ELK!!! You call the shot. Whats next?

C

cnelk

New member
Mar 23, 2017
5,542
Below is a short video clip I took while hunting a couple years ago.
While working thru the timber, you spot two 5x5 bulls working their way right to left.

Distance: 60yds
Time: Mid- morning

Choose your weapon - all apply

Whats next for you?

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcyOxkxXK5Q[/youtube]
 
I am hunting with a bow.


In the video, there are a few windows, but that is out of my effective range. I am not shooting.


Me being new to elk hunting and curious of my capabilities, I am following them with the wind in my face.
Im moving slow, but using their movement and noise to cover my tracks. I want to keep them in sight, but not be too close.

I am hoping that they are either going to bed soon, or maybe hit a mud hole.
If they bed, I can sit down and plan my attack.

If they hit a mud hole or start attacking some poor helpless trees, then I am using this time to move in closer.
I am either moving in to a shooting position or setting up for where I think they are going next.
 
This is actually a situation that I am not all that comfortable with.

After all, these elk are on their feet and moving and they have their own ideas on what to do.

Call now, and they are going to be nervous. Follow them, and you risk getting winded. Plus, you may not be able to follow them too far.

I\'\'d like to have Lou\'s elk hat and a single-reed diaphragm in this situation.
 
No sense in not working these elk...back off a ways, pop the decoy, nock an arrow and start a calling sequence.
 
I will expand on this a little bit.

I think if the wind was bad they would have blown out already.

Two five by five\'s traveling together may indicate early season maybe opening weekend.

I would back off and parallel them very quickly to a suitable calling location.

pop the decoy and throw out a little cow calf talk...if it is early season and they have not been pressured they may be receptive.

Your not out anything if they just keep moving.... or go to plan B .
 
I saw no shot that I would take with a muzzleloader. I assume the wind is in my favor since they didn\'t spook. They don\'t know i\'m there, and I want to keep it that way. I would wait a bit, and then start moving to my left parallel to them. I\'d continue to stay quiet, and hope I can move in for a better shot. Hopefully, they\'ll stop at some point. That\'s when I can make a plan to get closer.

Remember when I said you can\'t still hunt moving animals. You can\'t stalk them very well either. You\'d have to move too fast, and take a chance of getting busted. Move slow, and wait until they stop. Patience.
 
How about doing nothing but flank them? See where they go? Wait for a better time/place?
Maybe sometimes the right thing to do is not hunt them and wait for a better opportunity?
 
Weapon of choice is bow and no shot presented itself. Midmorning makes me think they are likely to bed soon. Once they get out of sight I\'m going to choose a set up that puts the wind in my favor and also forces the bull(s) to come inside shooting distance and then begin a calling sequence. Start out slow and crank it up slowly until I get a response or a shot.
 
Always calling? Why would you call to elk you already see? The minute you call they\'ll be looking in your direction, and alert. No way to get closer then.
 
\"cnelk\" said:
How about doing nothing but flank them? See where they go? Wait for a better time/place?
Maybe sometimes the right thing to do is not hunt them and wait for a better opportunity?
Click to expand...

That was actually my instinct, Brad ... but when I played it out in my head, I saw a lot of ways for it to go wrong (wind, getting seen) and not a lot of ways for it to go right for an archer. Nonetheless, I think this is what I\'d do ... and hopefully get an idea of where they were bedding to come back and make a plan later ... like calling them after they\'ve been bedded for a few hours, or calling them toward early evening, when they are getting restless.

\"Still Hunter\" said:
Always calling? Why would you call to elk you already see? The minute you call they\'ll be looking in your direction, and alert. No way to get closer then.
Click to expand...

Agree ... when I\'ve called elk from a position that can be seen by the elk, it has always turned out poorly.
 
The country is way to open and the elk are to close...if you hit a call your pinned down immediately.
 
Unless its the last day, I\'m letting them walk. I\'m not saying I\'d never shoot a lil bull but I do my best to hold out for a better one. If I was planning on killing one, I\'d have made a quick move/plan the second I saw them and identified their travel route. I\'d pick a spot I needed to be and crawl ( crawling is a highly underused elk stalking tactic IMO) there fast and silent. If they are at 60 yards, I\'d probably only shoot for 10-15 yards closer when we crossed paths, find my window, draw, and nervous grunt as they enter my opening. Thwack!
I would disagree that calling can\'t be used here, though I wouldn\'t try it myself. I think if you put your face under your outer layer and pointed away from the bulls, it just might bring them your way, especially in combination with a friend sneaking 20-50 yards back with a decoy popped. Again, I wouldn\'t opt for this, but I know it can work as I\'ve used this exact tactic to call bulls in from close range.
 
\"otcWill\" said:
Unless its the last day, I\'m letting them walk. I\'m not saying I\'d never shoot a lil bull but I do my best to hold out for a better one. If I was planning on killing one, I\'d have made a quick move/plan the second I saw them and identified their travel route. I\'d pick a spot I needed to be and crawl ( crawling is a highly underused elk stalking tactic IMO) there fast and silent. If they are at 60 yards, I\'d probably only shoot for 10-15 yards closer when we crossed paths, find my window, draw, and nervous grunt as they enter my opening. Thwack!
I would disagree that calling can\'t be used here, though I wouldn\'t try it myself. I think if you put your face under your outer layer and pointed away from the bulls, it just might bring them your way, especially in combination with a friend sneaking 20-50 yards back with a decoy popped. Again, I wouldn\'t opt for this, but I know it can work as I\'ve used this exact tactic to call bulls in from close range.
Click to expand...

Hmm ... aggressive tactics work, eh? Where have I heard that before?
 
To me those elk are walking pretty fast. I don\'t think trying to follow them and keeping them insight is going to work, and once you lose sight of them who knows where they are going to go. So if I was in this situation I am quickly setting up a shooter and dropping back and starting to cow call and hoping they get curious enough to come check it out. Really what do you have to lose trying to call them in you have a 50/50 chance that one of these two bulls decides to turn and come take a peak. At 60yrds you might even get them to take a different path which might just bring them into shooting range. It\'s not like if you call to them and they don\'t respond that they are going to spook, if they are not interested they will just keep on walking and then you will know that if you do catch up to them that you will have to try a different strategy to get them into range.
 
\"otcWill\" said:
I would disagree that calling can\'t be used here, though I wouldn\'t try it myself. I think if you put your face under your outer layer and pointed away from the bulls, it just might bring them your way, especially in combination with a friend sneaking 20-50 yards back with a decoy popped. Again, I wouldn\'t opt for this, but I know it can work as I\'ve used this exact tactic to call bulls in from close range.
Click to expand...

Good strategy. If solo, I might attempt to pop and plant the decoy, cow call aggressively, and belly crawl ahead and to one side, while they are checking out the situation. Of course...wind direction has everything to do with my next move.
 
I would need a little more info, time of day, time of year. Could be early season, but if no cows are in estrus I\'ve seen bulls hang together in peak rut. Based on what I\'m seeing they are intent on getting somewhere. Little too open to call, elk want to see you. A call I believe will result in them stopping and staring, minutes passing by and I can\'t even scratch my back without being busted. An elk shouldn\'t need to call to them and that open of an environment, and they know it. I might consider letting them get behind some cover and doing a little social raking, passive, not intended to necessary be directed at them and play on the curious nature of elk. Most likely, I might see if I can hang with them and see what develops.
 
I\'m going to be there with my bow. I didn\'t see any shot opportunities that I would have taken. If wind is in my favor I am going to try and cut them off and get a better shot. If not I\'m watching them from a distance and trying tomorrow.
 
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