Elk -3-What Would You Do!

[ElkNut1]

OK guys, this hunt took place around Sept. 24th - We pull up on a dirt road we are familiar with & park. It's 1/2 hour before first light so still pitch black. It rained most the night & was still raining at present; steady but not pouring. I get out to get into my rain gear, in doing so I hear a cow mew then another & another on the opposite side of the mountain we were to go up. I pause & listen, after several minutes (my son is still in the cab-grin) I notice those cows are now on our side chatting as they head up the mountain through the thick timber. Luck was with us as they never winded me as they crossed unseen.

I let my Son know what I heard & said we need to get moving as they are heading straight up fast!

We head out & cross a stream that was running high & fast, it's crazy how the elk got through it without slipping on the river-rocks. We head up as quick as we can; we can hear the cows talking a couple hundred yards ahead, it is super steep wet & slick as hell. The cows finally are high enough now that we can barely hear them. All of a sudden a bull bellows higher than all of us, much higher. We kept trudging as quick as we, meaning me; ha ha As I could go. I'm 64 at that time so no spring chicken!!!!

So far we have not made any elk sounds. After near 1/2 mile of cutting the distance we can hear the cows, they must have slowed some. The bull bugles again & we are much closer, maybe 300-350 yards. We stop & decide it's time to test the waters of emotion here with the cows just in front of us but unseen & I give an urgent Round Up Bugle. The bull screams back in an instant; he's still way up the mountain but doesn't show signs of coming down. I toss out a couple excited cow calls & he shows zero interest! What's your move??

ElkNut

 

[Elk97]

Cut the distance in half and throw out another round up. See what happens from there

 

[Mag_7s]

This is a tough one. Close the distance as much as possible to the bull, insult him and his right to keep his cows with lip balls and chuckling. Persistent challenge bugles and raking and if he responds cut him off every time.
Side question: I have always thought the rain helped knock down your sent. Does anyone else think this or is it completely false?

 

[Alpineelk]

Get to 150ish and roundup bugle and start raking adding in a short lip bawl

 

[Alpineelk]

If I could get him bugling enough and he's not advancing sneaking in has worked at times depending on terrain

 

[Bubblehide]

...
Side question: I have always thought the rain helped knock down your sent. Does anyone else think this or is it completely false?

A light rain enhances scent.

This bull isn't going to move toward you with the cows heading towards him. I would avoid trying to get the cows moving toward me as to much can go wrong, considering the distance.

I'd talk to the cows, as another cow, to keep tabs on them as I'm moving with them to the bull. Once close enough to be a real threat to the bull (to close for him to just move away with the cows) I'd agressively challange him (that other senerio of talking to the cows may play well here too).

 

[elkliver]

Depending on where the cows are, I'd keep cutting distance if i can. If cows directly between us, circle off to side slightly and keep closing. Challenge when close. But... I most likely will mess something up, so would really like to hear What Elknut did

 

[Wapiti1]

Get up higher, figure where the cows are going and see if I can get the bull talking enough to send in my partner to sneak on him.

Nice and quiet with the wet woods.

Jeremy

 

[Marble]

I'm going to follow the herd to their bedding area, let them get settled, let the thermals change and get a good consistent wind and then slow play from a few hundred yards.

This also gives me Intel for later hunts . I now know the path they take, what time they arrive and the location of a bedding area.

I do not want to try and circle around the herd, I think too many things could go wrong.

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

 

[5MilesBack]

Everyone's assuming this is a herd. Paul said the bull was "much higher" than him and the cows, and that the bull wasn't all that interested in these cows. I'm skirting around these cows and still closing the distance to the bull. If I bust these cows in a direction away from the bull, that wouldn't be the worst thing IMO. As I get closer to the bull then I'll reassess and go from there.

 

[Winnie]

I think Paul gave us some foreshadowing when he said he was going to "test the waters of emotion". The bull screamed back immediately. The bull doesn't want to hear cow sounds, but he is wound up and will respond to bull sounds. the problem is the cows. I would move off to the side of the cows and challenge the bull again. I am thinking raise that bulls temperature a bit and see if he will move. If the bull does come down, I don't want him to run headlong into the cows. If he won't come down, I would send the other hunter to him and keep him talking.

 

[Z Barebow]

You have to move. Early morning and cool air still have thermals coming downhill. You need to get close to even elevation and reassess. Calling at 300+ yards on 9/24 will get you plenty of conversation, but not much of a chance to call elk in archery range.

As a bit of a contrarian, as long as the elk are talking I would keep working in closer with the wind in my favor. Keep my mouth shut unless needed.

 

[ElkNut1]

Awesome responses! I was thinking just like the lot here. I knew I had to get closer after the initial setup but did not want to get too impatient as I knew I had time as long as the cows were still not far from us. I have been in situations where I screamed a Challenge when close to cows & the bull still several hundred yards away & had him come a screaming down the mountain. As we know all bulls reactions are not created equal!

Hint, I got as close as I dared to the Cows on Setup #-2 & now much closer to the bull as we & the cows kept going up this Bull but he never moved towards us YET!

Right now I'm out of time but will give the Conclusion today! This encounter turned out to be in our Top 3 most exciting/high adrenalin call-ins to date! Stay tuned!

ElkNut

 

[shoeshineman]

I think i would sneak in silently to where I believe the bull to be and then go to bull-type sounds (raking).

 

[Still Hunter]

The Bull responded quickly to the bugles but was not interested in coming downs So its wet and raining. Assuming we do not have a problem yet with thermals rising up to the bull I would definitely try to close the distance to him being as careful as possible not to bust out the cows. I would probably turn way from the Bull and do another round up bugle, as if I was a bull headed down and away with my girls. Use that to locate him if he bugles back again. Then I would close the distance on him and work my way up closer to him and try to get within 100-150 yards. Then, once set up I would bust out another round up bugle and then immediately follow up with a pissed off lip bawl because one of my girls wasn't paying attention to me and see if I could rattle his cage to get him to come on down.

 

[EMAZ]

Stop focusing on that bull because my son only has a youth cow tag

 

[MallardSX2]

First thing I am going to hustle up and get on his level at a minimum so I can make a smarter play when those thermals change. I never like to be directly below or above and elk in the morning. I need to get closer to him and I want to have 2 wind option plays before I get danger close......

Calling to a bull in the morning while you are well below him is a rookie move.

 

[ElkNut1]

Thanks guys!

As I mentioned earlier we were hunting a steep dark timbered mountainside, slipping in quiet wasn't a good option not to mention nearly impossible in these parts. I knew without a doubt I would have to call this bull down to us just like I do most every bull we call in.

Touching base with the bull on the 1st setup was to read his reaction time, it was good enough, there was no 30 second to one minute pause before he responded. It was just a matter of time.

After evaluating our 2nd setup & still a ways out we kept up with the cows with our ears, at no time did we get eyes on them, not even a glimpse. We pushed up with no calling once again, we finally get to a bench & can hear the cows talking amongst themselves just above us, the bull was not bugling at this time & hadn't since our last setup. I felt from his last bugle he couldn't be more than 150-200 yards max from us now. With the bull being closer & knowing right where the cows were I setup my Son right on the edge of the bench where he could see best with a couple shooting lanes.

Paul II knocks an arrow & I slide back down off the bench below him 20 yards & I nestle up next to some huge willows 10'-12' tall & grab a good whacking stick. I can see my Sons back & that's it; it will allow me to read his body language. I know the 2nd I crack a bugle off he's going to respond & we'll know exactly where he is. I'm setting this bull up as I've done so many others!

I fire off with a threatening Challenge, he bugles right over me & the bull is about where I thought he should be. To the bull I'm just under the cows, possibly 5-6 of them. I scream again & now I wait at the ready so I can cut him off. He Screams his challenge & I cut him off instantly & start thrashing those tall willows, he bugles again & now it sounds like he's aprox 100 yards out, yes he's come our way. I now give him 3 aggressive pants, & a hard nervous grunt/bark followed by as big & gnarly challenge as I can muster.

I can hear hooves slamming into the ground as he closes the distance & I see my Son draw, when I see this I bugle again & start thrashing those tall willows to draw his attention towards me, they are tall enough that I know the bull must see their movement as he's coming in, I hear him running & it sounds like he's just right there & twang I hear the bow release & all went quiet as quick as it started. I bugle several times just out of habit in hopes of slowing this bull down providing my Son shot him.

I look up at my Son with that what happened look, did you shoot him or what? He's starring at me like he'd seen a ghost with his eyes wide! I get up to him looking for an explanation & he points at the ground to his right, well SOB there lays that Bull just a few yards away.

Of course I'm trying to get some info on the happenings & he just shakes his head & says that bull came in so fast from 100 yards to 5 yards at a dead run that he frontal shot him in full stride more in self defense as he had no intentions of stopping till he got to Me!!! He says I've never seen an elk come in like he did, most come in & stop to evaluate or to bugle looking for you or even slow to a walk as they scan the area feverishly, but not this guy, he had one thing in mind & that was to do away with this intruder bull.


P.S. taking a bulls temperature/attitude at a distance is a non issue, it sets the table for his possible demise! (grin)

Thanks a bunch for all your thoughts, most of you were right on target on what was taking place! I hope those that are lurking here can store all these thoughts in case they find themselves in a similar situation! Of course all of this is in the app.

ElkNut

 

[5MilesBack]

Those are fun when they come in with fire in their eyes, especially when you're hunting solo.

 

[Beendare]

Im trying to think of a situation I have been in where the bull is leading a pack of cows away.
Thats rare, the bull is usually middle of the pack or in the rear.

I would probably dog them keeping my distance until they get to their bedding area, they obviously know where they are going.

. Then I either sneak in silent, trying to get a shot or if I think I can challenge the bull to drive me off, do that

Edit- OK we posted at the same time I missed the result