Elk Tactics 101 - Episode #9

[WapitiTalk1]

Date/Time: 15 September 2016/4:00 PM
Location: Somewhere in the elk woods
Hunt Pressure Status: Minimal
Hunt: Partner hunt today
Tag: Archery season; any bull (both partners have un-notched tag)

After a death march hunt this morning into a deep, steep draw to your right from where you sit (east), you've crawled your way back up to this natural meadow where you perch just off the edge in the timberline to grab a quick bite before you head in the direction of camp to your left (west). There are some very good spots on your way back to camp (which are closer to camp from your current position by about a mile) that you plan on hitting while hunting out of this area. After sitting here pretty quietly for 1/2 hour resting your bones and chowing down, it's time to get up and start the hunt out towards camp. While gearing up, you start hearing cow mews across the 100 yard wide meadow on the timbered hillside and obviously, the group of elk that are now pouring into the meadow to your front (north) are done with their siesta and have decided on an early dinner time. The game plan at this particular point in time is to .............? Oh, now you hear two bulls raking and having a heated conversation beyond the cows in the timber. Game plan?

For you long range shooters (grin) reminder that if you save the picture to your desktop and open in MS Paint, you'll be able to place a spot, X, or whatever on the critter before you save it back to a jpg or png and add the marked up pic with your post.

[kentrek]

Tough call.....I'd love to belly up in that tall grass and crawl rite up to that herd but it's hard telling how long those bulls will be in the trees

I'd prolly hang back to where I could swing around with cover to get in front of which ever bull wins the bugling contest...or maybe go after the loser 

Stalks in the tall grass are really fun

[pianoman9701]

Back out of the field and loop them on the right/downwind. Try and locate the bulls and move on them with a poison arrow decoy.

[buglebrush]

loop around to the right to get on their side.  Try to sneak in between the bulls and the cows in the meadow.  Give a " Bull calling cows Bugle".  Have my partner off to one side giving all kinds of pitchy/whiny cow calls and crashing.  Both of us have arrows at the ready!

[pd]

Another good one, RJ.

Not much point in doing the belly crawl up to cows, now is there?  That meadow looks huge, to loop around to the right (counterclockwise) might take forever, and the grass really isn't that tall to conceal your presence.  Only 1600hrs, plenty of daylight left.  Camp is close enough to catch later, go around, Young Man!

[Shawn Ryan]

Back out of the field and loop them on the right/downwind. Try and locate the bulls and move on them with a poison arrow decoy.

Sound plan.  Once in the trees, I'd use the bulls' focus on one another to get in close without making any calls.  Though, I might imitate a third interloper (nonverbal) if I was unable to get a shot at either of them.

I'm also hoping that the two bulls take the meadow-stage for a show, complete with parallel line dancing, "I'm badder than you" bugles, and head-to-head antler grappling. 

[lamrith]

I am Skampering off stage right and hustle downwind and around in the trees. Knowing chuckleheads are in the woods, I would want my poison arrow decoy out as I hoof it over there. Once I get on the far side, in the trees and downwind I would have to re-evaluate where cows and bulls are situated and have caller and shooter split up and start a sequence.

Much would depend on the outcome or current situation with those other bulls. If setup allows I could see working to get between those bulls in the trees and the herd. Use the bulls bickering to keep their focus and mask your sneaking in. Then setup with the shooter downwind and maybe a little deeper into trees than the caller who is closer to the treeline and directly between the bulls and the herd. Then using one of Elknuts threat sequences with bull screams/chuckles and lots of varying tone cow in distress to simulate a new bull between the raging pair and the herd that is hooking and forcing some of the cows off.  Both caller and shooter better be arrow nocked and ready, chances are one of the bulls is going to come racing in, maybe both.