Elk Tactics 101 - Scenario #1

[WapitiTalk1]

Let's roll with a few of these to keep the juices flowing during the off season.

Date/Time: Mid SEPT/9:30 AM
Location: Somewhere in the elk woods
Hunt Pressure Status: Minimal
Tag: Any bull

You've set up with your buddy to do a bit of cold calling off of a semi-flat ridge that contains quite a bit of fresh sign. Nothing specific here for your calling sequence (not an advertising or breeding sequence), just a bit of herd talk (cow mews/calf chirps), non verbal sounds (brush raking/ground stomping), and a few bull sounds. After around 10 minutes, you hear a bugle down and across a rolling canyon; it sounds like a decent bull. Guestimate is that he is perhaps 1/3 mile away as the crow flies.

What do you do here to maximize an opportunity to bring an elk home for dinner? You've only been in the cold calling setup for 10 minutes and, are set up in a good area with fresh sign, but, you hear a bull across the canyon. What's the next move?

[Toad]

Close the distance no doubt about it!

[rtspring]

Each time he bugles get closer to him. 

[Reidus]

Pull out the goose flute and coax him all the way in.

[kentrek]

Across the canyon ?? I know of a couple canyons he'd be safe all week long and twice on Sunday....but if it's not too bad and I didn't think it would kill the rest of my day of hunting then over the edge we'd go at about Mach 1....ideally be able to get on him I'm under 20 minutes

[coachcw]

Close the gap and get on his level.  If he will respond to cow calls I'd not bugle him . Keep cutting the distance once  I'm close cow call again if he moves closer then I'd  move in thirty more yards changing  my angle up orDown depending on the wind . If he is coming to my last call I can ambush him staying unseen.

[Big6bull]

Close the gap and get on his level.  If he will respond to cow calls I'd not bugle him . Keep cutting the distance once  I'm close cow call again if he moves closer then I'd  move in thirty more yards changing  my angle up orDown depending on the wind . If he is coming to my last call I can ambush him staying unseen.

 

[WapitiTalk1]

Anybody staying static (continuing with what you started) for a bit longer to see if there is anything else "coming in"?  There is a of fresh sign in the area.  Good discussion folks 

[Sliverslinger]

1. check the wind.
2. Devise an aggressive plan to get the wind in our favor and get on his level.
3. Bust butt to get in position if wind is good.
4. Cow call got him to bugle so cow calls it is.
5. Try and take his "temperature"
After I'm within 120 yards my next actions would be determined by how he responds to a couples soft mews and what other clues I see or hear. Might try and closer, might see if he bugles and then cut him off with a raghorn bugle. Hard to tell after thaat.

[coachcw]

We had a situation similar to this a couple years ago late morning on a bedded bull . rt stayed and raked a tree every two minutes and I closed the gap . the bull bugled every time he raked but wouldn't leave the hill side . as he bulged I hauled ass up this steep slope . when I got inside of 100 yards I softly cow called he got up and charged into 15 yards . he was a 315 class 6x6 it was a really cool experience. one thing Ive learned is to stay aggressive pays off more often than sitting still.

[Jonathan_S]

1/3 of a mile away?  I am going to book it a couple hundred yards and cow call a few times.  If he continues to respond to that, I am going to cross the canyon and try and find a game trail somewhere near the same elevation like Coach said.

[jkthomps]

Let's roll with a few of these to keep the juices flowing during the off season.

Date/Time: Mid SEPT/9:30 AM
Location: Somewhere in the elk woods
Hunt Pressure Status: Minimal
Tag: Any bull

You've set up with your buddy to do a bit of cold calling off of a semi-flat ridge that contains quite a bit of fresh sign. Nothing specific here for your calling sequence (not an advertising or breeding sequence), just a bit of herd talk (cow mews/calf chirps), non verbal sounds (brush raking/ground stomping), and a few bull sounds. After around 10 minutes, you hear a bugle down and across a rolling canyon; it sounds like a decent bull. Guestimate is that he is perhaps 1/3 mile away as the crow flies.

What do you do here to maximize an opportunity to bring an elk home for dinner? You've only been in the cold calling setup for 10 minutes and, are set up in a good area with fresh sign, but, you hear a bull across the canyon. What's the next move?

This must be a quality elk tag. Any Bull, mid Sept...  I would hope that I was holding the Mission, east side modern firearm tag, Sept. 16 - 20, Any bull, GMU 251.

If this were the case, I would sit still for a little bit. I mean, only 587 yards away  I see them shoot elk that far across canyons all the time on tv. 

[buglebrush]

We had a situation similar to this a couple years ago late morning on a bedded bull . rt stayed and raked a tree every two minutes and I closed the gap . the bull bugled every time he raked but wouldn't leave the hill side . as he bulged I hauled ass up this steep slope . when I got inside of 100 yards I softly cow called he got up and charged into 15 yards . he was a 315 class 6x6 it was a really cool experience. one thing Ive learned is to stay aggressive pays off more often than sitting still.

Totally agree with this.  I always say go hunt the vocal bull.  The hardest part of elk hunting is just finding the elk, after that it gets a lot easier.

[Magnum_Willys]

I'd give him 5 mins to see if he's coming then head for him.

[Camp David]

Check the wind and get aggressive. Move in as close as possible and continue to call. It's normally easier to get one to move into you a short distance.