What would you do

[longbowelk]

Last fall I found myself up a valley on a bench in a new area. It looked good and the wind was right. SO I sat with my back to a set of trees and looked out and saw a few small pines spread out over about 60 yard clearing to the 12 to 1o'clock positions. To the left of me at about 10o'clock was about 20 yards away the dark heavy timber going up the hillside. I decide to let out a cow call. I immediately got back from the dark timber a nice bull bugle it sounded and looked to be deep enough that I could not see who was making it. I then started to look around and see out in the open 2 satellite bulls walking through the small pines looking for a cow. As they moved through the small pines I think they pinpointed my position somehow. So they started to back out and go up the mountainside to the 3o'clock position. I decide to be patient and see if the first bull I heard in the dark timber would make his way out to see me. However I did hear cows starting to call with him. SO I stayed in position but never saw him come out. Would you have gone in after him and run the risk and busting the herd or stayed even longer in that place?

[chipick]

tuck into some cover and start with some estrus calls and be ready for a legal elk. After 30 min or so kick it up to a threat senerio.

[otcWill]

What time was it? If it were past 8-830am I'd leave em be and have a VERY good chance of killing him when they got up that evening. I hunt the highest elevations that elk inhabit and the wind gets bad around 730 or so. Your only other option here is to wait them out (bad idea) or try to challenge him. If you're going to challenge its an "all or nothing" situation. You need to know exactly how far away he is and you need to get as close as possible if you want him to respond by coming your way. If you can already hear cows than he is likely pretty close and very unlikely to leave the dark timber to come strolling out in the open and be shot. I'd put together a good plan for that evening taking thermals into consideration. I've had a lot of these encounters and leaving them alone late in the morning (assuming that when this was) has led to many a dead bull.

[WapitiTalk1]

Longbow, when you mention you had the wind... I assume the wind was coming into your face from the elk at your 12 oclock? Wondering if the satellites that were initially moving towards what they thought was a solo cow peeled off to circle around to your right to get your wind (the cow they heard). One or both of them may have circled around, caught your scent and slipped back out/around and back to the herd location without you even knowing they were there. Sounds like you may have been set up in a pretty open area which seldom works in a caller's favor, and, setting in one spot calling always seems suspicious to elk. OTCWill is a smart cat and knows his business (he's probably right about backing out if you didn't feel "it" was gonna happen on this particular hunt). If the wind/thermals were gonna hold for a bit (time of morning dependent), I would have probably taken the action to the herd bull and lit him up, although a bit more difficult as a solo hunter. If with a partner (shooter), he's already moving towards the herd bull in front of me (caller).

[longbowelk]

yeah it was after 7:30 am at about 11,200 in elevation. The wind was in my face and when the 2 satellites started to come in to the calls they must have with not seeing a cow slowly walked up the hillside at my 3 o'clock to leave the the valley.

[welka]

Hard to tell the situation from the explanation, but sounds like you may have had a chance to get up the hill and go in sidehill after him. If he was that close and you could have got up and over undetected, worth a shot. On the other hand, if not familiar with the area and you don't have a lot of other areas to hunt, then I agree with the wait him out until night option just in case the sidehill version ended up in a blow out. Good Q and good luck.

[Gselkhunter]

The two younger bulls knew the other bull was there, may have seen him and peeled off. As for having you pin pointed, as soon as you called you were pin pointed. The younger bulls circled to gain wind and elude the other bull but add in they didn't see what they wanted to see[the cow]. Unless you were going to target them and circle down to intercept them, lost cause and not to worry about.
The talking bull expected you to come to him. The fact that his cows were talking tells me he moved toward you. He didn't see what he wanted to see or his cows got nervous and moved off so he retreated.
Other than backing out there are two ways to attack this, bugle and draw him in or sneak in and kill him. I would have to have been in that spot to make the choice.