Topic of the week - AGGRESSIVE ELK HUNTING FOR HERD BULLS

[hogsniper]

Good write up Jphelps!   Now if I don't kill a big bull this year its all YOUR fault!

[smartazz171]

Good write up Jphelps!   Now if I don't kill a big bull this year its all YOUR fault!

[Pilot_Hunter]

Thanks for the tips! I was wondering if you always keep the reed in your mouth? Or do you leave it in your mouth just when you know you are in close and going to do a lot of calling?

[kentrek]

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Will this type of calling work in November?
It is pretty easy to carry my elk bugle.
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I would say that they are better suited for the Rut.  But waiting in the bedding area, scattering the herd (using lost cow calls) and call and walk into the herd could potentially all work in November.
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will def work in November..even December

esp the cow calls after the herd has been all busted up an that herd bull is trying to regain order

alot of these tactics depend on how much presure the "target" elk have..every elk/elk herd is going to be alil different so its nice to have a big tackle box

[blacktailcody]

Tag.

Great write up.

[Elkpiss]

Ya pretty much right on the money... Takes a dude along time to figure out what you just told everyone right there!...   "Run & Gunner's" & Aggressive Elk Hunters Kill far more elk then reserved and over thinkin Elk Hunters IMO..  Get Ahold of me here in the next few weeks JP...

[JPhelps]

Thanks for the tips! I was wondering if you always keep the reed in your mouth? Or do you leave it in your mouth just when you know you are in close and going to do a lot of calling?

I usually always have a call in mouth (except lunch time  )

Ya pretty much right on the money... Takes a dude along time to figure out what you just told everyone right there!...   "Run & Gunner's" & Aggressive Elk Hunters Kill far more elk then reserved and over thinkin Elk Hunters IMO..  Get Ahold of me here in the next few weeks JP...

Will do.  I know last year when I originally posted this information I received 4 or 5 personal messages asking why I shared it.  I hope that it will help someone out there notch a tag.

[SuperMag]

Great write up, I am originally from Michigan and have pretty much focused all of my hunting efforts into Whitetail's, its my true obsession. I've always wanted to kill an elk with my bow and i tried pretty hard my first year out here(2011). But all my personal knowledge is invested into whitetail hunting. as far as elk the only stuff i have learned is from watching the outdoor channel and DVD's i purchased on the how to's of calling. This year i am going to try to focus alot more on putting a tag on a elk. Hopefully these tips will help me out alot. Thanks

[huntnnw]

I will say hunting in NE WA and N ID I employed the same tactics as written above for years. I had spotty results and killed a few elk with them . The last 4 years I have completely changed the way I call and my opportunities and harvest numbers have jumped way up! I have all but tossed the bugle away, I have toned down my cow calls to very soft and not loud and its working .. Dunno if its due to wolves having an effect on them or even the lack of mature bulls with cows around here being a issue , our herds around here avg 4-7 cows and almost any branched bull has cows. I cannot even begin to count how many bulls ran away from me inside 50-100 yards after I set up and cow called and mixed in bugles .. I called in 1 bull for my dad was it .

[JPhelps]

I will say hunting in NE WA and N ID I employed the same tactics as written above for years. I had spotty results and killed a few elk with them . The last 4 years I have completely changed the way I call and my opportunities and harvest numbers have jumped way up! I have all but tossed the bugle away, I have toned down my cow calls to very soft and not loud and its working .. Dunno if its due to wolves having an effect on them or even the lack of mature bulls with cows around here being a issue , our herds around here avg 4-7 cows and almost any branched bull has cows. I cannot even begin to count how many bulls ran away from me inside 50-100 yards after I set up and cow called and mixed in bugles .. I called in 1 bull for my dad was it .

ALWAYS use what works.

I have used the aggressive tactics for raghorns (my specialty), herd bulls, roosevelts and rocky mtn. bulls all with good success, but if I watched it fail too many times I may consider switching it up.

[huntnnw]

I think if there were more older bulls around here it would work.. Problem I think is to many younger bulls afraid of confrontation

[buglebuster]

  last year we got a bull to pop off, snuck in close and cow called real soft and couldnt get him to bugle, so i let out a scream. Instantly got a response. Cow called again, nothing bugled, nothing. Let out another scream and boom he goes nuts and starts raking a tree, so we scream back and forth for 10min and he doesent move. We then snuck in even closer and screamed again. He cut me off with a scream and grunts so i did the same back. Quiet for 15min couldnt get him to talk. Finally heard him up the ridge a couple hundred yards. Circled around and found him, a very weary 4pt. He wouldnt commit and come in for a fight, but rather stay put and piss off the other "bull". When i finally grunted at him he knew we meant business and high tailed it out of there.

[huntnnw]

been about 99% of my encounters here when I use a bugle like u described

[brianmtsinc]

Jason,
I am curious what you would do in a particular situation that we face often and will again soon.
 
We arrive at the top of a very big (never ending it seems) STEEP HOLE.  We blow a locator bugle.  We get a response from the bottom.  Which as am trying to describe is a LONG HARD HIKE .... Do you try at all to get that bull to come up out of that hole or do you just sneak into the "red zone" before you call again?

I think we may spend too much time trying to bring him out and then by the time we go down in there, he has already had enough ??

Thanks for you input!
Brian C.

[huntnnw]

I've rarely called a bull uphill.. I usually try to be at the same level or below