To CALL or not!

[muleyfool]

Hey all,
Elk hunting in September is a passion for me, chasing screaming elk in the woods, it doesn't get better than that!
My question is; What do you do when calling elk?

Myself I try to locate by their calls, sometimes I will blow the bugle if they're quiet.
Cow call to get in closer ( btw cow call is my favorite).
When I feel I have a ripe bull coming in I lay off the calls and let him find me.
I've made tons of mistakes when it comes to calling thru the years, that's how we learn. I tell my boys it's a lot like fishing- gotta know what will make em bite.

 

[kidoggy]

I seldom do the same thing. just sort of wing it based on what they do.
if a big bull is actively screaming ,I love to piss em off by cutting their bugle off with one of my own.

sometimes a bull will choose to bag out with his cows instead of stay and fight . I have found on these occasions ,if you are willing to dog him through a few drainages he will eventually turn back to fight you.
doesn't always work and can be a workout but it does work.
when doing this I will only bugle if he does first and try to cut him short.in this mode it is your tracking abilities that will come to play and the occasional cow call so he thinks he may round a few more up.

 

[ivorytip]

I seldom do the same thing. just sort of wing it based on what they do.
if a big bull is actively screaming ,I love to piss em off by cutting their bugle off with one of my own.

sometimes a bull will choose to bag out with his cows instead of stay and fight . I have found on these occasions ,if you are willing to dog him through a few drainages he will eventually turn back to fight you.
doesn't always work and can be a workout but it does work.
when doing this I will only bugle if he does first and try to cut him short.in this mode it is your tracking abilities that will come to play and the occasional cow call so he thinks he may round a few more up.

I like what you said here. to me, a shootable bull (a bull that will prob come to you) is one that you cut off and he screams right back at you, hes ready for a fight more than likely. when bulls arent being overly agressive i like to get ones attention with a cow call and then walk a different direction than he is in, if he follows, hes shootable.

 

[muleyfool]

Thanks Kidoggy,

You've made a great point " to see what they do".
There are so many factors that come into play.
Are they being hammered by people in the woods over calling (sometimes from their trucks). Seems to make them shy and shut down.
When the bulls heat up, sometimes they pack up the girls and the chase is on.
Seems like what stage of the rut they're in has a lot to do with how they react.

 

[CODAK]

The best tactic and highest success there is... is to not call. Sure maybe hit a locator once at first light if they aren't talking. If they are talking, shadow them and get in AS CLOSE as you can when the cover, wind, and thermals are correct. If not, wait!!! They will bed and they always move again 10-2, the sun changes and the bull . The ONLY time you should call is if you get close (I'm talking 50-150 yards) and the bull just isn't in the right lane, or you need to pull him a touch closer. Depending on his behavior (experience will help) you will decide if a bugle or cow call is better. He will check you out, he has to that close. Only thing that will screw you up is cow eyes and wind swirls. Trust me...

 

[Slugz]

He is either looking to breed or looking to fight. That determines what I do. I don't locate bugle on public land and if and when I call, I'm close. 100 yards or less.
I use Chris Roe's targeted cow strategy or Corey Jacobsens looking for a fight techniques. Other than that I'll rake a tree if he's a fighter and we have a caller shooter set up.

If I'm hunting by myself I'll use the same plans but get even closer, move a bunch to intercept his downwind arch, and never call so much he can pin point me.

 

[mallardsx2]

I run around with a hoochie mamma in each hand sounding like a howl herd!

Just trying to fit in with every other Tom, Dick, and Harry on OTC Land in Colorado.

The invention of that call created a serious downturn of the "callability" of bulls in the areas that I have hunted in Colorado.

They just dont like cow calls much.

 

[DanPickar]

If you catch a bull in the right mood a cow call works but its pretty rare on public land. I rarely cow call. A bull calling cows bugle works great for a lot of situations. There are many different types of bugles and once you understand what each of them mean, calling in elk just got a lot easier. A bull calling cows bugle basically says "come over to me ladies" and that will piss off a bull with cows quickly.

 

[25contender]

I have always hunted public lands since the 80s and things have changed. I used to call quite a bit and had great success. Now days I really have to have a wound up bull to do much calling. I probably call less than 25% of what I did years ago. I have been using a Scerry ACE 1 cow call since I started elk hunting and still use 2 Sceery calls. I don't change what works. Normally I use a bugle in conjunction with a cow call if I call at all . If they are coming my way I pretty much don't call anymore unless it is to stop them.