What should you do? Scenario 1.

[WapitiTalk1]

You started out before daylight, traversing down a long access trail that drops steeply on one side of a ravine/canyon. There are at least two bulls bugling directly across from you, one sounding like a decent herd bull and a the other a satellite on the outsirts of the herd, on the other side of said canyon. Thermals are still moving steadily down at this time in the early morning so you bust down the trail (hoping to get close to but underneath the elk so the thermals are in your favor) and hit a semi open finger ridge which takes you down to the creek bottom that will put you below the bulls. You move quickly down the finger ridge, cross the small creek which puts you on the other side of the canyon. You immediately smell and see fresh elk sign all over the place, and hear the bulls singing above you on the sidehill, which sound like they're moving steadily uphill. To this point, you haven't made a sound.

Would you:

A. Knowing you have the wind in your favor for at least a while, move as quickly as possible towards the bugling bulls without making a sound and see how close you can get before saying anything?

B. Stop, set your partner up on the other side of the creek, and throw out a challenge bugle to see if you can possibly pull the smaller of the two bulls (non herd bull) your way?

C. Try to get ahead of the elk/herd as they're very vocal and try to get a shot, although the terrain is very steep and somwhat thick?

D. Other...

Yep, a true scenario from my ID hunt last year.. I ended up drawing back on the satellite but there was not a clean shot so I let off. As I've explained the situation, what would you do/make a plan for as you headed down the access trail in this situation?

[wapitibowman]

I would most likely have done "A". I try to never give away my position when dealing with vocal elk. I would try to get as close as possible, setup, and then make some noise.

Wapitibowman

[huntnfolk]

I would have gone with Answer A. I spent most of my elk season hunting solo, and had better luck sneaking in as close as possible to vocal elk rather than calling sooner.

[foxvalley]

I also would choose A. You have the wind in your favor,and they are vocal,half the battle is already won.I would get as close to the herd bull as fast as possible before the thermals change without makeing any vocal sounds, what you do after that is the deal maker or breaker.

[otcWill]

No brainer for me. Definitely A. I have read and listened to everything Paul has produced and I always choose to be quiet first and if that doesn't work I then move into my calling tactics. That said, if all ya wanna do is kill an elk, that satellite would be one of the easiest to bring in with some quality cow calling (lost cow, pleading cow calls) and you might even get lucky and use this in combination with the actual satellite's response to piss off the big boy!

[Swede]

I would go with "A" also. That looks like your best opportunity.

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

Since I hunt by myself all the time, I'd also go with (A). However, if the thermal changed and started going uphill, I'd try to get way wide of them and try to get above them and get the wind back in my favor. If that wasn't possible, I'd back off completely. "Never let em smell ya"!

[Lefty]

I would go with A
A wind change ,.. change of plans,.. maybe then try to get in front. if they are moving faster than I think I could make that happen I might get to the side and call

[easeup]

I would play A also and never think of B. It is too early in the morning for C since the wind is still falling down the canyon and wont switch around for maybe 1.5 to 2 hrs.
I dont like B because what little experience I have is that when they start moving up, he aint going to stop and go back down. if another bull is making him uneasy, he pushes them away or pushed the cows up the hill just a little more. but not down. Under D for other, maybe the long shot back up plan if you cannot keep up with the herd going up, is to do the challenge call and provide some cow calls also. Maybe the herd bull or a satellite will think there is someone left behind and turn around to go investigate.
How do you say mr. phantom?

[WapitiTalk1]

I would play A also and never think of B. It is too early in the morning for C since the wind is still falling down the canyon and wont switch around for maybe 1.5 to 2 hrs.
I dont like B because what little experience I have is that when they start moving up, he aint going to stop and go back down. if another bull is making him uneasy, he pushes them away or pushed the cows up the hill just a little more. but not down. Under D for other, maybe the long shot back up plan if you cannot keep up with the herd going up, is to do the challenge call and provide some cow calls also. Maybe the herd bull or a satellite will think there is someone left behind and turn around to go investigate.
How do you say mr. phantom?

Thank you for asking Easeup Joe and I moved very quickly down the finger ridge w/o saying a peep. There was a pretty good game trail that took us to the bottom of the creek. Took us about 25 minutes to do so. It got very, very thick from there as we crossed the creek which put us on the elk sidehill. We moved up the sidehill (which was riddled with small ravines) about 150 yards and the bulls were above us as mentioned, steadily moving uphill but not fast.. The satellites (plural) were moving back and forth, I guessed below and outside the herd. At this point, I decided to set up Joe and see if I could pull one of the satellites our way (kind of choice B). I figured I'd do one series and see if it worked (pull somebody our way) and then aggress the herd bull. I figured we were close enough, and, undetected at this point so perhaps we could get some action. My excited cow calls and a challenge bugle was met with not two, but three bulls screaming back. I motioned to Joe to move through the thick stuff and work towards the herd. I stayed and continued my calling, moving back and forth below the herd. From that point, Joe and I got separated. He stayed below the herd, moving beneath them trying to get a shot. I busted up hill and sideways in an attempt to get real close to big stinky. My ploy worked and I set up as I got close to the big boy and one of the satellites. Within 70 or 80 yards, I unleashed a nasty threat level and the big boy came unglued but would not leave his girls.. Just as I was readying myself to move closer, a nice 5X5 satellite (decent shooter) did a batman straight at me over the top of a small, thick ravine lip.. I drew back but it was way too thick where he stopped to release an arrow. After a brief staredown, he headed back uphill.. I heard the big guy and the smaller bulls singing back and forth for the next 15 minutes.. Fun morning but no arrow loosed. RJ