It is 10:00 AM September 10th. It is a clear day and the temperature is nearing 70*F already. I have heard no response to my location bugles all this morning. It seems to be one of those days when the elk are not bugling, even though there is fresh sign around. It has been ten minutes since I left my last call location, and I am slowly walking out to where I will make my last calls for the morning. As I stay in the shadows and look and listen frequently, I also give out an occasional cow call. All of a sudden I hear a bull chuckle out in front and above me about 100 yards away. That is all he does to announce his presence. I can almost see his bedding area, but there is just a little too much vegetation. He is obviously laying on a small bench surrounded with mixed Ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir. Now what should I do?
Now What Should I do (2)
- Thread starter Swede
- Start date
I\'d get into a spot where he can\'t see me until he\'s in bow range, then make herd sounds like a small herd coming into the area and bedding down. Popping sticks, breaking branches, hooves hitting logs, cow-calf talk. His curiosity will get the better of him and he\'ll wander over for a look.
There\'s a big nontypical Euro staring at me here in my office that was killed in almost that exact same scenario with a 7 yard shot.
There\'s a big nontypical Euro staring at me here in my office that was killed in almost that exact same scenario with a 7 yard shot.
I\'d give the decoy(s) some life. I would have my Elk Mountain Slip elk butt and a Heads-up cow elk head. I may also have the elk hat. The head and the hat will be my feeding elk, and the butt will either be a shooting blind or something I can use to move behind. Obviously there are lots of tricks, but they are all made easier if you can be below the bull\'s line of sight when you\'re doing it so you can get off to the side once he starts coming.
Olympushunt
New member
- Jun 30, 2014
- 234
\"Swede\" said:
I would move and move FAST to get the hail out of that spot. 10am....and almost 70. Wow... If you called 10 minutes before and I assume you move slow and stealthy...that bull knows where you are.He has heard you. He just isn\'t convicted to come to you...but he knows you are in there. The wind will be (probably is!) going right to him and you have moments IMO before you are scaaaroooed. I wouldn\'t check the wind, move some and wait to check again...move and move now. Sound the retreat! He has all the cards in his favor at that moment. I retreat immediately...quietly, at least another 100 yards back down that draw before circling around. I\'m betting he is bedded and I might get him to show interest if he thinks a cow (lost cow call) is up from him between himself and the bull he heard down the draw.
elkmtngear
New member
- Aug 9, 2017
- 1,152
Swede, you sure are good at getting into elk around 10 AM :lol:
In all seriousness...first thing I do is pop the SLIP decoy. Then, I\'m going with Luke\'s logic...I\'m backing out and circling to get at least to the bull\'s level or above him(thermals will be certainly rising or swirling on a warm day by now).
He\'s asking for you to come to him. I just wouldn\'t give him direct satisfaction. If he spots you backing out but shielded by the decoy, so much better to sell the scenario (as Lou mentioned...this is where the butt decoy works beautifully).
Call again seductively when you get up to his level...he may possibly come in on a string. :think:
In all seriousness...first thing I do is pop the SLIP decoy. Then, I\'m going with Luke\'s logic...I\'m backing out and circling to get at least to the bull\'s level or above him(thermals will be certainly rising or swirling on a warm day by now).
He\'s asking for you to come to him. I just wouldn\'t give him direct satisfaction. If he spots you backing out but shielded by the decoy, so much better to sell the scenario (as Lou mentioned...this is where the butt decoy works beautifully).
Call again seductively when you get up to his level...he may possibly come in on a string. :think:
\"elkmtngear\" said:
Jeff you make a good point. I have shot more elk in the late morning than in the early AM by far. They are normally in or near their bedding areas. In my stands I get more at any time of day than I do in the early morning. The elk are transitioning in the late morning and have moved to their bedding area. Without disagreeing with anyone else and their experience, I agree with you and Luke. The situation I describe happened to me a few years ago. I wished at the time I had a decoy, but mine was back acting lazy in camp at the time. :lol: I left and came back in the late afternoon, but could not get the bull to come, and it was too open for me to slip in on him.
JohnFitzgerald
New member
- Mar 31, 2014
- 1,108
Pretty early in the season so I\'d start with simple tactics. Like Lou, I\'d move in and make ground noise as I went. Since he answered you\'re cow call but wasn\'t interest in coming in I\'d probably start with bull sounds like raking, some light chuckles, and maybe a nervous bark. From that point I would wait to see what the bulls response is. Aggressive response, I\'d consider him a herd bull and possibly ramp up the calling and add a little more pressure. Passive or no response, I would continue to try to peak his curiosity.
And like Brad said check the wind.....a lot! Also I\'d stay in the thickest cover I could.
And like Brad said check the wind.....a lot! Also I\'d stay in the thickest cover I could.
A chuckle by itself is answering a cow call? I asked this question once on this forum. As you know I don\'t call, but i\'ve heard chuckles all my life when everything else has been silent. I love to hear them, because it tells me where the bull is without me giving up my position.
So, what does a chuckle mean when everything else is silent?
So, what does a chuckle mean when everything else is silent?
elkmtngear
New member
- Aug 9, 2017
- 1,152
\"Still Hunter\" said:
If it is close to you, it means he heard you walking. I know you are a \"spirit in the woods\" and you\'ll deny it...but that\'s my guess. It means \"come over here, baby\".
elkmtngear
New member
- Aug 9, 2017
- 1,152
\"Still Hunter\" said:
Funny you should bring that up...I was in a tree last Season, softly cow calling every 10 minutes...when a bull suddenly rips off a chuckle about 80 yards behind me. I interpreted it as him saying \"come over here, sweetheart\"...but since I was stuck in a tree...couldn\'t exactly comply. So, I spike squealed at him.
His response was to come running around me pushing his 3 cows. I tried to stop him at 50 yds...but he didn\'t hear my \"nervous bark\" sound because of all the commotion. I managed to stop him at about 80 yards with an external reed call...and he gave me a good long look at him in all his glory. All I could do was wave goodbye
elkmtngear
New member
- Aug 9, 2017
- 1,152
\"Still Hunter\" said:
Yeah...backstraps or no backstraps...I live for experiences like those.
JohnFitzgerald
New member
- Mar 31, 2014
- 1,108
\"Still Hunter\" said:
Elk are very simple creatures in their vocalizations. Chuckles are nothing more than just an expression of dominance which in-it\'s-self can be interpreted as an invite or can reassure \"his\" cows that he is still worthy.
JohnFitzgerald
New member
- Mar 31, 2014
- 1,108
Pete I think the chuckles you hear is actually Swede sobbing because he fell out of his tree stand again!
