Strategy Scenario - Episode Tigger 2

[Tigger]

the 2nd installment in this award winning series...

Date/Time: Sept 14th just after dawn
Location: Northern Colorado, off the nearest trail 1 miles
Pressure: Have seen 1 hunter in 6 days, none today
Terrain: Ridge running east/west, heavily timbered
Tag: Bull tag, archery
Situation:

You and your partner return to the north side of this ridge and are halfway up and sidehilling to the east. below you is a series of wallows you found a few days ago. you haven't been back to this area since. all of a sudden, a bugle rings out ahead of you and higher up. Possibly on top of the ridge or in a saddle ahead of you. You head for the sound as fast as you can. You hear the bugle again as you close the distance. When you are about 80-100 yards from where you think the bull might be, you set up as the caller and your buddy is the shooter. You let out a seductive cow call. The bull erupts with a bugle with chuckles (I interpreted this pretty easily I think) and you start moving in on him. he keeps chuckling and both you and your buddy are on the same page here (strategy: let him call you to him). before you can go very far, ANOTHER bull bugles from down below a couple of times and is obviously headed up to court Miss Seductive but is still 200 yards out. you will be happy with any bull. You have one coming at you from down below at your 9 oclock. You have one ahead bugling with chuckles at 12 oclock. Wind is not a factor. Cover is dark timber with visibility at 50 yards. Which bull do you target and more importantly why? Can you target both? How do you play them both at the same time?

[Luckyman]

Drop partner who can give another whiny mew as soon as you move up 30 yards or so. If the first 1 offers a shot great and then you call for the now shooter to one coming in if he hangs up? Sounds like it will all happen within a minute or 2!

[Tigger]

The chuckling bull has given no indication he is coming toward you. So I see this as your dilemma: If you move up, you run the risk of being seen by a bull that is coming to you, but if you don't, you run the risk of the chuckler losing interest and leaving. Which is the better bet? Or can you do both? How did this play out in the real world? Tigger couldn't possibly have goofed this situation up, could he?

[WapitiTalk1]

I'm a bit confused. If you're on the N side hill of and E/W ridge and hear the chuckler above you on the ridge, not sure how he can be at your 12 o'clock, wouldn't that be down in the draw? At any rate, you said wind is not a factor, there is a chuckler on the ridge above you and a SAT below in the wallow laden draw, so I offer my comments below.

You're already very close to being in the ridge bull's wheel house and he's potentially a bull with cows. The bull below sounds like he's a SAT coming in to date the cow he heard (you). It appears you have a great situation playing out here with one static bull and one lonely bugger coming up the side hill "with" the wind in your favor. Caller stays put initially, continues with a few whiny cow sounds every few minutes, and shooter commences to work in on the ridge/herd bull. There's a real chance here that the caller may pull the SAT in for a possible visual/shot, and, the original shooter stealths in on the ridge/herd bull with reed in mouth prepared to become the caller if necessary.

[Swede]

I am not sure I understand things here either, but what is new? I often misread the situation in the forest too. I think I would get as close as reasonable to the chuckler and wait. I think the other bull is moving in, so lets see what happens. The wind is not a factor. Hummm Am I in my tree stand?

[Tigger]

Sorry for the confusion. The chuckler is ahead and above you, lets say he is more at your 1 oclock. the incoming bull is at your 9 oclock and straight downhil. Beyond the logistics, what I would like people to consider is whether you should go after the chuckler, stay for the incoming bull, or try them both. yes, this really happened to me. Might as well get some guesses as to the outcome.....???? Did Tigger pounce?