Elk Experts !

[hoof rot]

aggressive works for me 

[huntingbaldguy]

I got a little too aggressive last year and spooked my last shot at a cow in late season.  Her bull busted me.  Hindsight is always 20/20 and i feel like i know what i should have done differently.  Maybe it woulda paid off, maybe it wouldn't have.  Next time i'll hopefully learn from it and think a little more clearly.  2nd archery season coming up, i feel like i learned a lot last season and saw a lot of elk.  Hoping to be better prepared for do's and don'ts this year.

[coachcw]

there's defiantly times to slow down and read the elk . If they are moving your way ambush is a good option .One thing I've found in the mountains is if the wind is good go for it because it will change .

[Elknut1]

Coach, in a nutshell Reading The Situation is pretty much it! To some hunters those are just words but to those wanting to learn & better themselves in being successful elk hunters on a yearly basis they need to understand this facet! Reading it is one thing & Reading it correctly is another! (grin) Once a hunter can quickly assess what he's dealing with & the mood of the elk or a herd it will help in understanding if calling is needed or not & how aggressive one needs to be!

  One mistake many hunters make is assuming they can get aggressive with a bull who has cows. They assume he will automatically be defensive. This is not so in many cases, doesn't mean a hoot how good a reed or bugle you have or how good you are with it! If this bull does not have a cow in or nearing estrus then getting aggressive with him means little. But catch that same bull with a hot cow & now it's a game changer. When no hot cow is in the herd you must change strategies! This is just one small example but it's common to run into yearly!

  ElkNut1

[deerslyr]

Coach, in a nutshell Reading The Situation is pretty much it! To some hunters those are just words but to those wanting to learn & better themselves in being successful elk hunters on a yearly basis they need to understand this facet! Reading it is one thing & Reading it correctly is another! (grin) Once a hunter can quickly assess what he's dealing with & the mood of the elk or a herd it will help in understanding if calling is needed or not & how aggressive one needs to be!

  One mistake many hunters make is assuming they can get aggressive with a bull who has cows. They assume he will automatically be defensive. This is not so in many cases, doesn't mean a hoot how good a reed or bugle you have or how good you are with it! If this bull does not have a cow in or nearing estrus then getting aggressive with him means little. But catch that same bull with a hot cow & now it's a game changer. When no hot cow is in the herd you must change strategies! This is just one small example but it's common to run into yearly!

  ElkNut1

Bingo! I started out as a caller and had a fair bit of success calling in bulls that were red hot. For the longest time I never understood how to hunt the bulls that would occasionally throw out locater bugles or bulls that bugled frequently, but not aggressively. Last year I hunted with a certified elk slayer that literally does not call at all. He has 7 bulls over 325 with a bow to his name, two of those bulls grossing 360 and 370. All public land OTC.

So I decided I would put my calls away and take some notes. His strategy is to just move in on bugles silently as bulls are cutting up. You have no idea how hard that is to do as a caller when bulls are screaming everywhere! Any how the first night we slipped in on two different herd bulls. The first one we got busted by a nice 5 point bull which I passed. The second one I drew back on a nice 6 point in a wallow but it got too dark for a shot. First thing the next morning we slipped in on the herd and I arrowed the 6 point from the night before. As I was packing that bull out my partner shot another 6 point. Not a single call was made other than a slight mew to stop my bull.

My point for sharing that story is there are many tactics to use. People get hung up on what they need to say, when in reality it might be best to not say a thing at all, and MUCH more effective than you would think. I am trying to become the most well rounded elk slayer there is. So by having calling and silent tactics in the bag, what ever situation presents itself, Ill be ready.

[buglebrush]

It comes down to how you like to hunt them.  Experience and confidence are huge.  I am with Coach.  Way more success and I have more fun doing it when I am agressive.  Get the wind right and go!  However, I have killed my fair share of bulls who came in silently.

[coachcw]

Right being aggressive doesn't always mean calling . it could mean moving in fast , or even busting ass two miles to get the wind right . Typically doing nothing gets nothing done . I had a herd of elk pined up in a scree field once in remote Colorado . one way in one way out so I thought . one small wind shift and those elk blew out across those rocks from a mile away . If the wind is right I'm going in calling or not .

[hoof rot]

how many of u guys have been in a situation where u come up on a hunter froze up not knowing what to do when there are bulls bugling and fighting and the hunter just sits there waiting for a miracle, is it ok to get after them if he dosent? thoughts?

[buglebrush]

how many of u guys have been in a situation where u come up on a hunter froze up not knowing what to do when there are bulls bugling and fighting and the hunter just sits there waiting for a miracle, is it ok to get after them if he dosent? thoughts?

I would like to meet that kind of hunter.  Usually meet the ones who go charging in squeezing their hoochie mamas with the wind totally wrong!   

[hoof rot]

it happened to me twice and both times I was successful but talked to the other hunters first and they were clueless and said go ahead good luck, its kinda a grey area but what do u do? I say be aggressive more then not.

[Elknut1]

deerslyr, I agree as does coach with your decision on moving in on bugling bulls with no calling. Your moving in on them is an aggressive action! Aggressive action means using an action giving you the highest odds approach for a specific bull. Where terrain wind & cover are not obstacles then by all means get into stealth mode & get it done with no calling. Most of us here do this very thing under the right circumstances.

  What happens in other cases is you could still have a bull who is bugling but the terrain is so brushy & thick & possibly littered with downfall that slipping in silently is an impossibility! Yes the bull is bugling plenty for location but try getting to him quietly, you cannot. So another method must be considered to cover your noise as you go to him. The same is true if you are still 150 yards away from him & you need him to come to you because of openings or conditions not suitable for a killing stalk. In these cases a different type of aggressive action is needed!

  Then you have those days, weeks of quiet elk, nothing talking, yes you can get aggressive but not careless in these less vocal/bugling times with calling! Drawing on an elk's curiosity at these times is very deadly but it's quite the opposite of slipping in silently on bugling bulls. Being versatile in mind & action will help to hunt elk no matter the phase of their rutting.

  ElkNut1

[coachcw]

I use a rule if I believe elk can hear me I make elk noises , I will snap branches , click rocks cow cherp . I have been hiking along doing this and found elk I would have walked right by . I'm sure we have all been sitting in the woods listening to a group of elk move through they arnt quiet critters .

[PlateauNDN]

  they're like my kids, noisy. They're quiet when they want to be

[4fletch]

After 40 hrs of archery hunting bull elk I consider myself a professional  small drip of water I have made a Brazilian mistakes learned by them. I have used most all the tactics mentioned above except for clicking rocks. One thing I do when I get a bugle response if he is a ways off ill check the wind run to him stop short of him check the wind again circle him some and cow call move 35 yards or so in front of a tree or brush pile, and wait for him to commit suicide