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Miscellaneous Tips Section!

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Miscellaneous Tips Section!

Postby ElkNut1 » 06 03, 2012 •  [Post 1]

Why do Bulls Bugle, this is a question that applies to all bulls, small, mid-range & mature bulls. Answer this question & pieces of the puzzle will start falling into place! You will see that Bugling is all "Situational" -- Bulls bugle to express their wants, needs or intimidation, all depends on the situation at hand! How does one know what a bull is saying? The easiest way is to take each encounter as it comes individually, evaluate what's going on & you will be able to isolate what's being said to that particular situation. Don't try to understand everything at once, take steps, conqueror that one sound or sequence & move on to another, in time you will build in your memory the different tones & demands bulls use that will separate one from another. They will tell you a story & you will be able to understand it!
ElkNut1
ElkNut/Paul
 
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Re: Miscellaneous Tips Section!

Postby ElkNut1 » 06 05, 2012 •  [Post 2]

Many times we read & hear of many referring to "weird" sounds that elk make especially bulls! But really, who are these sounds weird too? You & me? Yep, many were at one time fairly weird or strange to myself as well. But over time & studies I learned they're are not weird to other elk & that's the key here isn't it, they're perfectly acceptable & understood within their ranks! Understanding the sounds all elk use for communication purposes can be extremely helpful to us hunters, especially us bowhunters & those that hunt rutting elk in late Aug. through the month of Oct. --- What happens many times is that hunters compare the Classic TV Bugle to most other bugles or bull sounds & when they don't stack up to the norm it's immediately shoved off as a weird or strange sound, because of this you'll hear of ones talk of how un-important it is to be a good caller. (define a good caller) The same applies to the Classic Cow/Calf mews, chirps & whines! Fact is it's all part of their communication to express their wants or needs. These so called unusual sounds are an elks dialect for their communication purposes! Break down these sounds one by one & define them, you'll look at them in a whole new light. If you do this & start with just the basic or more well known sounds you'll be able to understand a situation much better or make sense of it! This is necessary since most vocal elk encounters take place at a distance & in cover of sorts, in many cases we do not have the luxury of seeing them calling, but, you do not have to visually see vocal elk to know what's happening once you have this basic understanding! We've been doing this for years & with diligent research & thousands of hours logged it has escalated our success as well as many others & I highly recommend it to you! This is especially needed on those heavily hunted OTC Public Land Elk hunts which is no doubt what most of us here hunt!
ElkNut1
ElkNut/Paul
 
Posts: 4673
Joined: 05 11, 2012
Location: Idaho

Re: Miscellaneous Tips Section!

Postby ElkNut1 » 06 05, 2012 •  [Post 3]

Anyone can do this, all you need is the desire to be a better elk hunter! If you were in China & couldn't communicate or understand nearly anyone how would you communicate with them? Sure they sound weird to us & us to them but this doesn't mean we couldn't learn enough of their language to get by previous to our visit or have a translator, right? The elk language is no different, turn those weird unknown sounds into discernible sounds by doing a little homework, if we can do it you can do it too!

Some of the sounds Bulls make are a variation of Location Bugles, (wanting to know others position) Challenging/Warning Bugles, Tolerating Bugles, Advertising Bugles, (in an effort to attract cows) Lip Bawl Bugles, Round Up Bugles, Grunts, Chuckles Barks, Nervous/Popping Grunts, Growls, Glunking, Tending Glugs, Selective Bugles To Call Cows Away From Another Bull, Mews/Whines etc.

Cows/Calves will make Mews, Chirps, Whines, Excited Whines & Mews, Mews To Invite Other Elk Their Way Including Bulls, Barks, Nervous Grunts, Estrus Buzz, (my favorite) Bugles, Separated or Lost Mews, Re-gathering Mews, Pleads, etc. I'm sure many will recognize these sounds once heard but may not have associated a name to them, but it's their meaning of the Bull & Cow Sounds that is of importance!

With this in mind you can see when you hear any one of these sounds or a combination of any of them you have a fair idea as to what each one sounds like & when they're used it will make you a force to be reckoned with in the elkwoods! With a bit of homework you can learn to identify these sounds when heard & this will help you to evaluate an actual encounter so you can come up with a solid game plan on how to handle individual encounters best! Once you have an idea what these various sounds sound like watch any & all elk videos you have as well as elk Shows on TV, you're not concerned with the kill here, you are watching for the Elk Vocalization, this will help cement these actual sounds in your memory. (like a catchy tune) As you experience the various sounds used at a specific time with a specific intent this will build your confidence. Elk do not just ramble on without meaning, you will see & experience this the more you watch & learn!
ElkNut1
ElkNut/Paul
 
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Location: Idaho

Re: Miscellaneous Tips Section!

Postby ElkNut1 » 06 05, 2012 •  [Post 4]

Then there's hang-ups where the hunter heads in the direction of a vocal bull, most likely a bull responding to the hunters calls but not coming the hunters way so the hunter goes to him. You may only get to 60-80 yards because of lack of cover, you keep calling but the bull comes no closer. Some would consider this a hung-up bull. There's a good chance this is a herd bull & will only get so far away from his cows, that's why he never came your way to begin with but instead tried calling you to him. There are several options a hunter has once this happens. He can get as close as possible & give 1-2 short cow mews & wait for the bull to bugle/call her over, once he does, give a short high pitched scream in this bulls face along with some good old fashion thrashing around. This can really get a bull to react to a situation with the cow between the two bulls!

Too, on either herd bulls or satellites where he hangs-up you could give a series of soft pants & glunking, more pants & several more glunks , wait 5 seconds & give 4-6 soft chuckles, this once again shows the real bull an intruder bull has showed on the scene & is now calling her to him, it shows the real bull why she's not coming his way even though he's demanding her to do so with every scream of his own.

Another option when cow calling is the result of the hang-up is to give this bull what he wants, run at him using every bit of possible (do not worry about noise) cover while using excited & extra long mewing on mid volume in the 1 full second range. Cows will do this when interested in a particular bull. It can anchor the bull in his tracks allowing you to get right in his face & a possible shot! You need the right wind & cover for best results!

Then there's the surprise type hang-ups. You come across elk accidentally & spook them out of bedding, feeding or transition areas, they really don't see you clearly but they heard you or saw unidentifiable movement but yet you having been smelled. You may hear the nervous bark/grunt they want an identification to make sure you're not a possible threat! If you sit in one spot & cow call there's a good chance of this elk hanging-up & eventually wandering off. The "above" retreating method & calling & breaking sticks & light stomping is a good choice here!
ElkNut1
ElkNut/Paul
 
Posts: 4673
Joined: 05 11, 2012
Location: Idaho