You bump elk........

[JohnFitzgerald]

First day of season, early morning, and you come across some elk. Wind is in your face and you hear the dreaded thumps of hoofs starting to run away. What do you do?

Callers?

Non-callers?

 

[Eyeeyecaptain]

Watch and listen to see where they are going. If it is reasonable to parallel the herd, as in their speed, how spooked they actually are, terrain, etc... I will follow them. If it does not look worth it, I usually continue on with my pre determined hunt plans. Often times after breaking apart the herd will be calling to each other to reassemble. This is your chance to swoop in and use cow calls to become an innocent member of the herd.

 

[Swede]

If I am going to my tree stand I do not feel good. Chances are extremely low they will be back to that area today. I can hope for others to show up, or I can go to a totally different stand location.

 

[Bullnuts]

Hit them with a couple cow calls, wait a few minutes to see if any of them are circling back on me, and if not, continue following at a slow pace. It\'s funny, but most of the elk I\'ve ever bumped DID NOT leave the country if they didn\'t smell me. Being herd animals, if one elk jumps, they all jump. It doesn\'t matter if they all know the danger, they will all jump. That doesn\'t mean that they will all blindly panic, though, and run for miles. The ones that jump just because another one did won\'t go too far. Move carefully as you follow and you can catch up.

 

[cohunter14]

Watch and listen to see where they are going. If it is reasonable to parallel the herd, as in their speed, how spooked they actually are, terrain, etc...

This is similar to what I would do, espesically since I do not need to close a huge gap to get a shot with a rifle. I would probably also see if there was a way to get somewhere in an opening where I might be able to spot them from a ways off, in a spot and stalk style.

Finding elk is more than half the battle, especially for rifle hunters. I would do whatever possible to stay on these elk since I know they are there.

 

[elkmtngear]

First day of season, early morning, and you come across some elk. Wind is in your face and you hear the dreaded thumps of hoofs starting to run away. What do you do?

Callers?

Non-callers?

Immediate Nervous Bark (with my voice...loud)!

Pop the SLIP Butt decoy (I\'m walking with it, so I have it open in less than a second). I\'m slowly moving with the wind in my face...shielding...and looking for any movement or color in the direction of the hoof thumping.

 

[Eyeeyecaptain]

Hit them with a couple cow calls, wait a few minutes to see if any of them areocircling back on me, and if not, continue following at a slow pace. It\'s funny, but most of the elk I\'ve ever bumped DID NOT leave the country if they didn\'t smell me. Being herd animals, if one elk jumps, they all jump. It doesn\'t matter if they all know the danger, they will all jump. That doesn\'t mean that they will all blindly panic, though, and run for miles. The ones that jump just because another one did won\'t go too far. Move carefully as you follow and you can catch up.

I like it! My only question for everybody is what call you use. In the past my group has tried to use mews in this situation but that has never stopped or calmed the herd for us. My argument has been to be quiet so we don\'t just educate the herd. I have been thinking that if you were to call here an alarm bark may be best. It seems to me that a chirp or mew here is uncharacteristic for an on edge herd. Thoughts?

 

[Lark Bunting]

I would think this is where the \"re-gathering\" sound comes into play? Maybe a lost calf sound? This may work well since in the panic a calf could get left behind.

 

[Bullnuts]

Hit them with a couple cow calls, wait a few minutes to see if any of them areocircling back on me, and if not, continue following at a slow pace. It\'s funny, but most of the elk I\'ve ever bumped DID NOT leave the country if they didn\'t smell me. Being herd animals, if one elk jumps, they all jump. It doesn\'t matter if they all know the danger, they will all jump. That doesn\'t mean that they will all blindly panic, though, and run for miles. The ones that jump just because another one did won\'t go too far. Move carefully as you follow and you can catch up.

I like it! My only question for everybody is what call you use. In the past my group has tried to use mews in this situation but that has never stopped or calmed the herd for us. My argument has been to be quiet so we don\'t just educate the herd. I have been thinking that if you were to call here an alarm bark may be best. It seems to me that a chirp or mew here is uncharacteristic for an on edge herd. Thoughts?

Immediate nervous grunt will stop them, but I like to use a chirp and not a mew. Chirps mean, \"C\'mere!\" That will normally stop them.

 

[WW]

Might try a nervous bark right after I kick myself in the a$$ for getting busted in the first place.