How do you determine who is shooter each day ?

[Colby3]

What ways do you pick who is shooter on a archery elk hunt within a group of hunters? Switch everyday? Shooter stays shooter till he has a shot or opportunity? Rookie goes first? Draw straws?

 

[ResearchinStuff]

Everyone is the shooter in a calling situation. They do unpredictable things on the approach, you better all be on your toes or you'll end up like my brother in law. He has a great story about how I called a 6x6 in to 4 yards broadside without him seeing it or drawing his bow because he was too busy watching me.

 

[Mike 338]

If I'm in an area another guy showed me, he's the shooter. If I already bagged an animal that season, he's the shooter. Otherwise, the one who spots the animal first is the shooter. If we're calling, both of us should be set up to cover different areas and whatever direction the animal approaches determines who shoots. Generally, the decision isn't "who's the shooter". The decision is who's in front when walking around.

 

[sebastian.cassell]

Hunt solo so I am the shooter everyday lol

 

[PredatorSlayer]

whoever spots it gets first opportunity

 

[cnelk]

Everyone is always a shooter.

10 years ago my son and I doubled up on two elk we called in during archery season. Everyone should always be ready

 

[Skerhunter]

Rifle - who ever spots it gets dibs.

Archery everyone is in - either stalk together and whoever gets the first shot shoots - calling you set up and whoever has the shot takes it.

If I find myself with someone can’t call - try to fill their tag first. Then have them “call” behind if needed. Have them rake/break branches. If they hang up have them muster up any cow sound they can make to get a few more steps.

 

[Marshfly]

The original post seems to imply more than 2 hunters. If you can split up into groups of 2 or 3, do that. I find more than that many in a party drastically lowers success rate.

 

[ElkArcher918]

Depends. I hunt mostly solo so everyday I'm the shooter. If hunting archery with a less experienced buddy or lousy caller, I'll try to get them set up on the trip's first bull encounter. But elk are unpredictable so everyone should be prepared to shoot at all times.

 

[Colby3]

I should have said primary shooter. My group is never more than 3. And most the time 2. Our "second" shooter tries to get on the downwind side and most the time is the one that gets the opportunity

 

[Haro450]

We seem to rotate shooters. Its never been a big discussion. I am just as excited for my hunting partners to get a shot as when I do. I think if your focused on who gets to be the shooter you should hunt alone. I also second that everyone is always a shooters because elk have a mind of their own and never follow your plan for them. Typically the elk determines who the shooter is during a calling setup.

 

[cnelk]

We've killed many, many elk with 3 guys using what I call the 'Triangle'

Here's how it works:

Two guys go up front 60-80yds and spread out 50yds or so. The 3rd guy stays back and is the bottom point of the 'Triangle'.

After everyone gets set up, we all call using mews, raking etc. answering each other, sounding like a small group of elk.

Now for the fun part:
Everyone is a shooter but everyone has to listen for the other guys' calling.
If someone doesnt answer a mew, the other two guys know that that person sees an elk. The job of the two remaining callers is to bring the elk into shooting range of the 'Triangle'

Anyone in the 'Triangle' can be a shooter, and everyone in the 'Triangle' is always a caller, until you see an elk.

It takes some real coordination and focus, but it is very deadly

 

[alecvg]

Hunt alone.

 

[Jaden Bales]

Me and two buddies elk hunted together this year (first time for me with 3 competent fellas in a group like that) and we were stalking in on herds with and without calling. We would designate a primary shooter, and he would get to call the shots for how we hunted the opportunity or call-in sequence, then rotate. When I was up as primary, we had a herd in a burn and I used my turn to ask the guys to stay back so I could sneak in undetected. Another day, I was a secondary shooter, but we snuck into bow range on a bull together, me sitting higher on the hill in case he came out the back of a tree clump.

We just always had a primary shooter that we identified on day one, then rotated every time we had a stalk/call-in opportunity.

 

[Charlie Brown]

We seem to rotate shooters. Its never been a big discussion. I am just as excited for my hunting partners to get a shot as when I do. I think if your focused on who gets to be the shooter you should hunt alone. I also second that everyone is always a shooters because elk have a mind of their own and never follow your plan for them. Typically the elk determines who the shooter is during a calling setup.

I agree with this. Only thing to add is it's as exciting to call a bull in front of your hunting partners as it is to be the shooter. Sometimes they come on a string and other times you work your ass off. I've had to crawl to get into a different position to pull a bull back across in front of the shooter
That's when it's fun

 

[dsotm]

Small bull, coin toss, huge bull it's mine

 

[Jethro]

Our western group is 3-4 guys, but 90% of the time I hunt alone. When I do hunt with a buddy, they are normally primary shooter. I enjoy being the caller.

 

[npm352]

Just push your buddy out of the way when he is lining up his shot and shoot really quickly before he can.

 

[npm352]

Just kidding

 

[elkliver]

for archery, Flip a coin or decide in some manner who has first dibs.... Then we usually trade off... first encounter has shooter 1 and second encounter has shooter 2 with Shooter 1 calling. With the Caveat that if he circles or comes in different ... then it can all change

The one time that swirling wind actually helped us.. I had my friend out front with me calling.... Bull Circles 180 Degrees trying to catch wind and the wind swirled in our favor.... SO we switch and my buddy starts calling.... Bull came running in and stopped at 30 yards with a tree in front of his vitals. No shot...

With Rifle... whoever gets a shot, gets first shot. We may be in the same canyon but not sitting right next to each other. if we spot one farther away.... who has the better shot