Cold or Blind Calling for Elk

[WapitiTalk1]

Somebody asked what "cold calling" for elk was all about on another site I swing by on occasion (a WA hunting forum) and I provided the explanation below. Let's discuss this thing we call cold calling on "the" elk hunting forum (the Elknut Forum of course). When do you do it? How do you do it? What are some of the specific strategy considerations that are not to be overlooked when you're setting up? What are some of the pitfalls that may occur during a cold calling adventure? Let's get the best thread ever on the art of cold calling logged into the books folks. Looking forward to hearing some of your comments on the how to's, and, perhaps some actual hunting adventures when a cold calling setup worked and worked well for you RJ

"Cold calling or blind calling as some call this method, is generally used when elk are not being very vocal. This normally (but not always) coincides with early season elk hunting. A hunter, or hunters, will set up in an area that they have either seen/heard elk before, or, by merely choosing a set up spot in an area that has fresh sign will oftentimes answer the mail. Setup is important, more on that later. What the hunters are trying to do with cold calling is create “interest” from other elk and lure them in their direction for a possible close encounter/shot opportunity. Since we’ve decided to set up and cold call, we have already determined that the elk are not being very vocal (obviously, if they’re being vocal.... we’d just get closer to them without saying a peep and see how things develop). This said, more often than not, elk will come in silent to cold calling and the hunter/hunters must plan for and be prepared for this. Elk can be very, very quiet for such large animals. Yes, sometimes a cow or bull will spout off vocally when coming in to a cold calling set but don’t count on that occurring the majority of the time.
How long to stay in one place? I would say 15 minutes at a minimum, but, up to an hour if you feel there is a good chance that there are elk in the area. I have a hard time sitting still so my sessions range from ten minutes up to 30 minutes. It seems like every year, I have at least an elk or two stealth in on me and not show him/herself until I stand up and get ready to move. Patience is paramount in cold calling.
What sounds to use? You’ll get different recommendations from different hunters for sure. I like to start with some casual herd talk (cow/calf noises) and some light brush rubbing/shaking (not smashing) to simulate a grazing group of elk. I will mix in a short scream and light chuckles (simulating a bull calling the cows to him) and will also throw in some actual brush/tree raking (simulating a bull advertising for the cows). I don’t think there is a good or bad script for this, as long as it sounds pretty natural (ask yourself when making your noises/movements, “would I think that is a group of elk if I heard it”?). Realism of sounds in addition to the area chosen to launch a cold calling session is important.
What normally comes in? This method is notorious for calling cows, spikes, and young rag horns your way. Yes, I’ve called in some big ones too but for the most part, cold calling will pick up cows, spikes, and little dudes looking for a place to hang their hat so to speak. They’re lonely and you’re inviting them over for dinner in a sense
Setups? As terrain is different in the various states/areas we hunt, you’ll need to work with what you have to maximize your opportunities for a shot. I would say stay clear of large opening set ups as elk do not like having to cross meadows, parks, etc., to come see what’s making the racket. Be aware of natural funnels in the area you set up (blow down, trails, walls of alder, uprooted stumps, deep ravines, water, etc.) that can be used to your advantage to guide an incoming elk to where you or your partner may have a shot opportunity. This entails some forethought and a bit of luck.. oftentimes you’ll only be guessing where you think an elk may come in from; but as we know, elk have their own schedule and plans most of the time. You’ll need to study the thermals/wind very close when choosing your initial setup, and, throughout the session. Yes, you want to try and set up so an elk is “forced” by the natural terrain features to come in upwind from your position but this is not always the ultimate end state of these sessions. Elk will oftentimes do their best to try to get the scent of whatever is making the elk racket so be prepared for them to come in from almost any direction, particularly downwind of your position."

[LckyTylr]

Good Write Up, I'm going to print and put in my pack.

[ElkNut1]

Rory, thanks! Nice way to lay it out!

ElkNut1

[BrentLaBere]

Early season (September 1st) elk will head for timber edges or into cover as soon as the sun starts to show itself. They may be on their way to get water or are already traveling to their bedding area for the morning. Don't be where the elk were that evening, try to stay with them or cut them off on the way to their beds. Use the wind to your advantage by slipping in with their travel pattern. I have found in the early mornings, simple cow to cow calling or cow to calf, works the best. Use it as though you are moving along and show this one of two ways. You two are lost, or you two are part of the group. Calm calls may bring over a single looking for company, or can even get a response from a young bull. This is where I agree with RJ on not sitting long, unless you are in a funnel point and fully expect to see elk traveling through at some point in the morning. The elk are moving from feed to bed so you should be too. SLOW moving I should have mentioned. Most of the time you will be able to smell if the elk are in front of you. If you dont know the smell yet, it will stand out to you.....dont worry you wont miss it. If you haven't received a response and want to "spice" things up, I will add a bite n blow call to the mix and even an estrus sounding cow looking for a response. Following the smell, fresh tracks, scat, maybe even a few green rubs along the way, I will pick up the calling and set up for closer to an hour, working in and out of herd talk with the estrus sounds and including a bull into the mix that is displaying or trying to call the cows his way. All these signs point to elk in the area. Bulls are ready, because lets face it, when is a guy not ready? All the area needs is that cow going into heat and your group has the one letting the bulls know she is. Now you are letting the area know you are the bull calling and tending to this group with the first lady into heat.....I will advertise and act like I am the one in charge. This should peak curiosity from all the elk around and if not get a rise out of a larger bull that may call this spot his domain. Like others have mentioned they may try to sneak downwind of you, but by playing the early morning thermals to your advantage and understanding their travel, you may have given yourself the edge you need. This also works out because I like to call elk that I am even (same elevation) to. Close proximity for these calls though, I am not reaching out with high pitch screams. I have this cow in heat and don't need to advertise to other bulls, just to the ladies in front of me. So, calls in heavy timber dont travel very far, expect elk to respond within 100-150 or so yards and not much farther.

Knowing where an elk is and getting an aggressive calling set up. Locate bugle in the early morning and you get a response. Following that bull to his bedroom, watching him and understanding where and how you can get within that 100-150 yards. Either kick back for a nap or take out breakfast and topo maps to get your game plan ready. This bull may be across the canyon from you and there is no way to approach him before the sun starts warming the mountainside. Use this to your advantage! You may have a hike ahead of you, but time is on your side.....you have all day for this bedded bull. Play well off to the side and hike up when the winds start swirling or shifting up....by this point in my area its 10-11 am. I am a good 1/4-1/2 mile to the side and working my way up or over to the bedroom of this bull. Moving slow, and paying attention to my topo maps, I understand I am getting close. Making sure the wind is in my face and I am either even or above the bull. Set up as close as you can without bumping him and work AWAY from the bull. Sound casual, cow calf mixed in with some small estrus whines. One or two mixed in will gain his attention. Play this out like a group of cows moving through (right next to) this bulls bedroom. Once you have moved up the side hill to where you are 100 yards or so away, set up and call behind you like the cows are still leaving. This may just get this bull out of his bed with the wind in your favor, trailing the cows he just heard. Hopefully resulting in a shot.

Both of these calling techniques have worked for me in the first week of the season.

[bloodarrow]

As I am always in learning mode, and plan to deploy some of this in the fall, i have a couple of questions. 2 guys, cold calling. Im assuming one person hangs back a bit, out of site, and certainly out of line of fire, as the 'main caller'. My main question is how to position the wind. Im thinking you def want the wind in your face, from the direction that you think the elk will come in from, right? But knowing how they may circle to get downwind, I imagine that plays into the 'set up' as well, right?

[treestanding]

If you decide to stay longer, say 45 min., do you do any more calling besides your initial set?

[BRazz]

There are so many variables in dilemmas like these. I do not excel in cold-calling setups, but I haven't really figured out why... I like this thread!

If we are truly "cold" calling then we have no real idea where the elk are. But the spot looks elky and it seems like they would be bedded in that dark timber over there, and this makes a good ridge to walk along, and there's water back that way, etc... So we setup and call and expect the unexpected. No matter how tempting it can be to make a whimsical call, though, I have learned the hard way to make sure you are in a good setup position. As has already been stated, you probably won't be able to coax an elk across a big open meadow and you want him to look for you by getting close - so we need some cover! But you want to be able to make a shot - so we don't want too much cover. Usually, if an elk comes in, it's silently and not from the likely place we would have predicted.

If we have some inkling where the elk would be (heard or saw them in a certain place in the past), but no confirmation, then it's a little less random. We can predict the scenario and create a setup with a bit better odds.

If you decide to stay longer, say 45 min., do you do any more calling besides your initial set?

I always try to sit at least 10-15 minutes after the last call was made.

As I am always in learning mode, and plan to deploy some of this in the fall, i have a couple of questions. 2 guys, cold calling. Im assuming one person hangs back a bit, out of site, and certainly out of line of fire, as the 'main caller'. My main question is how to position the wind. Im thinking you def want the wind in your face, from the direction that you think the elk will come in from, right? But knowing how they may circle to get downwind, I imagine that plays into the 'set up' as well, right?

If I have partner then we'll split up by 50 yards or so and have the upwind person do a bit of calling. The thinking there is that if the elk swing to the downwind side the other hunter could have a shot.

[WapitiTalk1]

If we are truly "cold" calling then we have no real idea where the elk are. But the spot looks elky and it seems like they would be bedded in that dark timber over there, and this makes a good ridge to walk along, and there's water back that way, etc... So we setup and call and expect the unexpected. No matter how tempting it can be to make a whimsical call, though, I have learned the hard way to make sure you are in a good setup position. As has already been stated, you probably won't be able to coax an elk across a big open meadow and you want him to look for you by getting close - so we need some cover! But you want to be able to make a shot - so we don't want too much cover. Usually, if an elk comes in, it's silently and not from the likely place we would have predicted. If we have some inkling where the elk would be (heard or saw them in a certain place in the past), but no confirmation, then it's a little less random. We can predict the scenario and create a setup with a bit better odds.

If you decide to stay longer, say 45 min., do you do any more calling besides your initial set?

I always try to sit at least 10-15 minutes after the last call was made. Sound wisdom Brazz.

As I am always in learning mode, and plan to deploy some of this in the fall, i have a couple of questions. 2 guys, cold calling. Im assuming one person hangs back a bit, out of site, and certainly out of line of fire, as the 'main caller'. My main question is how to position the wind. Im thinking you def want the wind in your face, from the direction that you think the elk will come in from, right? But knowing how they may circle to get downwind, I imagine that plays into the 'set up' as well, right?

If I have partner then we'll split up by 50 yards or so and have the upwind person do a bit of calling. The thinking there is that if the elk swing to the downwind side the other hunter could have a shot.

Again, good points Brazz. Setups between caller/shooter can vary from merely 15-20 yards (thick alder/brushy terrain) to well over 80 yards in more open country).

[WapitiTalk1]

Bloodarrow, OK, I'm no artist Your question prompted this fine work of art . I've tried to create a graphic representation of a possible cold calling situation setup. Let's say it's late morning and you find yourself on a bench that you have encounted elk traffic in the past. It's early in the year and so far, the elk have been very, very quiet. Take what you see from the picture and decide where you may set up the caller and shooter for a possible cold calling set up here. In addition to placing your caller and shooter for the optimum setup considering what you see/know, what do you think may happen that is not in the "expected" column?

Reminder that if you save the picture to your desktop and open up in "paint", you can mark it up however you wish. Looking for placement for the caller and shooter for this scenario.

Cold Call Setup.png (120.47 KiB) Viewed 8479 times

[elk-n-walleye]

OK, I'm no artist Your question prompted this fine work of art . I've tried to create a graphic representation of a possible cold calling situation setup.

Cold Call Setup.png

Phantom, this is so much better graphics than the one I painted a while back. Very nice!

[bloodarrow]

I'll try here......so red is shooter and gold is caller. This is my first attempt with paint.....so in my eyes you are a virtual piccasso!!

Cold Call Setup v1.png (146.04 KiB) Viewed 8427 times

[BrentLaBere]

Use the rocks to funnel the elk in and in front of the caller. The thermals will be to his advantage while still making it easy for the elk to circle in downwind of the caller. Be in front of the cover, having a good back drop, but the only movement with the shooter should be his eyes scanning the terrain. Kneel down and look for legs moving in on your setup. Pick lanes and clear branches so nothing obscures you when you start to draw. Move sticks or rocks too, they can hurt when holding a position. I always like to over exaggerate on which way I am facing. Being a right handed shooter its a lot easier for me to turn to my left to shoot. So i face further to the right.

[twinkieman]

Great work of art RJ

[twinkieman]

This is how I would setup, based on the wind.

[welka]

One big watchout for those that are just starting to cold/blind call. Since you are likely making a "best guess" as to where the elk might come from, you have to be prepared for the OPPOSITE. If you are in a 2 man set up and a bull responds from the opposite direction of your set up, the original caller MUST move towards the bull and not stay at the same place and just reverse roles. Obviously, you need to watch the wind, but that bull knows within a yard of where the original caller was and hence when the caller now becomes the shooter, he must move up so that he will be in prime time range when the bull shows up responding to the "new" caller (original shooter). Took us a couple of hard learned lessons to figure it out and its amazing how those dang bulls can find you within a yard!

[WapitiTalk1]

One big watchout for those that are just starting to cold/blind call. Since you are likely making a "best guess" as to where the elk might come from, you have to be prepared for the OPPOSITE. If you are in a 2 man set up and a bull responds from the opposite direction of your set up, the original caller MUST move towards the bull and not stay at the same place and just reverse roles. Obviously, you need to watch the wind, but that bull knows within a yard of where the original caller was and hence when the caller now becomes the shooter, he must move up so that he will be in prime time range when the bull shows up responding to the "new" caller (original shooter). Took us a couple of hard learned lessons to figure it out and its amazing how those dang bulls can find you within a yard!

Money right here folks. Pay attention to this post by welka.

Who has some comments on any of the caller/shooter setups offered? And thanks twinkieman; I'm thinking of framing my artwork Elk-n-walleye, I believe your hand drawn portrait entitled "elk setup in the high country" is currently in the Wapiti Museum of Fine Art in Colorado Springs and receiving rave reviews.. that my friend, was a true masterpiece

[Rizzy]

How about the same scenario but solo? I would call from the middle and then sneak up to the opening.

[WapitiTalk1]

Nice gentlemen. As we can see, there are many ways to skin this cat. Wind, wind, wind is the crux of the biscuit here. Yes, ultimately you want to have the elk come in to the caller's sounds (that's what's he/she is coming in to) with the wind in the caller's favor and the shooter set up off to the side of the approach path, but that does not happen a good, perhaps even majority, of the time if I may be so bold. Unless you are set up considering a plethora of potential approach paths, bullwinkle will oftentimes just sneak into the spot where he can wind you and that'll be that. Yes, I always try to set up my cold calling efforts with the wind in my favor considering where I "think" an elk will come in but am always conscious of the avenue an elk may come in to wind me and attempt to work this possibility into our setups.

Good stuff folks, any other comments on cold calling?

[lamrith]

Set-up to make the most use of the one pinch point I see. My goal is to keep wind in MY favor, so I set both parties downwind. Shooter at pinch point front corner of the trees. Depending on bulls entrance it should provide at most a 50yrd shot and the bulls attention past him on the caller. Caller and maybe a decoy if possible set @ C and D respectively. Hoping the shooter can also call, he starts by sending out a few cow/calf calls, turning to make them sound trailing away toward the caller. Caller then can follow later with more calls. Keeping caller high in area to hopefully lead the bull close to shooter rather than chance the bull going thru the entrance trees. With a deepset caller, the bull may come thru the trees and would be unshootable by shooter. Then likely come straight across just out of range of both with high chance of winding the caller and busting out, sneaky buggers..

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So Mr Stinky is all fired up and blows right past the original shooter, who is shaking his head as he had no chance to draw and was so close he could have stuck an arrow in him by hand..

Backup plans
Assume both parties are in front of cover with good backdrop.
Couple paths here with different needs.

• PINK: Original shooter is shot taker, make the shot count and backstrap on the fire tonight!
• BLACK: Noman's land, crossfire risk, get that bull moving.
• GREEN: If he cuts down immediately (improbable because he would try to keep wind to his advantage?) then the original caller will need to bring him back on course. If the bull continues down, both will have to call and see who gets lucky. Teamwork and knowing each other will be crucial to weave a storyline for mr stinky. Original Shooter would call once stinky reaches the blue line area.
• BLUE: Caller becomes the hunter. If the shooter cannot get a shot, hopefully the bull continues on top path. Either path he takes after that then original shooter would grunt right about at the X or just before. Deep in callers comfortable shot range, 50yrd MAX? We are all hunting bow right?... Hopefully the bull will at worst stop and look back over shoulder at original shooter. At best maybe turn and provide a broadside to qtr away so caller can draw while the bull is distracted and thread the needle.

[WapitiTalk1]

Hey Larry, glad to see you stopped by. One hell of a first post sir! Welcome to "the" elk forum. Pull up a log by the camp fire (wait, no fires right now); pull up a log by the main tent, grab a beverage of choice, and chime in whenever you like. RJ

[lamrith]

Yes no fires please. Season is a month out and we need some intact areas to hunt!

Thanks for the welcome and tip to come over here.