Can\'t sleep -- too much bugling

[Deertick]

Mid-September, archery hunt.

You hear a bull bugling from about 2 a.m., off and on ... it\'s now 4:30 a.m., and he\'s still sounding off about every 10-20 minutes. He\'s not far from camp. It\'s nearing the end of your vacation, and you\'re headed home the day after tomorrow.

What\'s your plan?

 

[cohunter14]

You can sleep when you get home...time to make a plan and get after him! Sunrise is pretty early that time of year and I would have a plan to be close and downwind before the sun comes up. A nice breakfast and some coffee and I\'m probably off and running! (Man, hearing these scenarios gets me closer and closer to buying a bow... )

 

[cnelk]

Mid September
Sunrise is in 2 hours.
No reason to rush now.
Relax. Rest.
Listen some more.
In about an hour get up and quietly get ready.
Listen some more and start moving toward the bull just before shooting light.

You prob know the terrain and how the thermals work so that part is a given.

When you were listening, did you hear another bull?

Your confidence should be sky high. No nerves here.

Slip in and as close as you can and give a mew and see what happens.
Does he bugle back?
Yes!
Cool.
Move in some more, find a spot with a couple shooting lanes and make him come looking for you.

Thwack

 

[Swede]

Turn off the alarm clock if you have one. Wait awhile then get up and get ready. Ditto on what Brad said.

 

[JohnFitzgerald]

+1 cohunter14
Get in close and try to determine herd bull or satellite.
From there, sell the calling sequence you choose.

 

[otcWill]

I totally agree with others here. I would only add that in my area, the wind switches very early so I\'d be sneaking in on him in the grey light prior to legal shooting light. I find the elk much more tolerant to stalking in low light. I\'d be extremely careful and try to get within 50-80 yards just before legal light. Then, if possible, I\'d kill without ever making a noise. If that didn\'t seem likely I\'d probably cut off his bugle from as close a range as I could get, thrash some trees and wait. If he had no cows, I\'d probably try a few mews first.

 

[razorback]

Honestly, I can\'t imagine that happening. If it did I would probably get after him early and just screw it up because I would be so excited.

 

[AndyJ]

This exact scenario is how my hunting partner and I have killed most of our bulls.
+1 Brad, +1 Will. I try to be almost in shooting range by the time it is legal shooting light. My area is like Will\'s: I have about 30 minutes to get the job done before the wind gets weird.

 

[Zpd307]

in colorado, our camp had bugling bulls in the middle of the night.... lovely sound! but anywhere close to light, they were gone and quiet. nothing like being woke up at 2 am to a bull screaming outside of the tent!

 

[Jason Balazs]

That\'s exactly how I killed my bull in my profile pic. Except for I have four bulls on all sides of me. The first one you could see rubbing a tree at first light 150 yards from my camper. Wind was not right for him, so I went after the one behind my camp. My son shot and missed on the one to the left, and my buddy scored on the one the other direction. So four bulls two down and a miss. I love it when they fall close to camp!!