Locating Elk At Night/Early Morning!

[ElkNut1]

Calling elk after nightfall can be very productive. Many hunters
whether in a base camp or if they bivouac in several miles
have mentioned in the past how elk were so vocal at night they
couldn’t sleep. That’s a good problem to have! If nothing is vocal
when you’re there go ahead and bugle in an attempt to stir the
pot. Many times bulls will respond to another bull but not sound
off on their own. Picking your spots and the right times to call at
night will vary according to the areas you hunt. There’s nothing
automatic about hearing bulls or cows at night and it’s just an
option to consider when locating elk.


We do our best not to call near other camps in consideration
of other hunters but we do call from roads, whether dirt or paved.
We do this not expecting to hear elk right near the road, but in an
attempt to hear elk wherever they may be within earshot. Sound
at night carries a long way when there are no winds or inclement
weather brewing. It’s very common to hear elk in excess of a mile
away and sometimes they will be close to the road.
Some of the best times to call are around full moon phases
in Sept.-Oct. Elk seem to feed at this time, go through rutting
adventures freely, and are more than willing to cooperate vocally
anytime after dark and until daylight.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

We generally call between 10:00pm-midnight. In addition to
this we like being in the woods or off roads where we feel elk
may be within earshot 1-2 hours before first light. In early morning
if we receive a response then we can work towards
them while it’s still dark if the terrain allows. Therefore we end up
near them at first light.
We generally use far reaching location bugles with no grunts
or chuckles on the end. We will also use cow sounds but not
persistently. We do not want the elk coming our way too early
with these sounds but simply want their location. Having the elk
come in can happen when calling at night, but that’s the chance
you take.

Places to call from are important. We look for areas where
sound carries well and likely feeding/watering areas they use
at night. Many of these areas can be found on the Internet sites,
Google Earth or Usatopo. We look for basins, parks or long draws
to call into, whether they’re below or above the roads. We also
drive many areas during daylight hours to find areas we will
come back and call at night.
The time of night is determined by what we’re interested in.
We’ve found by locating elk at these hours that the elk are still in
the vicinity come daylight, making them very hunt-able. It is best
to have many areas in mind in hopes that a few pan out. Be persistent,
just because you don’t hear anything one evening doesn’t
mean this applies to all evenings. Keep at it and try calling in
different areas.

ElkNut1

[Swede]

I will add that calling at night, roughly in the area of your tree stand, could help you determine where you want to sit out the next day. I have several stands out every year, so deciding where to wait can be a challenge. Some of my stands are within 1/2 mile of a road. Some are farther, but I can get on a nearby ridge and call from there to see in any critter is hanging around. With one answer it is time to pull back and get some rest.

[Heartwood]

Somtimes we will head into an area at night when bivy hunting. If we can't raise any bugles then we keep moving until we find buglers or we get tired and bed down. Often times we will hear bulls fire off in the night and then form a plan for morning.
This has proven to be a very fun way to hunt elk. We usually go for no more than 3 days at a time on a bivy trip so we can travel light. Every year I take my daughter on a night trip to hear the bulls bugle (just for fun) and somtimes we even call them in. Usually we go near full moon time. When backpack hunting, we try to travel ridges that have good access to many side draws and canyons so we can hear as many bull locations as possible. Other times we will travel up the bottom of a large canyon and prospect for bulls but one has to stay away from loud creeks and rivers in order to hear well. Truely one of my favorite ways to hunt elk! If you are having trouble finding elk in your area, try this nighttime method of trolling for bugling elk.

[ElkNut1]

swede, I'm not sure what you are saying? It sounds like you are saying if an elk bugles back to you that you avoid the tree to sit in that area?

ElkNut1

[WapitiTalk1]

swede, I'm not sure what you are saying? It sounds like you are saying if an elk bugles back to you that you avoid the tree to sit in that area? ElkNut1

Paul, I think Swede is saying that if he gets a response from a nocturnal locator bugle, he backs out immediately to go get some zzzz's but will be back there in the morning to hunt that stand site. He now has a good reason to choose that stand site in the morning!

[ElkNut1]

Well hell's bell's that makes sense! (grin) I was thinking he contacted them before first light! Thanks!

ElkNut1

[Swede]

Paul, I was just saying tree stand hunters can do what you advised, to improve their chances of getting an elk too.
Rory understood perfectly what I was trying to post. I understand that people don't always understand what I write. I look at some of it and ask myself, "what were you thinking"? If it was important, I try to edit whatever I think it was.