Elk Tactics 101 - Scenario #2

[WapitiTalk1]

Date/Time: 24 SEPT/7:30 AM
Location: Somewhere in the elk woods
Hunt Pressure Status: Minimal
Terrain: Timbered ridge tops (including the one you're on) and a large stand of fir towards head end of wet draw; the rest is sporadic pecker poles (lodge pole pine) and tall alder/huckleberry choked side hills with game trail systems throughout the area
Tag: Cow or branched antler bull

Working your way slowly up the semi-flat ridge with your buddy, you hear an unsolicited bugle coming from your two o'clock (across and up the draw to your right) perhaps 500 yards away as the crow flies (green star on topo map). As you pause a minute to listen and look, you catch a glimpse of several feeding cows in the timber, in the direction you're heading, maybe 250ish yards up the ridge (green arrow on top map) . They appear to be feeding to east and are undisturbed.

What do you do here to maximize an opportunity to bring an elk home for dinner? What's the next move?

[kentrek]

I'd be jumping in the creek and booking it up stream...hopefully the creak and the thermals cover my speedy/noise approach

It's a win win getting in front of those cows

[Bucks2Ducks]

Play the wind, but preferably you can follow one of those shelfs down to the creek bottom where it y's. Get in between the cows and bull, and let me him come the rest of the way to you.

[Toad]

for me it really depends on which way the wind is blowing.

[Dan-o]

As stated.............    you have to play the wind.

[kentrek]

I'd be extremely confident that at 730 am the creak bottoms are drafting air down hill...in fact even if the wind was wrong where I was, I'd still bet on the thermals in that creek are sucking air down

[coachcw]

Id probably slip in after the cow to see if they have a bull in tow . if you slip in behind them they wont expect danger and may even retreat your direction if pressured .  I'd try and stay quiet inless a second bull chimes in other wise the bull may round up those cows and buggie . you may be able to use a lost cow call and have that bull walk right in once your close . If my second buddy was nuts id have him or I back track into the far right draw and circle around double ambush .

[Jonathan_S]

As stated - wind is key here but given the choice, I would charge up the creek bottom and get a better feel for the situation once I was in tight to both the bugle location and the meandering cows.

[WapitiTalk1]

Scenario thoughts:

I'm assuming that the moving elk are approximately 250+ yards away from where you heard the bull bugle on the ridge/saddle area to the east (which is a pretty vast distance in this type of terrain). I will say that on 24 SEPT, the vast majority of the cows are herded up. I wouldn't be so sure that the moving cows you caught a glimpse of do not have a bull with them. Does this change your tactics/thoughts? And yes, thermals in the early morning in the western states are notorious for coming downslope at least until late/mid morning. Carry on   

[kentrek]

Scenario thoughts:

I'm assuming that the moving elk are approximately 250+ yards away from where you heard the bull bugle on the ridge/saddle area to the east (which is a pretty vast distance in this type of terrain). I will say that on 24 SEPT, the vast majority of the cows are herded up. I wouldn't be so sure that the moving cows you caught a glimpse of do not have a bull with them. Does this change your tactics/thoughts?

If the cows are only 250 yards from the bugle then it could be the same heard, with standard herd dynamics  (multiple bulls)

For me no matter what I'd be getting into the creek drainage, even they beet me and or my plan didn't work out & I busted them I would want to get to that flat area just south of the bugling bull....

My problem with getting behind them is elk usually walk faster then I can sneak in the thick stuff, and I'm going to guess they are on the move so I wana plan for where the elk are going to be...that's not to say that coaches idea is a bad one at all, I'm just stuck on chasing the herd bull 

[elkaddict652]

Id probably slip in after the cow to see if they have a bull in tow . if you slip in behind them they wont expect danger and may even retreat your direction if pressured .  I'd try and stay quiet inless a second bull chimes in other wise the bull may round up those cows and buggie . you may be able to use a lost cow call and have that bull walk right in once your close . If my second buddy was nuts id have him or I back track into the far right draw and circle around double ambush .

I'd be that crazy guy👍🏻

[jkthomps]

Is it just me, or does that valley look super steep? I like the idea of jumping down towards the creek, but that might be a steep hill side to traverse.

I like these scenarios. I am learning a lot just from reading them and seeing the different thought processes. Thanks, Phantom16, keep these going.

[buglebrush]

Totally depends on the slope facing, and temperature/cloud cover.  If this is a south/east facing slope with clear skies you are looking at a thermal switch before long, and I would want to be careful about getting directly below the elk.  However, if it was North/West facing and/or cool/overcast I would sidehill up towards the elk,  stay below, but not down in the creek as you can't hear anything and the going is usually terrible right in the bottom.  Close the gap, and call them in.   

[Camp David]

Tagging to follow along. I have an Idaho hunt this fall and hopefully some of these ideas will come in handy.

[Shawn Ryan]

Since there are 2 of us, one is down into the draw trying to intercept with the idea that the cows belong to the bull, so that guy could use a light bull sound (chuckle, huff, or groan) to make the bull think he has competition between him and he cows. The other guy is getting behind the cows as quickly as possible and will take an opportunity to slow those girls down, if presented because the hunter in the draw needs more time.  The hunter dogging the herd could use a calf sound to slow the cows down.  Wind matters, but the draw hunter should have good wind. The hunter dogging the herd will have to be careful not to get above the herd, thus, his course should take him behind, but downhill of the cows, which will bring him in at more of an angle.

[Karl Blanchard]

Lot of variables to consider but my general rule of thumb is one, don't try and race the thermals.  You get pegged down for some reason and the temp heats up, then up goes your scent and off goes your elk.

Second is keep elevation whenever possible.  Your ability to reposition is better, your ability to back out is better, your surveillance of an area is better, and shot opportunities are usually better when above your animal.  They call it death from above for a reason.   I'd plan a route to go up and around them.  Good odds they are going to bed up in the firs at the head of the basin.  That is where I would make my play.

If the cows are being lazy I may also try and put on a stalk, though stalks on feeding animals doesn't usually work well.  If I was hunting with Coach, I would like our odds.  We double team elk pretty well

[jstone]

I would just fallow the cows close enough that they won't see me cause they are probably feeding into the wind. And when I have the opportunity I would get one. That is almost what happened to me last year but saw a true spike as I was fallowing the cows and Hurd bull. So I took the spike. 

[_TONY_]

I'd be jumping in the creek and booking it up stream...hopefully the creak and the thermals cover my speedy/noise approach

It's a win win getting in front of those cows

This.

[irish52084]

I'm not much of an elk hunter, but in this situation, assuming the cows are feeding into the wind and towards the bull I'm going to try and shadow them right up to the edge of that creek. The topography looks really steep in the photo for going down into the creek and then walking down towards the animals. If I keep tabs on the cows and keep the wind in my favor I feel like I have a chance to fill that tag with a cow. If I can keep them unaware of me and maybe I can follow them to a bedding area where I can maybe put a stalk on a bull.
But I usually stalk whitetails and my elk hunting experience is minimal.
Does my thinking hold any water?

[Tbob]

Id follow Kentreks red trail. The ravine to the creek doesn't look to terribly steep. Id try and catch those cows crossing the creek and shoot one. If i happen to show up a little late and the cows already went by, Id slowly following them and start calling with either a lost cow call or maybe even an estrus call..