Hunting the Herd Bull Public Land OTC

[colelivaditis]

Found the herd bull. 6X6, probably four feet of space on his rack, monster bugle, most insane I’ve ever heard. Told my friend they were probably call shy, he fires off a bugle and they start having a conversation hahaha.

After an hour of slowly pushing during the beginning of shooting light, and my buddy/the herd bowl bugling. The elk move off, not spooked just up higher and than over a ridge. Distance between us and the herd bull was originally 200 yards and closed to around 70 before he shoved off.

It was an open meadow leading up a hill with around waist deep brush and the occasional pine in the middle. The left side had thicker pines, right side empty. Thermals were great coming downhill as we were working up.

Anything you guys would have done different? Been more agressive?

 

[BigAntlerGetter]

You weren’t having a conversation. Soon as you bugled that bull started gathering his cows and leaving, only reason he was answering was to keep tabs on you and see if you were still following.

What kind of bugle did your buddy blow? Locator, challenge, lip bawl, round up bugle, advertising bugle? Lots of guys go into the woods and blow bugles not knowing what any of them mean.


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[colelivaditis]

You weren’t having a conversation. Soon as you bugled that bull started gathering his cows and leaving, only reason he was answering was to keep tabs on you and see if you were still following.

What kind of bugle did your buddy blow? Locator, challenge, lip bawl, round up bugle, advertising bugle? Lots of guys go into the woods and blow bugles not knowing what any of them mean.


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Locator to start, the basin popped off, then my buddy would challenge and added some chuckles. The Bull would pipe off and chuckle back. Eventually the bull would bugle and chuckle if he hadn’t heard anything in a while.

 

[Poser]

In my experience, there is no benefit to trying/having a "conversation" with a bull that has cows. He's not going to leave his cows to move any significant distance to come to you. What do you have the he is in need of that he's going to leave his cows for? You bugle, he responds, you now know where he is and he knows where you are. You go to where he is without bugling. This is where you have to make a decision, but if you can now call close enough, he'll often have no choice to but to square off with you. Its also the case that maybe you can just stalk in on him without bugling.

 

[P Carter]

In my experience, there is no benefit to trying/having a "conversation" with a bull that has cows. He's not going to leave his cows to move any significant distance to come to you. What do you have the he is in need of that he's going to leave his cows for? You bugle, he responds, you now know where he is and he knows where you are. You go to where he is without bugling. This is where you have to make a decision, but if you can now call close enough, he'll often have no choice to but to square off with you. Its also the case that maybe you can just stalk in on him without bugling.

Agree - a "conversation" if fun, exciting, and feels really good, but does not get it done. In my experience--and I have a lot of experience not getting it done! Locate with as few bugles as possible, then get close and either commit to shooting without additional calling or call from right in his face.

 

[BigAntlerGetter]

Agree - a "conversation" if fun, exciting, and feels really good, but does not get it done. In my experience--and I have a lot of experience not getting it done! Locate with as few bugles as possible, then get close and either commit to shooting without additional calling or call from right in his face.

“Conversations” are great if you are just trying to get a client or someone to hear elk and get the experience. I’ve had elk do the same thing and one of my clients didn’t even care about shooting, the elk were in a hell hole and he just enjoyed the back and fourth and getting that experience. Otherwise all you are doing is yelling back and fourth at a bull and in a way educating them further of human presence, especially if they end up busting you.

I tell my clients to basically leave the bugle at home, to many elk are so call shy and they bugle and the bull rounds up his cow and walks away. The hunter thinks they are on that bull but he just keeps moving and keeping that safe distance. If I ever do get a location I get in as close as I can then will sometime bugle cause now I’m within that zone and sometimes the herd bull will really get aggressive with me. But sometimes to they pack up and run. It’s always to get in as close as possible to elk without using calls vs letting them know ur location the entire time. Social media and big influencers have made it seem like bugling is the 30 second ticket to a big bull. But most tv shows add in extra bugles and everything to make it more exciting to the viewer.


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[P Carter]

“Conversations” are great if you are just trying to get a client or someone to hear elk and get the experience. I’ve had elk do the same thing and one of my clients didn’t even care about shooting, the elk were in a hell hole and he just enjoyed the back and fourth and getting that experience. Otherwise all you are doing is yelling back and fourth at a bull and in a way educating them further of human presence, especially if they end up busting you.

I tell my clients to basically leave the bugle at home, to many elk are so call shy and they bugle and the bull rounds up his cow and walks away. The hunter thinks they are on that bull but he just keeps moving and keeping that safe distance. If I ever do get a location I get in as close as I can then will sometime bugle cause now I’m within that zone and sometimes the herd bull will really get aggressive with me. But sometimes to they pack up and run. It’s always to get in as close as possible to elk without using calls vs letting them know ur location the entire time. Social media and big influencers have made it seem like bugling is the 30 second ticket to a big bull. But most tv shows add in extra bugles and everything to make it more exciting to the viewer.


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This is completely consistent with my experience. My group--particularly my dad--loves to bugle back and forth all day. Go crazy with chuckles and everything until your throat is raw and voice is hoarse. It is fun. But it most often doesn't lead to a dead bull.

 

[trophyhill]

In that terrain I’m going into stealth mode. Looking for potential bedding area and being patient once i find the beds. If you didn’t booger him out of the unit, you should be able to find him again. Trying to call a bull across a meadow is fruitless imo.

 

[Wrench]

In two weeks I might consider trying to get him fired up....right now, if I'm inside 70 yards, I'm going stealth mode with an emergency reed in my mouth incase I blow up the cows.....at that point, I will bugle since he'd think I'm already there.....otherwise, slide in there. He's already expecting noise from the herd and he may even think you're a satellite and try to chase you off.

 

[mtnbound]

Found the herd bull. 6X6, probably four feet of space on his rack, monster bugle, most insane I’ve ever heard. Told my friend they were probably call shy, he fires off a bugle and they start having a conversation hahaha.

After an hour of slowly pushing during the beginning of shooting light, and my buddy/the herd bowl bugling. The elk move off, not spooked just up higher and than over a ridge. Distance between us and the herd bull was originally 200 yards and closed to around 70 before he shoved off.

It was an open meadow leading up a hill with around waist deep brush and the occasional pine in the middle. The left side had thicker pines, right side empty. Thermals were great coming downhill as we were working up.

Anything you guys would have done different? Been more agressive?

Be aggressive, cut the distance once your friend bugled a clock has started running in that bull's head.

 

[svivian]

Locator to start, the basin popped off, then my buddy would challenge and added some chuckles. The Bull would pipe off and chuckle back. Eventually the bull would bugle and chuckle if he hadn’t heard anything in a while.

A challenge bugle will really only work if you are within a challenge distance... which i have found to be within about 150 yards. Otherwise he has no reason to come to you.

 

[BBob]

Anything you guys would have done different?

Put on my running shoes and ran as fast as possible to get in front of them. As said before that dude was moving his cows away from you.

 

[Wrench]

One of the coolest memories I have was blowing up a herd. They all scattered. I honked a ripper bugle about 3 seconds into the chaos and instantly I was covered in elk.....like lick my face close.

 

[3forks]

The other thing about these scenarios is that usually there are going to be satellite bulls close. The herd bull is going to be preoccupied keeping the satellite bulls out of his cows. I’ve never seen a herd bull leave his cows to travel very far at all to investigate or challenge a bull he can’t see, but it’s common to see the herd bull bugling while chasing satellites off his perimeter. The bull is bugling to keep tabs on the distance the bull/hunter calling he can’t see, and visually watching the satellites he can see.

It can be hard to do depending on wind, but if the caller can get to the side of the herd and bugle, and then move again to get ahead of the herd and bugle again, it can get the bull pushing his cows towards where the silent shooter can be set up for a stalk or ambush as the bull isn’t going to want to push his cows towards bugling bulls he can’t see.