Call, Crawl, Charge, or Cower #2

[WapitiTalk1]

Hunting journal: 5th day of your 10 day NW Montana hunt, 18 September (bull only tag), buddy hunt. This is your second time hunting this particular spot this year which is a saddle between two main draws. From your previous trips to this spot, and, from a distant listening post at night, you know there are elk and vocal bulls that arrive at this spot right before dark and promptly leave right after daybreak and head down into the deep draws on either side of the saddle. The draws are literally un-huntable from the bottoms. OK, you’ve decided to side hill a semi open, upper portion of one of the draws and arrive at this spot right at daylight and see what damage you can do to the indigenous population. All is working fine as you work onto the saddle and no less than three bulls are screaming (sounds like one herd bull and two upstarts). You work the wind, set your buddy up close to, and below the small herd, and right before you insult the herd boss’s bullhood with some brush bashing and a loud challenge bugle, the herd decides it’s time to move off the saddle and head down into the abyss (of course, they choose the draw on the other side of the saddle..not the draw you’ve set up on). They’re moving slow but deliberate and still vocal as the cows single file march down an elk trail with the herd bull pushing them and the satellites hollering around the procession. You haven't seen any of the elk yet but can certainly hear them chattering and moving down the hillside below the saddle.

Call, crawl, charge, cower (wait it out), or other plan. What's your plan of attack to arrow an elk? There they go, slowly but surely, and at this point unspooked……what are you and your buddy gonna do to try a get a shot at one of the bulls?

[DaleL]

With zero elk hunting experience here is what I would do. I would charge ahead not worrying about noise and make some cow calls. My hope would be to get one of the satellite bulls to think a cow was late to the party and get one to come back looking for me.

If that didn't work I would come back later, if wind was right, and hope they would return.

[Heartwood]

If you want to take any bull, you could go into satalite mode and call one of the subordinate bulls with cow sounds. In the past our crew has harvested sat. bulls this way and many of them have been respectable bulls. Many times when a sat. hears cows outside of the main herd he will persue those cows. Beware though, those sats. will often try and circle the setup when coming in, put your shooter down wind of caller! If you are set on the big boy then you better quickly take action or hang back and dog the herd to bedding destination. If you can pinpoint the beds then you have got time to use numerous tactics to try and bring him in for a shot.

[Tigger]

this one made me think. At first I would try and cow call one of the satellites over. If no immediate result, I would throw in a gathering bugle to try and convince the sat that there is a cow or two with another bull. At that point, I would pick one of the sats and when he bugled I would answer him with one particular cow call. Make him think that I (the cow) really likes the way he sounds. I would ignore any other bugles except his. I would expect a gift in this scenario as it occurs on my birthday!

[CurlyTail]

I would back out and come back again tomorrow 90 minutes earlier. If you follow them down the valley at all, the thermals will take your scent to them and you will lose your pattern that you have established. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to stay put and do some cow calling and see if a Satellite bull might take your bait, then leave if no takers.

[Toby]

I'm going to circle around, using the wind, and try to get ahead of them. As vocal as they are, it should be easy to keep track of them. If I can gain enough ground on them, I'll set up again, downwind, as the thermals should still be going down for quite a while. Then, depending on what I see and hear, I'll formulate a plan.