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What should you do 2025, scenario #2

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What should you do 2025, scenario #2

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 01 16, 2025 •  [Post 1]

OK, here comes scenario #2. I’m trying to be a descriptive as possible with the scenarios but please understand I can’t cover all the variables potentially encountered in each of the presented situations. For these threads, let’s assume everybody knows what the different elk noises sound like (cow chatter, locater bugle, screams, chuckles, grunts, alarm barks, nervous grunts, etc.). Remember, it’s all about sharing knowledge from experience, asking questions, and perhaps, learning a thing or two. Let's go........

Scenario: Hunting solo today; its late afternoon/early evening, the third week in September and you find yourself on a hillside you hunted a few days before. The last time you were here, you’d received one answer to your locater bugle but no follow-on action in that area. You believe it may be a transition area for elk between feed and bed. You have decided to stop short of a tiny finger ridge and throw out a few cow/calf calls to see if there may be anybody interested in joining you for dinner. You get close to the finger ridge, almost to the top so your calls can be heard in the alder bench on the other side, throw out some soft cow calls and immediately buzz backwards, off to one side of where you’d just called, 25 yards or so, nock an arrow and set up with good cover to your back. You hear what sounds like brush being bashed on the other side of the finger ridge. A few more cow calls by you, a bit more brush bashing coming from the other side of the little ridge. No bugles or cow calls come back at you from over the ridge, just the brush raking. You give this setup a good 10 minutes and continue to receive the same results. Finally, you decide to work the thermals and get a bit closer. As you crest the little finger ridge and are making your way uphill on an elk trail to gain the thermals advantage, you physically see alder moving below you to the left, about 75 yards away. You move 20 to 30 yards more along the sidehill, above bull and again, set up to do some soft cow sounds. Same response but this time you can physically see a young bull with pretty white antler tips knocking the snot out of some alder brush and pawing the ground perhaps 35-40 yards away, in a sparse patch brush. I’ll stop here. What do you think this elk is communicating and what action, if any, should you take to potentially get a shot?

What say you elk hunters?
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Re: What should you do 2025, scenario #2

Postby RanchoSueno » 01 16, 2025 •  [Post 2]

If I had a good lane of travel, I'd bust as close to him as quickly as I could with an arrow nocked and making excited mews. He's advertising for the ladies but not drawing attention from bulls much off earshot. Give him what he wants.. or find a window and fling an arrow at him at 35-40yds. I'm good to 50
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Re: What should you do 2025, scenario #2

Postby Elkhunttoo » 01 16, 2025 •  [Post 3]

Sounds to me he wants what all bulls want. He is trying to get the ladies. Personally if I’ve made it this close and can see the tips of his antlers. I’m trying to move very little looking for a shooting lane. At this point I’m not making any more elk sounds. If he is calling me to him he is fine with the small amount of noise I’m making as I move because he thinks I’m a cow coming towards him.


Elk have a ton of patience at times when they think there are other elk. I cow called at a small 5 point rag horn a few years ago from my tree stand. He stepped behind a tree about 70 yards from my stand. I never saw him come out and after about 25 minutes I figured he had made his way directly away from me in the trees and disappeared. 45 minutes later he stepped out from behind the tree still looking for the cow. He was convinced there was a cow there, he couldn’t see it so he was just waiting for her to move imo

So if I use that experience I’m moving slow already being in shooting range just trying to find that lane
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Re: What should you do 2025, scenario #2

Postby Swede » 01 17, 2025 •  [Post 4]

I would do what Elnhunttoo was saying he would try. Elk are patient if not startled. I have had them wait two hours to come look for the cow, so just be patient. If the elk was definitely looking away, I would likely try to close in it that looked doable.
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Re: What should you do 2025, scenario #2

Postby Lefty » 01 18, 2025 •  [Post 5]

Ill change the alders to quakies,,, 3rd week Im guessing he's acting tough,,, after getting run off by the other satellite bulls , my guess there are elk within 300 yards

so me being me,, I pass as an excuse: there is bigger bulls nearby.
We seem to get spotted by cows :lol:
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