Elk; When to Call & When not to

[orionthehunter1]

Those are good points Rizzy I mostly rifle hunt elk so I haven't chimed in on this conversation, but when I drew unit 61 (colorado) a couple of years ago I heard more bugling in one day up there then the previous 17 years in over the counter units. From my limited perspectie and from what I have heard from others is that Limited Entry Unit elk are way more vocal than OTC elk

 

[Matt Cashell]

There is some great advice in this thread, Roksliders!

An interesting implied assumption running through the thread is the biggest bulls are the herd bulls. It isn't always that way IME.

 

[luke moffat]

BOOM!!! Well done Justin!

 

[justin davis]

Bitterroot bulls- great point sir. One of my biggest bulls I have taken was not with any elk. He was on the out skirts of a herd with another bull acting as the herd bull. I have seemed to notice that Some big bulls let other bulls tend the herds.

 

[Rizzy]

Bitterroot bulls- great point sir. One of my biggest bulls I have taken was not with any elk. He was on the out skirts of a herd with another bull acting as the herd bull. I have seemed to notice that Some big bulls let other bulls tend the herds.

I'm glad you mentioned that, it makes a lot of sense and confirms what I'm seeing in the area of Idaho I hunt. The majority of the herd bulls seem to be 5 pointers in my area, I don't get, its unconventional

 

[Tdiesel]

I have seemed to notice that Some big bulls let other bulls tend the herds.

Odd wondered about this a couple years ago I swear the herd bull stayed in the dark timber while the rest of the herd hit the park to eat. Now he may have come out in the middle of the night I can't tell you that but I know first thing he was already in the timber half way up the mountain I swear he would bugle and the cows would gather up and head up to him I ended up killing another bull so never did work that bull hard and can't say I even seen him. I wanted to be half way up the mountain before light and let him bugle and sneak in on him but never put the plan into action. kinda forgot about that one its been a few years. he sounded the best anyhow out of all the bugles and was in the same area every morning.

thats why I like this site!! I can learn from others experiences

 

[Liv2HntBigBullz]

Justin you are a boss! Those are some fine Colorado bulls!

I think there is a time and place for everything. As a hunter you must be versitile and hunt utilizing a method that best suits you. I don't hear worth a darn so I use my glass and stalk bulls more than I call to them. However, given a choice I would rather call one in as I love the interaction.

As for the OTC vs Limited comment, in my opinion bugling has everything to do with bull density and competition. Most limited units are managed for a more bulls per cows thus lending itself to more competition. But that just based on my experiences.

 

[justin davis]

Odd wondered about this a couple years ago I swear the herd bull stayed in the dark timber while the rest of the herd hit the park to eat. Now he may have come out in the middle of the night I can't tell you that but I know first thing he was already in the timber half way up the mountain I swear he would bugle and the cows would gather up and head up to him I ended up killing another bull so never did work that bull hard and can't say I even seen him. I wanted to be half way up the mountain before light and let him bugle and sneak in on him but never put the plan into action. kinda forgot about that one its been a few years. he sounded the best anyhow out of all the bugles and was in the same area every morning.
thats why I like this site!! I can learn from others experiences

What you are describing is a smart mature bulls. Mature bulls know that if they come out in the open then "shots" ring out and they think they are in Afghanistan.
I've seen this before too. Cows feeding out in the open, but the bull won't leave the timber because he knows better at least in day light.

I think there are some big mature bulls that live their whole life in almost complete solitude. They never act like "herd" bulls. They will be all by them self. Often roaming during the rut and checking out different groups of cows. When they want a
Piece of a**. They just go into the herd and take over.

 

[Tdiesel]

you summed up my thoughts from years ago perfectly. I just never had observed it but thought exactly as your describing. And speaking of those solitude bulls they are hard to find easier to find a bunch of elk than a single elk.haha

 

[wapitibob]

Big bulls around here stay by themselves till the cows are in heat. They then come out and breed, then go back to solitude behavior.

 

[CW_12]

I have had success calling and getting close to elk in most every way described above.

Another thing I have done with luck is to get within 500 or 600 yards of the heard and let out a series of cow calls and maybe a light bugle. My partner and I then close the distance a couple hundred yards very quickly and let out another light bugle and then just wait. I have had several encounters mixing up this sequence. Like any method it does not work every time but I pull this out of my bag of tricks a couple times a year.

 

[CW_12]

That is a great CO bull Justin.

 

[trophyhill]

What you are describing is a smart mature bulls. Mature bulls know that if they come out in the open then "shots" ring out and they think they are in Afghanistan.
I've seen this before too. Cows feeding out in the open, but the bull won't leave the timber because he knows better at least in day light.

I think there are some big mature bulls that live their whole life in almost complete solitude. They never act like "herd" bulls. They will be all by them self. Often roaming during the rut and checking out different groups of cows. When they want a
Piece of a**. They just go into the herd and take over.

hence the term "Shirker Bull". i absolutely believe this!

 

[2ski]

I was just going to ask, for those of you that hunt in states with wolves as well as states without a solid wolf population, if your calling tactics change in an area with wolves?

Also, I listened to a guy at an outdoor show talk about the barometric pressure effecting how much elk are bugling. Does anyone let the barometer guide them at all as to when they call?

And my last question, I know that calling is generally an archery hunt tactic. Does anyone call during rifle season? The same qentleman said something about cows that didn't take after their first estres cycle come back in during rifle season, and he does call a little at that time as well.

 

[Matt Cashell]

Elk are much less vocal in areas with high wolf densities, in my experience. It doesn't seem like calling tactics change that much, but you deal with bulls coming in quiet more often.

Calling in later seasons can work, and I have located many bulls in rifle season by their bugles, including last years bull in mid-November! It was interesting, that we hadn't seen a single wolf track in that area too.

 

[Bighorse]

Is there any difference between Roosevelts and Rocky Mountain Elk in regards to calling? Thanks!

 

[billdoe5]

In my opinion no.. just depends on how aggressive the elk are being themselves... But rockies tend to be more aggressive because less pressure and more land

 

[MT_Nate]

I will be in the minority here, but I am elk hunting in September for the adrenaline rush of the elk rut. Being quiet and not using my calls is not in my arsenal too often. Yes, calling sometimes may have cost me an opportunity or two through the years, but it has also created many, many opportunties, harvests and incredible memories. I tend to bugle and grunt 60-70% and soft cow mews the other 30-40%.

+1 on Ross' comment. Just knowing when to shut up after you've generated the action seems to have been the kicker for all of my best encounters.

 

[123 4/8 P&Y]

Hell I call at everything. Except once. We saw a calf up ahead of us. Then a cow, then a bull. We sat down and they fed by us at 50 ish yds. My buddy hit a branch and missed. All other elk that have been within my killing distance were called in. All with cow calls, except one pissed off bugling bull. I hate spot & stalk hunting. I'd rather sit in a tree or a blind.

 

[dryflyguy]

I blew out a 'herd' bull once that haunts my dreams. I was stalking in on a bull that was consistently bugling every couple of minutes. As I was getting in closer, I could start to hear some mews around the bugling bull and an occasional hoof crunching pine needles a little to my left and slightly down wind of me. I got about 80 yards out from the herd and was trying to sneak peeks through the timber. The herd bull was a solid 320 in my estimation. I heard the crunch of pine needles again, only a little too close. I hunt in grizzly country, so I popped up and whirled around. I then shared the exact same expression of shock and awe with the critter as I stared down a 350-ish bull that, as near as I could tell, was moving in to run off the smaller bull that was running the herd. He spun and boogered out of there. About thirty seconds later a cow from the herd barked at me and it was all over. I hate even typing that story.