September was fun this year, we bumped elk, we heard elk, we smelled elk. Things got “western” a few times with camp visitors at night and a random surprise moose at close range and soaked boots and damn near high-centering my truck. Even without a bull on ground, it was a successful season in my mind, particularly since it’s the first time I’ve carried a bow into woods since 1997.
But I wanted to tell you about a scenario we had on closing day and see how I might get better.
Tired of hunting pressure everywhere we thought there should be elk, we threw a Hail Mary and went near a highway in some promising terrain. Sure enough, we located a bull from a ridgeline above a steep drainage near a the highway right before dark one evening. We decided to come back early the next day and come up the drainage itself a few miles down where there creek crossed the highway.
The next morning, the wind was in our favor and the ground was wet, making our approach much quieter than normal. A half mile in we located a bull up the creek valley using a basic locator bugle. We closed a few hundred yards without calling and then I fired up a cow party for a couple minutes. Crickets. The wind was still very much in our favor so I sheepishly locate bugled again. He answered up drainage again. And this time he kept bugling for a few minutes. So we closed a few hundred yards quickly and quietly again, cow called again, crickets again. I reluctantly locate bugle again to get a bead on him. Same story, same dance. This happened maybe two more times. Every time he was further up the creek and not answering cow calls.
After two more hours of dogging this fella up the drainage, he went full ninja. We never saw, heard, or smelled him again. After climbing up the ridge and waiting awhile, it was clear he’d bedded and shut down.
I have some guesses as to how we could’ve done better, kept him engaged and/or confused, and made a better play. But since I’d rather learn from people smarter than myself, I’d like to debrief this with the treehouse here see what you folks have to say.
But I wanted to tell you about a scenario we had on closing day and see how I might get better.
Tired of hunting pressure everywhere we thought there should be elk, we threw a Hail Mary and went near a highway in some promising terrain. Sure enough, we located a bull from a ridgeline above a steep drainage near a the highway right before dark one evening. We decided to come back early the next day and come up the drainage itself a few miles down where there creek crossed the highway.
The next morning, the wind was in our favor and the ground was wet, making our approach much quieter than normal. A half mile in we located a bull up the creek valley using a basic locator bugle. We closed a few hundred yards without calling and then I fired up a cow party for a couple minutes. Crickets. The wind was still very much in our favor so I sheepishly locate bugled again. He answered up drainage again. And this time he kept bugling for a few minutes. So we closed a few hundred yards quickly and quietly again, cow called again, crickets again. I reluctantly locate bugle again to get a bead on him. Same story, same dance. This happened maybe two more times. Every time he was further up the creek and not answering cow calls.
After two more hours of dogging this fella up the drainage, he went full ninja. We never saw, heard, or smelled him again. After climbing up the ridge and waiting awhile, it was clear he’d bedded and shut down.
I have some guesses as to how we could’ve done better, kept him engaged and/or confused, and made a better play. But since I’d rather learn from people smarter than myself, I’d like to debrief this with the treehouse here see what you folks have to say.
