Bow hunters over calling

[5MilesBack]

Never seen so many grown ass men get their little panties in a twist over the suggestion that running around the woods and over calling like a moron can change the behavior of elk.

These replies pretty much confirm that what Im seeing locally isn't an isolated phenomenon.

Or was it "panties in a twist" because of people over-calling????

It certainly wasn't an isolated phenomenon "this season", but you're only guessing as to the reason. Scientists would laugh at your conclusion based solely on your opinions. The elk were screaming last year and I'm confident they'll be screaming next year as well. In fact, they may even be screaming in our 1st rifle season that starts Saturday. I didn't have an elk tag this year, but the bulls still had no problem responding to my bugling.

 

[Sled]

Im out
Let the dumpster fire continue

Bye Felicia!

 

[dreamingbig]

Apparently the OP is still mad.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Riflehuntr19]

The guys who think archery hunting is walking around bugling non stop all day are hanging out on this thread and the guys who don’t dig it. A little of both adds some spice.

 

[Rob5589]

Oh man this has been good for a laugh!

Never seen so many grown ass men get their little panties in a twist over the suggestion that running around the woods and over calling like a moron can change the behavior of elk.

These replies pretty much confirm that what Im seeing locally isn't an isolated phenomenon.

Im out
Let the dumpster fire continue

Well, did you post to engage in conversation; or were you looking for affirmation?

 

[SteepandDeep]

I've heard Elk Nut say that if he goes into an area and has an interaction with a bull or a herd where they associate seeing or smelling a person with the calling that was presented then that area needs to "rest" for three days until that bull or herd will be receptive to calls again (this includes if someone else blows through the area and allows the elk to associate calls with sights and smells of people). I suspect it's one of the reasons that he hunts from the truck so he can keep moving to different spots everyday if need by and come back to those areas. From what I have experienced I believe this is pretty accurate....not to say there aren't exceptions but it does seem to be the rule.

I do the same when bed hunting thick timber mulies....let him rest for a couple/three days and go hunt the other one in the meantime.


I’m not exactly on board with over calling smartening them up; BUT stopping every 500 yards on your ATV to let out a bugle probably associates something to something

 

[Elkangle]

Would be interested in what would happen if we banned calls in a given unit....

 

[Swede]

Here is something I have observed. Bulls on the public land, where I hunt, are pretty silent when compared to years ago (prior to 2000), but I can commonly get bulls on the ranch nearby to call back over the fence. They are very talkative there, but won't cross the fence.
I have a hypothesis that they can read a "NO TRESPASSING" sign, understand its meaning and they enjoy tormenting me.

 

[Wrench]

Methinks you're not doing it right.....

 

[live4him]

Know lots of stone cold killers who appreciate Doug flutie up on the trail
Bugling while they sneak in for the kill. All a matter of perspective I suppose


Also we had about equal bugling and interaction this year as past years. But I would say we also had to work harder for those interactions. Hit new areas to find pockets that weren’t as pressured. Maybe it’s calling. Maybe it’s just more human interaction. Maybe it’s wolves. Who am I to say what affects elk behavior

 

[Jwknutson17]

In the 3 units I was in this year for my tag and two other buddies, we had screaming bulls every single day. I bet I heard well over 500 bugles this year and had at least 10+ legal bulls in bow range. Never saw another hunter in the woods physically hunting either. One guy at camp when we showed up saying it sucked and no elk and he left the area. Next day we were covered in elk. Not OTC units but two of them could be drawn out with 0-1 points. Not one day out of 14 days were we not in screaming bulls. Best season of elk encounters and vocal elk that I've had as long as I can remember. Crazy year. But we also put in a ton of time scouting. Cant wait for next year.

On the flip side a few guys I know struggled in "good" units and didn't hear or see much. But they also stayed in one general area they liked and didn't scout pre season.

I'm in the calling group but not just for no reason and need to know what to say and when to say it. Its been a game changer implementing some of @ElkNut1 tactics. It sure gets them fired up. What I've noticed is that when your inside that 100 yards it is crazy what the difference is in how those bulls respond vs being 500 yards away. Nothing like elk coming unglued when your in their comfort zone.

 

[Swede]

Methinks you're not doing it right.....

I would not normally respond to a comment like this, but there is a point to make here that may have a value.
I don't think I forgot how to call right, or anything like that. The unit I hunted suddenly got a lot more archers when hunters in several eastern Oregon units were no longer allowed to harvest cows. It did not help that the area is overrun with cattle.
Prior to the 2000 season I hunted about equal time on the ground and in a tree. After that time I started spending more and more time in a tree stand. My overall success has not changed. Now I generally call close to my stand then go silent. I often never hear a reply, but elk will come around looking for the elk they heard up to two hours later.
My freezer is full again, not because I can call better than anyone, but because I have adapted and am as persistent.

 

[orionsbrother]

I understand part of the OP’s point. I have no real problem with hunters hunting. There are times when I may not appreciate someone “over-calling” and disregarding thermals or standing out in the open, in the middle of a park, doing all of the above...

What irks me is guys without tags calling right before the season or during the season to “practice” or take pictures.

 

[trophyhill]

In the 3 units I was in this year for my tag and two other buddies, we had screaming bulls every single day. I bet I heard well over 500 bugles this year and had at least 10+ legal bulls in bow range. Never saw another hunter in the woods physically hunting either. One guy at camp when we showed up saying it sucked and no elk and he left the area. Next day we were covered in elk. Not OTC units but two of them could be drawn out with 0-1 points. Not one day out of 14 days were we not in screaming bulls. Best season of elk encounters and vocal elk that I've had as long as I can remember. Crazy year. But we also put in a ton of time scouting. Cant wait for next year.

On the flip side a few guys I know struggled in "good" units and didn't hear or see much. But they also stayed in one general area they liked and didn't scout pre season.

I'm in the calling group but not just for no reason and need to know what to say and when to say it. Its been a game changer implementing some of @ElkNut1 tactics. It sure gets them fired up. What I've noticed is that when your inside that 100 yards it is crazy what the difference is in how those bulls respond vs being 500 yards away. Nothing like elk coming unglued when your in their comfort zone.

I noticed this year when searching for elk, that a lot of elk didn't respond until we were much closer to them. I know for a fact many bulls heard us and didn't say a thing. Walking down that same ridge and send out a bugel, and bam.. responce. Just had to be closer to them and we almost always got a responce.

One thing is for certain whether you can draw a unit with 1 or zero points, or it takes 15-20 to draw. Generally speaking, the elk in the draw units will respond more favorably to hunters calling than heavily pressured otc units. Doesn’t mean it can’t be done in an otc unit. It’s just a fact of life.

But in a normal year there are places elk retreat too where the Savvy hunter could still find them. Not this year in some otc units.

I think this year was definitely an anomaly in many otc units due to guys who normally would be at work, were off due to COVID and many many more people in the mountains all summer long who normally would not have been there. Literally hunters in every nook and cranny this year where I hunted. this all equates to pressure. When you think about it, there was constant pressure all spring, summer and now fall.

I spoke with a landowner in 1 of the areas I hunted this year, this morning. The reason there aren’t or weren’t many elk encounters in that quadrant, is because nearly the entire herd is and has been on his property since the beginning of summer because of all the people in the mountains this year. The herds literally tore his fences down to avoid people. Now he will get additional depredation tags because of it.

 

[Wrench]

Methinks you're not doing it right.....

I would not normally respond to a comment like this, but there is a point to make here that may have a value.
I don't think I forgot how to call right, or anything like that. The unit I hunted suddenly got a lot more archers when hunters in several eastern Oregon units were no longer allowed to harvest cows. It did not help that the area is overrun with cattle.
Prior to the 2000 season I hunted about equal time on the ground and in a tree. After that time I started spending more and more time in a tree stand. My overall success has not changed. Now I generally call close to my stand then go silent. I often never hear a reply, but elk will come around looking for the elk they heard up to two hours later.
My freezer is full again, not because I can call better than anyone, but because I have adapted and am as persistent.

That wasn't meant as a dig. Elk are elk and will act like elk because that's what they know.

They still communicate but may modify based on stimulus....be that delayed estrous , wolf or hunter pressure. Elk will not sit on their nuts with a hot cow around. Find hot cows, you'll have wound up bulls.

You can bet that old cows and wise bulls will move to the terrain that benefits them most.

I'm not telling you anything you don't know.....but this thread will be referred to for who knows how long and we need to ensure that the variables are listed along with the observations.

 

[Swede]

Wrench, I did not take your comment a a personal dig. I may have come off that way, but I thought you did not understand the situation. Trophyhill nailed it with his follow up post. We need to be adaptable, and one size does not fit all situations. I moved hunting locations. Where I hunt now is an over the counter unit and calling is hard. One morning I called in five hunters within an hour. I decided it was time to go sit in my tree again. Anyway thanks. No offence taken.

Something I have never read before, but discovered, is how long it may take for a silent bull to come around after I call near my stand. Only by sitting in my tree for hours at a time did I discover it. And it has not been a one or two time observation. By the way the elk move, and look at the place I called from; I can say with assurance they are two hours later responding to my call.

 

[5MilesBack]

Would be interested in what would happen if we banned calls in a given unit....

Then we'd have a bunch of elk in violation of the ban.

The funny thing is.......I really don't hear much for calling from other hunters out there. I know they're there, but only occasionally do I hear them calling. It's kind of like all the ML hunters that just have to hunt the rut, but then I never hear them make a peep and all they do is go and sit somewhere like they are rifle hunting. Bizarre.

 

[trophyhill]

Wrench, I did not take your comment a a personal dig. I may have come off that way, but I thought you did not understand the situation. Trophyhill nailed it with his follow up post. We need to be adaptable, and one size does not fit all situations. I moved hunting locations. Where I hunt now is an over the counter unit and calling is hard. One morning I called in five hunters within an hour. I decided it was time to go sit in my tree again. Anyway thanks. No offence taken.

Something I have never read before, but discovered, is how long it may take for a silent bull to come around after I call near my stand. Only by sitting in my tree for hours at a time did I discover it. And it has not been a one or two time observation. By the way the elk move, and look at the place I called from; I can say with assurance they are two hours later responding to my call.

I too have witnessed delayed reaction on countless bulls. Thus my love for a certain external reed call that reaches out far and wide. But the hunter has to be extremely patient. Certain hunters like 5MB could never sit still long enough it would be like sitting water for them. Not gonna happen. But if you know elk can hear your calls, the patience will payoff at some point. And believe me, that’s not a knock on Mike. His style of hunting has proved very deadly and successful for not only him, but others as well. Myself included at times.

 

[Wrench]

I too have witnessed delayed reaction on countless bulls. Thus my love for a certain external reed call that reaches out far and wide. But the hunter has to be extremely patient. Certain hunters like 5MB could never sit still long enough it would be like sitting water for them. Not gonna happen. But if you know elk can hear your calls, the patience will payoff at some point.

100% I've blown out enough elk after 30 minutes that I have a hard rule of rip and run or sit for 45 minutes. I've had them come up behind me and growl like something with long teeth.....I shit my pants and spin, they haul ass and I kick my cat when I get home.

It plays out like a cheap Netflix show.

 

[Jbehredt]

100% I've blown out enough elk after 30 minutes that I have a hard rule of rip and run or sit for 45 minutes. I've had them come up behind me and growl like something with long teeth.....I shit my pants and spin, they haul ass and I kick my cat when I get home.

It plays out like a cheap Netflix show.

Yeah! I hate cats.