Archery Elk Advice

[LC]

Long time lurker here. Decided it was time to ask for advice.

Hunted my entire life on the western side of Washington. As I have gotten older I have tried experimenting with archery elk hunting. I have had success with a rifle but never a bow. I have attempted archery a few seasons here and there but it has been hard to stay consistent with it due to having much more success seeing elk and killing elk with a rifle.

I have never heard an elk bugle on this side of the state and spot and stalk seems to be much less likely with everything being so dry.

This year I am going to bear down and really try my hand at archery elk again on the west side.

I just checked my cameras last week and have been consistently seeing elk where they are during rifle season. Time will tell if they are in the same areas during archery season but I plan on spending a lot of time this summer finding them and watching them.

My question is for the people who have had success on the West side for archery elk, what advice would you guys be willing to share?

[trophyhunt]

I’d love to see the look on your face when you have your first bull encounter screaming in your face at 20 yards!!!  Archery elk in the early season is like no other, but has challenges that rifle doesn’t. Mostly, heat and bugs.  For me, that’s the worst part, but the good parts out weigh bad. Being able to communicate with the bulls is huge, the wind is your worst enemy since you need to get in closer. Rifle, you see an elk, it’s usually a dead elk.  With bow, even at 20-40 yards broadside, a lot can go wrong! Limbs you didn’t see, pulling the trigger, animal jumping the string and other things.  But, my favorite hunt, is early season archery elk!  Just practice shooting, and go for it. 

[CarbonHunter]

It doesn’t matter where the elk are now, in the summer or during rifle season. Bulls will travel miles during September to their traditional breeding grounds of where the cows are. Your camera images are only good if they showed elk last year in September. Doesn’t matter what they show in July or November.

Once you locate them in September the weather is everything. Bulls bugle when the pressure and temperature is what they are looking for. They can be bedded 100 yards from you but if conditions aren’t right they won’t talk.

Then you better sound right and not like the hunter that was there yesterday that they saw and know isn’t an elk. If you’re in a call heavy area you better be darn good at calling or they will never respond. Keep in mind most videos you watch are in closed or permit only units, not otc units.

Good luck!  With effort you can be successful just like many dedicated hunters are each year on the west side.

[trophyhunt]

And buy a mouth reed now and practice to and from work in your car. 

[Crunchy]

I would just concentrate on finding the cows and where they are feeding and bedding. That likely won't change too much as rut or no rut they got to eat.  Look for old rubs.

[High Climber]

Not sure where you are planning to hunt, but the areas I used to hunt elk over there they were in the same general areas year round. Maybe using a different drainage but pretty close. Keep tabs on some herds through the summer, paying attention to old rubs.  and towards the first of September start looking for new rubs…drive all the roads if there is rubs there is going to be bulls around. Once season comes around you can start checking these areas and getting to spots you can throw sound. Eventually you will get a response  play the wind and always set yourself up with shooting lanes if you are on them. If you don’t call, spot and stalk definitely works even when it’s dry but good wind is mandatory. Good luck hope you get into some action!

[LC]

Thanks for all of the advice everyone. Ill be sure to practice calling so I can get where I am comfortable during season. Is there a standard protocol when calling? Cow calls, bugling, or a combo? The season is the 6th - 18th this year. Is there generally a time that they will answer more often? Wondering if there is a stretch of "can't miss" time in the woods.

Again, thank you for the advice I am already looking forward to it.

[dylan34_36]

I'm not sure if you like listening to podcasts but I feel my knowledge level has greatly increased by listening to remi warrens live wild podcast. He goes through various elk calls in some episodes and even talks about calling in mature bulls or animals that may be call shy. I have gotten elk(or tricked people) to reply to my calls the last few years and wouldn't consider myself an amazing caller. I have no experience with some of the paid elk content but I know its out there and might be a great resource if you want to spend some money. Sounds silly but I focus more on putting some "emotion" into my bugles rather than making them sound perfect and it seems maybe thats a helpful hint I've heard said. I kinda think of it like interacting with someone reading off a script rather than having an actual conversation. One feels more authentic than the other or at least to me it does.
I am a new hunter and havent yet been very successful in harvesting an elk so take it all with a grain of salt but the feeling of gettin an elk to respond to a call is like nothing I've ever experienced. I was immediately hooked.       

[CarbonHunter]

Corey Jacobson has some really good content out there on calling elk and most beginners would benefit greatly from taking his course.

In general the bulls get dumber as the rut goes on so hunting later in the season along with the cooler temperatures has brought success for me. Also the moon phase is important to activity so keep that in mind when planning your trip.

[salmosalar]

Where are you hunting on the West side, generally? Are you going to be in SW, the west side of OP? hunting cascade elk? I have only hunted true Roosies 9West of I5) and I have some sort of visual or audio encounter 80%+ days that I hunt. My advice is based on a mere 3 years of hunting them. I've been objectively succesful at calling them in and unsuccesful at killing them. It is as fun of a game as there is.

Roosevelts will respond to both bugles and cow calls or calf calls etc. That is what I have found. I prefer to be aggressive so I bugle. I rarely cow call. My buddy does though and it can get responses for sure. Often (30-40%) the response to a bugle will be an animal raking. If they are close enough, you may hear it. Sometimes, they will come in silent. Don't take your release off when you stop and eat lunch, just eat with your off hand. A bull may just be on it's way to find what you are .

Also learn to chuckle with whatever call you use. Roosies's chuckle a lot. If you can't use a reed call, have a small bugle for the close up calling.

Born and Raised Outdoors just did a good video on target panic. I recomend it. They go over how to practice your routine to be effective when the time comes. West side shots are hard enough due to brush etc. Have your shot sequence dialed in.

Get OnX- it keeps a man from tresspassing by accident. It can also help you find access that you would not have known about.

For Roosies, trust the sign. They don't go too far, so when you find the sign, hunt there. If you spook them, you may still be able to hunt them the next day, quite close to where they made you, especially if they did not smell you. 

3 1/2 year old bulls are curious. The biger bulls are not as stupid except for the 1 or 2 days that they are really fired up and then they may come right at you. Direct, fast and sometimes without talking.

[pianoman9701]

All of the above, plus: Shoot everyday until hunting season and then, bring a target into camp to shoot during your down time. Work up to at least 125-150 shots each day. While scouting, do some stump shooting with blunts so you can get a better feel for range in the woods. You won't always get a chance to pull out your range finder. Do as many 3D shoots as you can.

[Stein]

Learn how to call, get in great shape if you aren't.  I'm in a similar boat that you are, taking it on later in life and it's fun and frustrating, often at the same time.

[wcm06]

In my experience, summer scouting can be helpful, but the bulls generally relocate once September hits. Focus on North facing slopes with fresh sign. Benches on north facing slopes and saddles are money! Fresh sign is king. North facing slopes are cooler and more likely to hold water this time of year. They will bed on North facing slopes. Hunting them in transition from feeding to bedding and vice versa is underrated. If you want to learn to call effectively, the ElkNut app is cheap and worth every penny 100 times over. If you stop in one place, always range a few trees around you. Always have a cow reed call in your mouth in case you need to stop a bull for a shot. Can't stress that enough! As far as your bow, you need a bow that you can shoot accurately with a sharp, sharp broadhead. If you don't draw your bow back, you can't shoot an elk. Persistent got me my first elk, so don't give up when you get discouraged. I usually get my bulls in places that are overlooked by other hunters. Good luck!

[kodiak06]

Elk can and are killed often with hunters never calling at all. Spot and stalk is an easy way to kill a bull and if you make the right moves you can get in on the herd easily.  If you try to sneak in the elk will break quicker than if you come in loud like other elk do. They're not quiet walkers BUT, they will sneak in on you without a sound when cold calling. They are bugling in September, you'll hear one if you're in the woods a lot. The cow girl and hoochie mama work well if you can't use a reed.

[pd]

Decades and decades ago, I took up fly fishing. 

In the beginning, I bought a rod and reel from an old coot, and practiced casting.  I was terrible.  My girlfriend (now wife) thought I was nuts.  I tried so hard, went to so many places, just wanted to catch a fish.  Eventually I did.  This was the First Stage.

Being a young man, I was foolish, and eventually got cocky.  Now I wanted to catch a lot of fish.  I worked so hard.  I practiced casting.  I started to tie my own flies.  I made my own leaders.  I even wove my own nets, from bamboo roots that I dug and dried by myself.  My wife thought I was crazy.  Eventually I started to catch a lot of fish.  This was the Second Stage.

Then I started hanging with other capable fly fishermen, and I realized there was something more.  Big fish.  I really wanted to catch big fish.  I started to travel.  I even visited other continents.  Went to the famous rivers frequented in books.  I read a lot.  I worked so hard.  My wife thought I was crazy.  Eventually I began to catch big fish.  This was Stage Three.

Then, it turned dark.  I had to become That Guy.  I wanted to catch a lot of big fish.  But, at some point, I caught a very small fish.  A very pretty fish.  It was then that I realized that I really only wanted to see beautiful fish.  I no longer travelled to the famous places.  Instead, I started to climb higher & higher in the mountains, to the very smallest of rivulets, where I could see small, but iridescent fish.  And take photographs of them.  My wife thought I was crazy.  This was Stage Four.

It has been more than a decade since I have cast my rod.  I gave away all of my fly tying materials, as I can no longer see well enough to tie flies.  I have custom made bamboo rods, that are kept with pride alongside my firearms in a locked case.  But, I am still a fisherman.  My wife thinks I am crazy.  This is Stage Five. 

Long ago, I lived in Japan.  One of my dear fly fishing buddies told me that Stage Five is Zen.

If you are interested, I will tell you about westside Roosevelt elk hunting.  It involves several stages.  And a wife.