aint looking for a fight..Brambles said it best..set up with another partner if that's an option...other than that,try a quiet stalk, but don't rush anything

[Brambles]

What are you supposed to do when he pisses off with his cows every time you bugle near him? If I just cow call he holds, but doesn't move in. Not sure if I should just cow call and try and sneak in thereby risking being seen by him or his cows or if I should try to get real close and bugle? Any ideas?


If he's got his harem and bugles, rounds up his cows and EFF's off. Then what you need to do is try and pattern him.

I had a bull do this, every morning he was in the exact same spot but regardless of cow or bull call he would gather up the girls and leave. The trick is to get within his comfort zone, there will be an area around him that he deems his "action" zone. Anything threatening to take his cows within this Zone will result in aggression, anything outside this zone and he feels he has the time and best interests to just leave.

Usually this comfort zone is pretty close. I believe its under 100 yards, could be as little as 50 yds.

Personally I'd just take it on faith that he's gonna be there again if I have had him going on multiple days. I'd go in quiet without calling at all.

If your unsure about wether he's there or not then
Start the morning off with cow calls, if he responds then shut up and go in quiet as far as you can before you need his location again. Just remember he knows EXACTLY where you are.

If in the morning he doesnt' respond to cow calls, then try a bugle. Don't blow the crap out of it, you want to sound smaller then him. If he responds then Shut up. Try and determine to the best of your abillity his location and go in quiet.

Get into his comfort zone and then try cow calling, bring multiple calls to sound like different cows. He knows his girls and what they sound like, your gonna sound new to him and he'll wanna take a look. He might come in quiet too. Helps to mix up the cow calls all at once, make it sound like 3 cows just chatting over lunch.

If after a while you still know your close but nothing is working, let er rip with a bugle, still try and sound smaller. This is a last ditch effort before the morning is over and the heat picks up. This could envoke a violent response so be ready.

How do you know your close? You'll smell him. The area will look Elky, your heart will race and your hands will shake. When that happens, your close:mrgreen:

Another thing, are you sure he's gathering cows and leaving or is he just leaving. He might be sick of getting picked on. I know guys who have ran bulls down as they retreat and bugle, the bulls were alone and just retreating probably because they are sick of getting their asses handed to them.

I try and cow call WAY more then bugling. Mix it up to, sometimes they will respond to a certian call blown in a certain way, and nothing else. Sometimes they will respond to a completely screwed up attempt.

This year I had a bull and he responded very well to a certain cow call amplified through a grunt tube, he loved it and called back very reliably.

Good luck

[Brambles]

Another option if you have two guys is to set up an ambush. If you know his excape route and can slip in the back door. Have a buddy bugle like a madman and try to get him to gather his cows and leave, all the while your set up in his excape route.

[huntinnut]

The best would be to have two or three guys. It makes it alot easier, but if you're alone you can try a couple things. The first is not to try to get him to come out in the open with a bugle. It sometimes works, but not very often, especiallly if he has cows. You'll likely push him away. If you're chasing him in the bush, he may or may not come to the bugle, and likely he'll hang up at about 50-80 yards. If you can get him to answer the bugle once, then move in closer and start cow calling. If he starts to come, and answers it, then move about 50 yards quarting towards him and find an opening, with the wind the right way. Then shut up for a bit and see what he does. He's looking for you 50 yards from where you were. If he doesn't come, then start cow calling again.

[ElkMasterC]

Either get into the timber with him, or get a partner that is.
You bugle from farther back, and he waits on the suspected route of travel.
I had that happen lots of times when I started, and now if a bull responds, the bugler falls back, leaving the shooter in place, or shooter moves into the bull (watching wind direction, etc).
Sounds like you're having fun

[mark]

What are you supposed to do when he pisses off with his cows every time you bugle near him? If I just cow call he holds, but doesn't move in. Not sure if I should just cow call and try and sneak in thereby risking being seen by him or his cows or if I should try to get real close and bugle? Any ideas?

If I hear bull bugling, but hes not moving, I move in on him, 100 yards at a time then bugle again. He now knows another bull is coming for him. You come within 100 yards of his cows he should want to kick yer ass!
If he keeps buggering off, you run right at him (always from the downwind of course) I mean charge him, make as much noise as you want! Bugling like crazy!!! Now he knows he has to fight, he wont run like a scaredycat if hes got cows, only if they smell you!
Often they will take you into some thick bush, but this works awesome, Ive chased elk for 3 hours solid, over a few miles, way over 100 bugles by each of us, and got him to 10 feet of my barrel, before I counted 5 points :sad:.
Running down a herd bull this way is the most exciting and rewarding style of hunting Ive ever experienced by far!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-P