Solo Elk Tips

[ianpadron]

Any tips from the old trad elk killers on how to seal the deal solo?

I've run into 2 main issues that don't exist when I've got a buddy along:

1) managing a bugle, keeping an arrow nocked, and staying hidden in a good shooting lane is damn near impossible lol. Should I just stash the bugle at the last second and rely on cow calls only?

2) I've had multiple bulls hang up on me in that dreaded 40-100 yard range, and without a buddy that can drop back and act like a fleeing cow, I'm stuck in no man's land and am forced to go in hot to close the distance and end up busting the whole operation.

Thanks in advance!

 

[nevadabugle]

Cow call only or not at all if a bull is bugling. I have killed a bull by stalking the bugle only.

When cow calling get them hot and bothered and then move 40 yards in their direction and shut up. Helps cut the distance into that hangup range.

 

[mtnbound]

Any tips from the old trad elk killers on how to seal the deal solo?

I've run into 2 main issues that don't exist when I've got a buddy along:

1) managing a bugle, keeping an arrow nocked, and staying hidden in a good shooting lane is damn near impossible lol. Should I just stash the bugle at the last second and rely on cow calls only?

2) I've had multiple bulls hang up on me in that dreaded 40-100 yard range, and without a buddy that can drop back and act like a fleeing cow, I'm stuck in no man's land and am forced to go in hot to close the distance and end up busting the whole operation.

Thanks in advance!

My bugle has a string that is thrown over my head and under my arm, making it easy to reach with my right hand, and it stays out of the way. I will continue to bugle and move forward or sideways. I haven't had as much luck with cow calling compared to bugles, chuckles, grunts, and growls. When the bull hangs up, I have had some luck with barking at him to get him to show himself. I will also go quiet and make non-verbal noise to see if the bull gets curious and investigates.

 

[Tradchef]

Cow call only or not at all if a bull is bugling. I have killed a bull by stalking the bugle only.

When cow calling get them hot and bothered and then move 40 yards in their direction and shut up. Helps cut the distance into that hangup range.

This!!!! I honestly do this more than bugle on any given time.

 

[Beendare]

It's worse than managing your bugle tube.....the big problem I've had when calling is getting drawn on them without spooking.

I have had better luck with a decoy

 

[ianpadron]

It's worse than managing your bugle tube.....the big problem I've had when calling is getting drawn on them without spooking.

I have had better luck with a decoy

The hell holes I've had luck in make getting hidden pretty easy, but the flip side is they need to be close close to get it done. How do you use a decoy with your trad bow?

 

[Beendare]

The hell holes I've had luck in make getting hidden pretty easy, but the flip side is they need to be close close to get it done. How do you use a decoy with your trad bow?

It's a secret....I would tell you but then I would have to kill you.

Seriously, no secret, different in every case........it's trial and error of what works for you...and sometimes they look at it and think, "Meh"

 

[Maverick1]

I have a loop of paracord around my bugle tube. It gets attached to the chest strap on my backpack. Tucked behind my bear spray on my hip belt and out of the way while hiking. Pull it out and bugle when needed, then quickly tuck away when elk come in.

Cow call behind you, like a ventriloquist throwing your calls behind you.

Worked great on Sunday when I cow called and then bugled in a nice bull elk to 13 yards and shot him with the bow.

 

[Trumpkin The Dwarf]

Some random thoughts:
1. Calling elk and avoiding hangups with a compound or trad is pretty much the same. Gotta be thick enough they can't see well, and you have to beat them to the spot they're gonna scent check.

2. Shoot the first legal elk in range

3. Don't underestimate the power of spot and stalk tactics after you get them to bugle once or twice,

 

[TradLife406]

Predator decoy on the front of your bow


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ianpadron]

Some random thoughts:
1. Calling elk and avoiding hangups with a compound or trad is pretty much the same. Gotta be thick enough they can't see well, and you have to beat them to the spot they're gonna scent check.

2. Shoot the first legal elk in range

3. Don't underestimate the power of spot and stalk tactics after you get them to bugle once or twice,

I'm definitely going to try more sneakin' around after reading these comments.

 

[North Idaho Stickbow]

I literally just went through the disappointment with this last night. Short version: I called in a raghorn who came in silent to about 10 yards from me right at dusk. I had to stop calling once he started coming, or he’d have dimed me out. He never winded me, but never popped his body out from the brush for a shot either. It got too dark too quickly and I lost all opportunity to shoot with the darkness.

In hindsight, I had a decoy at camp. If I were smart enough to put that out about 20 to my left before I set up, I’m confident that would have been a dead bull.

 

[Stickbow]

Anyone getting them spot and stalk in the post rut timeframe?

 

[Beendare]

I literally just went through the disappointment with this last night. Short version: I called in a raghorn who came in silent to about 10 yards from me right at dusk. I had to stop calling once he started coming, or he’d have dimed me out. He never winded me, but never popped his body out from the brush for a shot either. It got too dark too quickly and I lost all opportunity to shoot with the darkness.

In hindsight, I had a decoy at camp. If I were smart enough to put that out about 20 to my left before I set up, I’m confident that would have been a dead bull.

Sometimes there is nothing you can do right.

I was hunting some very heavily hunted Public in Idaho last week. Guys driving every closed road, multiple poachers sneaking onto private and guys calling like crazy.

We had 2 scenarios of bulls that were impossible to sneak on so we Decoyed and called.
1) bull with cows and the cows just turned and dragged him out of there.
2) one small solo rag horn which is usually a guarantee that they come to the deke- nope. He glanced over and thought about it but even he was too wary.

When those elk are pressured that hard....it makes things tough.

 

[ianpadron]

Ive had 2 bulls inside 75 yards this past week, including one at 25 on Friday. The cows busted me both times. Still learnin' but having fun

 

[GreenNDark Timber]

Cow call only or not at all if a bull is bugling. I have killed a bull by stalking the bugle only.

When cow calling get them hot and bothered and then move 40 yards in their direction and shut up. Helps cut the distance into that hangup range.

The second part of this is spot on. I'll add, when you make your final move and shut up also shift slightly off to one side by about 10 yds or so. I've missed way more opportunities at bulls because they pinpointed my exact location and came in too close and head on offering no shot than I have because they hung up too far out. Their ability to pinpoint an exact location from several hundred yards away always amazes and frustrates me.

 

[nevadabugle]

The second part of this is spot on. I'll add, when you make your final move and shut up also shift slightly off to one side by about 10 yds or so. I've missed way more opportunities at bulls because they pinpointed my exact location and came in too close and head on offering no shot than I have because they hung up too far out. Their ability to pinpoint an exact location from several hundred yards away always amazes and frustrates me.

And.....moving slightly down wind of your last calling location cant hurt as they will often move that direction to try and wind whatever is calling.

 

[HunterGatherer]

Like others have mentioned, if you call your way in, never wait for the bull at the last location you called from. If the bull is alone I will be very aggressive in going right at him, pretending to be a cow, maybe using quiet mews, maybe just breaking small twigs. Sometimes they will get curious and come for a look. My secret weapon for this type of encounter is the “cow hat” decoy. Doesn’t fool them entirely but just those ears sticking up can increase the time it takes for the bull to visually verify you and give you enough time for a shot …

If he is with a herd I will try to get as close as I can- hopefully without one of the herd noticing me and then I just sit and let things develop, hoping that the bull will unknowingly move towards me, or at least into a shooting lane and provide a shot.

I did this a couple nights ago ( even though I was rifle hunting in this particular case I still hunt like a bow hunter). I located a bull that was roughly 120yds from me in very thick cover (thick cover is your friend), so I started moving in with cow sounds. I “soft bumped “ a bedded cow on the way in - she heard me but didn’t see or smell me so I just cow called a few times to calm the other elk that could hear me. If you do blow the herd up but the bull hasn’t smelled you , BUGLE. Bulls with cows will do one of two things usually if you bugle at them in this type of scenario- they will round up bugle and move out with their cows (most common) or they will come to fight the intruder bull if you’re lucky.

I continued working in VERY slowly, crouched to look under branches, with eyes constantly scanning for more bedded elk. Once I knew I was within about 60 yds of the bull I found a spot where I had the wind, good shooting lanes, and a natural barrier behind me. Then I just waited. The bull bugled very softly a couple times so I knew he was still in play but I didn’t call to him.

After a few minutes grouse started busting out of the brush and here comes a spike. He walked by me at 7 yds. 10 minutes later a cow and calf fed into about the same range and just stayed there feeding for 15 minutes or more. I still had good directional wind but some unseen wind eddy gave them a bit of scent and they blew out. I had no choice but to bugle now. The bull didn’t charge in but he also didn’t blow out- didn’t even say anything. Now I’m realizing he’s not a true herd bull and probably just a rag horn that stays with the cows, which is what he turned out to be. The bugle did keep all of the other elk from blowing out though and I had another curious spike come by at about 10 yds.
Since I knew now that there was no herd bull I just waited for the spike to move on and backed out. I got video of some of it but I can’t post videos here…

 

[Taco John]

If you watch a herd, its like an amoeba sliding along, with the bull/bulls herding, tussling, back, forth, bouncing all around. Just get on the downwind side, and be patient .


They will eventually end up in your lap.




If you end up between the cows , and the main bull, any ol' bugle will put him in your lap.

 

[ianpadron]

If you watch a herd, its like an amoeba sliding along, with the bull/bulls herding, tussling, back, forth, bouncing all around. Just get on the downwind side, and be patient .


They will eventually end up in your lap.




If you end up between the cows , and the main bull, any ol' bugle will put him in your lap.

I need to do a better job sneaking between bull and cows. I ended up with cows between me and the bull multiple times this season, gig was up fast when that happened.