Location bugles - when and why?

[JohnFitzgerald]

I think the location bugle in the number 1 tool in my calling arsenal. I always say that when given, its asking for the location of the receiver and announces the location of the sender.

If you don\'t use it, why?

If you do us it, when and why?

 

[Swede]

I use it when I want to find out where the other elk hunters are. lol On occasion I use it to locate bulls that are responsive.

 

[cnelk]

JF
This year I am going to try more locations bugles.
I am also going to do more stomping and raking trees

 

[bowhunter]

I think you answered half of your question in your subject line. \"Location\" used to lacate elk so a hunter can move closer and try a setup to call an elk in. The second half \"When\". I usually use a location bugle before light and early morning to try to find elk. Durring the evening I usually do more cold calling with cow calls.

 

[WW]

I think the location bugle in the number 1 tool in my calling arsenal. I always say that when given, its asking for the location of the receiver and announces the location of the sender.

If you don\'t use it, why?

If you do us it, when and why?

I wouldn\'t necessarily say it is my #1 tool in my calling arsenal. But it is one of them. It\'s a great way to (locate). But don\'t over do it or over use it. Sometimes the elk may take as long as 3-4 minutes to answer you. Give it time to work.

 

[Bullrub]

Most of my location bugling is done about 2:00 or 3:00 Am in the morning this helps give some idea of what drainage I want to hunt that morning.
You also don\'t get many hunters answering you back at that time of day.

 

[JohnFitzgerald]

What about bulls that come into location bugles? I\'ve had a few, anybody else?

Maybe it\'s just me, but location bugles seem to be a very neutral call that elk respond to.

jf

 

[elkmtngear]

announces the location of the sender.

Sometimes I avoid it...and this is why. I do not want the elk to know where I\'m at...just yet!

I\'ve watched my hunting buddy light off with locations bugles every 30 minutes while covering ground...in an area I KNEW there were bulls in the timber...and nothing but silence. This tells me something...the bulls know when to shut up...and anything out of the ordinary will make them suspicious.

If the bulls are sounding off regularly...I definitely use it. I moderate the use of location bugles to the situation, or, I guess I just try to \"tune in\" to what\'s going on, and try to act like an elk.

 

[JohnFitzgerald]

announces the location of the sender.

I\'ve watched my hunting buddy light off with locations bugles every 30 minutes while covering ground...in an area I KNEW there were bulls in the timber...and nothing but silence. This tells me something...the bulls know when to shut up...and anything out of the ordinary will make them suspicious.

quote]

Jeff, was this early or late season?

 

[elkmtngear]

announces the location of the sender.

I\'ve watched my hunting buddy light off with locations bugles every 30 minutes while covering ground...in an area I KNEW there were bulls in the timber...and nothing but silence. This tells me something...the bulls know when to shut up...and anything out of the ordinary will make them suspicious.

quote]

Jeff, was this early or late season?

Third week, after September 15th. This is not just one isolated instance, it\'s year after year. I\'ve noticed an increase in hunting pressure, thinking it might have a lot to do with it. Elk are slaves to Mother Nature, but they are not stupid. They can become educated quickly.

 

[WW]

announces the location of the sender. [/quot

If the bulls are sounding off regularly...I definitely use it. I moderate the use of location bugles to the situation, or, I guess I just try to \"tune in\" to what\'s going on, and try to act like an elk.

If they are sounding off regularly, there is no need for a location bugle. Just slip in and challenge. Just be aware that a bull that is sounding off regularly is usually doing it for a reason. Most likely he either has cows with him, is trying to attract cows, is being harassed by another bull, or a combination of these conditions. There may be other eyes watching as you sneak in.

A location bugle is just that. It is used to locate where the bull is. If he is sounding off on his own, there is no need for you to make any calls at all. You already know where he is.

If you are on one mountain side and you locate a bull with a location call, there is a good chance if you stay put, he will answer your location bugles back and forth for a long time. Maybe even up to an hour or so before he peters out on you. This is a great time, if you have a partner, to keep the bull talking and have your partner sneak in on him while you stay put and keep him talking.

 

[JohnFitzgerald]

announces the location of the sender.

I\'ve watched my hunting buddy light off with locations bugles every 30 minutes while covering ground...in an area I KNEW there were bulls in the timber...and nothing but silence. This tells me something...the bulls know when to shut up...and anything out of the ordinary will make them suspicious.

quote]

Jeff, was this early or late season?

Third week, after September 15th. This is not just one isolated instance, it\'s year after year. I\'ve noticed an increase in hunting pressure, thinking it might have a lot to do with it. Elk are slaves to Mother Nature, but they are not stupid. They can become educated quickly.

Interesting Jeff. Would you consider the area you hunting, highly pressured?

jf

 

[elkmtngear]

Interesting Jeff. Would you consider the area you hunting, highly pressured? jf

I saw one group of four bowhunters, another group of two, and three muzzy guys near the same drainage all in the course of 10 days last Season.
There was a time when we saw no one over 10 days. It\'s forcing me to hunt much farther in. If there weren\'t a good number of elk around, I wouldn\'t bother. I know they can be killed even with the hunting pressure, I just have to be smarter about it. Announcing my presence to elk and/or other hunters does not fit into that game plan.

 

[bowhunter]

If you are on one mountain side and you locate a bull with a location call, there is a good chance if you stay put, he will answer your location bugles back and forth for a long time. Maybe even up to an hour or so before he peters out on you. This is a great time, if you have a partner, to keep the bull talking and have your partner sneak in on him while you stay put and keep him talking.

I have done this in the past and the results were good. The bull would scream back at me and kept running down to heard his cows away from my calls. Then back up to his harem.

 

[flystrait]

We use location bugles constantly throughout the day. Once we locate a bull we want to go after we change it up. Location bugles are a every day staple for us. We have had bulls come in to a location when they are fairly close, it\'s not the norm but it has happened. For the style of hunting we do we would not have the successes we have had without using it.

 

[JohnFitzgerald]

We use location bugles constantly throughout the day. Once we locate a bull we want to go after we change it up. Location bugles are a every day staple for us. We have had bulls come in to a location when they are fairly close, it\'s not the norm but it has happened. For the style of hunting we do we would not have the successes we have had without using it.

I know you hunt later in the season, but would you consider location bugles as good cold calling tactic? In heavly pressured areas, people blow cow calls like crazy. Givening the impression of a lone, young bull, raking and locating might just give a more realistic. Thoughts?

 

[flystrait]

We use location bugles constantly throughout the day. Once we locate a bull we want to go after we change it up. Location bugles are a every day staple for us. We have had bulls come in to a location when they are fairly close, it\'s not the norm but it has happened. For the style of hunting we do we would not have the successes we have had without using it.

I know you hunt later in the season, but would you consider location bugles as good cold calling tactic? In heavly pressured areas, people blow cow calls like crazy. Givening the impression of a lone, young bull, raking and locating might just give a more realistic. Thoughts?

I hunt most of the season but primarly focus of Sept 12th on for aggresive calling. I hunt areas that are typically not very pressured based n hunter numbers. But when I have the results seem to be the same. I typically will give between 1 and 3 location bugles and if no responce I move on and do it again. I never have used raking in a location bugle situation, mostly due to the area they can\'t really hear it anyway. If we are that close to a bull in a location bugle situation they usually fire right back and then we change our calling to meet the situation. I rarley use cow calls as a locator as well. For all our calling throughout the season we use the bugle 75% of the time and cow calls the rest. It\'s not the bugling thats the most important, it\'s what you do with the bugle that matters most. I have hunted with guys that would bugle nothing would respond, then I would try it and get a responce where they could not. Again it\'s the quality of the sound that matters to most. That\'s my 2 cents anyway.

 

[JohnFitzgerald]

So maybe for those that talk about how much people use cow calls there hunting area, just might be advantageous to use location bugles. Both for cold calls setups and chasing bulls.

My 2-cents.