to bugle or not to?

[xbow]

Went out this morning bugled and threw cow calls. The cow calls let me get in on 4 rag horns but couldn't get a shot. Should I continue bugling or just cow call until I hear them start talking.

[SemperFidelis97]

I think this strongly depends on if you are hunting an area that recieves allot of pressure.  In my opinion public land bulls hear allot of bugling from guys who spend more time watching the outdoor channel rather than practicing their calling skills.  I hunt private land allot so I don't hesitate to bugle, but I do it sparingly I also try to sound like a weak little raghorn when I do so that I don't scare off any curious bulls. 

[xbow]

Thanks, these guys have little to no pressure they where curious but wouldn't break from the thick brush... I tried it all but at the same time I don't know what I'm doing      if they are not in rut am I just educating them with the bugles and should wait until I know they are talking.

[WSU]

They will bugle.  It is pre-rut right now, but the bulls are talking.  Just need to find the right one. 

[shedkid]

Locate em and cow call him in.

[SemperFidelis97]

Thanks, these guys have little to no pressure they where curious but wouldn't break from the thick brush... I tried it all but at the same time I don't know what I'm doing      if they are not in rut am I just educating them with the bugles and should wait until I know they are talking.

I have had the same problem the trick is to get a buddy who is a decent caller, and set him up a hundred yards behind you so when that bull comes in he will walk past you.  The hard part is getting another guy I am trying to train the wife atm.  In the meantime I will keep pulling them in until I get a really stupid one I guess.

[lagnar]

Bugel (if your any good at it) to locate a bull in the canyon....  Then use your cow call and nothing else.

[foambeetle]

"Set-up" is a big part of it, also.  There were some good posts on set-ups posted over the last month or so by Jason Phelps - you maybe saw them - but they are definitely worth looking over.

The "temperament" of the elk is a big part of it, too.  I think of it like reading water and feeding behavior when fishing - sometimes they will take big and flashy, and sometimes it takes small and subtle; and, as with fishing, sometimes it takes trying a few different things before you know what they're "biting on."  The advice about locating with bugles and finishing or closing with cow calls is good, as that can be effective on all elk (bulls and cows).  Sub-dominant bulls can have a tendency to hang-up when they have doubts about the "safety" of getting too close to another bull that they have not been able to visually (and/or via smell) "size up."  Aggressive tactics can pay off with dominant bulls (i.e., moving into the "zone" of a herd bull and pushing his buttons with bull vocalizations) when it comes together - this can be magical, and is when you can end up with a snot-dripping bull in your lap looking for a fight.  Hang-ups are something that can happen with any calling situation, and you have to try to preempt them with good set-ups (timely/proper calling, wind direction, terrain/vegetation, etc.) as best you can.

I highly recommend the "Elk Module" and instructional videos at Roe Hunting Resources (www.roehuntingresources.com), as there are hours of videos there covering calls, elk vocalizations (bull and cow) and elk behavior (including a couple of concepts called "See You First," and "The Doorway" -- I think these would really help you).  "The Gallery" also has some useful video/instruction showing actual elk communicating and behaving in different situations.

Chris Roe has also put out a Strategy App for elk hunting/calling.  It is probably the best $5 bucks I've spent.  It is like a guide book, but is more than that.  You can read/use it on your computer via the internet or on a phone/tablet.  It was recently updated and has audio and video components that let you see and hear information presented in the Glossary (covering cow and bull vocalizations).

Good luck putting one on the ground!

(...man, I can't wait until Friday - having to work this week is torture.)

[MatthewHunter98]

  i would put the bugle down and pick up the cow call

[mrgoodwrench]

I have thought about shooting my father in law many, many times for using his bugle.  If they are talking, why let them know where you are when you can sneak in on them?  Then use your cow call to stop them if you need to.

I also see a lot of hunters bugling back and forth to each other thinking they have a bull going.  I haven't been out much this season, just the last two evenings, and been between 30 and 80 yards of four bulls....I've only heard one bugle when one was rounding his cows up.

[boneaddict]

I am entetained every fall by idiots and their bugles. 

[Swatson]

If you have a bull responding to cow calls stay with cow calls, DO NOT bugle unless he hangs up and then it might be time to get aggressive.

[Tumacslayer]

If Im dealing with quiet bulls I do some calling at night in the dark to locate and pattern them. Hit that spot the next morning with some soft cow calls. You will get some action, but after that last cow call also hang out for awhile, 1/2 hour or so. The quiet ones take a little while and sneak in. Happy hunting       

[BowBender87]

If your bugle is a primos terminator or something of the sort leave it at home! Those things sound nothing like an elk 

[PolarBear]

 
Plus every yayhoo and his brother have been out for 3 weeks blowing them at every wide spot in the road.  I use an E.L.K. Power Bugle and get ten times more bulls to light up than my buddy with his Terminator.  In fact, his Terminator shuts them right up!  Use a bugle for a quick locator but don't abuse it.  Cow call tend to be much more effective if done right.  I would add the Hootchie Momma to calls to leave at home as well!