Pinned Down by the Enemy!

[WapitiTalk1]

So campers, you and your partner have set up to do a bit of early season cold calling. You're the caller and set up at the top point of the triangle; your buddy (shooter) is set up at one of the bottom points of the triangle, off to your left or right perhaps 30-40 yards away. Thermals are ever so lightly flowing against the back of your neck. After a "few" trophy series of soft to whiney cow calls, some award winning brush raking with a scream mixed in, you believe it's time to move on after being at it for 20 minutes or so and are almost ready to signal your buddy when........... a bull appears out of nowhere! They can be very quiet and sneaky buggers. The bull came in silent but did come in where you thought he would, downwind from your position. Only problem is that 1) he's a bit too far away from your buddy (need to pull him in a bit closer, maybe 25 yards closer to your position) and 2) he'll certainly get a snoutfull of human scent within the next minute or so. What are your options here and what should you do?

A. If acceptable cover/concealment is available, move to your right or left and call again, hoping to keep your scent to the left/right of the bull.
B. Stay put to avoid visual detection, get as low as possible to keep your scent down, and continue to call.
C. Stay put to avoid visual detection, get as low as possible to keep your scent down, and hope the bull continues on his current path right by the shooter.
D. Figure this adventure is over, stand up, and verbally abuse the elk for being inconsiderate to your quest.
E. Hope your buddy realizes what's occurring and tries to re-position for a shot.
F. Check cell service and call Elknut1 for advice.
G. Other (please explain what your game plan may be in this situation).

[D-Rock425]

I'm taking c

[WapitiTalk1]

That's it? Anyone else care to take a stab at this situation. If you've spent more than a few years cold calling in early season (or anytime of the season for that matter), this "will" happen to you. Bull's will "normally" try to come to the downwind side to get the scent of whatever is making the cold calling racket and there are variations in the setups to attempt to eliminate a direct, 180 downwind encounter... that's for another thread .. For this thread, you've set up and cold called considering where bullwinkle may come in and walla, he did... silently. Now, whatcha gonna do to try and get your partner (or you) a shot at this respectable little bull?

[Johnb317]

Ok, but first Bullwinkle is a moose!

Have to agree with Drock.     C is probably the most prudent option.
Do you risk spooking him with movement, sound, or scent.
You fairly clean or do you wear your hunting clothes next to the fire?
I need to know the terrain etc for the other options.

If you call again and he's expecting to see a cow he may hang up. 

It's a gotta be there scenario. 

[elksnout]

In my world things need to sense to me. Which leaves me going with option C.

[Old Man Yager]

C, maybe he will wind you, but not know your exact location unless he sees you move. He might move closer to confirm visually.

[Tbob]

I think I might go with a combo of C and E..

[Todd_ID]

The silent bull almost always wins.  Keeping the caller as far as possible from the shooter will help.  In this scenario I think I'd go with A.  You're already busted or will very soon be.  There's a slim chance you'll get away with movement if you crawl on all fours and not stand up erect.  If you can get some cover and run to get a better wind you may be able to call this bull past the shooter or to yourself, but it's a long shot at best.

[RadSav]

You're the caller and set up at the top point of the triangle; your buddy (shooter) is set up at one of the bottom points of the triangle, off to your left or right perhaps 30-40 yards away. Thermals are ever so lightly flowing against the back of your neck.

The bull came in silent but did come in where you thought he would, downwind from your position. Only problem is that...(need to pull him in a bit closer, maybe 25 yards closer to your position) 2) he'll certainly get a snoutfull of human scent within the next minute or so.

Well, first of all I have to ask myself why I would put myself in that situation in the first place? 



If I know the wind is wrong, I know the elk will have to come within 40 yards of my position , I expect the elk to come into the opposite spot of my partner but I will have to draw him to 15 yards for my partner to get a shot and I know if he does show up where I think he will opposite of the shooter there will be no time for my partner to readjust.  I have failed in every possible way.

However, if I did decide to set up in the worst possible place and have my partner in the opposite spot I expected the bull to come and I was found in this scenario.  And only given the scenarios listed...I would have to go with scenario "A" If acceptable cover/concealment is available, move to your right or left and call again, hoping to keep your scent to the left/right of the bull.    Any elk responding to a call expects movement and noise.  And with acceptable cover/concealment  I do not see how I can lose given my idiotic actions up to this point still produced what obviously is a not so smart elk.  As Todd mentioned my best option is to distance myself from not only the shooter but the elk itself.  Even with wind correct if I have to get an elk within 15 yards of the caller I'm more than likely doomed.

So in my mind the only option for a successful outcome is to distance myself from the elk and hopefully buy time to escape my previous mistakes.

Now if wind was not a factor and I thought the bull would back off before being spooked by our scent the options would be completely different!  Though that solution is not in the listed suggestions!

[Shawn Ryan]

If cover allowed, I'd back off and to the left (buddy to the left), then when I was 20-40 yards back and still out of sight, I'd give him some of the sweet calls that brought him in. I'd be noisy once out of sight to make him think the honey he came for is merely walking away.  I'd be attempting to keep pulling him in the direction of my shooter, which was our original plan.  I know the wind is bad and we don't have long before he blows, but I'm putting some additional distance between us.  "You never, never leave your wingman" is what Top Gun taught us:  we set this up for the shooter and that's how I'll continue to play it. Flexibility is mandatory with elk, but I think the original plan is still the best option.

If that doesn't work, then Option D is next and I'd give him my usual Banzai Lion King quote:  "Yeah. You hear that? If you ever come back, we'll kill ya!"  One of my favorite things to say to elk that have escaped me, though I've probably said it too many times.

[runamuk]

I like D just because it sounds amusing and all hell would break loose   

[WapitiTalk1]

You guys are a tough crowd.  No, this is not the optimum way to set up for a cold calling situation but the situation developed to where the wind/light thermals were/are heading ultimatley at the bull's snout "but" your buddy is still in a position that may ultimately pay dividends (he's off the the side, 3rd point of the bottom of the imaginary triangle).  Perhaps you set up and cold called later in the morning as the thermals were switching but the situation as we are currently deployed in, had this guy come in silent and is now where he is and it's decision time.  Yes, a guy needs to consider natural travel routes, obstacles, obscure finger ringers that funnel scent and help manipulate the wind, etc., when they set up to cold call and "try" to keep the wind in their favor if at all possible but if you haven't had a bull come in from the downwind side to see who's making the racket in opposition of your best layed plan/intentions, well, you haven't lived  .  We'll jump to how to set up properly to cold call in a later thread.   

Now, whatcha gonna do? 

[elkmtngear]

G: Other

I'm going to shield myself with the SLIP System Decoy, and simultaneously move laterally toward the downwind side of the bull, and give estrous cow calls. I'm going to try to stay in just enough cover where he can see enough to pique his interest. Should get him to relocate for a better look, and hopefully give my buddy a shot opportunity!

[coachcw]

ok in this situation I'd probilly go with b and learn from it. in early season cold calling where bulls come in silent you want to have the shooter close to caller and both with some cover (maybe ten yards ) work your call set up for 45 min starting with cow talk to estris then mix in some soft bugles , repet every five minutes . youi will find bulls move in very quick or they will often take 30 min . after that set up move 200-500 yards and repeat . once the bulls start to sound off and get aggressive then 50 to a 100 yards apart work the best , where the caller can move to change the bulls direction.

[kentrek]

This stuff seems to happen to me....after the morning action dies off we'll set up cold calling......fall asleep....thermals change.....and there ya go everything goes wrong  like rad said elk calls need movement to go along with them....so I be moving where ev I need to be

Slip system could be useful as well