How do I kill this dang bull!!!

[Mkrueger88]

As I’ve said in other posts I’m a first time hunter and I don’t have any friends who elk hunt to call and ask these questions so you guys are my biggest resource.

So I’m currently in a grudge match with this one bull haha. I’ve been out twice in the last week with work I can only go for about 24 hour periods until I have my week of vacation at the end of the month. But last week on opening day i called this bull into about 30 yds but he only came to this little rise in the hill and poked his head over and didn’t present a shot about 8:30am his bugles weren’t very aggressive more of just a location type. Last night in literally the same exact spot around 7:30pm just inside the timber on the edge of a large meadow I was able to call him in again to around 60/70 yds this time his bugles were much more aggressive with chuckles and everything, unfortunately it was at last light and just got too dark he never showed himself untill it was almost pitch black and I heard him breaking sticks coming out in the meadow.

i guess my question is having no experience what is my next play? Should I keep going back to the same spot and calling to him and trying to get him in to present a shot? Should I try to slip in silent and try and get a shot? Should I get super aggressive go into the area silent and then get him bugling and just push on him with a lot of pressure trying to give him No option but fight? Also I haven’t spooked him yet, both times the wind has been good and I’ve been able to back out after our encounters especially last night I backed out at dark as he was coming into the meadow.
Sorry for the long post I just don’t know what to do being a new/solo
Hunter with no friends with experience to ask. And one last thing calling in screaming bull elk is the most adrenaline filled amazing thing I’ve ever done I’m fully addicted!!

 

[FLAK]

Good Luck.

 

[sneaky]

Don't get super aggressive unless he's begging aggressive. You'll run him out of the country. Call, then move up. If you keep calling from the same spot it'll never work because he knows EXACTLY where the sounds are coming from. If you keep going to the same spot and calling he'll figure it out and stop coming in. Call and move, though, is your best option. Call, move about 40 yards, then STAY QUIET. When he comes in to 60 or 70 yards to check out the calling he's only going to be 20-30 yards from you after you moved up.

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[DavePwns]

Don't get super aggressive unless he's begging aggressive. You'll run him out of the country. Call, then move up. If you keep calling from the same spot it'll never work because he knows EXACTLY where the sounds are coming from. If you keep going to the same spot and calling he'll figure it out and stop coming in. Call and move, though, is your best option. Call, move about 40 yards, then STAY QUIET. When he comes in to 60 or 70 yards to check out the calling he's only going to be 20-30 yards from you after you moved up.

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Good advice right here. I'd add pointing your bugal away from him to make it seem like you are further back too

 

[WMag338]

Following.

 

[Deadfall]

Get closer to top of rise.
Imaginary line from your calling to him. After calling when he is not quite to your rise move toward him on a diagonal from the imaginary line. By 20 yards of so. This time of year I tend to be little more patient then aggressive, but the is dependant n elk temperature. If they hot then aggressive can be more effective.

 

[Mkrueger88]

Don't get super aggressive unless he's begging aggressive. You'll run him out of the country. Call, then move up. If you keep calling from the same spot it'll never work because he knows EXACTLY where the sounds are coming from. If you keep going to the same spot and calling he'll figure it out and stop coming in. Call and move, though, is your best option. Call, move about 40 yards, then STAY QUIET. When he comes in to 60 or 70 yards to check out the calling he's only going to be 20-30 yards from you after you moved up.

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Last night when I got him going he bugled 3 times the first time was pretty far away and the 2nd and 3rd time was pretty much right on top of me, I tried some raking, and I did a few bugles with the tube with my fingers over the end to muffle it and pointed away to make it sound further away. I also made some cow calls as I was walking away then slipped back up about 20/30yds hoping he’d think the cow was walking away and he’d come up trying to find her. He very well may have been approaching slowly it just got too dark that even if he’d have come in and gave a shot I wouldn’t have taken it. Where I called him in last night was probably 60/70 yds or so from where I did last week. There’s not like a bugle point on a overlook im going to or anything. He also seems to be much more eager to respond when I’m below him in elevation even if it’s only slightly. Thanks for the advice I’ll try that next time i go out I’ll get him calling hopefully and then I’ll try and slip up about 30/40yds and see if I can intercept him. There was also a monster moose biggest ive ever seen only about 200 yds from where I called the elk in which I wasn’t sure that they’d hang around each other. It I guess that answered that for me
I also walked right past a cow elk at about 30yds as I was looking at onX which was an unfortunate gaffe lol

 

[IdahoElk]

On a bench half way up the mountain I had the same bull come in silent 2x from behind me coming up out of a ravine from below, it would poke its head just enough to assess the situation, all I would hear are sticks cracking as it ran away,never did see him.
The third time I hunted the spot I called on the bench up the mountain as usual and instead of standing there I ran back towards the ravine until I was about 15yrds from the edge and set up in front of a huge Douglas fir, 5min go by and I hear a stick crack from below, next thing I see antlers coming and before I knew it I had a 300 bull at 18yrds, to date that was the most rewarding bull I've taken with a recurve.

 

[Mkrueger88]

On a bench half way up the mountain I had the same bull come in silent 2x from behind me coming up out of a ravine from below, it would poke its head just enough to assess the situation, all I would hear are sticks cracking as it ran away,never did see him.
The third time I hunted the spot I called on the bench up the mountain as usual and instead of standing there I ran back towards the ravine until I was about 15yrds from the edge and set up in front of a huge Douglas fir, 5min go by and I hear a stick crack from below, next thing I see antlers coming and before I knew it I had a 300 bull at 18yrds, to date that was the most rewarding bull I've taken with a recurve.

That’s what I’m gonna try call like I’ve been doing but that move up quickly to the area he’s came from both times now and hopefully I can do the same thing and cut him off before he even knows I’m there.

 

[dougjoebob]

Following. Good luck man!


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[IdahoElk]

That’s what I’m gonna try call like I’ve been doing but that move up quickly to the area he’s came from both times now and hopefully I can do the same thing and cut him off before he even knows I’m there.

That's exactly what I did,it worked perfect because he was in a undisturbed area and it was early(Sept.10th) before he had cows and vacated the area.
Good luck

 

[Marble]

I call it window syndrome. Wherever you set up at, the bull needs to be in range to be able to see where the sound comes from. Don't pick a really open place to call him in. Get I. The thick stuff and call and move.

If you know what path he comes in on then call and move up 100 yards and wait.



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[Read1t48]

Kind of sounds like you started the ElkNut "Slow Play" but never finished. Read up on it, get the app -- cheap cheap -- and give it a try! It just might work.

Or get into a real tight spot where he has to come looking for you that forces him to come up over the bench.

Sounds like you're doing a lot of right things and it's a stubborn bull. Walking away, like you did, is a good strategy.

 

[KOK]

Call and run 20 yards

 

[BigPine]

Savor every fricken minute of this and remember it. This is why we hunt !
Good Luck, I hope you get him but either way... you will remember this all your life

 

[Mkrueger88]

Kind of sounds like you started the ElkNut "Slow Play" but never finished. Read up on it, get the app -- cheap cheap -- and give it a try! It just might work.

Or get into a real tight spot where he has to come looking for you that forces him to come up over the bench.

Sounds like you're doing a lot of right things and it's a stubborn bull. Walking away, like you did, is a good strategy.

Oh ya I’ve consumed basically everything elk in the last 2 years or so before I’ve started hunting this year. I have the app, I’ve listened to basically every podcast watched every YouTube video etc. might be a little info overload because when I’m out there and in the middle of the encounter it all starts running through my head and it’s a little overwhelming trying to figure out what to do but it’s also probably the reason I’ve had an arrow knocked with a screaming bull coming in and very close to getting shots my first two times out. I’m in pretty thick timber where I’m hunting there is a large meadow where I’ve been running into this bull but I stay inside the timber while calling. I feel like if there was someone else with me that even had a few years of experience a tag would have been filled already ha.

 

[sneaky]

Well, don't do what I did this evening. Climb 500 vertical feet then remember that I left the bugle tube in the truck. Of course, this assured me of having a bull bugle and I couldn't do anything more than cow calls. I was in some thick thick stuff but unfortunately I was above him and the bench he was on. He got pretty close but wind betrayed me this time. His day is coming.

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[Ross]

As noted call over your shoulder and move in quickly catching him as he comes in...good luck

 

[kaecher]

Just keep doing what you are doing, make small adjustments. You are getting opportunities which tells me you are doing it right, keep it up and one time it will all come together, or he will bust you and leave the country. But that's just elk hunting. Good Luck.

 

[Mkrueger88]

Well, don't do what I did this evening. Climb 500 vertical feet then remember that I left the bugle tube in the truck. Of course, this assured me of having a bull bugle and I couldn't do anything more than cow calls. I was in some thick thick stuff but unfortunately I was above him and the bench he was on. He got pretty close but wind betrayed me this time. His day is coming.

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I forgot my bugle tube on opening day but luckily realized it at about 1/4 mile in so I went back and got it but ya that sounds annoying haha