To call or not to call

[trophyhill]

I am going to have to respectfully disagree with that statement. In 29 years of elk hunting I have only hunted private land one time. I have only called in other hunters once in 29 years. If there are that many hunters where you are hunting, find another place to hunt because they are going to run the elk out of there in a day or two anyway.

oh i know! if guys are calling in that many hunters, there are a couple things going on. if i see a truck or a camp, you won't find me anywhere near them or walking in anywhere near them.

"call it, Professional Courtesy" John Wayne AKA "The Duke"

 

[3darcher2]

Nobody calls anymore. Just text.

 

[trophyhill]

99% of calling on public land results in calling in other hunters...

you are about 10% off. the 10% club exists for a reason

 

[Swede]

No one can make those glutaral sounds only bull elk can bugle. Well almost no one. I was amazed when I saw Mike Slinkard coming in after making that sound. I have been elk hunting and calling longer than most.
I can still be fooled. Some elk sound terrible, and some hunters are good. Very good.

 

[kad11]

I've always had better luck without calling, I can call just fine and do so for clients when guiding, cause that's what they expect. But when I'm hunting in my off time I don't call, I might give a cow call to see if a bull will bugle back. But if the elk are already talking on their own, I move in quietly and as quick as I can to get the shot, but I do keep a diaphragm in my mouth to stop an elk for a shot. I've been way more successful on mature bull's doing this over the last 15 years. Calling fun, but those elk come in looking for another elk and any little movement to draw your bow or get into a shooting position and they'll pick you out.

What kind of terrain are you hunting? Sparse cover/ prairie, thick timber, alpine? Just curious as your tactic is what I gravitate towards the most - just haven't been able to do it successfully with a bow...

 

[Overdrive]

What kind of terrain are you hunting? Sparse cover/ prairie, thick timber, alpine? Just curious as your tactic is what I gravitate towards the most - just haven't been able to do it successfully with a bow...

It's mixed forest, the draws can be open with willows/aspen and meadow grasses where the elk feed at night, and then travel ridges with heavier timber working to where they bed. I usually get it to an area a good 1 to 1 1/2 before shooting light to listen for bugles as the elk act more natural then. I'll get a fix on their location and move in on their travel route. It's also how I learned the Elk's travel routes effectively, I trailed many elk herds in the area's I hunt over the years. One year my hunter buddies and I hunted the same herd of about 80-90 elk for 3 day's straight and took 4 elk out of the herd without really bumping them out of the country, until we killed the herd bull, then the rag horns scattered the herd all over the country.

 

[trophyhill]

It's mixed forest, the draws can be open with willows/aspen and meadow grasses where the elk feed at night, and then travel ridges with heavier timber working to where they bed. I usually get it to an area a good 1 to 1 1/2 before shooting light to listen for bugles as the elk act more natural then. I'll get a fix on their location and move in on their travel route. It's also how I learned the Elk's travel routes effectively, I trailed many elk herds in the area's I hunt over the years. One year my hunter buddies and I hunted the same herd of about 80-90 elk for 3 day's straight and took 4 elk out of the herd without really bumping them out of the country, until we killed the herd bull, then the rag horns scattered the herd all over the country.

killing the herd bull does have an effect on the herd. there is always another willing to fill his shoes/ladies

 

[Overdrive]

killing the herd bull does have an effect on the herd. there is always another willing to fill his shoes/ladies

Yes it does, we hunted this herd the first 2 days and there was only the Herd bull and another decent 6pt, the night we killed the Herd Bull there was 15 other rag horns that I counted, so needless to say they scattered them for miles, mostly pushed to private land.

 

[Beendare]

Rereading my comment;
I don't mean to diminish Calling as a strategy.

What I mean to say is calling isn't the magic bullet that some of the folks selling you stuff make it out to be. Calling every hundred yards up the trail is the strategy I see many rookies doing.

I try to pick my spots....and from experience I know to set up before I call.....as I've been surprised by elk at close range when not setup properly.

One of the best strategies on heavily hunted OTC is to let the other hunters do the calling for you while you maneuver and sneak in. Apologies to the callers that think its their elk just because it responded.........but its a smart strategy. Let the guys that want to bugle, bugle,bugle work for you.

I had some guys blowing a Scercy cow call non stop in Wyoming...which gave me the opportunity to kill that bull. I did apologize to them when they walked up to me with the bull on the ground. Grin

So to the new guys; A guy blowing the same exact sound one right after the other is a clue....or too much pleading....that pleading cow call is a give away its a hunter.

Listen for variations...hunters tend to use the same call over and over...or just vary them a little and they just don't have the deep resonating sound of a real bull. A real bull usually has that 3D echo-y sound quality that's hard to replicate.

Use those^ guys to your advantage.

_______

 

[spike camp]

Calling isn’t all that important to me...
Doesn’t matter if it’s OTC or draw.

I killed my first 8 elk with a bow, and didn’t call.
As in, didn’t even bring calls.

I have since leaned to call, and it’s been fun..but I am still killing elk with a bow, without calling.

 

[North Idaho Stickbow]

I think the better question is “when do I call, and what do I say?”

 

[Swede]

I see a lot of elk wisdom on this thread. It would please me to make Beendare's hunt just a little tougher by seeing hunters better educated to quit blowing on their calls so much. And when they call to know what they were saying.
I sure got a laugh to myself when I saw a new hunter with a necklace full of expensive cow calls hanging around his neck. He also had a bugle of some flavor. I am sure he felt he was well prepared to call in any and all elk.

 

[trophyhill]

I think the better question is “when do I call, and what do I say?”

and how do i say it