I'm the guy that's spooking all your elk

[David-D]

I was always cautious and hoped for the stars to align. I started consistently killing elk and mule deer when I understood when to be aggressive and when to be patient. It all comes down to wind, cover, the animal's activity and awareness.

 

[IdahoElk]

Work on your stalking skills, most would have you believe that calling is the only way to get within range, Lots of times I call to locate and then move in silent.
Never made a sound sneaking in on this guy.

 

[SwiftShot]

First, wind wind wind. Second pay attention to your nose. I will smell elk many times before I spot them. That is so helpful. Moving through country and you smell them, that means number 1 is in your favor. As far as aggression goes, I go after them. I hunt the PNW so it is a little different but when bow hunting being to timid doesnt get you the bull. Also if busted, usually it is by one animal in the group. The others just moved with the alarm, they have no idea what happened.

 

[innerdinosaur]

First, wind wind wind. Second pay attention to your nose. I will smell elk many times before I spot them. That is so helpful. Moving through country and you smell them, that means number 1 is in your favor. As far as aggression goes, I go after them. I hunt the PNW so it is a little different but when bow hunting being to timid doesnt get you the bull. Also if busted, usually it is by one animal in the group. The others just moved with the alarm, they have no idea what happened.

Man that’s the truth. I was timid this year and missed a great opportunity.
Live and learn I guess.

 

[Jake Larsen]

Check out Roe Hunting Resources. Excellent for learning elk behavior, and calling. Cliff Gray on YouTube also has lots of great videos on elk hunting, animal behavior, how to know when to to aggressive vs patient, ect. Lots of good advice from others already. In my experience, calling elk in is 95% positioning, and 5% the sound you’re making. It takes either blind luck, or quite a bit of experience to work out how the animals are using the country you’re hunting, and how to put yourself in the proper position for a successful call-in. Bottom line It takes time in the field to figure it out. Also, If you can tag along with someone with experience it’ll cut your learning curve exponentially


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[Jake Larsen]

Don't know about others on here but I have been archery hunting for elk now for 30 years. Used to be that I could do a location bugle and get a response and "game on". That was before YouTube and the guys making a living off it selling gear, bugles, on-line courses, etc. I admire those guys like Corey, Kirk, Phelps, Elk Nut, etc. but they are the exception and some of them get to hunt all fall in multiple states. It (the Corey Jacobsen method) simply doesn't work that way anymore for the average archery elk hunter here in CO. There is so much pressure and so much bugling going on every hour of every day that I believe the elk have become more and more call-shy. We have adopted a do-as-the-elk do practice of simply not calling much if at all until and if the bulls get cranked up. Most callers can't imitate a bugling bull well at all or they simply keep calling incessantly over and over. This just puts area elk on alert. There are way too many wanna-be a YouTube elk hunting sensations out there in the woods. If you want to learn what not to do, just watch the elk hunting videos on YouTube. They are all looking for subscribers. I sure wish folks would just start being quiet and hunting an area slow and methodically instead of plowing through elk habitat sounding like New Years Day parade marching band. Give the elk a chance to crank up or at least cut back on the incessant calling all day long, particularly in hot (70+) weather. They are bedded at these times and you are only going to chase them out. Nothing wrong with bugling, but learn when and where to do it.

This is good advice for OTC/General units with pressured elk. Maybe 1 in 10 bulls at any given time is going to respond well to aggressive bugling. It takes a really specific set of circumstances for even an aggressive herd bull to come in by working up to challenge bugles. If you’re starting your calling off with that play, you’re taking most of the bulls off the table for yourself as a hunter. Guys like Chris Roe of Roe Hunting Resources are a great place to start learning about elk vocalizations, what they mean, and how you can leverage both bugling and cow calling to get bulls to come in no matter what the situation is. Early in my elk calling as a high schooler, I learned pretty quick that going to to bugle tube too quickly will send many bulls literally running up the mountain away from you. Since then, I have watched hunters bugle to mature herd bulls and seen the whole herd leave the basin. I’ve been on multiple backcountry hunts, working active herds, when somebody comes into the country and starts hammering on the bugle tube. Elk go quiet and difficult to call. It’s not always that way, but it’s not uncommon in my experience. It not too difficult to tell how elk are using the country with a little practice - learn to use sign, tracks/smell/rubs/wallows ect to figure out where the active elk are. Figure out where they’re feeding/watering and moving to bed. Figure out the way the wind interacts with the terrain, and position yourself in the transition zones at or before first light, and in the last hour or two of legal light. If you know where they are bedding, you can get the wind right and slip in. Listen for bugles at night - even quiet pressured bulls typically talk in the dark when the herd is up and moving. Most of your positioning can be done without ever engaging with the bull vocally. Then study up on what sounds to make to seal the deal. Good luck out there


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[roosiebull]

I have frequently read comments on here talking about how someone had been hunting an elk herd in their secret drainage for several days, when some greenhorn came up over the ridge blowing on their bugle tube and promptly ran everything out. That guy was probably me...

I want to learn how to balance being aggressive enough to get opportunities with still having elk in the area to hunt if it doesn't work out. I generally get into elk pretty regularly and have some close opportunities, but I also burn through a good bit of country while doing it and I've been unsuccessful the last 4 years.

I live in PA, so I don't go out to scout during the summer. When I head in on day one my number one goal is to find elk, and I do that by hiking hard and bugling frequently until I get an answer. Should I be doing something else instead? Looking for the sign and staying more quiet?

Once I find an elk I am usually going all out to get a shot ASAP. I don't generally have a ton of luck calling them to me (still working on that skill), so I am typically pretty aggressive in trying to sneak in close. This means I usually end up spooking stuff. I'm wondering if I should start being a little more patient - if things aren't just right for a stalk, wait until they are. For example instead of rushing in to try to get a shot before dark, wait for the morning when I can set up properly.

Would love to hear your thoughts. Who knows, if I don't get better at this it might be your elk I spook next

The most fun part of archery elk hunting is being a student and always trying to learn how to balance patience and aggression, and every encounter will take a different balance.

I would say pay attention a little more when it doesn’t work out and try to figure out what would have, and treat every encounter as a learning experience (that’s what they are)

Don’t be one dimensional, there is always a best way to kill any particular bull, and no matter what, you won’t get it right every time, but hopefully you walk away with a little more elk hunting wisdom.

You can learn quite a bit from watching hunts and reading stuff, but that only gets you so far, every consistent elk killer has their own style, own perspective, and that comes from being on scene, messing up, and learning your own way to correct the mistakes in the future.

A lot of people try to emulate others who do well, but they are missing a big factor, you have to get your own program. That’s one main reason I prefer to hunt alone, because I like doing things a certain way and like to adapt to each scenario my own way the best way I see fit, I enjoy that part of hunting.

I feel pretty fortunate that I had no mentors or anyone to show me the ropes, I was never trying to copy someone else, I just screwed up a lot and learned over time.

Hunting is a constant learning curve that never really ever plateaus, it never gets monotonous, and it has a way of keeping you humble. Every encounter makes you a little better if you are paying attention.

You need to get better at reading the situation you are in, but that is done with encounters, and it sounds like you are getting them, so slow down a little and assess the situation, and put some thought into how you should approach the situation, and when it doesn’t work out, put some thought into why

 

[Jake Larsen]

The most fun part of archery elk hunting is being a student and always trying to learn how to balance patience and aggression, and every encounter will take a different balance.

I would say pay attention a little more when it doesn’t work out and try to figure out what would have, and treat every encounter as a learning experience (that’s what they are)

Don’t be one dimensional, there is always a best way to kill any particular bull, and no matter what, you won’t get it right every time, but hopefully you walk away with a little more elk hunting wisdom.

You can learn quite a bit from watching hunts and reading stuff, but that only gets you so far, every consistent elk killer has their own style, own perspective, and that comes from being on scene, messing up, and learning your own way to correct the mistakes in the future.

A lot of people try to emulate others who do well, but they are missing a big factor, you have to get your own program. That’s one main reason I prefer to hunt alone, because I like doing things a certain way and like to adapt to each scenario my own way the best way I see fit, I enjoy that part of hunting.

I feel pretty fortunate that I had no mentors or anyone to show me the ropes, I was never trying to copy someone else, I just screwed up a lot and learned over time.

Hunting is a constant learning curve that never really ever plateaus, it never gets monotonous, and it has a way of keeping you humble. Every encounter makes you a little better if you are paying attention.

You need to get better at reading the situation you are in, but that is done with encounters, and it sounds like you are getting them, so slow down a little and assess the situation, and put some thought into how you should approach the situation, and when it doesn’t work out, put some thought into why

This is spot on. As you gain experience (screw up lots of bulls haha) you’ll start to develop your own system that works for your style of hunting and area. That’s why info from guys like Chris Roe is so valuable. You can take that knowledge and apply it to your own hunting style. It’s not teaching you a methodology, but rather the behavior of the animals


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[DertyBert]

Nothing wrong with being aggressive, I think that’s a helpful trait a lot of times hunting elk. But aggressive does not mean careless. Wind has got to be right. Conditions and terrain have to be right to cover up your approach.

 

[Dusty]

Lots of good info in this thread, thanks to those that share their experience.
Archery elk sanctification. We strive for perfection knowing we will never achieve it, but the journey shapes us.

 

[___DAN___]

You probably heard this statement "10% of the hunters are killing 90% of the elk". That seems to be true from my experiences. Having an opportunity isn't good enough for me. Learn from the mistakes. Live and die by the wind. Learn what the elk are doing and what they are saying. Become good with the skill of calling. Keep at it...it will happen.