Understanding Midday Tactics

[HurricaneHuge]

Trying to really get a grasp of what guys are doing Midday, as it seems like this tends to be the lull in elk activity. I've heard guys mentioning knowing where elk will be in the morning, or hearing bugles in the morning and chasing from there. I've also heard mention of guys knowing where elk bed during the day, and setting up on them for where they will be headed in the evening. From what I can tell (being born and raised in WI), a lot of the elk tactics seem very similar to run and gun turkey hunting. Catching vocal animals in the morning and chasing from there. Knowing where they're headed in the evening and cutting them off. Is Midday run and gun the normal tactics for guys? Turkey hunting midday I'm just traveling along spot to spot and either calling in hopes I've moved close and one will sound off at me, or setting up, making a call, sitting and a waiting a pre-determined time, and then moving a certain ways and doing it again. I believe both of those methods fall under the "blind calling" category? Are guys walking all day midday until they hear bugles and then diving in? I notice guys mention treestands as options midday as well as the elk will move into those types of locations. I'm just trying to gauge what guys are doing most of their time midday. Obviously if they're bugling all day, you go til you can't go anymore. But when you're not on the elk, how are you finding them? If you move, set-up, call, wait, and then move again, how long are you waiting on set-ups and how far are you moving before you set-up again?

[HurricaneHuge]

Just answered most of my own questions by reading more of what Paul has in his Tips and Tactics forum. Is it me, or does this guy think of everything?

[elkaholic]

Just answered most of my own questions by reading more of what Paul has in his Tips and Tactics forum. Is it me, or does this guy think of everything?

No its not just you..

[foxvalley]

I've listened to the play book,no joke, at least 20 times and I'm still picking up little tidbits.Ok, it might take me a little longer to remember things( I have a good memory, it's just short) There is a huge amount of info there, listen to the little things that Paul says,the details. After years of hunting the same erea, we know where the elk are at midday almost every year. We work them in the morning and then sometimes"bed down with them" up wind, till they start moving again. One year we chased this huge bull into his bedroom, a tiny thick bowl, lost him, and just plopped down right there for a few hours.We had lunch ,whispering and crunching candy wrappers, and this bull got up a couple hours later 50 yds from us. Hunting elk is just like hunting turkeys, they are just "bigger".

[easeup]

just like you said.......

I move slowly spot to spot on the North sides sit, call, listen, rest, repeat.
I have played several bulls that all came very quietly in this way middle of the day. But I have yet to take one of them as there has always been too much brush in the way to force an arrow through. It seems to be extra thick in these bedding areas.

crazy as it is....that kind of hunting is very satisfying.

[Swede]

The problem with most midday tactics is that they require constant vigilance, at the time people, myself included, tend to drop their guard. Of coarse that defies the logic of the whole thing. If you are not ready when you set up for a bull, you are wasting your time and maybe worse. I would recommend sitting at a good water hole in a tree stand or a ground blind if you have no tree stand. Stay ready but eat your lunch and read if you can stay at the ready. Another tactic is to get close to a bedding area and do a little calling. Give a short two note nonthreatening bugle. Sit and wait. Let out a short bugle every 15 minutes. The need here is to be constantly ready. A bull could have heard you, waited awhile, got up to check out who made that call and an hour later is now looking right at you. That sure hurts when you look and see your bow sitting on the ground several feet away. I have plenty of experiences making that mistake. It always happens when you don't think it will.