Last day Hail Mary Help

[bloatmar]

Good Afternoon All,

Sitting here in camp getting rained out. Trying to get some advice that might lead to a last day bull. If the advice does lead to a bull down. A Texas sized gift will be heading your way. Background on the hunt so far. We are in Montana after 2 years of hunting OTC Colorado. Elevation is 6-7k we have been in the elk most days they are herded up and the bulls do not want to fight. Thick forest in this area and not much line of sight. We have chased several over 1000 -2000 yards never able to get within 100 yards they just kept moving their cows away. The calling sequence I have been using is several cow calls then a locate bugle. They are responding to the bugle and not the cow calls. We have found a meadow low that appears to be a night time bed and their is private below that we often hear them on in the evening. Their appears to be a transition area near that. In the meadow mentioned above we sat it one evening a rain storm blew threw as it ended we were up discussing heading back to camp and a bull barked at us. Should we sit the meadow in the morning or evening or just keep calling. Can’t crack the code. Also this by far has been the best hunt of my short elk hunting life so far. Thanks long story but looking for alittle guidance for a newer elk hunter.

 

[mtnwrunner]

It sounds like you have their routine figured out a little........find a location that you could ambush them either going to or from.
Also sounds like you have several hunters so you could utilize several locations.
Good luck....sounds fun.

Randy

 

[Geewhiz]

Stop calling, get the wind right, slip in on them, and shoot one.

 

[Fatcamp]

Stop calling, get the wind right, slip in on them, and shoot one.

Sounds like a blast! Wish I was there.

Go get em!

 

[ElkNut1]

You need to go to the Cow Party Sequence, it's money in your situation!

Hunting thick dark timber is low success for a successful ambush or spot & stalk, you are depending on a lot of luck there! My money if I was there & after any bull would be with the Cow Party or high energy Breeding Sequence. The Cow Party is easier to imitate for newer elk hunters!

If you have the ElkNut App there's a video of it in the woods, watch it several times.

If you do not have the App call me anytime 208-315-0562 -- I'll walk you through it! Good luck!

ElkNut/Paul

 

[Geewhiz]

I know it can be very effective in some situations, but lately i have been staying away from calling at all. All it does is announce your presence. Unless its just rut fest with bulls wanting to jump on anything that moves, i would consider slipping in quiet. If you can find animals, which it sounds like you can, then let them talk to themselves and sneak in and take one!

 

[SoloWilderness]

Stop calling, get the wind right, slip in on them, and shoot one.

This.

 

[ElkNut1]

Guys, he's hunting thick stuff, it's super tough even with the rain to silently negotiate to that many elk & stay unseen or not to be winded. -- I'll also bet he or they have already given it a shot & it didn't work or they've already been busted in their attempts.

Thick stuff is a different ballgame, you need the elk to do the moving & go into search mode as they look for this group. This means they don't accidentally catch you moving & get busted by unseen elk, if you are it's game over. -- I agree on more open terrain & silent conditions that a stalk or a Call & Stalk approach is very likely with a Caller staying back keeping them vocal as a shooter silently slips in. Conditions must be right for that!

ElkNut

 

[darcytribe]

I’ve hunted those types of places in MT. id Suggest a bugle at first light to pinpoint their location then shut up and quick time it to within a guestimated 100-150 yards of them. I mean like Like running there. So you can hear them moving, maybe catching a glimpse occasionally. Shadow them downwind until they reach their mid morning stopping place. As your shadowing keep alert for a satellite or two on the fringes. Then wait for them to settle in, 30 minutes or so. set up on that location. once you feel they are settled, Have your caller only rake a tree off n on for a while. You might get a response from just that. Or you might get one come sneaking in silent. If you get a response you’ll have some decisions to make regarding how to play it. startin slow/light and building up according to the responses you get. I’d be near that meadow for the evening, trying to predict where they might enter it. Stay quiet until you hear or see them. Try to get in close before calling. Don’t let down, I’ve killed bulls on the last day more than once!

 

[Larry100]

Are you hunting 335 ? From Minnesota ?

 

[bloatmar]

Tried the silent approach did not work too much deadfall and with three people it’s not easy to sneak in. Going with the cow party tomorrow I’ll let y’all know how it does. When it’s successful I’ll be sending the elknut a Texas themed gift. Thanks for all the feedback.

 

[WTFJohn]

Tried the silent approach did not work too much deadfall and with three people it’s not easy to sneak in. Going with the cow party tomorrow I’ll let y’all know how it does. When it’s successful I’ll be sending the elknut a Texas themed gift. Thanks for all the feedback.

As a dude who spends a lot of time in the woods hunting and guiding, I don't think I could get 3 (2 other) folks stalked into a herd. If you're getting within 100 yds, dump the crew and get after it solo (or let them stage 80-90 yds behind you).

Huge kudos to Paul (ElkNut1), that is an incredible resource to have at hand. I take the opposite approach usually, with calling being a backup to stalking. A single person moving slow enough can sneak up on almost anything. Three folks throwing a cow party should be able to call in something. Work the problem; good luck.

 

[bloatmar]

Wow what a last day! First off thanks for everyone’s advice. Paul thanks for taking the time to speak with me and share your elk knowledge this elk hunting community is lucky to have you. We used the cow party sequence in the morning and had 4 bulls bugling within 200 yards and at times got to within 100 and two growlers! It was just so thick we couldn’t see them and they wouldn’t get closer to us. Mid morning we followed one of the growlers and snuck in like some said and got within 65 yards and he busted me I’m no expert but he was a very large mature bull! In the evening used the cow party sequence again had two cows and a calf come in but they were outside of bow range. Wow Montana was amazing can’t wait to come back! Thanks again for all the advice! Good luck to everyone else out there chasing the elusive elk!

 

[Marble]

Wow what a last day! First off thanks for everyone’s advice. Paul thanks for taking the time to speak with me and share your elk knowledge this elk hunting community is lucky to have you. We used the cow party sequence in the morning and had 4 bulls bugling within 200 yards and at times got to within 100 and two growlers! It was just so thick we couldn’t see them and they wouldn’t get closer to us. Mid morning we followed one of the growlers and snuck in like some said and got within 65 yards and he busted me I’m no expert but he was a very large mature bull! In the evening used the cow party sequence again had two cows and a calf come in but they were outside of bow range. Wow Montana was amazing can’t wait to come back! Thanks again for all the advice! Good luck to everyone else out there chasing the elusive elk!

That sounds great! Sounds like you figured out the cow party. The next part you want to work on is your set up. Year round you can practice this by predator hunting and Turkey hunting in the spring. You will learn the do and dont of set ups.

Doorway syndrome...its a thing with animals.

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

 

[bloatmar]

That sounds great! Sounds like you figured out the cow party. The next part you want to work on is your set up. Year round you can practice this by predator hunting and Turkey hunting in the spring. You will learn the do and dont of set ups.

Doorway syndrome...its a thing with animals.

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

Yeah I have hunted white tails my whole life living in Texas. The elk bug hit me during the pandemic and I know nobody here like the YouTube stars but they got me hooked and I’m so happy they did. Also we were not 12 miles back would have been an easy 2 mile pack out on that bull.

 

[roosiebull]

Just raking if you have a fair idea where a bull is can work as well when nothing else is working… they get curious and it’s a pretty neutral calling sequence

Like mentioned above, setup is huge, and with some experience, it becomes second nature

 

[chukar_chaser]

Glad you had a good hunt. In my experience, thick or open, the less calling the better. Especially if you want to kill a mature bull. I had numerous close calls with mature bulls this week just sneaking along after them and getting in front and hoping they pass by. For the most part mature bulls just run when you call at them, especially in areas where they get pressure. We call in young bulls all the time, the mature bulls are harder.