Cold calling for elk??

[Tbob]

Hey gang,
   Could some please explain to me what "a cold calling session" is and when you use this tactic? I'll be archery hunting the sept season on the west end and was wondering if this is a tactic that I should have in my bag of techniques? I will be with my brother so there will be two of us. Thanks for the insight!

[WapitiTalk1]

Cold calling or blind calling as some call this method, is generally used when elk are not being very vocal.  This normally (but not always) coincides with early season elk hunting.  A hunter, or hunters, will set up in an area that they have either seen/heard elk before, or, by merely choosing a set up spot in an area that has fresh sign will oftentimes answer the mail.  Setup is important, more on that later.  What the hunters are trying to do with cold calling is create “interest” from other elk and lure them in their direction for a possible close encounter/shot opportunity.  Since we’ve decided to set up and cold call, we have already determined that the elk are not being very vocal (obviously, if they’re being vocal.... we’d just get closer to them without saying a peep and see how things develop).   This said, more often than not, elk will come in silent to cold calling and the hunter/hunters must plan for and be prepared for this.  Elk can be very, very quiet for such large animals.   Yes, sometimes a cow or bull will spout off vocally when coming in to a cold calling set but don’t count on that occurring the majority of the time.
How long to stay in one place?  I would say 15 minutes at a minimum, but, up to an hour if you feel there is a good chance that there are elk in the area.  I have a hard time sitting still so my sessions range from ten minutes up to 30 minutes.  It seems like every year, I have at least an elk or two stealth in on me and not show him/herself until I stand up and get ready to move.  Patience is paramount in cold calling. 
What sounds to use? You’ll get different recommendations from different hunters for sure.  I like to start with some casual herd talk (cow/calf noises) and some light brush rubbing (not smashing) to simulate a grazing group of elk.  I will mix in a short scream and light chuckles (simulating a bull calling the cows to him) and will also throw in some actual brush/tree raking (simulating a bull advertising for the cows).  I don’t think there is a good or bad script for this, as long as it sounds pretty natural (ask yourself when making your noises/movements, “would I think that is a group of elk if I heard it”?).    Realism of sounds in addition to the area chosen to launch a cold calling session is important.   
What normally comes in?  This method is notorious for calling cows, spikes, and young rag horns your way.   Yes, I’ve called in some big ones too but for the most part, cold calling will pick up cows, spikes, and little dudes looking for a place to hang their hat so to speak.  They’re lonely and you’re inviting them over for dinner in a sense     
Setups?   As terrain is different in the various states/areas we hunt, you’ll need to work with what you have to maximize your opportunities for a shot.   I would say stay clear of large opening set ups as elk do not like having to cross meadows, parks, etc., to come see what’s making the racket.  Be aware of natural funnels in the area you set up (blow down, trails, walls of alder, uprooted stumps, deep ravines, water, etc.) that can be used to your advantage to guide an incoming elk to where you or your partner may have a shot opportunity.  This entails some forethought and a bit of luck.. oftentimes you’ll only be guessing where you think an elk may come in from; but as we know, elk have their own schedule and plans most of the time.   You’ll need to study the thermals/wind very close when choosing your initial setup, and, throughout the session.  Yes, you want to try and set up so an elk is “forced” by the natural terrain features to come in upwind from your position but this is not always the ultimate end state of these sessions.  Elk will oftentimes do their best to try to get the scent of whatever is making the elk racket so be prepared for them to come in from almost any direction, particularly downwind of your position.

Oh, and yes, I think this method is a valuable tool to have available in our elk kit bags for the early WA archery elk season.  Good luck to you and your brother this fall Tbob! 

[Tbob]

Wow! Great great explanation!! Thank you so much! I have a few spots in mind for this type of situation! Sounds exciting too! Thanks again for such a great way of explaining that! Makes perfect sense!! Can't wait to try it out if need be!

[duckmen1]

Great write up

[Eli346]

 Good article and thank you!

[MattySuto]

So do you think it's smart to set up a ground blind In an area were elk constantly travel to an from there beds to fields to eat an sit in there for hours and just constantly cow call/ calf call with an occasional bugle?  Even at the peek of the day or more towards the evenings? Great write by the way....I basically sit up off a creek and field where I know the elk come to feed but time of day is what I'm really asking...

[WapitiTalk1]

So do you think it's smart to set up a ground blind In an area were elk constantly travel to and from there beds to fields to eat an sit in there for hours and just constantly cow call/ calf call with an occasional bugle?  Even at the peek of the day or more towards the evenings? Great write by the way....I basically sit up off a creek and field where I know the elk come to feed but time of day is what I'm really asking...

I fully believe ground blinds and tree stand hunting are deadly ways to hunt elk if deployed properly.  I think that calling (for the most part) from either of these types of setups can significantly decrease the element of surprise for the hunter.  I'm not saying that an occasional cow call to create interest in a elk passing a bit away from your stand location is not a good thing, but for the most part, you've chosen your spot for a reason (good funnel/pinch point) and calling may alert something to your location "before" they pass by which may divert them.  Cold calling is more moving, stopping, setting up, and seeing if anything is within earshot.   Sounds like you have a good spot picked out to ground blind hunt (perhaps a main trail or intersecting trails going from feed to bed and vice versa).  If the elk are using this route to go to water from their beds, I'd say you have an opportunity to see an elk any time of the day.  If it's just a feed/bed route, then I'd be there for the last hour of daylight in the evening, and, in your blind prior to daylight to try to intercept the wapiti as they move through your area.     

[Little Fish]

Great write-up Phantom.

I am not very patient so have a hard sitting in one spot for 30-45 minutes calling and waiting. For this reason I try and cold-call while I eat lunch. It is the only way I can prevent myself from calling too much + give the routine enough time to work.

LF

[WapitiTalk1]

I am not very patient so have a hard sitting in one spot for 30-45 minutes calling and waiting. For this reason I try and cold-call while I eat lunch. It is the only way I can prevent myself from calling too much + give the routine enough time to work. LF

Man I hear ya brother.  Just off the to of my head, here are three times when I cold called during lunch break and the results were, well, less than desireable (grin).

1.  Late 80s, NW Montana.  Late morning, sitting above a shale rock slide snacking on sands with my buddy.  I said "you never know" and threw a locator down the mountain side.  I was rudely shocked back into why I was out there when a nice 5 point yelped at me from 20 feet up above us in the timber.  That's the first time I probably heard a nervous/popping grunt.  Needless to say, no chance at a shot for the two bozos sitting in the open above the rock slide.  I chalk this one up to being young
2.  Fast forward to around 2002ish, sitting on elk trails in 6 foot tall huckleberry bushes in the XXXX wilderness area in WA.  My buddy and I at least had the presence of mind to split up a bit and have our lunch (I knew there were elk near by; they're always in there).  So, I let out a few soft cow calls and within a few minutes, I was nearly ran over by a "HUGE" 2X3 bull (grin).  Did it again.
3.  The other time that comes to mind is about 5 or 6 years ago in a remote WA area.  I had taken an Alaskan transplant under my wing and taken him elk hunting.  Long story short, mid day lunch, sitting by a log with packs off/bows laying around, I gave a small spike squeal cuz my buddy asked what a spike sounded like; I probably threw in a few soft cow calls also.  Back to snacking, talking, sun bathing, etc., when I looked down into the small open draw below us and "here he came".  A very, very nice mature 6X was strolling up to see where the racket came from.  No chance to get the "30 yard shot" as our scrambling for a bow was pretty much out in the open and he decided he didn't want to have lunch with us.  It seems that this herd bull was bedded down below us no more than 50 or 60 yards with his small group of cows.  Uggggh, I seem to have these impatient moments/episodes at least a time or two every year. 

 

[Tbob]

Phantom,
   I have two different spots that you have described. My #1 spot is way off the road way down a steep hillside and at the bottom is a nice wet area with a very big chewed up trail with lots of drainages and trails coming off the hillside that intersect it. I've got a few good bulls on camera down there ( actually I was there this past Sunday checking my cameras, it was 12:30 in the afternoon and here come two nice bulls down the hill and hit my trail and headed the opposite direction. At this point I just pulledy camera and figure no sense in going down there any more smelling up the place. This is where I plan on being opening morning in a tree stand and really quiet.. As for the cold calling technique, I've scouted an old overgrown road and it goes a good three miles before it dead ends. Ive looked around and can't really see any major trail systems off the road into the timber, but there's always poop on the road. That big clumpy kind. So I though this road would be perfect for the call, sit, move and repeat for a day or two and see if I couldn't make something happen? Thanks again for the great advise ! You guys are a wealth of hard learned knowledge for some of us newbie self taught hunters..

[bowhuntersd]

Cold calling or blind calling as some call this method, is generally used when elk are not being very vocal.  This normally (but not always) coincides with early season elk hunting.  A hunter, or hunters, will set up in an area that they have either seen/heard elk before, or, by merely choosing a set up spot in an area that has fresh sign will oftentimes answer the mail.  Setup is important, more on that later.  What the hunters are trying to do with cold calling is create “interest” from other elk and lure them in their direction for a possible close encounter/shot opportunity.  Since we’ve decided to set up and cold call, we have already determined that the elk are not being very vocal (obviously, if they’re being vocal.... we’d just get closer to them without saying a peep and see how things develop).   This said, more often than not, elk will come in silent to cold calling and the hunter/hunters must plan for and be prepared for this.  Elk can be very, very quiet for such large animals.   Yes, sometimes a cow or bull will spout off vocally when coming in to a cold calling set but don’t count on that occurring the majority of the time.
How long to stay in one place?  I would say 15 minutes at a minimum, but, up to an hour if you feel there is a good chance that there are elk in the area.  I have a hard time sitting still so my sessions range from ten minutes up to 30 minutes.  It seems like every year, I have at least an elk or two stealth in on me and not show him/herself until I stand up and get ready to move.  Patience is paramount in cold calling. 
What sounds to use? You’ll get different recommendations from different hunters for sure.  I like to start with some casual herd talk (cow/calf noises) and some light brush rubbing (not smashing) to simulate a grazing group of elk.  I will mix in a short scream and light chuckles (simulating a bull calling the cows to him) and will also throw in some actual brush/tree raking (simulating a bull advertising for the cows).  I don’t think there is a good or bad script for this, as long as it sounds pretty natural (ask yourself when making your noises/movements, “would I think that is a group of elk if I heard it”?).    Realism of sounds in addition to the area chosen to launch a cold calling session is important.   
What normally comes in?  This method is notorious for calling cows, spikes, and young rag horns your way.   Yes, I’ve called in some big ones too but for the most part, cold calling will pick up cows, spikes, and little dudes looking for a place to hang their hat so to speak.  They’re lonely and you’re inviting them over for dinner in a sense     
Setups?   As terrain is different in the various states/areas we hunt, you’ll need to work with what you have to maximize your opportunities for a shot.   I would say stay clear of large opening set ups as elk do not like having to cross meadows, parks, etc., to come see what’s making the racket.  Be aware of natural funnels in the area you set up (blow down, trails, walls of alder, uprooted stumps, deep ravines, water, etc.) that can be used to your advantage to guide an incoming elk to where you or your partner may have a shot opportunity.  This entails some forethought and a bit of luck.. oftentimes you’ll only be guessing where you think an elk may come in from; but as we know, elk have their own schedule and plans most of the time.   You’ll need to study the thermals/wind very close when choosing your initial setup, and, throughout the session.  Yes, you want to try and set up so an elk is “forced” by the natural terrain features to come in upwind from your position but this is not always the ultimate end state of these sessions.  Elk will oftentimes do their best to try to get the scent of whatever is making the elk racket so be prepared for them to come in from almost any direction, particularly downwind of your position.

Oh, and yes, I think this method is a valuable tool to have available in our elk kit bags for the early WA archery elk season.  Good luck to you and your brother this fall Tbob!

Now this is what this site is all about. THANK YOU ... Willingness to share your knowledge and giving an explaination for those who may or may not need it is GREAT. For those that are new, RETAIN this info and for those that are seasoned it is nice to confirm our techniques with other.
GREAT JOB and THANK YOU 

[WapitiTalk1]

For those who have said thanks, you're welcome but thanks is not needed.  I'm just an older elk hunter that likes to well, talk elk    Isn't that what it's all about...... passing it on? 

OK, picture time 

I've tried to create a graphic representation of a possible cold calling situation.  Let's say it's late morning and you find yourself on a bench that you have encounted elk traffic in the past, and, there is fresh sign in the area. It's early in the year and so far, the elk have been very, very quiet. Take what you see from the picture and decide where you may set up the caller and shooter for a possible cold calling set up here. In addition to placing your caller and shooter (scribble an "S" for shooter and a "C" for caller when you mark up my fine work of art) for the optimum setup considering what you see/know, and, what do you think may happen that is not in the "expected" column?  Now we're having some fun campers...the elkwoods are calling and it's getting close!   

Reminder that if you save the picture to your desktop and open it up in "paint", you can mark it up however you wish. Looking for placement for the caller and shooter for this scenario.   

[returnofsid]

I really love all the valuable information available in this thread!  Being relatively new to Archery Elk, and elk calling in general, this is very good for me!  Here's my first attempt at choosing a shooter/caller location, if I'm hunting with a partner...My locations are marked with a red S and red C.  I picked these spots on the assumption that it's possible that the elk may come from lower than the elk pictured, but from the same direction.  I could also see Elk utilizing that space between blow downs and the rocks, in the lower portion of the picture.  The shooter location seems to cover several possible approach routes.

I'd really like some feedback on my choices, if possible! 

[Tbob]

I think this is a cool thread going here. I like the situation presented. I think I'd put my shooter in the same location, but maybe have my caller in the bigger trees down in front of the rocks on the left side over there.. ? Just makes me feel like if the caller and shooter are too close to eachother we might have a "hang-up" situation? I thought maybe the further out in front the shooter is the better the chances might be to get an elk coming into bow range for the shooter. I'd also add since this is a "cold call" as the caller id also be ready for action at any time in this set up.. Ya just never know..

[Netminder01]

Fantastic thread and very insightful info on situational tactics.