Whaddya do? Mid morning singing.

[WapitiTalk1]

All right, the morning hunt is pretty much in the books. You've either heard an unsolicited bugle and got close, or, you've called a rambunctious satellite bull (neither of these scenarios worked out with a shot), or, you haven't heard a single elk noise until this moment when you plop down on the hillside in (insert state here). As you sit on your haunches, munching on your mid day snack of choice, you hear big frank sound off from his bedding area on the hillside across from you! The big fella is obviously feeling his oats this 25th day of September and is exercising his vocal cords and displaying sounds prompted by his high testosterone level (probably a herd bull with cows). What's your plan at 11:01 to make a play on the bull across the draw? Do you go now? Do you lock the location down for a later hunt? Do you bugle back? Whaddya you do to maximize your chance at putting this guy's nose in the dirt?

[flystrait]

I would try and mark his location if possible and slip in as closely as possible and then I would throw a challenge bugle right in his face. Based on his response I will then get even nastier and that should do it. Make sure before you make any sounds that you are set up properly based on terrain. More times than not he will be coming towards you. Most of the bulls we have killed is between 9 and 12 hence they are in their beds.

[Bowhunter]

The thermals should be going up by this time. I would get above him and as close as I dare without getting busted. I would then try a few lost cow calls. He will more than likely just bugle telling me to come to him. If he doesn't come I will try the cow calls again and cut him off with an agressive bugle when he answers the cow calls. I would then get ready because he will probably come in fast and mad.

[cnelk]

The thermals are not your friend at this time of day.
You will need to make a BIG loop to get at his elevation or above and work in from that direction.
Silent is best. He bugled without being called to, so keep it that way [for now]

This is where a good GPS comes in handy.
You can view where you are at and where you think he is at and see the terrain.

Slip in on him and see what happens.

[RockChucker30]

If the bull is bugling a lot on his own and I'm with a partner, we both go after him. If the bull isn't bugling frequently and I'm with a with a partner I'd probably start out with call and stalk. Have my partner throw out a non challenging location bugle every 10-15 minutes to try and get a response. I would circle to get above the bull to take advantage of the rising thermals and then try to sneak as close as possible.

At that point there are several ways to go. The danger is spooking the cows before seeing the bull, which is likely if you push too close. The bull will probably place himself on the side of the herd facing my bugling partner in order to be between that bull and his cows. But he may patrol the edges of the herd frequently, in which case I may be able to stick him.

This situation is now ripe for a threat level 2 or 3. I'm in close to a herd with a riled up bull who doesn't know I'm there. Threat level 3 would piss him off mightily, especially since I snuck in the back door to steal a cow and he didn't see it coming.

If I did happen to bump a cow I would run at that cow, breaking sticks, making noise, and throw out a high pitched scream and immediately go into threat level 3. That could make the bull think the cow spooked because another bull is trying to steal her, and hopefully he'd come raging in to run me off.

Any way it goes it sounds like fun.

[elkmtngear]

We could be talking about a lot of eyes and a lot of noses up there.

Not just the thermals you have to consider, but bad swirling winds at this time, at least where I hunt.

I think I'm going to have a sandwich and take a nap. I'm waiting for a good positive wind before I make any kind of move. I'm not going to blow this herd out into the next county.

We have capitalized on this situation in the past by ambushing the herd when they move out of their beds into evening feeding areas, using the wind advantage, and presenting decoys and challenging when the herd comes into range.

[Jaquomo]

I would stay well out of smelling range until about half hour before sunset. If I don't know where they're going to feed (just randomly stumbled into this herd) I'd spend some time figuring out which feeding meadow they've been hitting. This will most likely be out of nose-range, so I can check trails, fresh tracks, etc..

Then I'd start working closer to craft my setup immediately after sundown, when I'm confident of a hard settling thermal and the elk are hopefully parked in or close to their evening feeding area.

[JGH]

Jacuomo ... I think I would tend to approach this like you ...

But ...

If it were me, there would two or three likely feeding areas, and I'd have to guess which one to use. How do you get so lucky to find a herd with just one feeding area?

I know ... "luck" comes from experience. Any hints?

[Jaquomo]

I check as many different feeding areas as practical during the off-time (when I'm not taking a nap, stump-shooting, checking trail cams at wallows, etc.) Usually they are far enough from the bedding that the wind won't goof my elk. So I'll walk the uphill and side perimeters checking entrance trails. Agree that there are always multiple feeding areas, which is what frustrates me just about when I think I have them pegged..