My approach to hunting elk that experience a lot of calling (pretty much the entire eastern Cascades): 1. Try to find elk without calling. 2. If elk aren't bugling during the day, get up at midnight and listen from 2400-0200; if there are elk in the area you should hear them then. 3. After locating elk with 1 or 2, try to get close to where they were last seen. 4. Sit and listen. 5. If you can't locate any elk without calling, give a single, subordinate bull bugle. If you are within hearing of a herd bull, that will usually elicit a response. If you get one, game on - head for the downwind side of that last location. If not, wait 15 minutes, give a couple cow calls, wait another 15. If still nothing, assume they may have moved on, cross over a ridge and repeat. Once you are close to and down wind of a herd bull and his harem, still hunt very slowly into the wind; if the bull bugles respond with cow calls. Now, disclaimer: I am primarily a meat hunter for elk, and this is a great tactic for killing satellite bulls. I've had some close calls with herd bulls, but have never killed one archery hunting.
