Game Plan - #2

[WapitiTalk1]

Very early September, 0830, Eastern Oregon (figured I'd better throw the OR cats a bone before they beat me down), and you've decided to take your bow for a walk and try to still hunt through an area you know very well. The bulls have been quiet as heck so you figured you'd just pick your way very, very slowly, through an area you know has held elk in the past. As you come through some sparse timber, you hear what sounds like a possible bull rubbing on a tree. As you get closer, you see this horse rubbing this large tree with his forehead and antlers. Thermals are still flowing nicely from your 1 o'clock to 7 o'clock. He's 70 yards away. Cover is what you see, sparse pine and underbrush. What's your game plan to try and bring this guy home for dinner?

BigBullRubbing.jpg (14.86 KiB) Viewed 7228 times

[Swede]

I actually had a similar situation last September. I had some cover and thought I could use it to move closer. Somehow I got busted or he just took off. Anyway I sat my pack down and tried to use a few small fir trees to screen my approach.
With inadequate cover like I see in your picture, I would now just wait for the bull. It is likely he will come closer if he has no reason not to. I would not call as he can see where the call is coming from and will look for me. After walking back and forth a little he will bee line it straight away.

[Relentlessly Unforgiving]

You mentioned that we know this area very well. With that being the case, I would try to position myself within shooting distance of the trail used and cut him off. Moving slowly while he is raking, using the minimum cover should get me close. I would like to have this opportunity!

[Toby]

If I had a decoy, I might try to pop it up when he was busy and then move off to the side. It's a gamble, but so is trying to sneak closer or calling.

[Trophyhill]

I would deploy the poison arrow decoy I'm going to buy and start easing forward and to the left until I had a clear shot at the vitals from about 40 yards.

[Trumkin the Dwarf]

Stop, drop, a quick prayer for divine intervention, and then...crawl like a centipede , angling to his right/my left to open a better angle on the vitals.

[easeup]

why are we stalking a horse with antlers?

[navet]

why are we stalking a horse with antlers?

Cuz it is in season

[swmoelk]

I would move to the closest available cover that would conceal my draw and wait. I'd rather him walk off on his own then alert him to my presence. Now I've found him I don't want to blow him out. Plus if it's that thin of brush a 60 yard shot at an undisturbed bull is not out of the question. Also wouldn't be a bad idea to deploy the Elkmtn timber butt decoy. I don't know much about OR but I'm guessing that thermal might hold for another 30-45 min at the most so time is ticking.

[BrentLaBere]

Sit back and be patient....Wait for the bull to make his move and adjust accordingly if needed.

[ishy]

+1 with Trumkin. If he's really into to a good long rubbing I want to not loose any time and use every second to close the distance and get a better angle.

[Duck-Slayer]

Stop, drop, a quick prayer for divine intervention, and then...crawl like a centipede , angling to his right/my left to open a better angle on the vitals.

Yep, I can hit a 4" circle at 85 yards so I'm comfortable at that range, but angle and get his vitals more exposed and give him a FMJ knap,
Matt

[Screaming_btf]

Sit back and be patient....Wait for the bull to make his move and adjust accordingly if needed.

I am going to do the same thing here. Let's see if he decides to make my life easy and just come closer on his own...If he doesn't then allot will depend on how loud the ground is..Ill probably crawl if I can get prone easy or if I have my decoy handy then try and move close behind the decoy when he is busy and looking down or away

[zpd307]

man, you guys are ballsy..... I wish I had enough guts to think I had a shot at putting the sneak on a bull that close with little cover.

[jrnorton4]

Charge like a wild banshee, bugling and holding my bow over my head. By the time he figures out I'm not a bull, I made it to 40 yds...

I don't know much about elk, but the deer I have hunted usually rub in the direction they are traveling. If this holds true for elk, I am going to do like the others said and get in the closest cover I can and wait til he makes a move toward me. If he moves away, I will dog him and try to get a little closer.

[WapitiTalk1]

Geez, wouldn't it be nice to have a camo blind available for this situation? I mean, have something lightweight and compact enough to have "with me" when I'm in the elk woods and an opportunitiy like this surfaces. It might just give a hunter the edge they need to get a shot.. Wait a second, I believe there's something on the market that fits the bill I chose this "Game Plan #2" scenario to show how I envision the EMG Slip System being a valuable part of any hunter's elk tool kit. I'll have mine in hand, starting this fall!

[Wapiti7]

Honestly, I don't think I'd do much. Think Norton hit it on the head, elk rub in the direction they are traveling. I'd watch him and if he continued rubbing from that direction, I'll bet dollars to donuts he'll walk right to you when he's done rubbing which could be a while. When his head is down rubbing, I'd go to the closest patch of cover to best conceal my draw which might be behind me and be ready to throw out my drunk hiccup (think you guys call it a nervous grunt). We had almost this exact situation in NM last year and it worked perfect until my bro screwed up when to draw. Worst case, elk does 180 and walks away...go to Plan B which might be send hunter ahead and caller walks away starts beating the sap out of his own tree (preferably just out of sight of the elk) and if I was solo, I dog him until he screws up (rubs)again. Golden opportunity!

[Gselkhunter]

You know while he is rubbing his eyes are closed. Walk up and kill him.

[ElkNut1]

Stay put & count my lucky stars I wasn't spotted to that point! Wind is good so I'd stay patient & still & let the bull dictate my next move. As things develop this will help in my decision making to up my odds in killing him. I would not call from this spot at all but let him continue on in his normal movement. My odds are good here!

ElkNut1

[Gselkhunter]

Stay put & count my lucky stars I wasn't spotted to that point! Wind is good so I'd stay patient & still & let the bull dictate my next move. As things develop this will help in my decision making to up my odds in killing him. I would not call from this spot at all but let him continue on in his normal movement. My odds are good here!

ElkNut1

Is this the same Paul I know? When did you ever do nothing?

[ElkNut1]

Sometimes silence is golden! (grin) Yep, no calling is needed at times, that situation as shown is one of those times for best odds of a kill. One may have to stop him or turn him with a nervous grunt once in range but most likely that would be the only & last sound he heard!

ElkNut1

[Drawnandpinned]

I liked Greg's response cause a book I have says go for it in that situation but from the picture he's facing u and never have I ever seen them walk backwards so I would probably sit and wait see what he does

[JPD350]

First off I find it hard to believe in that sparse cover I didn't see him until then!!
But if I was lollygagging around and found myself in that scenario I would stay standing with release clipped and watch him like a cat and adjust if needed, like others have said he is almost in the shooting zone.