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Setup Thoughts & Strategies!

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Setup Thoughts & Strategies!

Postby ElkNut1 » 12 03, 2014 •  [Post 1]

When you have interested elk in your calls that's a plus Rutting or not they are interested when either responding back vocally or slipping in silently! A key to success can be as simple as ones “setup” it’s one of the most overlooked things that can blow an encounter! Many hunters do not realize how keen/smart elk can be, elk can see through the timber or brush at long distances, and they’re looking for a resemblance of an elk species from where sounds are coming from, when they're not seen a "red flag" of concern is raised when given the luxury of seeing at a distance out of bowrange, this is where most elk hang-up! At times in open country elk hunting, decoys can be an asset but more times than not we find a well thought out setup trumps use of decoys! This means you have such a setup where oncoming elk are forced into “search mode” putting them within ones effective range before these elk can see where source of elk sounds stem from. Good cover & good wind are essential to ones success of a close encounter here! In heavily timbered country it’s not a big issue to force elk inside 40yds with good cover & wind. In more open country ones can do better by having a caller back as far as 100yds away from the shooter, both shooter & caller should still have decent cover so as not to stick out.

There are several factors to consider once bulls are located vocally. Are you dealing with a Herd bull or Satellite bull? Herd bulls with cows on Public Land hunts generally do not come over to your calling 95% of the time when the distance from the caller to the elk exceeds 125-150yds or more. Plus when you continue calling via the use of cow sounds & a bull responds he is calling you over to him with every single sound he responds back with, at times they get more demanding with the intensity of their bugle or chuckling, when you do not show within a few minutes they can get nervous or the lead cow can get nervous, at that time she generally moves the group out of a threatening situation. Too, when calling herd bulls many times a Sentry cow can leave the herd & circle the source of the calling, she does this to see why this stubborn cow (you) isn't coming, in many cases the caller or shooter is seen as she slips in for a silent look see. If she sees or feels something isn’t right she slips away silently taking the herd with her! Too many times we are so focused on the spot/area the bugles are coming from we don't realize other critters can be sneaking around us so we have to be aware of these things! As the caller, have your bow at the ready with an arrow nocked, you never know when a silent elk may slip in from the back door, don't learn this the hard way! (Grin)

When it's Satellites that are vocally responding much patience can be needed, your calling need be more persistent & believable, you may have to use either an Advertising or Breeding Sequence for 15 to 20 minutes with few pauses, this requires the hunter setting up aprox no further out than 200yds from this bull, closer is better when possible, of course there's always that kamikaze bull that runs in but they are few & far in-between & cannot be relied on.

Too, obstructions of all sorts can impede any elk from coming your way that you may be unaware of such as water/streams, downfall, heavy cover, and ravines & such. Elk will overcome some obstacles depending on excitement & aggressiveness but it cannot be counted on, do your best to setup in areas where their approach to you is possible!
If you are winded elk will generally move off & quit calling back all together. If you are seen & I mean any little movement at all where they feel threatened that it's not another elk they generally will drift away possibly sounding off with a single nervous grunt. Most cases they will continue to answer your calls at this time but not come any closer generally their bugles get more distant between you & them!

Too many guys push the envelope & move unnecessarily or are fidgety at the wrong times during a setup; unfortunately calling gets the blame when it's not the calling at all. It takes a real veteran of the game to know when & where to stop as a shooter so there's little chance you are spotted!!! The best calling in the world cannot overcome movement at the wrong time!!!

Of course not all calling ends with the use of cow calling, many of our setups include dominant bugling or bull sounds with a few timely cow sounds tossed in, all depends on the situation!

ElkNut1
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Re: Setup Thoughts & Strategies!

Postby easeup » 12 03, 2014 •  [Post 2]

yes sir. you got it covered on that.
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Re: Setup Thoughts & Strategies!

Postby twinkieman » 12 03, 2014 •  [Post 3]

Great info, Paul, all of it! To others ( who are not Elknuts) when they ask me what is the most important aspect of calling in elk, my response is always the same. Setup, Setup, Setup it's kind of like the 10% rule, 10 % of the hunter's, kill 90% of the game. I would be willing to wager, most successful elk hunter's, already have good setup's in their arsenal.
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Re: Setup Thoughts & Strategies!

Postby Heartwood » 12 03, 2014 •  [Post 4]

If we are fairly sure we are dealing with a non- heardbull (they aren't all small bulls either) we usually put the shooter down wind of the caller. Distance between caller and shooter depends on amount of cover available. Elknut has preached this and it has helped our success on many setups. I can also remember numerous setups where we have used open rock scree fields to help direct a bull to a waithing shooter. Usually in the afteroon when the rocks heat up and there is a strong up slope wind we will set up at the lower edge of the rocks . Incoming bull usually won't venture out into the rocks to get our wind so he is directed to the shooter. If bull does circle into rocks we can easily see and hear him and possibly stop him before he gets our wind. In the past, before we were savy to using terrain and cover to make the bull commit to searching, we had many bulls stop and stare looking for the ghost cow. It is true, the bull sees red flags very quickly when he can't see another elk.
Called a bull in the heavy fog this season in relatively open terrain. He couldn't see any further than we could and was within striking distance but just didn't offer the right angle for a good shot. Gets me fired up for next September just thinking about it.
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