The Slow Play Breeding Sequence!

[ElkNut1]

This Sequence has proven to be extremely successful over the years calling in the cagiest bulls. Some of the toughest bulls to call live in heavy cover or dark timber that cannot be glassed. I've found that those bulls that bugle once or twice & no more are very callable bulls when a good reason is given them to come check you out! Calling to & hunting rutting bulls is a no brainer in most situations but rare is the day that this is happening, instead most of us hunting OTC Public Land elk are confronted with those lazy or lethargic one bugle bulls. Here's a method to consider that has been very good to me!

This Sequence will be added to the ElkNut APP for those that already have it so no need to worry about jotting down notes.

I want to explain Why, When & How it works so it will take several posts so it's not all jumbled together. Feel free to ask questions!


The Slow Play Breeding Sequence!

The Breeding Sequence in 'Slow Play' form can attract just about any bull, you will need patience and confidence as you allow the situation to develop on These Less Aggressive Bulls. These are bulls that do not have cows in estrus in their vicinity so little bugling is taking place. Be mindful that this Sequence can also be used during any Phase of the Rut or Moon Phase, the real difference during these slow times and rutting bulls is you will need to be more patient yet convincing to lure these non-rutting bulls your way!

Where & When To Use It!


The first hour of daylight when most elk are still in their feeding / watering areas is one place to consider.

Be mindful this is not a dogging the herd sequence where the elk are in transition such as leaving feeding areas towards their bedding areas.

Elk are generally in these daytime bedding areas by 9:30 a.m. - 10: a.m. so anytime after that your odds increase they are in their bedding area! They will stay in that area for most of the day and can be vulnerable to this Sequence!

Awesome Honey-hole Spots!

In some dark timbered areas elk will feed; water and bed in the same area, these elk will rarely move from this small spot! In other words if you're in their feeding area you are also in their bedding area. These are awesome spots to locate and use this Slow Play Sequence! When in this area you could hear a bugle just about anytime; anywhere; they will rarely be out of earshot in these honey holes.

Why Does It Work?

The sounds we are going to cover and employ are the sounds a Real Bull and Cow would use when a bull is in the presence of a Cow Coming Into Estrus! This is why it is so effective on these bulls that only bugle once or twice and nothing you do can get them to bugle back!

ElkNut/Paul

 

[ElkNut1]

You Locate The Bull!

You locate a bull, He bugles 1 or 2 lethargic/lazy bugles but shuts down after that no matter what calling you use to entice him. This Bull Is Not In Challenge Mode Do Not Challenge Him no matter how close you are! This is a Slow Play situation and where Most Hunters go wrong and don't know why. You Want To Slowly Excite Him By Arousing His Natural Desire To Breed, this will persuade him to come check you out as you go through your Sequence.

Your Setup!

Do your best to get into this bulls hearing range, 200 yards is OK but 150 yards or so is better! Find a good setup where there's a decent tree to rake, you the caller need to be hidden from an approaching bull if he slips in silently, you do not want to be spotted so pick your spot to call from wisely. -- If two hunters (Hunting Dark Timber) put shooter up front 25 - 40 yards depending on cover and make sure wind is in your favor. If hunting more open country Caller and Shooter may need to be further apart such as 60 yards to 100 yards. Shooter Needs To Be In Range Where He Expects Bull To Appear! If possible, Shooter should be able to be seen by the Caller so he can read the shooters body language and know if bull is approaching silently, Strive For This In Every Setup!

Sounds To Be Used!

Your Sequence will consist of Specific Bull & Cow sounds - such as Regathering and Contact Mews/Whines, Raking a Tree, Light Stomping, Pants, Soft Glunks and different levels of Challenge Bugles - Rattling Antlers is an option for those stubborn bulls to be discussed down below!

ElkNut/Paul

 

[ElkNut1]

Start Up To The Sequence!

You've heard the 1 or 2 bugles and move in, wind is good, you are now inside the 200 yard mark and Setup in Good Cover with a decent tree or downfall to rake and hide behind! Start with 3 Soft Cow Calls just loud enough for the Bull to hear, in nearly every case He does not respond to these first calls no more than when you were further back, wait 2-3 minutes and Repeat. You have his attention but he rarely comes or calls back at this point, non-rutting bulls can be slow to action so stay patient and hold your position, stay confident as you aim to Arouse His Need To Breed -You will play on his Instincts!

It's now time to add Raking just loud enough for the bull to hear but not too aggressively. Do this for 30 seconds, you are now a bull that has entered the scene displaying for this cow and grabbing the interest of the real bull. Stomp the ground lightly with boot heels for a few seconds and rustle brush or ground debris for 10-15 seconds, play it up, make it real. Give a single mew then a one second long Mew/Whine mid-volume that sounds annoying or pitchy, Rake again for 15 seconds or so; this time a bit louder with more aggression/excitement.

Stop Raking and give 3-4 Voice Pants through your Bugle Tube, put some emotion or intensity behind them, flow right into 4-6 Glunks, mix the Glunks up in length with slight hesitation between them so you don't sound predictable, finish off with a cow mew and 2 louder and longer whines, Be ready To Repeat!

If a bull responds, it's generally after one of the series of cow sounds so be ready at all times of this sequence to give a low mid volume challenge bugle but only a 4-5 on a scale of 1-10 (Like A Round Up Bugle) no grunts. You want to be able to work him up, this cannot be done effectively if you give him an abrasive challenge bugle near a 10 right off the bat! His Emotions are not at the level where aggressive bugling would be effective, you do not want to run him off with too much intensity at this stage!

When the Real Bull does bugle it will be directed at your "cow", he wants her to come his way so he can scent check her, thus the reason for your low level challenge bugle, you are telling him to stay away in a mild but firm tone. Continue to rake the tree for 15 seconds, stop to give 2 yearning mews. As soon as the Real Bull responds answer back with 2-3 Regathering Mews, this is how the Cow will ask the bull to come to her. He will most likely call back to this cow and may cut the distance, as soon as he does give 3 Contact Buzzes, this is asking the Real Bull with more urgency to come; it's showing a keen interest in him by the cow, he should respond fairly quick to her invite. When he does cut him off with a Challenge Bugle ramping it up to a Level 7 on the scale of emotion. You now have him hooked, he's on the defense and you are calling the shots! You are now going to rake in a more aggressive/louder manner which is no longer displaying for the cow, you are in Challenge mode now that you have him near full tilt! Cut him off now with any Challenges he now offers, a strong Challenge or Lip Bawl bugle will now work, get ready he could show any second!

P.S. all these sounds to be used are on the APP by real elk, you can learn all of them or part of them if unsure how to imitate them. There are also video clips that explains how to make all the needed sounds for this & other Sequences.

The Rattling portion will follow!

ElkNut/Paul

 

[ElkNut1]

OK, this is the last phase of this Sequence! I do not need this phase very often but there are some occasions where I do resort to it! I do not give up on any bull easily. Just like the previous thoughts about Setup, Setup is a huge factor here for success. You cannot allow an approaching bull to see where the calling is coming from before he's in killing range!

Also consider the fact that knowing this above Sequence can be used at any level! This means you may have a bull ready to tango further into the Sequence. When I have a bull that is screaming because there's a hot cow present I just go to the end of this Sequence where the Challenge or Lip Bawl bugles are all that's needed. No need to start from the beginning. Same applies for those bulls that show good emotion but not enough to Challenge yet. Start those bulls half-way into the Sequence, no need to wait 2-3 minutes between the cow calls & go from there.-- Each situation can be different but in a short time you will be able to inject the needed parts! When in doubt start on a lower level, you can always raise the bar! --- Here's the latter part!



Rattling Antlers Sequence!

There will be times (although rare) that you will go through this Sequence in its entirety and repeat several times in the course of 15-20 minutes and the real bull will stay quiet or only bugle once or twice with little to no advancement. Don't worry, we have a plan for that stubborn ole boy too! This is where carrying a smaller lightweight set of Forked or 3 point elk antlers can be worth their weight in gold! You will need both sides of these antlers so you can effectively Rattle the bull up! (like rattling whitetails)

Remember you just went through a great tactic imitating a Breeding Sequence, now it's time to give this stubborn bull more than he can take! You can add this at the end of your original Sequence that will push him over the top! Why? Because you are now going to up the ante and add a 2nd bull into the equation competing for this cow coming into estrus! How? By injecting a Rattling routine where a 2nd bull has joined you to compete for this hot cow in your presence. You will start with Sparring from tickling the elk antlers to down-right pushing one another around as you build up to clashing the antlers in a 3-5 minute sequence. You will add stomping, rolling rocks/debris, along with the same Glunks, Pants and Brush Thrashing as well as the cow whines as you paint the picture of this rutting ruckus! It will really sell it! Keep going at it until the real bull shows up, with a good setup he will show up! Stay focused as he could show up silent or on full tilt bugling like crazy!

It's Sequences like this that has aided the 5 of us to put down 36 bulls in the last 5 years on OTC Public land hunts!

ElkNut/Paul

 

[Elkhntr08]

Wish I’d read this a few years ago. Sent the only vocal bull over the hill by being too aggressive. Got him to bugle twice and then went full bore on him. Then it was done. Thanks Paul. I’ve picked up a lot from the app.

 

[ElkNut1]

I hear ya bud! Thanks for checking it out!

I'm sure most here have been in those situations where they've heard those single bugles & had no idea how to handle them. Playing on their breeding instincts & curiosity has proven over time that it kicks their butts! (grin)

I see on the BRO series in the two episodes I watched where they were confronted with similar encounters & just didn't know how to handle them so gave up & moved on. Same applies to other series I've glanced over. There's no way we can call in every bull but I sure do give them a go! I would say 75%-80% of the bulls we've used this on do show up. I've taken a couple of bulls with Rattling Antlers as well but most show up without getting to that last phase!

ElkNut/Paul

 

[bozeman]

tag

 

[Btaylor]

I know every situation is different but do you have a general timeline for when you expect to see the bull if he stays quiet / how much time before pulling the plug if he stays quiet?

 

[Nathan_Douglas]

Awesome stuff.

 

[ElkNut1]

Nathan, thank you! It only took me 25 years to figure it out! Ha Ha! Not really but definitely a few years!

Btaylor, you are right on sir! Thanks for mentioning that, I forgot to put the time element in! Elk are flesh & blood just like us, they have varying personalities & attitudes that may differ on identical situations, they are not programmed to react the same way no matter what we feel or want, because of this it's best to work them as individuals! Because of this I do my best & recommend to others to read their emotion on any sound heard from the real bull. This can be a good indicator on how to proceed & what sounds are best & how long I'll give him to respond & eventually show up!

In most cases I will get a bull to bugle back after the 3rd set of cow calls which is aprox 10 minutes from when I began. If he doesn't bugle I continue on injecting the bull raking, etc. Once the bull bugles our situation I will stay for ever how long it takes, I'm not letting him go! Generally 15-25 minutes is what this Sequence can take. It requires this because this bull is not worked up from the start, it's up to me to accomplish that part.

Understand that these sounds I'm using are not just any sounds bulls make, they ONLY make these sounds 'when all used together' while in the presence of a hot cow.

ElkNut/Paul

 

[bigharge]

Dang, replaying in my head right now a scene from this past season in Montana where I know this sequence could have been fatal for an old bull. He just had zero interest once we got in close and eventually ran him out as we tried to be more aggressive. I love the ap and thanks for all the effort you put into it.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

[ElkNut1]

Thanks bud! Yes, you never know what may appeal to any bull at a given time, it sure would have been worth a shot especially if you got to the point of imitating two bulls competing for the hot cow while clashing the antlers etc. Hopefully you can give it a shot this year! (grin)

ElkNut/Paul

 

[DAOutfitters208]

This information is worth its weight in gold. I think you should charge a fee to access threads like this, I would pay!

Thank you!

 

[ElkNut1]

Thanks bud! I appreciate your comments! I enjoy sharing Tactics that may benefit other elk hunters, that's what great Sites like this one is all about! Thanks again!

ElkNut/Paul

 

[wymtnpounder]

That's some solid intel right there!

 

[zallen1]

This info is awesome. I listened to a couple of your podcast with the EXO team last year and when faced with a big 6x7 this year that wouldn't come in I knew what to do and eventually worked into a shot opportunity. Unfortunately, I was unable to capitalize and went home without an elk. However, I walked away from the experience with greater confidence in my ability to call in a wary bull than ever before due to the information I gleaned from the podcasts with you. For me the biggest challenge is getting the initial location on an elk. I'm willing to put in the effort in hiking/calling but this does not always result in finding an elk. What methods do you employ to get elk to provide an initial response? Is it just the location/contact bugle or do you also employ cow calls? Do you go through a small sequence when attempting to get your first response?

Thanks,

Zach

 

[ElkNut1]

Zach, sounds like you had an awesome year there! That big ole bull will be etched in your memory forever! (grin) Nice job getting him close! Thanks too for checking out the Podcasts!

For Locating purposes I'm generally a Bugler! I will use a cow call before or after a bugle about 25% of the time. From experience I find the Bugle is what's best for contacting bulls for me so I stick with it in most cases!

When hunting new areas I will bugle & move on, if no response I call from the next spot where I most likely couldn't have heard a bull from my last Locating Bugle! I keep moving & do this until I get a response in new areas!

If hunting a familiar area I then know where I generally find bulls so wait until I get into certain spots before bugling, in many cases if a bull is around he will bugle on his own.

At any rate I cover ground & bugle, lots of ground! I shy away from where most hunters would venture so generally can get a response within an hour of daylight or just after it. I'm after bulls only in my case so don't do any Cold Calling Setups unless I locate a bugler & that's the tactic needed. I'm a Run & Gun elk hunter these days even though I've taken elk in about every method possible, Calling is the biggest challenge on out OTC hunts, nothing beats it for me! (grin) Does this help you out?

ElkNut/Paul

 

[Elkhntr08]

Paul, any idea when the app update will be available?

 

[ElkNut1]

Let me talk with the APP guys & I'll let you know the time frame of that next update!

I do know they are putting a 1/2 doz clips together on our last years elk hunts, not sure what parts but it does take time to edit them. I'll keep you guys informed. Thank you!

ElkNut/Paul

 

[a_noob_hunter]

This is very valuable. Gonna go on my first elk hunt this year and cannot wait. Y'all have helped so much with how much information youve spread on the web. Thanks for the hard work you put in for us!!

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