Can the elk gurus talk about when to be aggressive and when to be passive?

[mtnbiker208]

So when should you be passive and when should you be aggressive. I am not talking about calling, but when you find elk and you are figuring out if you should go after them or wait for them to be in a better position to put on a stalk.

I have blown it both ways, but have had more luck being aggressive, but also have screwed it up being aggressive.

Bedding areas for example, go in a shoot one or let them come out at dusk and shoot one.

 

[Moneyball]

In my mind a few things play into it...

Are you in an area that is showing to have a dense population of elk? Is the wind steadily in your favor? How much cover do you have? What time of year is it? Does the bull have a hot cow?


Not trying to sound like a smarta**, and don’t consider myself an elk guru by any means, but those are questions that I ask myself when I’m hunting.


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[5MilesBack]

I stick with aggressive all the time with just a couple exceptions.........first, have to keep the wind in my favor, and second which is also wind related, I won't pressure beyond a certain point if I'm hunting a spot that holds those elk pretty consistently. I don't want to push them out of an area, and that normally means "they caught my wind". So I'll be a little more cautious if the wind is squirrelly because I know I'll have more opportunities on those bulls later. Beyond that and it's full bore ahead.

I've screwed up encounters both ways though.......being too aggressive and not being aggressive enough. So I just stick with the one now, and can accept those screw-ups when they happen.

 

[North Idaho Stickbow]

Generally speaking, I go pretty aggressive; i.e. I don’t try to sneak around, I’ll call, break branches and what not if need be, etc.

That being said, your chances of killing an elk go up significantly if they come to you, and not you to them. So, calling and ambushing are the best in my experience.

(all the above is wind dependent)

 

[mtnbiker208]

I am a shetty caller so, i don't. But i do love to ambush the elk, which to me is a very passive approach.

last fall on the 19th of october this bull was with cows and bugling. he was bedded down in the timber, I got him coming to me until, my cow call sounded like new years eve. He kept bugling, but going away from me.

That night i did kill him with about a dozen cows. But when i saw him, i told myself to go kill that bull and sneaked in to my rifle range and got him. So I don't know if that is a combination of both or not.

on another note, i found this bull 4 days before i killed him. He was standing on the same exact hill side i saw a wolf on a few days before hand. I am begining to think hunt where the wolf is, not somewhere else.

 

[Werty]

My limited experience is, I'm aggressive if in a heavily pressured area, animals will most likely be bumped regardless.

 

[ElkNut1]

It sounds like you are talking about rifle hunting elk. If so, define aggressive, you know; what does it mean to you?

ElkNut

 

[Nickofthewoods]

Yes please clarify what weapon and season. If Rifle hunting you're probably in spot and stalk situations. Treat all sightings and encounters as your only chance if we are talking public property hunting. Sometimes with Mule Deer I will spot and watch them bed and then stalk, but not typically with Elk. Elk tend to always bed in deep dark timber or thick oak brush so I usually try to maximize my encounters by getting a good stalk while I can still see them.

The counter to that argument is if you aren't in good position on a post rut bull in his sanctuary, he won't be travelling far so you can probably wait him out and spot again in the next few days if he isn't bothered by you or other hunters.

If Archery, refer to above posts for solid advice.

 

[cgasner1]

If it’s a bull I want to kill 90 percent of the time or better I refuse to go into the bedroom I’ll wait for the elk to start doing elk things and try and sneak or call in transition. Mainly because I don’t wanna risk a swirling wind and ruining the opportunity and spending the rest of that trip looking for another bull


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[Ross]

5milesback is my taller twin on this thought…..always aggressive in my book, won many encounters lost more but 10 lifetimes of fun encounters

 

[Wrench]

You can't win over the wind. If it's in your favor.....run the play!

 

[mtnlomo]

As said before. Be as aggressive as the wind allows IMO

 

[Slugz]

Wind dictates everything I do.

 

[mtnbiker208]

ok, i am just trying to spur conversation that is not, which state, which unit and which drainage.
with that said, i don't even own a bow, but elk turn my crank and i have a full freezer every year.

I understand scent control is number 1, but there is way more to it than that.

Say you spot a herd 1500 yards away, what goes thru your head, on wether you go after them or wait for them to be in a better position. Yes, books are wrote about this subject and Mike Eastmans book is about as good as it gets on this subject. I am just curious as to what goes thru other hunters heads in these type of situations.

 

[Slugz]

Base upon your last post / 1500 yards and rifle hunting. I go through a mental checklist.

1) What's the time of the day / expected wind weather
2) What are they wanting to do in the next 2 hours
3) Expected direction of travel, if any

I answer those three and develop my game plan knowing that if they smell my nothing I do will work. Use the thermals, use the prevalent wind, use pressure from others.

 

[Beendare]

Ah, The

—

 

[Geewhiz]

A herd of elk spotted on public land during daylight in rifle season, what are you waiting for? Figure out the wind, make a plan and go for it.

 

[BAKPAKR]

Say you spot a herd 1500 yards away, what goes thru your head, on wether you go after them or wait for them to be in a better position.

What goes through my head - “I have a 6.5 Creedmoor so I can just shoot from here while that guy who just passed me on his mountain bike is trying to get closer.”

 

[mtnbiker208]

A herd of elk spotted on public land during daylight in rifle season, what are you waiting for? Figure out the wind, make a plan and go for it.

time of day will determine if that works, have the thermals changed or will they change, are they in a place you can actually get at them. lots of variables.
But yes, i do agree with you if the other variables work out.

so know one has backed out before because "stuff" was not in your favor to come back and kill them the next day? The bull i killed last year, i found at a place i could not get on him correctly. It took a couple of days but then the variables did work out.

 

[mtnbiker208]

What goes through my head - “I have a 6.5 Creedmoor so I can just shoot from here while that guy who just passed me on his mountain bike is trying to get closer.”

funny stuff, i actually have a couple of 6x7 from cruising first lite and last light on the mountain bike glassing clearcuts.