Thought I\'d give up a few of my \"secret\" (not at all) tactics and others might share some of theirs. Here\'s a few.
The Elk Ventriloquist: I think directing a bull for my particular setup has helped a ton. I\'ve learned never to point my calls towards an elk but rather to lure him to the spot I want him by bouncing, muffling, and angling my calls accordingly. I do a lot of tucking my bugle under my arm and pointing it away. I want the bull to think I\'m 40-80 yards behind where I actually am. I believe this leads to a relaxed bull when he comes into range as he doesn\'t really expect to see anything yet. In this scenario, one man\'s \"hung up\" bull is another man\'s trophy. I\'d imagine this type of ventriloquism would work for stand hunters as well, but I haven\'t tested this theory. Another trick I use is to turn my diaphragm upside down in my mouth. This will produce softer, lower pitched sounds and really works for close range calling.
Background Noise: This, I believe has led to more convinced bulls for me than any other tactic. Simple I know but it works. I always setup with a bunch of softball size rocks when calling. I don\'t just throw em randomly, I still try to direct sounds to coax the bull where I want him. Also, noise works to calm elk down. Really, it does! I\'ve rolled rocks when an elk seems to have me pegged only to watch them go back to feeding. I will also take bunches of grass and rip them, creating the same sounds the elk do while feeding. I do this when making a final approach on elk in open meadows.
The Double: Another simple idea. When a bowhunter kills an elk the noise created is about the best curiosity call there is! If you aren\'t alone then sit tight after making a good shot. Make a call or two to calm or stop the elk you shot and then go back to hunting. Elk nearby will come more times than not if you hold your ground and continue some heard talk. In this situation, I\'ll bugle once or twice. Afterwards I\'ll make herd talk and attempt to sell the herd calming down. Most don\'t have the patience to pull this off as someone gets too excited about the bull they just shot, but try this and you\'ll eventually pull off the double.
These are just a few. I\'ll try to add more sometime soon. Anybody else got some \"secret\" tactics?
The Elk Ventriloquist: I think directing a bull for my particular setup has helped a ton. I\'ve learned never to point my calls towards an elk but rather to lure him to the spot I want him by bouncing, muffling, and angling my calls accordingly. I do a lot of tucking my bugle under my arm and pointing it away. I want the bull to think I\'m 40-80 yards behind where I actually am. I believe this leads to a relaxed bull when he comes into range as he doesn\'t really expect to see anything yet. In this scenario, one man\'s \"hung up\" bull is another man\'s trophy. I\'d imagine this type of ventriloquism would work for stand hunters as well, but I haven\'t tested this theory. Another trick I use is to turn my diaphragm upside down in my mouth. This will produce softer, lower pitched sounds and really works for close range calling.
Background Noise: This, I believe has led to more convinced bulls for me than any other tactic. Simple I know but it works. I always setup with a bunch of softball size rocks when calling. I don\'t just throw em randomly, I still try to direct sounds to coax the bull where I want him. Also, noise works to calm elk down. Really, it does! I\'ve rolled rocks when an elk seems to have me pegged only to watch them go back to feeding. I will also take bunches of grass and rip them, creating the same sounds the elk do while feeding. I do this when making a final approach on elk in open meadows.
The Double: Another simple idea. When a bowhunter kills an elk the noise created is about the best curiosity call there is! If you aren\'t alone then sit tight after making a good shot. Make a call or two to calm or stop the elk you shot and then go back to hunting. Elk nearby will come more times than not if you hold your ground and continue some heard talk. In this situation, I\'ll bugle once or twice. Afterwards I\'ll make herd talk and attempt to sell the herd calming down. Most don\'t have the patience to pull this off as someone gets too excited about the bull they just shot, but try this and you\'ll eventually pull off the double.
These are just a few. I\'ll try to add more sometime soon. Anybody else got some \"secret\" tactics?
