JohnFitzgerald
New member
- Mar 31, 2014
- 1,108
So Oregon season begins this Saturday. Callers.....what\'s going to be your first calling sequence, if any, on the first morning?
Elk Callers
- Thread starter JohnFitzgerald
- Start date
iccyman001
New member
- Apr 30, 2014
- 5,489
NM starts Monday and I will be in there cold calling and making every 4th or 5th one a little louder but the a whisper.
Or start with the lost calf
Or start with the lost calf
JohnFitzgerald
New member
- Mar 31, 2014
- 1,108
\"iccyman001\" said:NM starts Monday and I will be in there cold calling and making every 4th or 5th one a little louder but the a whisper.
Or start with the lost calf
Nice! Remember to work an area for a little while and give it some time. Those curious satellite and spikes can come in very quietly. But if the area isn\'t showing promise, move on.
iccyman001
New member
- Apr 30, 2014
- 5,489
\"JohnFitzgerald\" said:\"iccyman001\" said:NM starts Monday and I will be in there cold calling and making every 4th or 5th one a little louder but the a whisper.
Or start with the lost calf
Nice! Remember to work an area for a little while and give it some time. Those curious satellite and spikes can come in very quietly. But if the area isn\'t showing promise, move on.
John, being a caller, I want to ask what you would do in this situation.
You find a herd with a lot of elk in it. Are you still calling or do you sneak up on them?
Dan,
I would sneak up and use the wind to get as close as you can. Flank them if possible.
As soon as you call, you will be located
Let the herd take you to their spot and be patient!
Saturday is opening morning and we will be splitting into two groups of 2.
One group one way, the other 2 going opposite.
We plan to listen and slip thru the woods and do our \'circuits\' of calling sets, mews and tree raking just to see what the temperament is, knowing that anytime between we can spot an elk.
I wont be going full bore, I will be pacing myself, dissecting the area to determine whats the best way to hunt it.
Easy does it. Leave the concrete jungle race at home
I would sneak up and use the wind to get as close as you can. Flank them if possible.
As soon as you call, you will be located
Let the herd take you to their spot and be patient!
Saturday is opening morning and we will be splitting into two groups of 2.
One group one way, the other 2 going opposite.
We plan to listen and slip thru the woods and do our \'circuits\' of calling sets, mews and tree raking just to see what the temperament is, knowing that anytime between we can spot an elk.
I wont be going full bore, I will be pacing myself, dissecting the area to determine whats the best way to hunt it.
Easy does it. Leave the concrete jungle race at home
JohnFitzgerald
New member
- Mar 31, 2014
- 1,108
Good question.
As a smart caller, I know that in early season it\'s very difficult to pull a bull away from the herd. My choice would be to try to circle around and ambush with wind in my favor the entire time. Or just watch at a distance and pattern their movement then hunt them the next day. Sneaking up on a herd is very difficult because the cows will pick you off long before the bull does. The unit I hunt is bull only so we don\'t have the option to take a cow.
My philosophy is that for early season the caller must play on the curiosity of elk and the need for safety by means of herding. The most likely animal to fall for this tactic is rag horns, spikes, young cows, and on rare occasion satellite/herd bulls. So cold calling early season is a very productive tactic that can bring those loners in for a peek.
Now that I say that, last year during the second weekend I bugled up a herd bull minutes after light and while setup on him I called in a rag horn by locate bugling. Bumped the little bull and my mistake on the herd bull was that I didn\'t pressure him enough. He was pissed that I was near, moaned at me and then just took his cows away.
So here\'s a few tips to remember about early season calling.
1) You will not call the cows to you unless you give them a reason. Sell it!(ie lost calf).
2) If you can see the herd, they can see your location. Do not call because they will look your way and become alert when they don\'t see what they expect to see.
3) Challenging a herd bull is possible early season. But make sure he is a true herd bull and make sure you are close and applying pressure.
4) Ambush hunting early season might give you better odds of kill an elk.
So my 2-cents, cold call and ambush. Adapt and engage the situation depending on the encounter.
As a smart caller, I know that in early season it\'s very difficult to pull a bull away from the herd. My choice would be to try to circle around and ambush with wind in my favor the entire time. Or just watch at a distance and pattern their movement then hunt them the next day. Sneaking up on a herd is very difficult because the cows will pick you off long before the bull does.
The unit I hunt is bull only so we don\'t have the option to take a cow. My philosophy is that for early season the caller must play on the curiosity of elk and the need for safety by means of herding. The most likely animal to fall for this tactic is rag horns, spikes, young cows, and on rare occasion satellite/herd bulls. So cold calling early season is a very productive tactic that can bring those loners in for a peek.
Now that I say that, last year during the second weekend I bugled up a herd bull minutes after light and while setup on him I called in a rag horn by locate bugling. Bumped the little bull and my mistake on the herd bull was that I didn\'t pressure him enough. He was pissed that I was near, moaned at me and then just took his cows away.
So here\'s a few tips to remember about early season calling.
1) You will not call the cows to you unless you give them a reason. Sell it!(ie lost calf).
2) If you can see the herd, they can see your location. Do not call because they will look your way and become alert when they don\'t see what they expect to see.
3) Challenging a herd bull is possible early season. But make sure he is a true herd bull and make sure you are close and applying pressure.
4) Ambush hunting early season might give you better odds of kill an elk.
So my 2-cents, cold call and ambush. Adapt and engage the situation depending on the encounter.
\"JohnFitzgerald\" said:
Do what the elk are doing. Nothing more / nothing less! In the heavily hunted area I hunt in, the elk are usually VERY silent the first couple of weeks of the season. So, I resort to Still Hunters methods. I either still hunt or spot and stalk. If nothing happens I will resort to the silent calling routine.
Use your eyes and ears and keep your nose in the wind!
Eyeeyecaptain
New member
- Aug 4, 2017
- 167
We start with locate bulges to try to find the herd. From there we either get to the herd and respond to their calls or get into the timber and cold call with a chirp or a lost mew to locate. Once located, pretty much follow suit with what the elk are doing.
JohnFitzgerald
New member
- Mar 31, 2014
- 1,108
\"EyeEyeCaptain\" said:
Andrew - Do you usual pick up vocal bulls early in the season? Is it usually before light? Just curious as I\'ve experienced good success with location bugles early in the season.
