Situation

[Bigbuckoholic]

So with elk season right around the corner of coarse im dreaming of nothing but having huge bulls right there behind my 20 yard pin.

Well last night in my dream I had a situation and was wondering what everyones way if handling this is.

You have done your pre rut scouting and know there is some trophys where you are hunting. You wake up opening day and have multiple bulls bugling back to you. (In a perfect world  ) . But the first bull that enters your range is just a little rag horn. You know you have bigger ones coming in right behind it.

Question is, how do you lose interest in the raghorn that's in range without staying silent and possibly losing interest in the herd bull that's still a couple hundred yards away?

Been pondering that situation all morning. Figured this would be the best place to ask because I know a few of you have been in this situation before.

[D-Rock425]

Im guessing you dont have a caller behind you and you're doing the calling?  I keep calling if you're by yourself or with a caller behind you hopefully the rag horn will walk on by a little spooked or bust out of the country the opposite direction of the other approaching bull.  Or you could do what i would do and shoot the rag horn.

[dreamunelk]

Been there!  I say just soak up the moment and tack it up to a great experience.  The rag horn will move on and the situation will change.  Especially if he is making noise.  It could very well work in your favor.

[Bigbuckoholic]

Yes ill be the only caller. My friends are to lazy to hike like me. And im with you normally I would shoot the raghorn but I have the white river quality elk tag this year so I really wanna try for a good bull.

[coachcw]

keep clossing the gap when you have a bull within about 75-100 yards and clossing , try to move forward twenty five or thirty yards and stop calling that way you wont get pinned . if he's comming to the cow call dont bugle often a herd bull wants to keep his cows and will try to move them out !

[PlateauNDN]

keep clossing the gap when you have a bull within about 75-100 yards and clossing , try to move forward twenty five or thirty yards and stop calling that way you wont get pinned . if he's comming to the cow call dont bugle often a herd bull wants to keep his cows and will try to move them out !

   I had a similar situation this past fall with 3 bulls coming in from different directions.  I was cow calling and bugling satellite until 1 stopped calling and came in to about 40 yards and I couldn't see him where he stopped from my vantage point but my wife could and she said he was big.  He trotted off the same way he came when a truck down at the bottom was burning rubber down at the bottom for some reason.  The other 2 kept calling away and the closer of the remaining 2 was the one I closed in on.  I closed, bugled and racked like I was another bull til about maybe 75 yards and positioned myself in concealment and waited for him to come to me.  He came to about 20 yards and gave me a good broadside shot at which I took.  Good luck with your tag and I hope this helps out a little, and hope to read a good story with some pics this fall.

[mfswallace]

keep clossing the gap when you have a bull within about 75-100 yards and clossing , try to move forward twenty five or thirty yards and stop calling that way you wont get pinned . if he's comming to the cow call dont bugle often a herd bull wants to keep his cows and will try to move them out !

   I had a similar situation this past fall with 3 bulls coming in from different directions.  I was cow calling and bugling satellite until 1 stopped calling and came in to about 40 yards and I couldn't see him where he stopped from my vantage point but my wife could and she said he was big.  He trotted off the same way he came when a truck down at the bottom was burning rubber down at the bottom for some reason.  The other 2 kept calling away and the closer of the remaining 2 was the one I closed in on.  I closed, bugled and racked like I was another bull til about maybe 75 yards and positioned myself in concealment and waited for him to come to me.  He came to about 20 yards and gave me a good broadside shot at which I took. [/u]  Good luck with your tag and I hope this helps out a little, and hope to read a good story with some pics this fall.

Well....... 

[PlateauNDN]

keep clossing the gap when you have a bull within about 75-100 yards and clossing , try to move forward twenty five or thirty yards and stop calling that way you wont get pinned . if he's comming to the cow call dont bugle often a herd bull wants to keep his cows and will try to move them out !

   I had a similar situation this past fall with 3 bulls coming in from different directions.  I was cow calling and bugling satellite until 1 stopped calling and came in to about 40 yards and I couldn't see him where he stopped from my vantage point but my wife could and she said he was big.  He trotted off the same way he came when a truck down at the bottom was burning rubber down at the bottom for some reason.  The other 2 kept calling away and the closer of the remaining 2 was the one I closed in on.  I closed, bugled and racked like I was another bull til about maybe 75 yards and positioned myself in concealment and waited for him to come to me.  He came to about 20 yards and gave me a good broadside shot at which I took. [/u]  Good luck with your tag and I hope this helps out a little, and hope to read a good story with some pics this fall.

Well....... 

My bad, the monster hasn't kicked in just yet.  He was a very tasty 5x6.   I still smack myself even though it's not entirely my fault because my wife says the one I couldn't see or get a clear shot at was bigger than the 1 I settled for but, oh well, there's always next year and by that I mean this year.

[Kola16]

(In a perfect world  )

Well in that case it is simple. You pass on the raghorn, and the herd bull comes out five minutes later    Even without a perfect world, I would say pass. If you were to shoot that little guy, and a big bull pops out five minutes later......

[Bigbuckoholic]

Sounds like a dandy and  more then I've ever taken. Still working on that first elk. Lots of close calls but have never been able to let an arrow fly.

And i was just curious on how you pass the raghorn up without having him bust you and tear ass through the woods spooking up everything within a country mile. 

[Kola16]

And i was just curious on how you pass the raghorn up without having him bust you and tear ass through the woods spooking up everything within a country mile.

Don't let him see you, and put on loads of scent killer before you start your hike.

[coachcw]

WIND , WIND , WIND !

[Elknut1]

Great question! I've been in that situation a few times, it took me a couple of them to finally figure out a method that works awesome! Meaning the herd bull generally ends up on the ground! Since then many good bulls for our area have taken dirt naps!

  When getting great response from more than one bull with your calling it's common to have the satellites  show first, not to fight but out of curiosity! This is one of those times you can bugle your way to good bulls, they are already being harassed to no end so one more bull entering the equation is nothing to them during this rutting venture! As soon as the satellite shows & he's within 50yds run at him with very loud & excited cow whines, he will turn & blow out of there making all kinds of commotion. He will not bark!!!  As he does this turn around a give a very coarse Lip Bawl Bugle, if a lone hunter. If not have your buddy stay back 50-70yds behind your aggressive cow calling & give this bugle, have him follow you screaming  you keep going in the direction of the bulls hitting the excited cow sounds nearly non stop. The Lip Bawl represents this Bull (you or your buddy) trying desperately to call his cow back but she is showing real interest in the real bull going forward. (the shooter) Once the shooter starts getting close shut down all cow calling & move 20 yds or so from last call. The herd bull should be on a dead run calling this whole time giving you his location, of course we are talking seconds here, he should be on you the cow caller faster than it takes to type this! (grin) Guys, we've taken a ton of good bulls with this scenario! Good Luck!!

  ElkNut1

[quadrafire]

Geez that is exciting just reading it.

[Bigbuckoholic]

That's brilliant. I hope to find myself in that situatio. That sounds like one hell of an adrenaline rush..   

[sirmissalot]

With the white river permit I would not pass on any decent bulls. It's a good tag but by no means a slam dunk. IMO