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First Rifle Hunt

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First Rifle Hunt

Postby Mathewsz7-elkridge » 10 20, 2019 •  [Post 1]

I leave Wednesday for my first rifle elk hunt. I have hunted archery 3 years now with a lot of close calls. Unfortunately the elk have always won. Was unable to get out west during archery this year.

I understand rifle and archery are very different. I plan to get one day of scouting in before the season opens in Montana! Plan is to setup in an area to do a lot of glassing and hopefully cut some tracks in some key meadows I have found on google earth. I haven’t hunted my three areas of choice. I will be going solo and the areas I have hunted in the past are just to deep for me to get an elk out solo.

To my major question should I leave the bugle tube home or can a good locator still be used to find elk? What about cow calling like a lost cow? Has anyone had success with calling in late October early November?

Thank you and good luck to those heading out!
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Re: First Rifle Hunt

Postby Swede » 10 20, 2019 •  [Post 2]

They are not near as active as in late September, but I have heard bulls bugle at this time of year. I have had them respond to a cow call. I have never tried a bugle. I heard them while at work and would take a piece of plastic surveyor's tape and make a quickie cow call. It was good enough to get a bull to respond. That is all you need in the rifle season.

Best wishes on your Montana hunt.
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Re: First Rifle Hunt

Postby Lefty » 10 20, 2019 •  [Post 3]

One fellow I met this year calls with a bugle and cow calls to the end of November hunting bulls,...

Years back I hunted with a family of elk hunters and they used cow calls a lot . Mostly if they messed up in the woods ,.. break loud sticks,.. They would cow call ,,. sit and wait a few minutes before moving

they also used cow calls when deer hunting

Have a great hunt!!
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Re: First Rifle Hunt

Postby Mathewsz7-elkridge » 10 21, 2019 •  [Post 4]

Thank you two for the information.
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Re: First Rifle Hunt

Postby Wyo67 » 10 22, 2019 •  [Post 5]

Definitely bring the bugle. Was into a big herd in central Wyoming last week and the bugling was going on until late afternoon, even after we took two cows with rifle shots. That scenario has now happened to us two years in a row in mid-October. I've also heard bulls sending out locator bugles while cow hunting in late November. Haven't tried lost cow calls, but have stopped a herd for a shot using a cow call during rifle season.
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Re: First Rifle Hunt

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 10 22, 2019 •  [Post 6]

Yes sir, I have heard them talking.... "loudly" into November. Elk vocalize year around but never quite so much as they do during the actual rut. During the third week of SEP, when the majority of the cows come into their estrus cycle, vocalization is at an all time high. As the rut wanes, vocalization diminishes "but" as long as their are cows coming into their second, even third estrus cycle, the bulls in that area will continue to talk.... advertising, challenging, warning, etc. So yes, bring your calls with but use them only as needed as the situation allows/demands.
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Re: First Rifle Hunt

Postby elkstalker » 10 22, 2019 •  [Post 7]

I heard bulls bugling this past week in MT, however I wouldn't hinge your plans on bugling up a bull. Spot and stalk, still hunt timber, and don't be afraid to throw out a locator bugle or some cow talk every now and then, but if you don't hear anything back it doesn't mean they aren't there.
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Re: First Rifle Hunt

Postby Swede » 10 22, 2019 •  [Post 8]

I agree with all that has been written, but elkstalker explains the situation most succinctly. I would not go around carrying and blowing on some big grunt tube.
The party is over in the elk woods. There may be a male somewhere that just doesn't want to go home, but the girls have left. The beautiful cow that was overlooked in September, and then again in early October is becoming very rare now.
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Re: First Rifle Hunt

Postby Mathewsz7-elkridge » 05 15, 2020 •  [Post 9]

Life has got me running ragged and wanted to type this up way before now. Had a really great rifle hunt and must say I enjoyed hunting solo. Don’t think it’s my preferred hunting style but with rifle I think it made a great hunt for me! Unfortunately the elk won once again but did learn a lot. Seen a lot of elk just unfortunately no legal bulls! Had a couple days where I believe I was on bull tracks but could never catch them! Found a heard of 20 with three spike bedded on a hill side 300 yards away on the last day and let me tell you that push up that mountain to that south slope was awesome to find them to those elk right where I was hoping they would be. The adrenaline from creeping in a viewing area to watch the heard was intense. From the 7 days of hunting I had noticed all the elk beds in sunny areas I guess do to the below zero temps. So I picked a south facing slope that would take me about 2 hours to get to with almost a 1000 feet in elevation gain over about a mile but in 6 inches at the start to about a foot at the top of snow! A spotted one elk butt bedded at 450 the swung around a little to 300 yard to find several elk. It was very heart breaking to never see a bull in the heard but that is hunting.

At one point during the hunt I was heading to a creek which was the only not frozen water in the area I had found. About 10 minutes before first light I was walking to where I wanted to glass and cut a fresh single elk track in the snow for that night. I just froze bc it was heading in the direction I was heading. It was -20 at the time so I really didn’t want to take my gloves of to dig in my pockets for a wind checker. About 3 minutes before light a elk let out a nervous grunt that seemed very close later to find out in was 150 yards out. I did get my wind checker out after that to find the wind blowing right towards the elk so I stayed put for 30 minutes then went to the opposite side to glass to find nothing. Once I took up track the bull to a leak right where I think he was standing when he let out the nervous grunt. Do you think the elk could have smelled me at 150 yards with a light morning breeze?

I followed this bulls tracks for 3 miles never ran but went right to other elk and a bunch. I was following track and at 50 yards seen a few cows which later busted out! Once the woods blew up I ran after them! 18 cows and 4 spikes in all! I caught up to them at about 500 yards for a brief moment. I doubled back once I seen no bull and tried to find his tracks through all of it but that hill side was littered with tracks!

Later that afternoon I picked up fresh tracks to find several more cows! Tracked a huge cow that was feeder away to about 30 yards before seeing her. I am pretty sure she was the biggest cow on that mountain when I first saw the rear rump I thought for sure I had a filled tag lol

Seen 60 elk all in the last 3 days

Come on September! Going back at them with a bow this year!
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