What Would You Do?

[Swede]

You are alone about one half mile from camp at 9:30 AM. Across a draw and small very intermittent creek, you hear a bugle from a mature sounding bull as you pass by. You have heard that same bull several times on the bench about 100 yards above the creek. The bench is an open timbered area about ten acres in size. You have been passing by that area on your way to some feeding area meadows farther down the drainage. You have called but the bull never responds so you have always moved on. You don't believe the bull is not wise to you, but going straight up into the bedding area and getting busted will send him away for the season. What would you do?

[RanchoSueno]

I had a similar experience. What worked for me was coming from the south slope kitty corner and stalking up into the bedding from the top/back before the thermals switched

[Lefty]

I had a similar experience. d

plenty


Time of year makes a big difference. And many bulls have different habits

Lots of choices,,, and more than too often the old bull wins. Maybe for me the take aways are"
binos binos binos,, look for those twitching ears, horizontal lines vertical lines gling of horn, glossy eyes
I had been glassing forr a bugling bull,,, he was 3 yards away look close
listen for that breathing elk
Smell,, a way underused technique
always play the winds
Know and understand stalking methods

Look for more than just the bull sometimes they are with cows,,, sometimes not

but the questions in Swedes scenario I need to know what is the wind doing and expected will do
Can I get in front or intercept the bull without him knowing Im around,
And if one chance will blow you out for weeks,, back out when you should.. Maybe the toughest thing for most hunters And part of that way to many may think a critter is gone when he is still there maybe hiding from you maybe not knowing you are even there,, so leave the location as stealthy as possible.

[WapitiTalk1]

He’s a savy herd bull.. trying to bed down with his consort that time of day. He wants nothing to do with another bull potentially after his cows; if you keep calling from a known distance (bull calls) and move on him, he’ll most likely pick up his ladies and vacate that area (calling periodically to check your locale). . Work the thermals/winds if that is what is prevalent weather dependent, and get close as possible then sit tight and read the situation. YOU MUST KEEP the thermals/wind in your favor. Then you should……… anybody? to maximize your chances of killing the herd bull or an amorous satellite. Good thread mister.

[>>>---WW---->]

Well Swede, not enough information to give a real definant answer. So, I'm going to make the assumption that you are talking about bowhunting during the month of September. In any case, we could be talking pre rut, actual rut, or post rut. And the main thing on a bulls mind during any of the three phases is, " I want some cows, I have some cows, or I'm still hanging out with some cows that might come into second estrus. "

In any case, here are a few different tactics you might consider trying. You mentioned it is 09:30. If the thermals haven't switched by now, they soon will. And considering the fact that you aren't a teeny bopper anymore, You should know how to play the wind by now. So we won't go into that. And I'm
sorry but you'll have to forget the tree stand idea for this particular bull. LOL!

(1) Play the wind and use stealth to get in to as close to the bull as you possibly can. If you happen to encounter cows before you get to the bull, that is no problem. Just stop and camp out within shooting range of the first cow you come to. Now this is where patients pays off and it might take some time. But, eventually during the day the bull will get up from his nap and go around to check on each of his ladies. When he comes to the one you are staked out on. WAMO! you got him.

(2) Take a big stick about the size of a baseball bat and haul off and proceed to beat the crap out of a bush or small tree. Rake it good and proper. Then give out some excited cow calls followed by a squeely young sounding bull. This will make the bull you are after think you have stolen one of his cows. And I'll bet you a dollar to a donut he'll come to get her back.

(3) You said he would bugle once and then shut up. So, when he bugles, look at your watch and wait 30-45 seconds before you bugle back at him. Trust me, that's a long time to wait when you are sitting there looking at your watch. After you call, check your watch again and see how long it takes him to answer you back. And don't bugle back to him any quicker than he answered you. The idea is to play it slow and don't push it. If he wants to play, things will gradually heat up and hopefully you'll get his curiosity up enough for him to come and look for you. If he doesn't want to play, back out and leave him alone but never let him know you were not a real elk. Come back the next day and try this little game with again. It may take several days for him to react, but, eventually he will get ticked off enough to react . I've taken as long as several days to get results using this method. But so long as you never let them know who you are, you can keep playing the same bull day after day.

[Swede]

Bill, Betting dollars to donuts is not a great deal for the donut guy anymore. You better change your analogy to cookies.

[Lefty]

He wants nothing to do with another:::
Yep Il've watched lots of bulls from yards to miles away, Sometimes they just wont care,,, and its not just bulls


YOU MUST KEEP the thermals/wind in your favor:::
I spend a lot of time glassing, lots Ive also spent a lot of time observing bear burns,, Winds and thermals are often to unpredictable in the mountain's .Given time your scent ( stink ) will flow drift or blow every dir4ction. This year I had 3 days of good winds/ thermals and one was the day I killed my bull but not the herd bull,,

Then you should………
I cant move very fast. So I cant be very aggressive in many situations. And this isnt what a fellow in resonable mountain shape should do if the hunter has better options. If you cant get in front of them keep an eye on the bedding area and wait until the elk moves from his bedding area later in the day,, life is just easier if he isnt with more elk. Now Im also in grizzly country I try to not be in the woods untill good light


Good thread mister.

[Swede]

The last two bulls I have killed came from a situation much like the one I originally described. What followed was very much what WW described in his #2 and #3 explanation. Both bulls believed another bull came into the water hole. The WW presentation took place once or twice daily. It took about a week for them to offer me a good shot opportunity. Both bulls were killed the second full week of September. Personally, I would not follow WW's advice as a cookbook recipe, but as good, solid basic advise.
Neither bull suspected a human was around and they were never pressured. Elk are always on the alert but are much easier to kill if they do not suspect anything is out of the ordinary.

[>>>---WW---->]

Bill, Betting dollars to donuts is not a great deal for the donut guy anymore. You better change your analogy to cookies.

Just an old school quote! But I can remember back in time when you could buy a donut for a dime. I'm sure you could also. But now days a buck won't buy much of anything.

[Swede]

The lead post in this thread is a thumbnail sketch of what happened leading up to and including archery shooting of my last two bulls. Both were killed from a tree stand the second week of September at separate places. Both were 5X5s shot in the evening. The first came in about 15-20 minutes after a herd of cows and calves left the meadow and water hole I sat over. The second bull came in entirely alone. In both cases I had just bugled once. On the second I raked some similar to the way WW prescribed above.
Was the tree stand the secret sauce that secured the kill opportunity? I doubt it but patiently waiting out of sight and not being scented was critical. On both bulls I needed to execute the shot being very careful not to be seen or heard.