When To Draw On An Elk?

[ElkNut1]

With so many newer elk hunters trying to get into this awesome sport this should be a great subject for them to consider! Since most of us are ground hunting elk in a "running & gunning" style, knowing when to draw & not to draw can spare someone the crushing defeat of being busted in the act or just knowing the do's & don'ts. Nothing is automatic or a guarantee in the elkwoods but there are tips to raise the odds during the moment of truth that can help us all!!!

What is one tip that can spare us the agony of defeat into the thrill of victory!! (grin)

ElkNut1

[T/H]

i've seen alot of videos where the elk sees the "potential" killer draw his bow and by then its too late. despite being very big animals they are very fast and can bolt before the shooter can get to full draw. of course there is a way to counter this. i've heard you talk about it many times Paul. if you can fool the elks ears long enough to get to full draw and touch off the shot then you just put an elk on the ground. and i think another thing a killer can do is if you have to draw your bow and you know you are going to be seen by the elk is to draw your bow slow, deliberate and smooth. then you stand a chance. fast and herky jerky gets you a memory of a close encounter instead of meat in the freezer.

[Wyo67]

I think you can't under-estimate the importance of good cover behind you. Last year's bull came to us so fast, we didn't have time to get a great setup but I had good cover behind me although I'm sure he saw me draw he didn't spook at 25 yards. As T/H said, smooth and slow is the way to go. If you have to contort, twist and turn to pull back your bow you're going to get busted.

[elkmtngear]

If you have a bow setup that allows it, taking the first good opportunity to draw and holding can sometimes save your butt. I've been busted with the slightest movement by waiting too long to draw, even when the animal has passed by and is quartering away. You are always taking a chance on the animal hanging up though.

Even with a good back drop, a smart old bull will spot the slightest motion, they seem to have a sixth sense that something is not right. Decoying can work great to re-direct a bull's focus.

If you have some type of frontal cover to get your bow drawn (blind/decoy/large tree), it can be a huge bonus.

[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, 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, draw instantly & give him a voice grunt or do it with a mouth reed 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 many times in the course of a year.

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 half cocked & 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 be had 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! Food for thought!!

ElkNut1

[tracker]

The bull I got last year was coming down the mountain as I was going up. Never heard him but as soon as I saw him he saw me. I was wide open but was in thick timber. I had my hand on an arrow trying to get it out of the bow quiver. I froze in that position and didn't move anything. He stared at me for what seemed like hours. Was maybe a minute. He finally decided I was nothing and turned to continue his walk. As soon as he got behind some cover I got an arrow out of the quiver, nocked it up and drew. As he continued walking I guesstimated the distance and released. As he ran off I could see the fletching sticking out in a great location. The rest is history. My advice in that type of situation is to freeze and hope things work out.

[Lefty]

I believe it was Paul who answered my question on bowsite a few years ago. Because of that advise I didnt put meat in the freezer last fall. I was in the open. I waited for the last of the cows to pass me instead of taking the first chance to draw as the elk were approching; I drew as the last elk was passing,... fewer eyes looking my direction,.......then the bull bugles and gave me an incredible expierience,.. I learned a lot in those 3 minutes.
Good advise, While in the open wait till the elk is slightly past to to draw