The Golden 7

[JohnFitzgerald]

So I\'ve posted this before, just want to get an more idea\'s from other hunters.

There is 7 golden rules I follow when dealing with elk behavior and our attempts to call them in. They are:

1) Elk are curious.
2) Elk are social and herd animals.
3) Bulls would rather you go to them.
4) All bulls have the instinct to rut.
5) Bulls will try to keep every cow.
6) Bulls will try gain any cow but not at the risk of loosing one of their own.
7) Herd bulls can be challenged for dominance, but only when you\'re within their comfort zone.

Can anyone add to this? There are many rules out there, but remember this 7 only deals with behavior and calling an elk in.

jf

 

[Swede]

I think those 7 are very good. I don\'t see where you need to add an 8th, but it came to mind that elk are in no hurry to die and are not on your time schedule. There has been much written about aggressiveness, and patience. Knowing when to be aggressive and when to wait is often key to being successful. I know I sure messed up on a big bull last September. I was on the ground and thought I needed to move. Unfortunately I should have waited.

 

[WapitiBob]

I would agree with 1-4.

 

[Bullnuts]

I would agree with 1-4.

X2. Maybe 4 hard and fast rules, and 3 guidelines?

 

[JohnFitzgerald]

I some what agree about the last 3 being guidelines. Only because I consider those 3 are basically rules to be used during prime rutt. The mood or aggresiveness of the bull determines how he acts upon them.

It\'s really hard for me to think a hot herd bull would be willing to let any cow go. This doesn\'t mean he\'d fight anything that moves. But even slipping out the back door is a strategy for keeping his cow(s).

My 2-cents!

 

[WapitiBob]

I snuck in to 20 yards on a herd bull last year and watched him for almost an hour. He kept a tight reign on the cows. When another bull came down the hill they bugled back/forth until the upper bull seemed to bed down a cpl hundred yards away. The lower bull then moved his cows off. I walked up the hill and snuck in on that bull to less than 20. I thought he was alone but after about an hour his cows got up and all of them walked off. He just laid there bugling. About a half hour later they came back up the hill, walked single file past him, turned and walked past me at about 10 yards going up the hill. He never budged. Just laid there and bugled every few minutes. Another half hour goes by and from around the btm of the hill comes another bugling bull. It\'s now about 11:00. They bugle back/forth as the lower bull makes his way around underneath us, about the same level as the first herd. When the lower bull gets past us by maybe a cpl hundred yards, the bull laying in front of me realizes it\'s his long lost buddy, gets up, turns 180 and goes to meet his friend. The first bull followed the classic herding pattern but the second bull didn\'t give a hoot about those cows.

 

[JohnFitzgerald]

You bring up a excellent point WapitiBob. Cow\'s in estrus or getting really close is the trigger to a bulls attitude. If that herd bull had a hot cow, do yo think he would have allowed any of that action to take place? You ever hear stories or experience... \"Two days ago this bulls was all fired up and pissed at every thing. Now he could care less if I was 50 yards from the herd.\"

Just because a bull is bugling, doesn\'t mean he\'s looking for a fight.

My 2-cents!

 

[timberland]

It\'s easy to read these forums and start believing you toot a little on a bugle or cow call and you\'ll turn a bunch of elk heads. I don\'t have enough experience with elk to put a number on it, and I would be interested in what you experienced guys see, but when calling whitetails, some will almost always respond and some will never respond and most are somewhere in between. Too many variables to say how and when any animal will respond to calling.

 

[Bullnuts]

It\'s easy to read these forums and start believing you toot a little on a bugle or cow call and you\'ll turn a bunch of elk heads. I don\'t have enough experience with elk to put a number on it, and I would be interested in what you experienced guys see, but when calling whitetails, some will almost always respond and some will never respond and most are somewhere in between. Too many variables to say how and when any animal will respond to calling.

Very good point. My experience is, you only call in the bulls that are willing to come in. Elk hunting, like whitetail hunting, or even fishing for that matter, is all about catching the animal in the right mood, right set of circumstances, and with the right angel in your pocket. I have seen a lot of animals ignore calls. I have also seen bulls simply walk away from cows. Not that they didn\'t hook up again later - I don\'t know if that happened or not. I\'ve had years when the elk came running in like mad all season long, and others when they didn\'t seem interested at all. For the good years I would say that John Fitzgerald has hit it pretty square with his observations. For the bad years, it\'s anybody\'s guess what the elk will do. Funny how they all seem to be on the same pattern though, from area to area, state to state.