Stopping cows in December

[kyrob]

I will be taking my son on his KY cow hunt in a couple weeks. Just wondering how to stop a cow if the need arises. Will a nervous grunt stop them if we spook the whole herd? Is there any calls that may bring them out of thick cover or get them to come closer?

Thanks,
Rob

[Swede]

Stopping an elk, whether cow or bull, depends on the elk and the situation. You may not be able to stop an elk running away. A regular cow call can often stop one if they are not alarmed. I have had some luck, only rarely, using the regular a cow call on spooked animals. The animals did not know what caused the commotion. My son turned a bull he had mortally wounded, and it came back to him, when he gave some regular cow calls. Calls are not magic, but it does not hurt to try.

[>>>---WW---->]

I used to do some guiding and it is hard to say just how many elk I have stopped for my hunters for the shot with a nervous bark. Walking, trotting, running, it didn't matter. They all stopped on a dime for the shot. Only one time did I have to bark more than once to get the job done. This is why I call it my 100% effective call. Probably someday I'll run into an elk it won't work on. Then I'll have to call it my 99.9% call! LOL!

[Swede]

Will a nervous grunt stop them if we spook the whole herd?

WW are you telling us that your nervous grunt always stops spooked elk, even when they have seen or smelled you?

[>>>---WW---->]

Swede: The elk I stopped while guiding had either been pushed or spooked by drivers or other hunters. Almost every one of them were on the move. and most were in that famous dog trot pace that elk are noted for. Undoubtidly, they had either heard, seen, or smelled someone or something that had spooked them. So I supposed my answer to that part of the question would have to be a definate YES! However, I don't believe any of them had smelled me/the caller though.

Here is an example of one particular bull I stopped for one of my hunters.

We had two pushers working their way up the back side of a mountain from where I was stationed with my shooter. As the bull came running over the top and down the other side across the draw from us, my hunter raised his rifle and prepared to shoot. I told him to hold off. There was an old road way at the bottom of the mountain and I would stop the bull at the bottom of the mountain on that road so we wouldn't have to drag him off the mountain.

My shooter just looked at me with that," Ya! Right "! look. But anyhow, he didn't shoot. As the bull continued trotting down the hillside, I gave him one quick nervous bark as he approched the old roadway. The bull put on the skids less than 20 yards from the road and my hunter took the shot from 150 yards and dropped him in his tracks.

Now this bull had not smelled us and he had no idea we were there. But he had either seen, heard, or smelled the other two guides on the back side of the mountain. And even though he was spooked, he did come toa sliding stop as soon as he heard my bark. Don't forget, this bull was on the run or fast trot almost 150 yards away when I stopped him.

That's just one example of many That I have stopped. The only exception was a cow that was on a full out run at probably 200 yards away. I barked at her and she kept on running. I barked again and she put on the brakes. I'm thinking she may not have heard me the first time. Who knows for sure. But that was the first time I thought about calling my nervous bark a 99% call instead of a 100% call. LOL!

Swede, you could probably use it in your treestand hunting as well. This call just flat out works!

[Swede]

Thanks for the response WW. I have to admit that I was shocked at your first post. In my assorted experience I have not had that same luck, but I have not done nervous calls like you. In fact I was not aware of the difference between an alarm bark and a nervous one until I heard Elknut's explanation. I have let out barks after I spooked elk, then I took off after them thinking they would think I was another elk. It never worked. Regular cow calls have produced mixed results, from slowing down elk to stopping them. As I said earlier my son turned a bull back to his that he had shot. I almost always stay quiet in my stand until after I shoot the elk. There are a few exceptions. My observation is that calling from a stand usually has a negative affect unless you have a specific situation you are applying the call to. I am satisfied there is a situation for a nervous bark from a stand. Now I wonder if the bull I shot this year would have stepped forward for me earlier if I had tried the nervous bark.

[Lefty]

Since I expect the above is correct information,.. here is my reply
" Stopping cows in December" A well placed Nosler Partician

[kyrob]

Thanks for the info guys. All my son will need is a broadside shot out to 300 and I have no doubt the elk will hit the dirt. Just wanting to be prepared if they are moving. Hopefully we will get a good standing shot at 50 yards but he is prepared to shoot farther.

Thanks again,
Rob

[Swede]

Kyrob: I have called elk in the summer and fall thru mid November. To answer your question, I do not believe December is unique in stopping a spooked elk. I am a blue collar, meat and potatoes bow hunter. It is good to experiment and learn from others, but personalize from experience the things you read. It is at that time you really own that information. I have not experienced everything, but I have tried a multitude of times to stop elk I have spooked. That is what you asked about. I have found nothing that works, if they identified me by sight or smell. Sometimes I can fool an elk that was suspicious, but unsure what alarmed them. Sometimes they believe they saw something that was not right, but you can still settle them down. WW's has excellent information, but his example of elk that traveled over a mountain and ran down the other to him is not the same as stopping elk that you spooked and they took off. Some of the other examples I see posted above seem close to what you asked about. I admit I am skeptical that any call can be used to stop elk you bust out, but I have not experienced everything either. Of coarse it is best to not spook the elk in the first place, but if you do, you have nothing to lose by trying a nervous grunt. Good luck and let us know how it works if you spook the herd.

[kyrob]

Thanks again for the info guys. We will havw 7 days to find them. We are fortunate to have a friend let us hunt his 35,000 private acres. That's a bunch of land but we will find them and get it done hopefully. Will post pics if my son gets one.

Thanks again,
Rob

[kyrob]

My son stopped a big cow this morning with a 165 gr Hornady interlock I loaded. Dropped her in her tracks. Everything went great including our first gutless method of quartering one up. Will post a pic when I get them downloaded. It's a great feeling knowing there will be a freezer full of elk for the winter.

Rob

[kyrob]

P1090753.JPG (92.76 KiB) Viewed 4112 times

P1090771.JPG (91.6 KiB) Viewed 4112 times

Here the pics.

Rob

[ElkNut1]

Rob, very sweeeet!!!! Nice work & a huge congrats to all of you! Way to hang in there & get it done!

ElkNut1