Finally got action, what did I do wrong?

[IDspud]

Hiked up to some fresh sign before first light. Bugled at 7 and got a return a couple hundred yards away. Talked back and forth until he got to somewhere around 100 over 20-30 minutes. After he hung up there he went back and presumably bedded down at 730/745. He bugled and talked back and forth for a while without moving to Jen went silent.

The winds were starting to shift up so I backed out. What did I do wrong? How do I approach him again?

Should I go back this evening when the thermals shift again and wait until dark? Go back tomorrow morning? I don’t think he winded me but it’s possible.

 

[ceng]

I’m no elk expert, but I don’t know if there’s enough info to say anything in particular went wrong. Is there something else you could have done? Yeah maybe waited after he bedded till the thermals stabilized and stalked in close to call? Hopefully some of the Killers on here will chime in, but any number of things could have happened. My experience is, if they smell you usually you hear them running off, not always. It seems like if they see you, sometimes they will just shut up and sneak off, but could have just been uninterested and went to bed. Could have been another hunter who figured out what you were then wandered off. Tough to say.

 

[IDspud]

I’m no elk expert, but I don’t know if there’s enough info to say anything in particular went wrong. Is there something else you could have done? Yeah maybe waited after he bedded till the thermals stabilized and stalked in close to call? Hopefully some of the Killers on here will chime in, but any number of things could have happened. My experience is, if they smell you usually you hear them running off, not always. It seems like if they see you, sometimes they will just shut up and sneak off, but could have just been uninterested and went to bed. Could have been another hunter who figured out what you were then wandered off. Tough to say.

No I don’t really know of anything else I could have done. Unfortunately if I’m lucky I seem to get one encounter like that per season. Wondering if I need to do something differently and hoping that wasn’t my only shot.

I thought it may have been another Hunter but I am 99% sure it was not. When he was at its closest I could hear him wheezing and crunching more than any competitive caller I’ve ever heard. And shortly after I drove around the mountain and there was no one even close by.

 

[Next Ridge]

I’ve stopped talking to bulls a couple hundred yards way other than just to keep them located. If I’m really going to try and call him in with bugling I get to 100 or so first before I start trying if I can.

 

[IDspud]

I’ve stopped talking to bulls a couple hundred yards way other than just to keep them located. If I’m really going to try and call him in with bugling I get to 100 or so first before I start trying if I can.

I wish I had that luxury. I’m lucky to even get one to play that much. They’re also on the side of a brushy hill looking down so sneaking in to 100 would be pretty difficult

 

[HuntandFly]

Contrary to what YouTube tells you, not every bugling bull comes raging in to 20 yards. What you described matches about 95% of my encounters with elk where I opted to try and talk to them within 150 yards, especially bugles. Most bulls actually don’t want a fight most of the time. Less calling is usually better inside those ranges especially if hunting solo.

 

[IDspud]

Contrary to what YouTube tells you, not every bugling bull comes raging in to 20 yards. What you described matches about 95% of my encounters with elk where I opted to try and talk to them within 150 yards, especially bugles. Most bulls actually don’t want a fight most of the time. Less calling is usually better inside those ranges especially if hunting solo.

So 18 more encounters like that and I may be in business

 

[Jethro]

You didn’t say if you cut the distance after initially getting a response. If you had cut 75 off and the bull closed 100 closer, you’d have been within 25.

Unless you have more located elsewhere, I’d be in the area this evening. Listen from a distance. Could bugle on his own or get him to respond. Then move in from down wind.

 

[IDspud]

You didn’t say if you cut the distance after initially getting a response. If you had cut 75 off and the bull closed 100 closer, you’d have been within 25.

Unless you have more located elsewhere, I’d be in the area this evening. Listen from a distance. Could bugle on his own or get him to respond. Then move in from down wind.

I thought it was almost always a bad idea to try and approach them when they are responding?

 

[P Carter]

^these guys are right. “Bugling back and forth,” in my experience, is codespeak for “not shooting an elk.” The key is bugling once or twice then getting in close and making it happen. Vague but true.

Edit: “once or twice” is wrong. It’s not about how many times you bugle; it’s about the intent. The intent is to kill the elk, which means you have to get close. Bugling is a means to that end. There may be some bugling back and forth, but it oughta happen as you’re moving in to kill the elk. Bugling back and forth is super fun but it’s like maybe step 2 of a 10 step process in getting the elk killed. No expert here but I’ve gone through a “bugling back and forth” phase and had lots of fun but not that many elk killed!

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

I thought it was almost always a bad idea to try and approach them when they are responding?

Always cut the distance. After the initial bugle and response, I would of cut at least a 100 yards off, maybe more depending on terrain. Then, depending on the bull, cow call or bugle again and if he immediately responded I would of cut his off with another, thrash brush, etc. I tend to be more aggressive. Really hard to say because every situation is different but almost universally if you call and get a response, try and cut distance in half.

 

[TomJoad]

Did the elk sound like this? If yes a new area may be a good call.

 

[IDspud]

3 years of bustin my ass and im almost at step 3 of 10 haha…. Logged over 100 miles on my gps through mountainous terrain last year before I stopped keeping track. This is brutal.

 

[10ringer]

Picture some dick at the entrance of a bar yelling to you on the other side of the room saying he’s gonna come steal your girl, then picture that same guy walking across the bar to sit at the table next to you, he leans over and threatens to steal your girl, now your in for a fight!

Locate your bull, stay quiet and get within 100 yards before you make noise again. That might mean you have to do a two mile loop, go up and over the ridge and drop down on him when the wind is right.

Either way get in tight and sit all afternoon long, he’s going to get up and move around to check on cows

Best of luck!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[P Carter]

3 years of bustin my ass and im almost at step 3 of 10 haha…. Logged over 100 miles on my gps through mountainous terrain last year before I stopped keeping track. This is brutal.

Finding them and bugling back and forth is the easy part. And it’s not easy! (Again, in my experience.)

 

[Elkoholic87]

What was the tone of his bugle? You can learn a lot from that.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[oake]

I’m no expert; shot exactly one bull with a bow. That’s due to being aggressive and advancing towards the elk.

If you bust one out moving in, file in your tool kit and refine your approach the next time.

Hunting isn’t an exact science you need to read each situation and apply experience to be successful

 

[Jethro]

I thought it was almost always a bad idea to try and approach them when they are responding?

There is a difference between him responding and “coming”. Cut the distance whenever you can.

Even if a bull is coming and I think it’s about to get real, I try to move up from my last calling position.

In general, closer you can get without him knowing where you are , the better.

 

[wapitibob]

You didn't do anything wrong. Many bulls bugle to figure out who's where and have no intention of actually meeting. I would guess he was a single Bull just curious about the other Bull in the area.

 

[Deadfall]

STOP BUGLING..... I know it's fun and all...you'll get infinitely more opportunities with love then hate...cow call equals kinky fun...bugle equals horn in butt...

Or don't....

You can get bulls to travel extremely long distances for some prostitution...the bull sounds should only be used to let other bulls know there's a cow in heat.

Contrary to public opinion it's the bulls that let everyone else know a cow is in heat...

The sound everyone thinks is a cow in heat is not that. That sound is telling another elk to come back/get over here...they make it all year....

Anyway start thinking like elk and not the monkeys on YouTube. You will get way more encounters