IDspud
Lil-Rokslider
- Joined
- Sep 7, 2021
- Messages
- 187
Since my last post I changed locations. That was the best advice given and definitely a huge part of my lack of success for 3 years. Turns out Once you’re in the right spot with elk it’s actually fun and engaging.
All of the techniques for locating where elk will be and cutting out 95% of the spots that won’t be for the last few years is finally paying off. Within 48 hours at the new spot I got on three bulls.
The first one I set up on a saddle but instead of the thermals coming up both directions the wind was strongly blowing from one side to the other, so I sat on the Windward side and called down. Immediately a six point bull lit up downwind from me on the other side less than 100 yards away. I thought he was much further because his first response didn’t even sound like an elk. Sounded more like a whistling cat like he was trying to stay quiet. The second response was definitely an elk so I tried to quickly get up and circle around the edge so he didn’t wind me, but he was already in front of my face and ran off in a hurry. That would have been an incredible first one.
The second one was off the side of a draw. I tried slowly working him up and he sounded aggressive but wouldn’t move. We were interrupting each other‘s challenge calls. He was deep in a bowl that was very brushy and there was no chance of me getting down to him. Even doing the slow pay he didn’t want to budge.
The third one was in a draw up and over a finger from me. I once again tried to work him up slowly and he was definitely getting more and more aggressive while moving up and down the draw. It sounded like he was challenging me because he had hot cows to stay back. This one I was actually able to get up and over on the other side but he would not get down to the bottom for me to get a shot off. I think he let out a lip bawl and split, giving one last bugle further away before he went silent
Am I doing something wrong? Or is this how the game goes, encounter after encounter before one works out right? The winds are miserable and they always seem to be where I wasn’t expecting them with no way for me to advance without getting winded and/or seen. When a bull is hot and bothered, how do you get him to come the last bit in? I feel like another 25 to 50 yards down to the bottom of the draw and I could’ve taken him. But I couldn’t get down there without being seen for sure.
Videos from guys like Paul Medel where he says this technique works on 95% of the bulls I come across and I can count how many it hasn’t worked on on one hand make me think I’m doing it wrong.
All of the techniques for locating where elk will be and cutting out 95% of the spots that won’t be for the last few years is finally paying off. Within 48 hours at the new spot I got on three bulls.
The first one I set up on a saddle but instead of the thermals coming up both directions the wind was strongly blowing from one side to the other, so I sat on the Windward side and called down. Immediately a six point bull lit up downwind from me on the other side less than 100 yards away. I thought he was much further because his first response didn’t even sound like an elk. Sounded more like a whistling cat like he was trying to stay quiet. The second response was definitely an elk so I tried to quickly get up and circle around the edge so he didn’t wind me, but he was already in front of my face and ran off in a hurry. That would have been an incredible first one.
The second one was off the side of a draw. I tried slowly working him up and he sounded aggressive but wouldn’t move. We were interrupting each other‘s challenge calls. He was deep in a bowl that was very brushy and there was no chance of me getting down to him. Even doing the slow pay he didn’t want to budge.
The third one was in a draw up and over a finger from me. I once again tried to work him up slowly and he was definitely getting more and more aggressive while moving up and down the draw. It sounded like he was challenging me because he had hot cows to stay back. This one I was actually able to get up and over on the other side but he would not get down to the bottom for me to get a shot off. I think he let out a lip bawl and split, giving one last bugle further away before he went silent
Am I doing something wrong? Or is this how the game goes, encounter after encounter before one works out right? The winds are miserable and they always seem to be where I wasn’t expecting them with no way for me to advance without getting winded and/or seen. When a bull is hot and bothered, how do you get him to come the last bit in? I feel like another 25 to 50 yards down to the bottom of the draw and I could’ve taken him. But I couldn’t get down there without being seen for sure.
Videos from guys like Paul Medel where he says this technique works on 95% of the bulls I come across and I can count how many it hasn’t worked on on one hand make me think I’m doing it wrong.
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