What to do when Elk are not responsive to calls?

dplumlee12

Member
Dec 28, 2012
201
Is there a time before the rut where the elk are very vocal but will not respond to any cow calls?  We saw a lot of bulls this year but could not get any to come to a cow call.  We tried to bugle themalso but it seemed useless.  They would answer the bugle but stay put... 

 
dplumlee12,


For me, the key to consistently calling in bulls has been to get close to them before I really start calling. If I can get inside 150 yards of a bull, then start calling, my chances of bringing him in close go up exponentially.
 
First of all, are hunting alone, or with someone other than yourself that is good at calling?
 
Big time rookie...  Studied and learned from hours and hours of videos.  Used promos boo his mama for cow call.  Not saying I know how to "speak the language" but I would have expected some sort of response.
 
I concur with having to get in close to them (less than 100 yards) and I like Paul Medel's (aka ELKNUT) "threat levels" of combining cow and bull sounds.  If anything, I keep telling myself to be more aggressive than passive and that usually means pushing the envelope on closer distances and more aggressive sounds (both bull & cow).
 
dplum,


I like to get close and get aggressive. I cow call to get a response out of the bull, then cut him off with a challenge bugle. Two keys that I feel are very effective....one, being close, the other, being the one to give the challenge. If you bugle first, the bull can fire a challenge at you and he is expecting you to make the move. When you challenge the bull, you are putting the ball in his court and telling him to make the next move. We've had great results with this simple set up for several years.
 
We have also found that closing the distance is key especially in the early season. We have had the best luck bugling in the pre-rut. Not aggressive bugling using grunts or chuckles, but more location and immature sounding bugles. Michael Lapinski wrote a book about it called Radicale Elk Stradegies. It's definately worth reading!
 
Get closer and force the issue.  But just because they don't answer doesn't mean they aren't "responding."  The bulls could be sneaking in silent or moving their cows and you just don't know it.
 
I have found that if I get timid once I am in his bubble, the bull will be more wary of the situation and possibly turn away. I have had more success with continuing to call in that situation. Most of the elk I have been around cannot be made to talk if they don't feel like it, unless you can get them worked up.
 
There are many variables and all the items noted are good, but I have also found that changing locations even by just a few miles can make a difference. Always have a 2,3 and 4th+
location/options to venture to....don't be afraid to try something different or a new area that you have scouted. 
 
I like to spot and stalk in for the shot even when they are screaming.  A lot of the time I end up getting in front of a bull and ambushing him.
 
Be aggressive and get in close. Then give him some cow calls and cut him of with an aggressive bugle when he bugles at the cow call. Again, like Corey said, you need to get in close before calling.
 
We were within 100 yards several times.  We got there by bugling and following the answer.  When we got a sight on the bull and due to open country we could not stalk any closer.  I would back out 60 yards behind the shooter and try to get the bull to come in.  I tried both bugles and cow calls with almost no response to either.  I would get the bulls to bugle but they would not come in at all.  Some simply walked away.  We were very conscious of the wind and kept it to our advantage. 
One afternoon we snuck in on a bull who was screaming every few minutes.  We had the wind in our favor but he bedded down right in the middle of opening on the side of the mountain.  He had 3 smaller bulls and a cow and a calf with him.  The other bulls and cow and calf were surrounding him within say 30 yards.  Wind was coming down the mountain and we had stalked to the last tree between the bull and us.  There was no way to get any closer and we were about 80 yards from him.  We waited and watched for awhile but noticed the other bulls were meandering their way up the mountain so we decided we needed to try to call this bull in.  No time for a to try and cut them off and the wind was completely wrong for that.
I tried to use a hoochie mama cow call and the bull stood up then just walked his way over the top of the mountain without any interest. 
Any ideas what could have been done? Tried?
 
Glass glass glass. If you can find them with out bugling, why not just sneak into where they are? Why let them even know you are around? I'm not a pro or anything, so just my idea. We found elk this year, and let them walk right by, my bull didn't even know he was walking dead. The others had no Idea we were even there.
 
don't be afraid to try unorthodox calling, sometimes they just need to hear something different to get a response out of them.
 
dplumlee,sometime no matter what you do they show no interest,let them walk off and try to approach again,if what your doing doesn't work don't be afraid to try something different,add more agressive calling/raking,just anything you can do to stimulate interest.Remember nothing from nothing is still nothing.As my hunting partner says "kill 'em or run 'em off"
 
So what's the best way to determine if a bull is cowed up vs. a bull that is looking for a harem? There's been times where me and a couple buddies were able to bring a solo bull in almost instantly with aggressive calling and tree rakeing, and tried the same tactics on a different bull with 30+ cows that gathered his harem and moved on. Both were responding with the same technique, however we were oblivious to the herd with cows because of the thick timber.
 
I might add that we eventually caught up with the herd bull and his harem 300 yds up the draw after he quit calling. Seen the cows too late and they bolted like they do lol.
 

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