Hunting Washington Forum
Big Game Hunting => Elk Hunting => Topic started by: Duckslayer89 on September 02, 2017, 10:00:12 PM
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Had to change plans to a cow/spike unit because of fire closures and wondering if anyone has ever had any success calling in spikes? What technique?
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Elk whistle, anything more and they are the small kid on the block and won't play.
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Spikes will come in to a cow call!
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Spikes will come in to a cow call!
:yeah:
Absolutely.
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:yeah: and they come in quiet, very very quiet. On 3 separate occasions the spikes came in quiet and didn't make a sound. They came in while the big bull was a ways off still bugling.
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Yep, cow calling has worked for me. from My experience with cow calling at spikes less gets you more.....
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:yeah: and they come in quiet, very very quiet. On 3 separate occasions the spikes came in quiet and didn't make a sound. They came in while the big bull was a ways off still bugling.
I think they come in quiet because they know they might get there bum kicked. Spikes for us always have come in quiet.
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Spikes are hanging with the cows, who are in the rut phase of herding up. Yes, some of the more amorous spikes will move off of their groups to cow calls, even bull sounds fir odd reasons but the key is to get close to established (establishing groups) groups.
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I had one follow me around for near an hour one year. Cams into a cow call, saw me, trotted off cams right back to a cow call. Did this a few times then he just hung out since I kept cow calling. I figured he was recently kicked out and real lonely. Felt bad for the little guy. Any elk unit too, he was lucky it was me he was trying to make friends with, wasn't interested in spikes
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Probably wasn't kicked out LG, was just looking for a group to hang out with. Spikes and adolescent bulls have zero chance of breeding any receptive cow so the herd bull of the the week is not worried about him/then. As in our human world (for the most part, lol) the females will not allow pro creation with the lesser mates. It's the the way it is in nature.
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Spikes are the easiest elk to call. They are teenagers that have spent all their life up to this time with their mother and the herd. Then the rut happens and they are ostracized. They want the security of the herd and want to breed but neither the cows or the mature bulls will let them. They will follow and hang out on the outskirts of the herd. If i don't know where there are a herd of elk I will start with some cow calls then let out on a whistle type bugle. No grunting or growling. I follow with a series of several cows like the herd is getting rounded up and starting to move. I then move side hill a ways and will let out on a few cow calls as I go. If there is a spike in ear shot he will be running at full speed toward you so he doesn't get left behind. Make sure you have an arrow in your bow and you are ready to shoot because it is going to happen fast. If he spokes as you are trying to shoot don't loose your composure. Remember he is a young inexperienced teenager and can be fooled easily. Just move sidehill 50-100 yards and cow call again. Most of the time he will be a bit more cautious and will try to circle down wind of you but he will come in most of the time, although he may hang up a little further away.
Good luck and have fun!!
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Alright awesome advice! Appreciate everyone's responses. Do they usually come in and show themselves or hang up like the big boys? Hard to really set someone out in front of you if they come in silent. Can't wait for Saturday!
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yes they will come in to calls. for years I thought I could tell if a bull was big or small depending on the sound of the bugle but now as I've gained more experience I've seen small bull and spikes make huge bugle that I would have thought no way a spike could make that big of a bugle. in my experience the smaller the bull the easier it is to call them in depending on how fresh their education is in their head. I think a bull that was shot at will be harder to call in the same season but there r all ways exceptionso
