Calling Solo

[theleo]

I'm fairly new to the archery game but have been fortunate to get a couple bulls in Idaho. The issue I have though is that I'm hunting solo (my dad will spend some evenings sitting in a blind with me but his elk calls are limited to a hoochie mama) so when I'm calling the elk have me pegged before I ever see them.
The setup for both bulls that I've taken was this, sitting on a stump with my back to a tree (there will be a cushion with me next time) with a decently used wallow 20 yards in front of me. It's in the bottom of draw with timber on both sides but is clear in the bottom. From where I normally sit it's around 150 yards straight up the draw before there's another tree in front of me. Side to side there's about 60 yards of clear between tree lines.

The first bull I took was three years ago. I heard what I was limbs breaking up the draw in the timber a good 400 yards up the draw so I let out some cow calls every so often and can hear him moving closer. He ends up coming straight down the draw to the top of the clearing. I shut up my cow calls but another bull comes in from the left and they proceed to start sparring at 120 yards for what seemed around 20 minutes. Every so often they'd  stop and lift there heads trying to hear something (my guess is they were wondering where my cow calls went to). They eventually break off and one goes back up the draw and my bull grazes a couple of minutes and then comes straight into the wallow, he'd stop every 30 yards or so, lift his head up and look directly at me. From 120 to 20 yards he was straight on to me but decided to play in wallow so when he lowered his head to get into the wallow to play I drew and took the shot when he stopped playing for a second. He never left the wallow.

This year same spot but this bull came in without a buddy. I was calling to another bull I worked up the night before but this guy wanted to be first. I heard one or two bugle from this guy coming in but was pretty concentrated on the other bull. Anyways, my bull comes into the top of the clearing and was definitely qued up to find me ( I was being obnoxiously loud to the other bull as that seemed to be what he liked). It was obvious he knew something was up as he had his head up the entire time and came from the left side of the clearing to the right side, keeping uphill and with brush between him and the clearing. I made cow calls when there was stuff between me and him to just keep him coming. He ends up at 48 yards uphill  broadside, before I can draw. Had the 30, 40, and 50 yard pins in his chest. I knew 20 was way to close and he wasn't 60, so let it go, the arrow hit where the 30 pin was and double lungs him. Watched him pile up after about 50 yards.

I'm using these bulls as examples because I got to see them a good while before the shot. My question is this, what can I do to have bulls come in thinking all is good instead of having me pegged the entire time? Should I be investing in a decoy or should I have a different game plan all together when calling and hunting solo?

[Todd_ID]

You'll never have a bull not know exactly where your last call came from. Call and move is the only way to fix that. If I can't move, then I can't call from there.

[theleo]

You'll never have a bull not know exactly where your last call came from. Call and move is the only way to fix that. If I can't move, then I can't call from there.

So does that mean calling from a well built blind or are you saying call, move down wind, call, move, and wait for the bull to come by following the direction of your calls? 

[Todd_ID]

Call and move. If you can't, or don't want to, move, then don't call from there. They'll beat you almost every time.

[justsomedude]

My mistake this year illustrates what Todd is saying.  I should say why you call and move.  Early morning sitting in an area I knew elk were present and gave a couple cow calls.  “Oh crap I should move 10-20 yards over there.  Naw, I’ll be fine”.  5 minutes later I was staring down an elk at 10 yards that snuck in and was looking right at me.  Everything I have read told me they key in on the exact location of the call and my experience backs that up.  Had I moved I would have arrowed my first elk.

[Netminder01]

tag

[tonymoe]

It's ABSOLUTLEY uncanning how a bull/cow can pin point your EXACT location. I would rather set up in some trees or make shift blind (natural blind) then an actual "tent" blind. If your solo, you need to at least invest in a decoy to keep the elks eyes off you as much as possible.

[TheHunt]

I call and move.  As others have said they can pin point your location.  A bull will come in and hang up where he thinks he should be seeing an elk.  If you call and move "Quietly" you will have a better opportunity as the bull will be looking at the location of where you were.  If you make noise while moving that bull has that location as the location of where he should be seeing an elk. 

Your other choice is being able to accurately shoot 70+ yards or more which would be the hang up spot. 

[theleo]

I call and move.  As others have said they can pin point your location.  A bull will come in and hang up where he thinks he should be seeing an elk.  If you call and move "Quietly" you will have a better opportunity as the bull will be looking at the location of where you were.  If you make noise while moving that bull has that location as the location of where he should be seeing an elk. 

Your other choice is being able to accurately shoot 70+ yards or more which would be the hang up spot.

70 yards is a whole lot of flight time for an elk to react.

I've always known there ability to fix on call from a ways away ,just not the strategy to get past it. Sounds like I should plan to not make shots  from where I call. Do you guys ever back yourselves down wind with your calling and head back up if you know they're on a string coming in? Had a bull coming in hot at one point this year but ran out of day light. He was a growling and chuckling SOB. I was able to hear his bugles following me as I was headed back to the horses. I was snapping twigs, limbs, and crunching pine cones being intentionally loud and he kept coming. Would circling back quietly on my trail be the game plan in that situation if I had had the daylight to use?

 That bull was the highlight of my trip even though I never saw him. Had a small 5x5 (I think it was my bull I shot the next day) and a 6x6 bust me as I was messing with that bull but I was having to much fun ticking him off to care about the other two seeing me. It was a fun evening and a beautiful 2 hour ride back to camp under the stars that night.