Elk in sight. Now what?

[TonyOI]

This is my 3rd year chasing elk. I hunt public land in Colorado and the only "mentor"/teacher I have had with elk has been from this forum, research/reading, and time in the field (which usually brings lessons learned the hard way). I was fortunate enough to take my first elk last year with mother nature being very, very forgiving in my stalk. This year I have been busted 3 times ranging from 50 to 75 yards away from the elk. So far I have spotted these elk only about 100 yards away while I'm working through timber, no spotting from far away and closing in, so by the time I see them I'm almost on top of them. My question is what do you do in this situation? Should I call and try to pull one in? Should I try and just close to shooting distance? Once you spot elk do you immediately make a move before they head out or do you stop, calm down, and assess the situation before acting? Sometimes when I get animals in sight I get hasty thinking I will lose my opportunity and this is probably why I make the wrong move and get busted. I know getting into bow range on elk is not easy and getting busted is part of it. Just looking for some insight on how others handle these situations. THANKS!

Tony

[Wyo67]

Well Tony, first of all welcome to the forum!

The good news in my opinion, is you're getting close. 50-75 yards is nearing, but not quite bow range (at least for me anyway...). My question for you is are you spotting the elk first or are they sensing you first (either by sight or scent)? With the info you've given, it sounds to me as if you're getting winded. Constantly check the wind and keep it in your face. If you're busted and the herd starts moving out, I don't think you have anything to lose. Give a cow call and see what the herd does. It may be possible to bring a cow back in if you can imitate a lost or distressed calf.

If you spot the herd first, take a deep breath, check the wind again, and figure out what they are doing. Are they feeding or are they on the move to feed or bed? What the elk are doing and where the wind is will determine your next move. If the winds at your back, back out and loop around. If it's in your face, game on! Work on getting close and make it count. Be prepared to hit them with a popping grunt to calm them down or bring on in closer.

Good luck...
Mike

[TonyOI]

Thanks Mike. I had spotted these elk before they busted me on 2 out of these 3 situations I was talking about. I know for certain 1 of these times I was busted because the wind changed on me when I got to the same level as the elk were, which was on top of a ridge, it started to swirl. The others I'm not sure, but needless to say they didn't like something that I was doing. Which is why I asked if I should start calling or what to attempt to avoid other potential mistakes. I haven't had any encounters since I made that post but hopefully tomorrow will be a different story and hopefully the elk start talking. Thanks for your input and good luck to yourself.


Tony

[Heartwood]

I have had this same problem in the past mostly. First, keep in mind that many of these situations where elk are spooked, can still be turned around into a shot op. We have harvested numerous bulls out of these seemingly blown encounters. Many times you have only spooked a few elk of the herd and if they scattered, you can call them back together. Also, if you act quickly and give the bull of the herd a reason why his cows just scattered, you can get him to react. My point is that it is not all over when a few elk have seen or heard somthing that spooks them. Heck, somtimes elkhunters will even scare cows away on porpose in order to trick a bull into thinking that another bull has intruded. There are many ways to handle these type of situations and i have not covered them all, hope this helps. I believe the play book covers these situations also but one good way to react would be to bull cow call followed by a short lip bawl bugle showing that a bull has tryed to steal cows and is now trying to call and controll them. The herd bull will react to this disruption in his ranks.

[gdoct]

Been there,,,,,the secret is to first understand that there are NEVER two encounters that are alike! Just relax and see what the bull is up to and what he is responding to! I have sat in the middle of the cows and had to pull him into the open with a lot of patients and following his lead a bit....with an awesome harvest!,,, Relax and allow yourself to go with how it is playing out,,,,follow and act on what the bull is doing or saying!(and what is going on with the cows) Good Luck!!