Let's help some guys/gals get their first archery elk!

[MarkOrtiz]

I got my first elk tag last year and harvested an elk with a muzzleloader here in Nevada. We caught just the end of the rut and still had elk bugling. It was a rush. I have two main hunting goals and one of them is to get an elk with my bow.
I’m on the 7 year wait list now here and probably another 7-12 to draw another tag. I’m going to have to look at practicing on some cow elk and look at other states to make that goal happen.
Scent and wind was a learning experience for me. We were closing in on 250 yards on a big bull when we felt the wind change on us. It seemed like the whole mountain side got up. 30-40 cows stood up and started walking over the hill and that bull followed them. They might not be able to see you, but they will smell you.

 

[vladkgb]

What do you recommend to do from 10am to 4pm to maximize hunting success?

I've heard about mid day madness, but it seems like the wind may be unpredictable during this time, making a stalk high risk. I'm thinking if I heard a bull mid day, I would keep my distance until the late afternoon when the winds are more reliable. And if there's no sign or bugles, I'll hunt my way back to the truck and try a different spot for my evening hunt.

 

[hibernation]

Not enough time in the field

This is #1 right here, not just for punching a tag but for success long-term. There's just no way to get around that archery takes time. The more experience you have, the faster you can get on opportunities and the more likely you are to be successful with an opportunity, but inexperienced hunters will take longer to find elk and screw up more encounters before they're successful.

Everyone's got their own commitments and availability to balance, but if you can't spend 1 - 2 weeks in the elk woods each year, archery elk might not be for you. Unless you're located real close to reasonable hunting and can hit long weekends or midweek hunts all month long.

 

[hibernation]

What do you recommend to do from 10am to 4pm to maximize hunting success?

I've heard about mid day madness, but it seems like the wind may be unpredictable during this time, making a stalk high risk. I'm thinking if I heard a bull mid day, I would keep my distance until the late afternoon when the winds are more reliable. And if there's no sign or bugles, I'll hunt my way back to the truck and try a different spot for my evening hunt.

Winds depend on the weather and the terrain, they can be stable in some areas. Thermals will be consistently uphill on an exposed slope on a sunny day, but the north-facing slopes where elk usually hang out midday can definitely be tricky. Still, they're usually going to stabilize by 10 or 11 on a sunny day. Overcast or stormy can be tough.

Scenario 1: you heard some bugling around sunrise and now they've moved off into cover to bed. Take your best guess on where they're bedded down (the more you hunt the same area, the better this guess will be), be conscious of what the wind is currently doing and how it's going to change as the sun gets higher and hits exposed slopes, and position yourself somewhere to wait and listen for their next bugle. I like a real low-pressure approach so I'll throw occasional nonthreatening bugles off and figure that any bull who bugled at dawn is going to bugle at least once from his bed sometime between 0930 - 1200. Once he does, fix that position and make a game plan to stalk him in his bed, stalk close and call, or lurk nearby and wait for him get back up.

Scenario 2: you glassed them around sunrise but they're not making a peep. Similar strategy as above, you're looking to find them in their bedding area, but don't count on hearing a bugle. Get nearby, wait for the wind to stabilize, then still-hunt the timber and try to find them. Look for fresh tracks, try to smell them on the thermal updrafts, listen for snapping twigs or cow sounds, and slowly follow the heaviest trails you can find. Worst case scenario, get in a good spot to watch/listen and just chill for a few hours. Groups of elk will stand up and mill around midday.

Scenario 3: you've got no leads and have no clue where the elk are, options are either set up an ambush (e.g. sit water) or get out there and find them. I'd rather go find them. Cruise ridges looking for sign, hike up and down finger ridges looking for rubs and bedding areas, and bugle into drainages but don't expect immediate responses unless you get lucky. I usually have decent midday luck by taking it slow and waiting for lazy responses, I might bugle 2-3 times over 5-10 minutes and get a response 5-15 minutes later. You've got all day so take your time, get out and explore new areas. I like the mindset where I'm not necessarily trying to kill an elk this second, I'm trying to find an elk to kill this evening or tomorrow. Low pressure approaches have worked well for me.

Midday cold calling sessions have never worked for me, but a large part is I just really dislike them. Calling in silent bulls is mentally tough, I'd rather put my calls away and stalk one than sit there all day waiting on a silent, cautious bull coming in like that.

 

[vladkgb]

Awesome info, thank you!

What are your thoughts on scouting? I plan to go scout a new unit I drew this year in July. It's an archery hunt, and I'm mainly interested in figuring out my access points, active water spots, and camping spots. Is it worth it to spend time glassing for elk during this time? What about trail cameras?

Thanks!

 

[hibernation]

If you've got time to scout, definitely do it. You're spot on about looking for road access, water, terrain, etc, but yeah, if I'm out there I'm pretty much always looking for elk. Where they are in September compared to July depends on a ton of factors, but as long as you're aware that it can change it's always better to know more about what elk are up to. Even just watching elk for awhile is helpful.

I don't really bother with trail cameras much in general, they're fun on their own but I don't think they have much impact on your success unless you're specifically trying to find a certain trophy class. Maybe if you're dedicated to sitting water/wallows? Just my opinion though, I only put a few out occasionally and mostly for deer/bear/predators.

 

[OregonSteeler]

This is #1 right here, not just for punching a tag but for success long-term. There's just no way to get around that archery takes time. The more experience you have, the faster you can get on opportunities and the more likely you are to be successful with an opportunity, but inexperienced hunters will take longer to find elk and screw up more encounters before they're successful.

Everyone's got their own commitments and availability to balance, but if you can't spend 1 - 2 weeks in the elk woods each year, archery elk might not be for you. Unless you're located real close to reasonable hunting and can hit long weekends or midweek hunts all month long.

100% agree. I'm slowly getting to a point in my life where I can spend more time in the field so hopefully that will pay dividends. Though, I have spent 5-6 days in the woods but not all of them productive. Looking back I shake my head at all the time I've wasted by not taking time, being indecisive on an area, and just plain ignorance.

 

[OregonSteeler]

What do you recommend to do from 10am to 4pm to maximize hunting success?

I've heard about mid day madness, but it seems like the wind may be unpredictable during this time, making a stalk high risk. I'm thinking if I heard a bull mid day, I would keep my distance until the late afternoon when the winds are more reliable. And if there's no sign or bugles, I'll hunt my way back to the truck and try a different spot for my evening hunt.

Your mid-day madness quote sounds like it came right out of a born raised YouTube video. All those YouTubers put out good entertainment but unrealistic expectations. They make it seem there's elk bugling around every corner if you just call 300 times a day....

 

[hibernation]

All those YouTubers put out good entertainment but unrealistic expectations.

I think it's really worth considering what type of hunts get filmed and what don't. Aggressive calling films well, you can position a whole camera crew and call the bull in. Cruising all day for bugles, long range hunting, glassing open country, even sitting treestands and wallows, these all film pretty well and can be edited into a reasonable video. Still-hunting elk in the timber with a bow doesn't really lend itself to filming, neither does putting away your calls and taking 4 hours to stalk an unseen bull that you only heard bugle once. But those scenarios have generally been more effective for me. The quiet, low pressure approach also doesn't leave a ton of strategy to discuss on podcasts, youtube, etc, or gear to sell, so a new elk bowhunter could easily watch hunting media and get the impression that you've gotta call every single bull to your feet or that's it.

Corey Jacobsen is pretty upfront about hunting the way he enjoys, covering ground until he finds a bull that's fired up and ready to call in. Paul Medel (elknut) is kind of similar, most of his advice opens up with "if you can stalk in without calling, then obviously do that", but people ignore that one line and focus on the 1000 different calling scenarios and "plays" they can run. They both have tons of great advice but new hunters should really bear this stuff in mind before thinking that's the only way.

On heavily hunted public land, I've had my best encounters by slowing down and not forcing things. There's a time to go fast and close the distance quickly, but sometimes I've found the best move is to just lay down and listen for a few hours, or put your calls away, stalk close, and wait for the elk to make a mistake. Or even just back out and get on him again the next morning.

 

[bz_711]

I think it's really worth considering what type of hunts get filmed and what don't. Aggressive calling films well, you can position a whole camera crew and call the bull in. Cruising all day for bugles, long range hunting, glassing open country, even sitting treestands and wallows, these all film pretty well and can be edited into a reasonable video. Still-hunting elk in the timber with a bow doesn't really lend itself to filming, neither does putting away your calls and taking 4 hours to stalk an unseen bull that you only heard bugle once. But those scenarios have generally been more effective for me. The quiet, low pressure approach also doesn't leave a ton of strategy to discuss on podcasts, youtube, etc, or gear to sell, so a new elk bowhunter could easily watch hunting media and get the impression that you've gotta call every single bull to your feet or that's it.

Corey Jacobsen is pretty upfront about hunting the way he enjoys, covering ground until he finds a bull that's fired up and ready to call in. Paul Medel (elknut) is kind of similar, most of his advice opens up with "if you can stalk in without calling, then obviously do that", but people ignore that one line and focus on the 1000 different calling scenarios and "plays" they can run. They both have tons of great advice but new hunters should really bear this stuff in mind before thinking that's the only way.

On heavily hunted public land, I've had my best encounters by slowing down and not forcing things. There's a time to go fast and close the distance quickly, but sometimes I've found the best move is to just lay down and listen for a few hours, or put your calls away, stalk close, and wait for the elk to make a mistake. Or even just back out and get on him again the next morning.

Great advice!
Calling is just ONE trick of the many different ways to be successful on elk.

 

[OregonSteeler]

I think it's really worth considering what type of hunts get filmed and what don't. Aggressive calling films well, you can position a whole camera crew and call the bull in. Cruising all day for bugles, long range hunting, glassing open country, even sitting treestands and wallows, these all film pretty well and can be edited into a reasonable video. Still-hunting elk in the timber with a bow doesn't really lend itself to filming, neither does putting away your calls and taking 4 hours to stalk an unseen bull that you only heard bugle once. But those scenarios have generally been more effective for me. The quiet, low pressure approach also doesn't leave a ton of strategy to discuss on podcasts, youtube, etc, or gear to sell, so a new elk bowhunter could easily watch hunting media and get the impression that you've gotta call every single bull to your feet or that's it.

Corey Jacobsen is pretty upfront about hunting the way he enjoys, covering ground until he finds a bull that's fired up and ready to call in. Paul Medel (elknut) is kind of similar, most of his advice opens up with "if you can stalk in without calling, then obviously do that", but people ignore that one line and focus on the 1000 different calling scenarios and "plays" they can run. They both have tons of great advice but new hunters should really bear this stuff in mind before thinking that's the only way.

On heavily hunted public land, I've had my best encounters by slowing down and not forcing things. There's a time to go fast and close the distance quickly, but sometimes I've found the best move is to just lay down and listen for a few hours, or put your calls away, stalk close, and wait for the elk to make a mistake. Or even just back out and get on him again the next morning.

Love the advice! The one thing you mentioned is "found the best move is to just lay down and listen for a few hours" I really struggle with. I feel that if I'm not on the move looking for elk, then I'm wasting time and being lazy. I need to get over that feeling. I don't trust sitting there that an elk would luckily walk into my zone without being active in finding them. This year I have a couple of new methods written down and plan to put them into action in the field. This is one of them: Sit and listen for at least 1hr. And not just over luch or when it's the hottest part of the day. Sit for 1hr sometime between 7a-11a.

 

[hibernation]

I don't trust sitting there that an elk would luckily walk into my zone without being active in finding them.

Yeah, this is where confidence/experience comes in - both in general, but also in your specific area. I didn't have the patience to sit down and wait for that midmorning bugle until I started really being confident that those elk were actually in there. That only came after a few years where I thought they went into a patch of timber but couldn't be sure, so I'd blunder in and kick them all out of their beds. Do that enough times and you start to have some actual faith that yeah, they're bedded SOMEWHERE in there but you just need one bugle/chirp/twig break to pin it down a little better.

Plus, if you're in an area with good elk sign, sitting around quietly paying attention puts you worlds ahead of the guys who spend half the day in camp. Elk do just magically appear when you least expect it. There's definitely a time to cruise and find fresher sign, but it's a balance between burning yourself out and actually lasting through your full hunt. September days are long and sometimes you gotta sit and rest, might as well do it where you can hear or see elk.

 

[bz_711]

With Colorado draws out and others following soon...don't forget the obvious tips that we might have overlooked regarding preparation...you cannot possibly be in too good of shape both physically and mentally.

-Start getting miles in at home (as season nears increase miles with your hunting boots on)
-Start getting some weight in your pack for walks
-Get your bow dialed in...and shoot with your full gear on more as season nears (hat, gloves, rangefinder, calls, binos, pack, etc)

 

[cnelk]

On heavily hunted public land, I've had my best encounters by slowing down and not forcing things. There's a time to go fast and close the distance quickly, but sometimes I've found the best move is to just lay down and listen for a few hours, or put your calls away, stalk close, and wait for the elk to make a mistake. Or even just back out and get on him again the next morning.

Couldnt have said it better myself.

Ive been saying this for years but everyone wants the 'sexy' way to elk hunt.

 

[cnelk]

I don't trust sitting there that an elk would luckily walk into my zone without being active in finding them.

Back in 2015, I was punching my tag for a cow elk I just killed.
I saw some movement and here comes a 5pt bull walking by.

I put my release back on, knocked an arrow and shot him too.
2 elk in 20 minutes

Here's the video - after the fact

 

[High Climber]

Back in 2015, I was punching my tag for a cow elk I just killed.
I saw some movement and here comes a 5pt bull walking by.

I put my release back on, knocked an arrow and shot him too.
2 elk in 20 minutes

Here's the video - after the fact

That’s one to remember! Nicely done

 

[hibernation]

Ive been saying this for years but everyone wants the 'sexy' way to elk hunt.

I think a ton of newer bowhunters don't even realize there's another way. They've watched so much youtube elk hunting, all they know is aggressive bugling and complicated calling scenarios. Or they want a flowchart of "if you hear the elk do x, you call back with y".

If you're spot and stalking high country, still-hunting bedding areas, or quietly following a herd on the move, there's just not a ton to talk about. Stay sharp, mind the wind, be patient, and learn from experience when to move and when to hold tight. Regular old hunting skills. I think it's probably more effective, but people ignore it because it's not sexy and you can't talk it to death on a podcast or hunting show. Or use it to sell products and subscriptions.

 

[MountainFeral]

This is #1 right here, not just for punching a tag but for success long-term. There's just no way to get around that archery takes time. The more experience you have, the faster you can get on opportunities and the more likely you are to be successful with an opportunity, but inexperienced hunters will take longer to find elk and screw up more encounters before they're successful.

Everyone's got their own commitments and availability to balance, but if you can't spend 1 - 2 weeks in the elk woods each year, archery elk might not be for you. Unless you're located real close to reasonable hunting and can hit long weekends or midweek hunts all month long.

I’ll second this… I harvested an archery bull my 2nd season of archery hunting, but it only happened after scouting that end of the unit all summer and hunting nearly every day with several close calls until I finally harvested one on the 20th of the month.

When you’re new, efficiency is tough, and the learning curve is steep. I’m lucky that I live in the unit that I hunt, and I’ve built a life that offers me the time to get out as much as possible.

Oh yeah, and one more thing I’ll add- you won’t kill anything if you aren’t out there. Having an off day? Tired? Weather sucks? At least get out and wander around or glass for an hour or two before you commit an entire day to not hunting at all.

 

[khunter]

What do you recommend to do from 10am to 4pm to maximize hunting success?

HUNT!! Elk are plenty active during the day. Guys sitting at camp are missing out. worst case you get in a nice nap and do not waste time and energy going to/from camp. Cannot count the times I had a great bow stalk midday including killing a few.

Often I will hang out near where heard last morning bugle and be there when they fire up a couple/few hours later, then the chase is on.

 

[khunter]

Love the advice! The one thing you mentioned is "found the best move is to just lay down and listen for a few hours" I really struggle with. I feel that if I'm not on the move looking for elk, then I'm wasting time and being lazy. I need to get over that feeling. I don't trust sitting there that an elk would luckily walk into my zone without being active in finding them. This year I have a couple of new methods written down and plan to put them into action in the field. This is one of them: Sit and listen for at least 1hr. And not just over luch or when it's the hottest part of the day. Sit for 1hr sometime between 7a-11a.

Change that to 3 hours or so when you feel elk are in the area and you are on the right track.