Saturdays senerio II

[Lefty]

Again and again.
Early morning , I suspect it was the bull I bumped three times last Saturday twice in the dark once responding to a bugle but was spooked off by a truck driving into the area. I think it is a very old bull I could barely make him out at 110-120 yards. He hung around for 7-8 minutes from the same location. Seemed like a good location I walked over the ridge and gave him some sweet cow calls. Still not interested. Maybe too old for love

12:00 PM a bugle from the thickets down below. I raced to the bottom, I couldn't hear a thing. A few cow calls, still nothing. I figure they are headed down I followed them for another 1000 feet elevation. The cows were talking up a storm. I thought I would join in the talk the bull bugling every few minutes. At fist it was so noisy I thought a bunch of guys messing with me.. Heck I was barely keeping up with the herd.
Now Im down far enough any kill would go out the bottom.
Im getting tired . I toss out a bugle, this bull turned on the speed walk down hill. I couldn't keep up.
I never saw how big the herd was or if there were any other bulls, It was a 4 hour hike straight back to the tent
What should I have done,..

[Huntrgathr]

The results of following a moving herd, either going downhill or just following behind them as they move, has almost always been the same for me. It's very rare to turn that bull. He'll respond to everything you throw at him but just keep on walking. Your only hope is to try to cut them off or get where they're going before they get there. We have been able to turn a bull that's moving his herd by calling from the side ( perpendicular to their direction of travel) but they usually just come over for a quick look and then continue on...

Not much you could've done in that situation in my opinion. Maybe let them get where they're going and then try to entice the bull with some lost cow sounds. Most likely he's just going to say " get over here" ( where he's got ALL those eyes)...