When to draw....

[cnelk]

Many times I am asked "How do you know when to draw your bow when an elk in coming in?"
Most times I can't give an exact answer as each predicament is unique.

But, I would have to say that when the elk is moving, behind some tree are the most common answers.

But how far away?

Is the elk walking in? Trotting?

What determines when you draw?
Distance? Line of sight?

Let's hear it...

[Lefty]

too much of a rookie here.
In a blind I waited until the bull stopped at 11 yards, another at a preset location
In the middle of a herd with no cover I just sat strait up when the cows stopped, and the bull stopped
drew slow on a cow broad side with two others staring at me
Drew on a bull that was looking for the other bull(me) 22 yards I was wide open in front of the
brush in the shawdows than agai na bit futher and further
Every elk was stopped broadside
All were slow and deliberate draws

[Swede]

There is no one size fits all answer to this question. I like to draw when I can do it without being detected by the elk I am trying to shoot. I want to draw when I will not have to hold too long either, until I can get the shot. In the end it comes down to some instinct that says "NOW".

[Indian Summer]

Distance. I'd say the number one variable would be how thick it is.

On another thread I said I'm probably not as agressive as I should be in some situations. This isn't one of those situations.

I'm drawing as soon as I see that bull is in range, or if he's on the move and definitely going to be in range soon. Too many times hunters (me) get pinned down and can't get shots, or have to make risky shots, because they didn't draw sooner and end up in a staring contest without their bow drawn back.

I realize that coming down from full draw can get me busted too. But the way I look at it if he can see me relax my draw, there's a half decent chance I should be seeing what I need to see too at that point. Especially if I saw him first. Movement isn't always the end of the world either like getting winded. I'll take my chances over getting pinned down. I hate saying all I had to do was draw and.......

If you're shooting a draw weight that's a bit heavy for you this can be the time to pay the price. Shaking in your boots saying "cmon man 3 more steps!" and he stops. Ugh! Lighter draw weights and higher letoff % are bonuses when it comes to being able to draw sooner and hold back longer.

I guess if I had a decoy and time to set it up and hide behind it that would change things. Had to throw that in there for our sponsors at Slip Systems.

I'm interested to hear what the non-compound bow guys have to say.

[ElkNut1]

Drawing on elk can be considered an "Art" how so? It requires skill, nerve & timing! All 3 can come into play on nearly every drawing situation! Your best odds stem from having the elks head hidden through your draw cycle, this can mean his head is in the grass or he could be raking a tree/brush, his head is behind tree/rock, maybe he's walking in & he's went by you in range & you're waiting for his eyes to go by you giving you a quartering away shot, you can now draw or give a soft grunt & draw simultaneously! The sound & draw movement will generally freeze him in his tracks allowing you the precious few seconds it will take to slip an arrow in him! In other instances the elk comes in & stops at the 5yd to 30yd range facing you & locked on to the area he heard the calling & sees nothing, this means you had a great setup! Don't blow it now, stay calm cool & collected & wait for him to turn to leave, as soon as he turns his head & body, draw instantly & give him a voice grunt or do it with a mouth reed that's already in your mouth. This single note is deadly, it freezes them in their tracks as they turn back to see this elk they must not have seen at first! This is our # 1 sound & situation that arises so frequently.
If we would have forced the issue & felt all was going south & tried to draw while he was staring in our direction our odds are low he would have stayed for the draw aim & shoot! I too have found that if a bulls head is hidden as you draw & all of a sudden he looks up or moves his head that was once behind the tree to continue the smooth draw motion, you have zero chance of drawing with him staring you down & you're already half cocked. If you stop, 30 seconds to a minute go by, you will be shaking like a leaf from adrenalin & muscle exhaustion! (grin)

It's nice to also be able to draw on incoming elk, as you hear or see them do not draw to early, you could be holding way longer than expected & thus having to let down. It can ruin the whole encounter if this happens, let elk get closer or if you can tell they're rushing in fast then that too must be taken into consideration! The closer the elk the tougher to draw on them, you look for that little crease by evaluating his movement & direction where your best odds are to draw!

We have used everyone of these suggestions many times over the years! This has been done with us in cover, in front of cover, next to cover & with ourselves caught right out in the open, as open as a Wallmart parking lot! We've taken several bulls in that situation, we do not move a muscle until the Timing is right to draw, aim, fire!!! When caught in the open be patient, elk will look at you & try to figure out what you are but generally will tolerate you there as long as you do not move!!!! As soon as they let their guard down for that one instant it's time to ACT!!! I've drawn on bulls where I've had them alone as well as have their cows 10yd-15yd from us for several minutes with the wind in our favor just waiting for the bull to turn or anything where I could draw without him seeing the motion. The cows would look up quickly as you do draw but don't run off as quickly as you may think, by then the arrow is gone!! I've even done this with a longbow on 3 different occasions! Food for thought!!

ElkNut1

[elkmtngear]

Indian Summer....Thanks for the plug

Had a pretty nice 6x6 walk straight to me and past me at about 8 feet one time. I tried to draw smoothly once he was past me and quartering away, BUSTED!

On the other end of the spectrum, I was able to draw and kill my first bull at 8 yds with him standing in front of me staring directly at me.

My buddy got busted trying to draw on a 340+ bull a couple years back...where he was hidden, that bull could have only barely detected his presence. It's like they have a "6th Sense" sometimes when it comes to knowing something isn't right.

Being able to draw and hold in elk hunting is HUGE....which is why I gave up my older bow and got one with 80 percent letoff about 3 years ago. If there's any way to draw when the bull's head is blocked, that's when I'll do it. '''

Kudos to the Trad guys that kill elk year after year....you have to be a true artist to pull it off!

[cnelk]

A few years ago my buddies [really good archery whitetail hunters] blew some good opportunities at elk by thinking they would have been busted by drawing.
They have since learned how much movement a hunter can get away with and still be successful.

Once I brought a a screaming bull into my friends lap, the bull came running in and almost by him , on his way to me.
I could only hear what to place as the bull was tearing it up, stomping and bugling his way toward me.

Then nothing... crickets....

I waited until my buddy whistled and then moved up and asked what the *$%&(^ happened?

He didnt draw for fear of being seen. After a few moments, the bull figured out the gig and left like smoke

Like Swede mentioned, instinct and experience counts big

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

I never even think about drawing until they are within my personal ethical shooting range. And even then, I like to wait until their head is behind a tree or bush, they are looking the other way, or they have their nose on the ground.

I have gotten away with drawing when they were looking right at me by drawing EXTRA SUPER slow. But I wouldn't take that one to the bank every time. However, it does seem to work sometimes when there is no other option. It is almost as if they are mizmerized by something moving so slowly. But try to draw fast or jerky and they are out of there. And you sure won't get by with it on every elk. It's a last ditch resort thing!

[easeup]

this part of the hunt is not a textbook learning item. only experience and guidance from those who have been there can help.

in those cases where the bull is coming straight in at you and he is looking directly at you looking for that cow he heard; there is no real chance to draw.....each case is different, but he will ususally stop before he gets to you at say 10 to 35yds out. It takes some ice in the veins to just sit there and be patient, stone cold rock. ......oh sweet Jesus hold me together.....
I am with Paul on this one, dont give up and when he decides to back out and turn away, draw and anchor, give him the whatever you can muster up from your call noise, and when he hesitates just for a second....you know what to do then.

[Trophyhill]

I wait as long as I can letting the elk dictate when I draw. A couple years ago I called a bull in for my buddy. My buddy was set up 40 yards from me and off to the side of the trail. You could hear the screaming bull as he approached. First I saw the tips of his antlers as he was coming on a rope. As he passed my buddy at a mere 13 yards focused on the elk sounds my buddy drew, the elk jumped/turned in 1 motion and bolted back down the mountain. In that case he should have drawn when he saw the tips of his antlers. Each situation is different.

[Vanish]

I missed a great opportunity this past season because I waited too long to draw. I could hear the animals coming but I didn't exactly know what it was. I thought I should wait to identify a shooter elk. They came out of the thick aspens and ran right out in an open meadow in front of me and stopped at 20 yards. If I had drawn when I heard them, it may have been 10 seconds before they were in a perfect shooting spot, but instead I never had a chance. Of course, I tried to push it and draw anyway as there was no other chance possible, and was busted.

If it wasn't elk, I could have let down without a care! Of course, there is always the possibility that the animals would have stopped in a different inconvenient spot and I would have to let down and try drawing again, but I think it would have been better to take that chance.

This happened twice during the season, where I had elk running and stop right in front of me, but the other time I knew it was spikes (not legal here).

[easeup]

good thread subject......

everyone has made good observations, some from heartbreak no doubt.

maybe a general idea is if it is not very open cover, and he is coming in quickly, plan to draw at the last or next to last remaining blind spot for him.
if he is coming in very cautiously, he is just looking for a place to stop on you. better pick a place to draw on a blind spot for him within your shooting distance comfort level. otherwise he might be too far to shoot when the waiting game begins.

[Herb]

Lots of great advice here, sure would have helped back in '91. Elk/bulls coming in does strange things to people. I've seen fellas draw and shoot when the bull is 60 yards out and coming in on a string, seen fellas hold at full draw as a bull walks by at 5 yards and not take the shot, neither had real good answers, "why"?

Take the good advice and get out there and do it........you just never know how it will come out, lots of fun!!