I was reading the F&S \"Tips for Elk Hunters\" ... as usual, I\'m always skeptical of Field and Stream ... not because they\'re not \"trustworthy\", but because their information always seems so basic. I seem to always say \"Duh\" to myself after reading \"Tips\" in magazines like that.
But here\'s one that might be worth trying.
Use a shed antler to \"flash\" to a bull that hangs up in a bowhunting set-up.
I think this might actually be not a bad thing to carry in the woods ... a rag-horn shed is lighter than a decoy, and a guy can use it for the same purpose (flashing for visual confirmation for the bull) but also for raking if you want to do that. I would think the antler would be real visible, but also quick to \"hide\"; easy to carry; the price is right.
Here\'s the actual copy of that section of the article:
Tip 9: Finish a Bull with an Antler
In Wyoming?s Laramie Mountains where Doug Stults guides (huntfwa.com), herds of elk roam from the sage flats up into granite outcroppings tossed among the scrub timber. All that open country presents a challenge in calling to bulls that use their eyes as much as their ears. But with little more than a 6-point shed antler, Stults has turned the disadvantage of hunting where elk can bust you from a proverbial (if not literal) mile away into an advantage. ?When I?ve got a bull responding to my bugles and I can tell he?s searching for me, I?ll raise the antler up from behind a tree or boulder so he can see it,? says Stults. ?I wave it a few times just like a bull spoiling for a fight, and the bull will actually come running. The first time it worked I couldn\'t believe it.?
This trick is particularly effective when an elk catches a hunter moving and hangs up out of bow range. ?Often, flashing the antler lets my hunters move or draw without spooking the bull,? Stults says. ?The bull is so locked onto that antler he seemingly doesn?t even care. I?ve found you can get away with a lot of stuff.? ?D.D.
But here\'s one that might be worth trying.
Use a shed antler to \"flash\" to a bull that hangs up in a bowhunting set-up.
I think this might actually be not a bad thing to carry in the woods ... a rag-horn shed is lighter than a decoy, and a guy can use it for the same purpose (flashing for visual confirmation for the bull) but also for raking if you want to do that. I would think the antler would be real visible, but also quick to \"hide\"; easy to carry; the price is right.
Here\'s the actual copy of that section of the article:
Tip 9: Finish a Bull with an Antler
In Wyoming?s Laramie Mountains where Doug Stults guides (huntfwa.com), herds of elk roam from the sage flats up into granite outcroppings tossed among the scrub timber. All that open country presents a challenge in calling to bulls that use their eyes as much as their ears. But with little more than a 6-point shed antler, Stults has turned the disadvantage of hunting where elk can bust you from a proverbial (if not literal) mile away into an advantage. ?When I?ve got a bull responding to my bugles and I can tell he?s searching for me, I?ll raise the antler up from behind a tree or boulder so he can see it,? says Stults. ?I wave it a few times just like a bull spoiling for a fight, and the bull will actually come running. The first time it worked I couldn\'t believe it.?
This trick is particularly effective when an elk catches a hunter moving and hangs up out of bow range. ?Often, flashing the antler lets my hunters move or draw without spooking the bull,? Stults says. ?The bull is so locked onto that antler he seemingly doesn?t even care. I?ve found you can get away with a lot of stuff.? ?D.D.
