Open country elk are another animal all together to out smart with success. The wide open spaces seem at first that it's nearly impossible to get close to them! But after looking such country over with strategic eyes you will find that the ground isn't quite as flat as you may first have thought! It can be littered with enough undulation to put a stalk on elk that are settled in for the day. Trying to stalk on moving elk from just after daylight till 10 a.m. can be tough, they are generally in transition at that time of the morning going from feeding to bedding & it can be tough to catch up to them, by all means do not call to them when in the wide open & they can look over your way, if you can see them they can see the area where the calling is coming from, this is not good! In many cases these elk can call back to you asking you to show yourself or join them, when you don't come over their way they can get nervous & move out of there rather quickly! They know something is wrong!
Don't mess with them until they arrive at their destination whether it be feeding, (evening) water/wallow, dry wallows, bedding, etc. Once at their destination you will have hours to form a plan & execute it. The wind will be your greatest enemy, having predictable wind in flatter country is generally short lived! A stealthy stalk can be had but you must watch both wind & not being spotted.
Water is a good bet but most water in those type areas is located near flat ground, sitting there for any length of time will eventually have swirling winds that can give away your position in an instant after waiting there patiently. If you bugger elk out of a destination spot by being winded the odds are stacked against you that they will return sometime during your hunt so be cognizant of this! Be willing to back out if wind will not cooperate!
One of your best bets is once elk are located through Glassing or Calling into areas you cannot see in is to now get over to their area. If glassing, get their direction of travel & try to ambush them with zero calling. This is no gimme as elk generally will have favorable wind in their direction of travel. All it takes for you is to locate that bit of undulated ground where the wind can be in your favor that you hope they will travel through without seeing or winding you. If you can hear them & realize their path is out of your sight & range try calling them your way, turn around as you call casting your sounds behind you having them think you are further than you are. I would go straight to a contact buzz, (this asks other elk to come your way) tossing in a few excited mews & whines can also add to drawing them your direction. Cease all calling once you realize they are heading your way by sight or sound of them walking. This can pull the cows your direction & hopefully the bull will be in tow!
Another option when there are two hunters is the Call & Stalk method! This is one of my favorites in both open country or dark timber elk! Once elk are at their destination & completely out of sight, I like staying back 300-400 yards depending on sound carry in your area. I now will use a Location Bugle, (non-threatening) this generally can get the herd bull or satellites to respond back fearlessly at this long distance. I will then proceed to bugle once every minute or two minutes 3 times to let the bull know I am not advancing, this will most likely calm him down feeling this intruder bull is not pressuring him or his cows. Nice thing is the shooter is now slipping in silent mode closing the distance on his unseen bugling bull. Watch that wind & look for other elk, try not to get tunnel vision on the bugling bull & lose tract of other animals lurking nearby!!! I've had a bull bugle back to me for well over an hour as I space the Location Bugle out over 5 min to 6 min apart now that he feels good about responding back & staying anchored thus giving the shooter the time he needs on his silent stalk. Many a bulls have ended up in the freezer with this simple technique! Here's a few options, hope it helps!
ElkNut1
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