What are you going to do?

[JohnFitzgerald]

last week of season, early morning, and you get a reponse from your contact bugle. He reply\'s back with his own and adds chuckles to the end. You are equal in elevation but you both are closer to the bottom. Thermals are going down.

What are you going to do?

 

[Swede]

Normally I would just continue to my tree stand. If being by myself, that does not look like an opportunity, I would move close as possible to the bull, being careful not to be seen. Then I would cow call to the bull. Then quickly move away from where I called, by a few yards, and wait. If he comes all is well. If he calls back, but has not moved, then hit him with a harsh bugle.
If I was out with a partner, I would have the silent shooter, out front, but I would not move after I called.

 

[razorback]

Move in as close as possible and stay slightly below him. Make some noise by raking and then challenge him with a bugle. If that doesn\'t work, I\'m taking a page out of Troy\'s playbook and hitting him with a bark bugle.

 

[JohnFitzgerald]

Move in as close as possible and stay slightly below him. Make some noise by raking and then challenge him with a bugle. If that doesn\'t work, I\'m taking a page out of Troy\'s playbook and hitting him with a bark bugle.

What if he is a satellite and has no cows. You still going to challenge him?

 

[razorback]

Honestly I\'m not experienced enough to know if he is or not. I\'m still going to challenge him, it may cost me but I like what Craig had to say on another thread about bugling for the size of bull you want to call in
Its going to be a learning process for me.

 

[Glacier Country]

Move in as close as possible and stay slightly below him. Make some noise by raking and then challenge him with a bugle. If that doesn\'t work, I\'m taking a page out of Troy\'s playbook and hitting him with a bark bugle.

Razorback,Your first move is good. Now you are close and have the wind right... You have Options. What is the Intensity of his bugles ? What is he telling you? Is his temperament warm, lukewarm or hot ? Is he answering you sometimes or every time ? Is he thrashing a tree and yelling at you or is he content to just sometimes hollar back and move away? These are some questions to ask yourself. Now also what about the terrain, wind situation, etc. how long do you have to capitalize right here? Is it better to just shadow this bull to a bedding area,and try to call him in there?

You have options and right now are in the drivers seat! What that bull said to you, with His Tone, Intensity,Pitch and Cadence is what I use to decide what to do. If he told me with his bugle, If you come over here I will Kick your Butt, then I will definitely Challenge him right there. I like to get close enough to see the cows butts and have a setup where that bull has to come thirty yards to SEE Who is Lipping off to him. If he will do that I \'m probably going to get a chance.

What if you did a Bark into a bugle here? Did you just ask him to come to you ?.... OR does that bull Think that you just asked HIS Cows to come to you?? What if you add some chuckles ?

Give him a Reason to come to you! There is a little more to it than just a challenge but you are on the right track.

Troy GCHC
Glacier Country Hunting Calls

 

[razorback]

That\'s what I think I will struggle with is reading a bull\'s bugle. Haven\'t really heard many so I\'ll just be going off of my gut. Last year I think I was too passive. This year I want to be aggressive. Experience under my belt in these situations will be so valuable, just get myself into some opportunities.

 

[Glacier Country]

Ok here are 2 scenarios that we took bulls. Listen to this bulls bugle and what I do to call him in. He is not very vocal and he is maybe Warm at best on the warm to hot scale.
My wife\'s bull Clip #2 was way hotter and you can tell he is just screaming back and the intensity of his bugle is Hot... He is pissed!

I can\'t get Quicktime to work properly. So to listen to these sound clips just click on \"Bugling in 2013 bull 1.m4a\" and Calling Debs bull elk Audio clip .m4a under the Quicktime box. then they will give you a drop down box to click on to play them.

Hope this helps. Troy GCHC Glacier Country Hunting Calls

[attachment=0]<!-- ia0 -->Bugling in 2013 Bull1.m4a<!-- ia0 -->[/attachment] [attachment=1]<!-- ia1 -->Calling Debs Bull Elk Trimmed Audio Clip 2013.m4a<!-- ia1 -->[/attachment]

 

[Zpd307]

steve, i am with you. i dont have enough experience with bugling bulls to have any real knowledge. i have heard them, but have only been in one situation that gave me a chance to work them. and that was in colorado during my first year. i had no clue what to do....

 

[razorback]

I couldn\'t get the clips to play. I\'ve to get into them and just learn I reckon. Hopefully I can have multiple encounters in a trip so my learning curve is not so steep.

 

[Baby Huey]

I would note the bulls position (assuming he is a few hundred yards away and not in visual range) and analyze the terrain to plot a mental path to the bull. My style would be a little differnt, as I would put my mouth call away and not call any more if possible. My path would be one of two or a meld of both:

Path A would at the same elevation, or slightly higher, but always paying attention to the wind and adjust accordingly. With this approach the bull would be likely focused in on where I last called and looking in that direction, so I would be mindfull that the bull will be looking in my general direction as I approach on this path.

Path B would be to again pay attention to the wind and start looping below from where I am at after hearing his bugle. This path will allow me to be out of the bulls line of sight (as he likely would be focused on where I called initially) and below the thermals to avoid being winded. The plan would be to either ambush the bull if I can determine his anticipated line of travel, or to stalk him from below.

My plan would be to try and jog quickly and failry quietly in my pre-determined path. With either path I would move quickly toward the bull until I get to the point where I think I should be seeing him, or if I happen to see him while on this path. Now it could be that both paths may meld together depending on what happens as I begin my stalk based on what the bull is doing. Again, I am assuming he is anywhere from 200 to 600 yards away and I am moving immediately to cut the distance, because - I know where he was and if I am not going to call again, I want to get to where his last bugle position was quickly in order to get visual contact of him. I do not want to call anymore, as he can then pinpoint my path and start focusing in on the line I am taking. I would rather he be focusing somewhere else (my original call position), rather than triangulating my positiong and path if I call again. Now this majic point where I slow down and start glassing to look for him and other elk that may be with or around him will depend on terrain, anticipating the bulls location (this can be aided greatly if he is being vocal) and wind/thermals.

This method is just my preferance on how I would attack this situation. I would rather the elk not be looking for me or what they think is another elk, and come at him silently.

 

[Glacier Country]

I can\'t get Quicktime to work properly. So to listen to these sound clips just click on \"Bugling in 2013 bull 1.m4a\" and Calling Debs bull elk Audio clip .m4a under the Quicktime box. then they will give you a drop down box to click on to play them.

Quicktime says I need to update it ,but when I do it says a newer version has already been installed and won\'t let me update it.WTH!!!