Calling During Rifle Season

[cohunter14]

I have heard many folks on here, OTCwill in particular, who have mentioned hearing bugles and using calls during rifle season. This year I am going to be hunting the 1st rifle season in Colorado, so if any rifle season was early enough to be good for calling, this would be it. For those of you that have had success calling during early October, give me and the other rifle hunters some input. What calls are you using, when are you using them, where are you using them, etc. I am contemplating trying it out this year. Worst case, it will give me a head start for the day I decide to go to a stick and string

 

[JohnFitzgerald]

I have heard many folks on here, OTCwill in particular, who have mentioned hearing bugles and using calls during rifle season. This year I am going to be hunting the 1st rifle season in Colorado, so if any rifle season was early enough to be good for calling, this would be it. For those of you that have had success calling during early October, give me and the other rifle hunters some input. What calls are you using, when are you using them, where are you using them, etc. I am contemplating trying it out this year. Worst case, it will give me a head start for the day I decide to go to a stick and string

Contact bugles at night to pick up on elk location.

My 2-cents!

 

[cnelk]

Derek
Cow Calling during 1st rifle season is a must. Especially for bulls.
I have called in cows and shot them into 2nd & 3rd rifle seasons.
It gets a bit more difficult the later you get tho.

 

[Swede]

I have not hunted in the rifle elk season for many years, but I have heard elk bugle in the rifle season, during the day. I was working alone in the forest. Also as Brad said cow calls work then. I used some plastic surveyors tape and called with that, just to get a reaction. It works.
BTW plastic ribbon makes a decent short life cow call, but it takes awhile to master the sound. GCHC are much easier and sound better too.

 

[cohunter14]

Derek
Cow Calling during 1st rifle season is a must. Especially for bulls.
I have called in cows and shot them into 2nd & 3rd rifle seasons.
It gets a bit more difficult the later you get tho.

Are you just using basic mews? How are you calling them, from tree stands or do you setup the same type of 3 guy tripod that you use during archery season?

 

[Swede]

When out in the forest during rifle season, the bulls will answer a cow call. When I used the surveyors tape, they did not come, but would talk right back to me. Also you can still stop a bull with a nervous bark.

 

[cnelk]

Derek
Mostly I call when hunting by myself when rifle hunting.
Just the occasional mews, nothing too excited
I did call in a big ol fat cow for my uncle during 2nd season rifle once.
It was evening, there was about a foot of snow, I called just a few times from the edge of a small meadow and she came out of the timber right to my uncle who was sitting about 50yds away from me.

 

[Pop-r]

My buddy went with a group last year 2nd rifle on his very first trip out west much less elk hunting. They all killed bugling bulls in 2 days but my buddy & on morning 3 the one that was bugling that they caught up to is gonna be around the 340\"+ mark!! Haven\'t actually measured him yet. Public otc.

 

[cohunter14]

My buddy went with a group last year 2nd rifle on his very first trip out west much less elk hunting. They all killed bugling bulls in 2 days but my buddy & on morning 3 the one that was bugling that they caught up to is gonna be around the 340\"+ mark!! Haven\'t actually measured him yet. Public otc.

I have heard of reports like this and it makes me so jealous. In my 20 years of elk hunting, I have never once heard a bugle during rifle season. Maybe I\'m just deaf...or maybe I\'m hunting where there are no bulls! :lol: