Elk Calling Strategy - What Worked

[JohnFitzgerald]

I'd like to hear from those who used a successful elk calling strategy this year. If you have a name for it please list the name and then give a brief descriptions. I'll start.

ElkNuts Breeding Sequence + A Twist

We were working a sizeable large herd that had several satellites. Got within 100 - 150 yards and started a breeding sequence(impression was to imitated a restless herd). Short lip bawl and regular screams, chuckles, mews, estrus mews, lots of ground noise. Satellites went crazy but nothing came in so we paralleled the action, cow calling all the way. This gave a second impression that a cow had left the restless herd. Satellite bull came in on a dime and ChuckarNUT arrowed him at 40 yards.

Your turn please? I'd really like to hear from everyone because I just can't get enough education.

[Olympus hunt]

I'd like to hear from those who used a successful elk calling strategy this year. If you have a name for it please list the name and then give a brief descriptions. I'll start.

ElkNuts Breeding Sequence + A Twist

We were working a sizeable large herd that had several satellites. Got within 100 - 150 yards a started a breeding sequence(impression was to imitated a restless herd). Short lip bawl and regular screams, chuckles, mews, estrus mews, lots of ground noise. Satellites went crazy but nothing came in so we paralleled the action, cow calling all the way. This gave a second impression that a cow had left the restless herd. Satellite bull came in on a dime and ChuckarNUT arrowed him at 40 yards.

Your turn please? I'd really like to hear from everyone because I just can't get enough education.

I like your strategy John. It makes perfect sense why that would work. Here is a simple one that worked for me this past year. This takes two people. Take your hunting buddy and tell him HE is to be the "shooter" and make yourself the "caller". Have your "shooter" about 100 yards out in front of you...so they can't mess you up. Set up and call (I used a cow call) then have a bull sneak in from behind and you get to shoot the bull....call it an accident. That helps keep your buddy from getting tooooo mad. LOL If you are reeeeeally lucky you can get your buddy to help you pack it out. Shhhhhhhhh.... Don't tell!

[JJ Overkill]

I call it jerinmn's here elk,elk,elk,elk, call J/K

I just used a bugle started out low in tone to high back down to low. nothing really aggressive, my standard bugle waited 30sec or so and gave some quite chuckles. bull was down in 2min after calling. I don't think this type of calling really has a name. it wasn't a location bugle. if anything it was just a bull feeling his oats and sounded off.

[BrentLaBere]

First elk I called in this season first came with some glassing. Over looking a basin we began to hear bulls sounding off. At least 3 maybe 4 different ones and they were all pretty spread out. We could get the general areas down but no visuals. After some glassing we found one on the side hill of a north slope. we watched him until he disappeared in the dark timber. Next day the bull wasn't being vocal any more but he was on the same path heading in the same direction! Ok, we need a plan. Well after looking at the landscape and going over some of my notes in my playbook - this is where Indian Summers tips came into play - I noticed a trend. This bull was 3/4 way up a north facing slope heading in the same direction again.....must be heading to his bedding area right? Well, where could that possibly be....looking at the land and contour map I noticed a bench about 1/4 mile away from him all the way at the top of this north facing slope. Next I noticed a small drop in elevation pointing to it from the bottom of the drainage. Looking over the contour maps it confirmed what I had noticed in the landscape which was a possible seep or high mountain stream. My notes were reading something like, follow a stream to the top, roughly 3/4 way up the north slope and put an X there - this is where you will find elk sign. Light bulb went on and no time was wasted dropping all the way down the draw. When we got to the bottom we had to figure out how we were going to get to this bull. The thermals were beginning to switch and go up.....but in the small ditch/creek bed we noticed they swirled and were still dropping. We were going to take a chance and head up this to go into the bed room undetected. Well, after a rough climb and at some points using my hands to pull myself up we made it to the bench. We worked our way really slowly through the small parks that we found on it...the wind was going diagonally up hill in the direction the bull was coming from. We figured he would be bedded in this direction so putting one shooter out in front of me and one above me in case he tried to circle and wind the cow we would be ready. I knocked an arrow and gave every one 5 minutes to set up and catch their breathe from the steep climb.

I started out with some small calf and cow chirping. Just some simple talk back and forth. After about 2 to 3 minutes of this I began breaking branches and pulling grass as though these elk were milling around next to the park. I started to add a variety of pitches to my calling and upping the excitement slowly building it up. As I got to the point of getting a lot cow talk I added some pre estrus or estrus wines in and before I got my third one out a loud "COME HERE" bugle smacked me in the back! Heart jumped in my throat and my hair stood up on end. I grabbed my bow and decided to abide. The shooter up wind of me had the same idea and followed suit. He stayed up top and we both ran across the park that was behind us trying to get to the next one thinking this is where he would hang up. I get across and hear one more groan with a frustrated scream to go with it. I start giving him so more excited talk trying to distract him from the other shooter......after awhile I heard nothing......saw nothing.....What the?
Then the slightest bit of antlers in the trees smacking the limbs gave him away as he was retreating back to the trees and busting away. Walking to meet up with the other shooter, the look on his face, the adrenalin rush he was having I thought for sure he got him! Turned out to be a close encounter behind brush at 32 yards with a big 6 point bull! If the bull would have stepped on way or the other he would of had a perfect shot but not dice here and the bull got nervous and turned and went off.

Have to share more at a later time...

[Kleinpm]

I heard a bugle. Snuck up on where I thought he was, bugled at him, he responded by coming in to 8 yards, right to the only place I couldn't shoot him. He spooked, stopped at 20 yards. I then proceeded to shoot the only branch between me and his vitals. He still didn't leave, so scared him away with an atrocious cow call.

That was the one and only encounter I have had with a bull that I called in.

Patrick

[Swede]

What a bunch of braggarts. This is about as disgusting as the meat pole thread.

[Olympus hunt]

What a bunch of braggarts. This is about as disgusting as the meat pole thread.

Touchy touchy! Sheez.

[cnelk]

My 3 best calling strategies of 2013

1 - We spotted a bull feeding 50 yds away mid-morning. 2 soft mews turned him to us. One more brought him in for a shot at 25yds

2 - 3 cow mews on a cold set setup at daylight brought a bull in on string to 30 yds

3- Heard bulls bugling in afternoon, slipped in and cow mewed 3 times and raked a branch brought my bull in to 15yds

[JohnFitzgerald]

What a bunch of braggarts. This is about as disgusting as the meat pole thread.

LOL!

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

John: Shame on you for laughing at Swede! We all know that his favorite call is the old Hoot Owl call. I mean what else would you use when perched in a tree. It is a natural sound, right?

[Swede]

WW: I was thinking I had stayed out too long this season, when one day as I sat in my stand, I had buzzards circling overhead. At first I did not think much about them, but they got lower and lower as I just sat. Finally some landed in a couple large pine snags nearby. Still others were getting closer and closer. I finally decided I was not ready to feed the buzzards quite so personally, so I stood and they all flew off. That is the first and only time I have ever experienced anything like that. I was sitting near where Stringunner killed his bull a few days earlier, so they may have been there for that gut pile when they thought they found another carcass just going to waste. I wonder why buzzards are not greedy. They always invite all of their friends over for dinner.

[JohnFitzgerald]

John: Shame on you for laughing at Swede! We all know that his favorite call is the old Hoot Owl call. I mean what else would you use when perched in a tree. It is a natural sound, right?

Instead of Swede, maybe he should be called Hootie.

Swede - Buzzards flying over you.....ROFLOL!

[Swede]

John: I have called to owls at different times and they will usually return my call. They will come in a ways but always "hang up". I think I need to get a good bite and blow call. Maybe one of the sponsors here can make one and I can try it out for them. I could be their owl field staff person. Anyway that seems better to me than being called "Buzzard Breath", especially if I perceived I would be accused of giving them halitosis. Of coarse that was my first concern when the buzzards started landing nearby.

Swede: AKA Hootie

[Trophyhill]

call and move. this works best for me as most of my hunting is alone. locating with estrus whines and bugles have worked well and cow calling my way in seems to be the ticket. it helps to have bulls that wanna play!