Questions for Brad.... (Triangle set up)

[iccyman001]

Brad,


Can you bring us more into this triangle set up.
Is everyone calling?
Is it just the back?
How do you decide on who can shoot?
Can everyone shoot?


Spill the beans

We may try a set up this year.

 

[Zpd307]

i will spill the beans. everybody is calling. from what I remember, if an elk comes close to a caller/shooter, that person quits calling and the other guys know something is close. so, everyone is a shooter.

 

[Deertick]

I was with Brad last year when he and Cole doubled on elk ... here\'s a way I understand the Triangle. It worked well, and we called in some other elk that day, too. I\'ve made a diagram ... see below.

In the case above, Hunter 1 would start things off. Once in place, you need to have ONE person who is responsible for checking with everyone ... thumbs-up, for instance. Then, he calls. Just a cow chirp or mew.

Then Hunter 2 answers him. \"How long does Hunter 2 wait to answer?\" Somewhere between 5-45 seconds. Mix it up. I bet on average that day, it was about 20-30 seconds between calls.

Then Hunter 3 answers Hunter 2. And then back to Hunter 1.

It is VERY IMPORTANT to go CLOCKWISE.

(Just kidding. :lol: )

In the instance outlined in the diagram, lets say there is an elk out there. He hears the excitement, and he wants to investigate. He may call back (that\'s what happened last year to Brad, Cole, and me ... the elk \"joined into\" the \"circle of calls\"). Or he may come in silently.

Above, the elk is cautious. He comes in, but he wants to loop around and get the wind right. Walking on the green arrow, Hunter #1 is the first to see him. SO HUNTER #1 STOPS CALLING.

The \"circle of calls\" goes around, and it\'s Hunter 1\'s turn to call, but 45 seconds goes by ... no call from him ... then another 30 seconds goes by ... still no call from him.

It\'s at that point that Hunter 2 and Hunter 3 know there is an elk, and it\'s near Hunter 1. They keep calling just between themselves ... call and answer, call and answer. The bull walks around, thinking he has the wind right on them, and WAP! Hunter 1 takes an easy 20 yard shot.

How far apart are the hunters? About 30-50 yards, but it depends. You could set up MUCH further apart, or even closer. The density of the woods decides. You have to have a rough contact for the \"thumbs-up\".

How long do you call? Brad will say 10-15 minutes. I would wager that others here would call longer, depending on the time of year, the density of elk, the number of other hunters in the area, etc.

How far apart do you make Triangle Setups? You might work along a ridge or bench going 1/4 - 1/2 mile between setups. If I was around something noisy, like a stream, I\'d make setups closer, because nearby elk maybe couldn\'t hear your first setup.

 

[Zpd307]

very good explanation :upthumb: maybe we should make a quartet of death in Idaho

 

[Deertick]

No reason you could use two or four hunters.

 

[iccyman001]

I was with Brad last year when he and Cole doubled on elk ... here\'s a way I understand the Triangle. It worked well, and we called in some other elk that day, too. I\'ve made a diagram ... see below.

In the case above, Hunter 1 would start things off. Once in place, you need to have ONE person who is responsible for checking with everyone ... thumbs-up, for instance. Then, he calls. Just a cow chirp or mew.

Then Hunter 2 answers him. \"How long does Hunter 2 wait to answer?\" Somewhere between 5-45 seconds. Mix it up. I bet on average that day, it was about 20-30 seconds between calls.

Then Hunter 3 answers Hunter 2. And then back to Hunter 1.

It is VERY IMPORTANT to go CLOCKWISE.

(Just kidding. :lol: )

In the instance outlined in the diagram, lets say there is an elk out there. He hears the excitement, and he wants to investigate. He may call back (that\'s what happened last year to Brad, Cole, and me ... the elk \"joined into\" the \"circle of calls\"). Or he may come in silently.

Above, the elk is cautious. He comes in, but he wants to loop around and get the wind right. Walking on the green arrow, Hunter #1 is the first to see him. SO HUNTER #1 STOPS CALLING.

The \"circle of calls\" goes around, and it\'s Hunter 1\'s turn to call, but 45 seconds goes by ... no call from him ... then another 30 seconds goes by ... still no call from him.

It\'s at that point that Hunter 2 and Hunter 3 know there is an elk, and it\'s near Hunter 1. They keep calling just between themselves ... call and answer, call and answer. The bull walks around, thinking he has the wind right on them, and WAP! Hunter 1 takes an easy 20 yard shot.

How far apart are the hunters? About 30-50 yards, but it depends. You could set up MUCH further apart, or even closer. The density of the woods decides. You have to have a rough contact for the \"thumbs-up\".

How long do you call? Brad will say 10-15 minutes. I would wager that others here would call longer, depending on the time of year, the density of elk, the number of other hunters in the area, etc.

How far apart do you make Triangle Setups? You might work along a ridge or bench going 1/4 - 1/2 mile between setups. If I was around something noisy, like a stream, I\'d make setups closer, because nearby elk maybe couldn\'t hear your first setup.

Wow!!! Thank you so much, John. This is awesome :upthumb:

 

[Zpd307]

No reason you could use two or four hunters.

yep, I agree. we will have four guys out in Idaho this year, that is if we can keep up with dan, even with him missing a toe! :haha:

 

[cnelk]

Dr Deertick explained it perfectly.
This all began about 10 years ago when 2 friends started to joint me archery hunting.
I really didn\'t know how we were going to accomplish calling with 3 guys.

But it works. I have lost count how many elk we have called in and would have to guess on how many we have killed using the triangle.

Take a look at the diagram.
Hunter 3 is usually the \'director\' as many times, more than one can come in from either side and then he calls them in to both of the front guys.
I have also seen elk slip in between hunter 2 and 3, so shooter 3 better be ready too!

We have had elk come in so fast between 1 and 2 ( right toward 3) that they can\'t shoot because the elk in on top of shooter 3!!

It takes some practice. Everyone needs to be on their toes, because with the calling and watching for elk, you can forget to hear who is calling and who isn\'t!!!

Sure is fun tho

 

[mainebrdr]

I would think some discipline is necessary at times to remove the obvious danger involved! More than once I have seen pellets flying where they shouldn\'t when a pheasant gets up between two guys!

 

[Deertick]

I would think some discipline is necessary at times to remove the obvious danger involved! More than once I have seen pellets flying where they shouldn\'t when a pheasant gets up between two guys!

Well, of course, though the shooting really shouldn\'t come \"inside the triangle\".

I think the real trick to this set-up -- the reason it works so well -- is that there are multiple calls (of various makes, tones) being used from various places at once. Elk may have heard hunters before, but they haven\'t heard many that can be in 3 places at once.

I was reading in one of the \"elk\" rags the other day that Cory Jacobsen describes another \"triangle\" set-up, this time using an answering bull as one corner of the triangle and then talking back-and-forth (in his method with bugles) and ignoring the real bull to stir him up.

When I read that, I first thought that this wasn\'t anything like \"Brad\'s\" triangle. But it is quite a bit like it, really. They both take advantage of the realism that multiple calls can create.