What would you do......

[jtrammell]

So this happened to me opening morning and I wasn't sure what to do.


Opening morning of archery elk, I'm using a cow call. Now, I had never done ANY type of calling so I really didn't know what to do, other than the things I had seen on YouTube videos. Around 1100ish I call in a bull. He was 61 yards away, thru thick brush. I am comfortable to 40 yards so even if it was clear, I wouldn't have taken a shot. Well, he comes running up and STOPS. Puts his nose in the air....and I'm busted. He turns and hauls butt in the direction he came from.

I didn't know what to do. I have only been elk hunting for two years and I wasn't sure if I should get up and pursue, keep calling in hopes of him getting interested again, or just call it a day since I was busted.

I ended up calling for another hour or so, then I got up and went to a different location in the same general area. What hurt the most was this bull was the target bull. I had a lot of pictures of him on the trail camera and I was pretty bummed I wasn't able to pet him this year.

[shadowless_nite]

Did you check wind before calling? That would have been the appropriate step before calling to avoid getting busted, assuming he came in hot ignoring wind in his favor as he was sniffing around for a cow and caught your scent when he stopped find said noise.

I'm no pro by any means, but there's not many options if a bull runs in and runs out just as fast. You may be able to catch up and trail them till he calms down and starts chasing tail again and sneak back in, assuming hes not in the next county over by then. If there is one thing your doing right it's looking for solutions to solve your previous problem.

[Tbar]

Wind is everything!  Generally speaking if they smell you the gig is up. I've been seen dozens of times and called them back, I can't say the same about being winded.

[Elknut1]

The wind is sacred to elk & should be considered the same with us hunters, they wind you & it's over! Too, at 11 a.m. he was in his bedding area so not only did he vacate the area he most likely did not return back.

  There's really nothing magical you could have done even if you could have stopped him as he was even further out of your bowrange. By calling to him at the time you were busted you are associating your elk sound with the threat that alarmed him. Do your best to avoid that on future hunts. Good luck, elk hunting is a process, you just learned one of the "dont's" (grin)

  ElkNut1

[huntnfmly]

 
 I was going to tell you to get a hold of elknut he loves talking elk and he also has some great dvds that help and a playbook that talks about certain hunting situations.
I bought one of his packages last year and is packed with info well worth it