As far as states of choice go, CO & Idaho have respectable populations as do others but these have easily obtainable OTC tags. With a bit of research & a few well placed calls to the local biologist in areas of interest you can quickly narrow down a few possibilities to hunt. Don't wait for that special draw tag & go into it with little to no experience in archery elk hunting, take advantage of elk hunting previous to it! Here's a couple of thoughts to consider no matter where you decide to elk hunt!
KEEPING IT SIMPLE!!!
To do well on your elk hunt it isn't necessary to be the best caller out there or the most knowledgeable in the field about elk habits & mannerisms. But what you do work on, have it down well. Practice before your hunt diligently on a variety of cow sounds, pitch & tone variation, some sounds will be short & others a bit longer, include calf chirps & mews into your practice sessions.
I would seriously concern yourself with "setups" I call them "Cold or Blind Calling" setups, it's sorta like "trolling" for elk. These are very easy to master & more importantly highly effective yet very doable for newer & veteran elk hunters. When working these "setups" off roaded areas we simply pick a spot, get into the woods where we feel is a good area & sound can carry & call. If nothing productive happens go another 1/2 to 3/4 mile & repeat, continue on until you get action, it won't take long! (grin) Here's how to do it!
Do your best to setup where the wind is in your favor as to where you feel elk should approach from. Also make absolutely sure your setup is one where elk CANNOT look over your way & see where sounds are coming from but be OUTSIDE your effective range! When possible I like setting up where I have obstructions or large openings behind me where the wind could possibly give me up. Elk generally will avoid openings or these obstructions on their way over. Do not take these words for granted it is extremely important that elk cannot wind you or see where the sounds are coming from BEFORE they get into your bowrange!
Setups as this can be accomplished by yourself or with multiple hunters by being 20-30-40 yards apart. Start with light cow calling as if you are entering an area a few at a time & slowly escalate a mixture of cow/calf sounds & tones over a 2-3 minute period as if you were a small herd feeding & milling around & now have come to a "holding" area. Hopefully elk are within earshot, elk can be a mile away in any direction yet selective sounds & setups can pull them your way. By injecting a single cow giving off pre-estrus or excited sounds 3-5 on mid to low volume in a 15 second span & no more you are now showing other elk that there is a cow in the mix possibly feeling urges of estrus or coming into heat as she is a bit restless. Add some light stomping & rustling branches & brush, roll rocks to make it real now & then throughout your stay. This can attract both cows & bulls alike as elk are herd animals & can become very curious as to who these others are in the area that they're not familiar with.
After 5-10 minutes of this off & on communication of this supposed group of cows, now inject a small bull or cow bugle, (this is optional) Yes, cows bugle in small groups as this, other elk know this! At times this is all that's needed to attract curious nearby elk & can really sell the bill of goods as authentic!
If you feel the need to pick it up a notch & want to create some serious excitement go through the above cow calling sequence. This time leave out the small bull/cow bugles! Instead you are going to imitate a moving unsettled herd with the herd bull talking & scolding his cows to stay near, cows have a mind of their own & need constant attention as they feel restless. A bull will use pants, glunking, chuckling & short roundup screams to maintain control over this nervous herd. We will use this in a setup with all the above things mentioned in a 15 min calling sequence. All the other additional natural sounds must be employed here in addition to your calling. When imitating the bull sounds be sure to move around 15-20yds in a pacing action, this will really make it real along with the other sounds in play! This can really create the illusion of excitement to any elk around, they will want to join the "party"!!!!! Elk can come in thundering or extremely silent & some come in very vocal out of nowhere, so be 100% alert & stay in that spot even after winding down the calling sequence similar as you started up to 45min-1-hr. No matter the method you choose it is important to give enough time for things to develop & bring curious elk your way, stay put up to an hour after these Blind/Cold Calling Setups & have an arrow nocked, things can happen fast!
ElkNut1
