What would you do?

[Coach529]

How do you play this?

Walking a trail, throwing out bugles every hundred yards or so. You get a single reply, which best you can tell is within 100-150 yards. You move the direction you think the bull is. Wind is good. No further bugles from bull.

What do you do?

This happened 3 times last week in Northern Idaho. One day the wind was pretty bad and it was almost impossible to locate the bull.

 

[Young Blood]

What time of day? If later in the morning or early afternoon I know he’s in his bedding area and has no hot cows. I would get close and use ElkNuts slow play sequence.

 

[Coach529]

All three times happened around 4-5pm.

 

[Finch]

I'd like to answer but I have no elk under my belt and a grand total of about 15 days elk hunting experience. So take it for what it's worth but I can for see myself being in this same scenario.

If I was by myself, I envision myself breaking some limbs and throwing out some cow calls and maybe trying to sneak ahead a bit from where I was just making some noise. Then I'd sit and wait him out. If I had a buddy, one of us would stay back and do some raking and bugling. Seems to work for the BRO guys...sometimes.

Curious to hear other answers.

 

[GregB]

I agree w/ YoungBlood, if you're already within 150 yards I would try the slow play to get him fired up.

 

[Fullfan]

sneak toward his last bugle location, cow call and be ready. He did not go anywhere..

 

[FLAK]

Rake some branches move 30 yards or so and do it again.
Maybe do a cow call or two.
All the while watching out for a Grizzly.

 

[Coach529]

Thanks for the input guys!!

 

[wytx]

Good chance he's heard it all before and is just playing with you. Go to the bugle but don't talk to him.
He may have well left the area if he scented you.
Rut is not going strong yet, cow calls might get him to sound off or he may just know it's not time yet.
Try to pattern his movements between morning and evening and stage up on his travel route.

 

[Coach529]

This happened 3 times this weekend......in different areas. Not much of a chance it was the same bull.

 

[5MilesBack]

I couldn't get past the "throwing out bugles every hundred yards or so". Have you really ever heard a live elk do that before?

 

[Coach529]

Maybe I miss spoke........probably throwing them out every miles or soo. No being shy, it is thick and noise does not travel very far.

 

[String&stick]

1 bugle every 100 yards. . . Way Too much,. 1 bugle every mile. . .probably not enough!

Find a middle ground man!

 

[jog]

I couldn't get past the "throwing out bugles every hundred yards or so". Have you really ever heard a live elk do that before?

I have, several times. They are on walkabout, searching for cows. Often the bugles are quiet. You need to be within 75yds to hear them. They are not advertising as much as searching.

 

[Coach529]

1 bugle every 100 yards. . . Way Too much,. 1 bugle every mile. . .probably not enough!

Find a middle ground man!

Noted thanks!

 

[Spencer Lillywhite]

That happened to me when I finally got on bulls a week and a half ago. I was bugling every 100-400 yards; no responses all week then boom, 2 bulls cracked off under 200 yards (on separate occasions) on my last morning. Both came in fast to my challenge bugles/raking and the first one I could have killed (I got him to under 30).

Its now later in the season though, and if the bulls you are dealing have cows, they're going to be less receptive to leaving their harems to chase a challenger, especially if that challenger is 150 yds away.

Learning to pinpoint where a call comes from, especially in thick stuff, is very hard and takes practice. That's what I struggle with most. I think I would wait for a consistent wind, follow that wind toward the general direction I think he is, and just move slowly and quietly listening the whole time for elk sounds. I'd do that for maybe 100 yards in hopes that I am now within 50-80 yards of him. Then, because I like calling, I'd start a challenge or slow play sequence to get him into a setup.