Whats the highest number of elk you have called

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So, what is the highest number of elk you have ever called to within shooting distance in any one season? I bring this up because I was watching a You Tube interview with Joel Turner. He claimed to have called in 67 bulls within 40 yards last season. I have no doubt this is probably true as he most likely gets to hunt some really good private places at least some of the time. Another reason I don't doubt him is because my own personal best year was 43 elk called to within 25 yards. Notice I said elk ,not bulls. Of those 43 elk, probably at least 2/3rds of them were spikes, rag horns, and cows. But never the less, I did have 43 elk called in to 25 yards or less. This was all done on public land and I'll admit, I've never even came close to that number since.

So lets hear it! What is the highest number of elk you have called to within shooting range in your very best single season.

[RanchoSueno]

The most for me is twice, the same bull over two days. Otherwise once per season. I have started having better luck still hunting in the timber

[Tigger]

I dont know the exact number. Probably mid-teens for bulls? we had a few great years.

[WapitiTalk1]

I’d estimate 20-25 most in one season called to within shooting range, the vast majority being bulls. As thick as the stuff is I usually hunt, within range certainly doesn’t mean a shot opportunity

[Swede]

I would guess 10-15. I never gave it much thought. When I tree stand hunt, I call in very few. I have learned how to get them most of the time. On the ground I would call in more but rarely got a shot. Where I hunted for years, the bulls were very call shy and after the late 90s, I called in more hunters that elk.

[Elkhunttoo]

I saw the same video, good topic.

I would guess anywhere between 20-25 in the year 2000 was my most for a season....

about 15 years ago i went on a 3 day hunt with my brother and we were literally in elk almost the entire hunt. I think we had around 12 bulls in those three days within bow range. my brother ended up shooting over a nice bulls back on the first evening...it was an awesome 3 days


When i saw the video it reminded me of a time my cousin and i went to a place in Nevada that at the time only gave out a few elk tags. The elk numbers where really high in the area and we just wanted to go see if we could call any in and video them. That evening we had 13 bulls within 30 yards of us. 3 decent 6 points and the rest satellite bulls. The main herd bull and his cows were about 100 yards from us on the side hill. We watched them all for quite a while. It is just a totally different ball game when you arent in high pressure public land hunting areas.

[Lefty]

a few years 15-20 in position for a shooter,,, well sorta. had 6 bulls in front of my daughter, less than 20 yards at one time.

Another time it was crazy we had 13 bulls and a handfull of cows,, that same location a year different we had 3 bull and 8 more came in Those years I was passing on elk for me my goal was a B and C for my daughter ,,,,, However I did have one year not a single bull came into sight

[BullRun]

Probably around 15 bulls during a really good New Mexico week back in 2020. The same year that I called in a shooter for my buddy. After he dropped him and we were high-fiving and hugging and jumping around like idiots, we heard another bugle. I hit the cow call again and within 20 minutes of back and forth I had my shooter down about 50 yards from where his was laying. We also had a smallish 5x5 come in hot...see us...walk away...and then follow us around the mountain the whole morning. He'd disappear and then come back in to that hot cow call ...then disappear again and then show back up. We could've shot that bull 30 times that morning I like the whole game...but calling them in is my favorite part of it all...especially if they're talking back!!