Spot and Stalk A Herd Bull

[JohnFitzgerald]

If you just want to shoot the herd bull, how do guys spot and stalk him? Doesn't his cows pick you off long before you get close enough? Just seems like too many stars need to be aligned for it to work properly. Like the bull needs to be one of the closest elk to your stalk side, ground needs moister, and the elk need to be occupied with something else like feeding. Ambush seems to be a lot better option.

[cnelk]

Hunt him early.
Pre-rut

[JohnFitzgerald]

Good idea Brad.

What about the guys out there that hunt the rut(peak) and don't call. Is it all about ambush or do you have successful tactics for spot and stalk on herd bulls?

[Swede]

I think spot and stalk hunting a herd bull sized elk is generally an ambush proposition. I had a chance to ambush a lone one this past September near where Stringunner got his bull, but I moved and he must have seen me. I never saw him after I set up for the ambush.

[ORelksniper]

For me it's all about ambush...if they're not responding to calls. Never had any luck slipping past all those extra sets of eyes that surround ole stinky.

[dreamhunter]

I'm still waiting for that opportunity and I know when it arrives it will definitely be a little to non moving situation. I will have to make my best guess as to where I think I should set up and wait him out. So Ambush it is. Now once I get better at reading the elk and learning more about what they are saying, then I can hopefully sound like another bull that has slipped in under him without him knowing it until it's more of a threat situation.Here I would hope that he would have to investigate more and come closer.

[ElkNut1]

Yes, pre rut, open country & lots of glassing. This equates into a good possibility of locating lone bulls as well as bachelor groups with a decent bull or two in it. End of Aug & first week of Sept leans this direction. I've found many times that a Spot & Stalk ends up into an ambush. Meaning you've located bulls & have a direction/pattern of their movement. You'll notice the country used is fairly open with water/wallows, bedding, these elk generally do not feed very far off, at this time most could care less about a cow. So Stalk & Ambush ends up being key elements, not so much great calling! A key sound would be the popping/nervous grunt to stop them for the shot if needed.

ElkNut1

[twinkieman]

While you may be hunting a big bull, in pre rut he is not a herd bull yet. John's ? asked about stalking a herd bull, and how to beat all his girlfriends eyes. I don't believe that hunting pre rut qualifies as a stalk on a herd bull. In my humble opinion, ambush would be the only option for a herd bull with cows.

[cnelk]

JF

It was Sept 20 when I killed my bull last fall. Im guessing it was pretty close to the rut.
I heard the bulls bugling and I just knew I was going to kill an elk.
SO sure I sent my son a text saying just that before I left the truck.

I didnt see them. I used their bugling to move in real close.
Very, very carefully I eased closer and closer in thick cover
I picked my setup even before I saw an elk.
I never heard a cow mew so I knew that a mew would be a good choice

Only after my shot and I started trailing my bull did I see the cows that were near, and there were only 3.
And there were 3 bulls in the vicinity. My guess is that 1 or 2 of those cows were 'hot'

I dont hunt where I use binoculars or spotting scopes. I use my 8x rangefinger, so 'Spot and Stalk' dont work for me.
Its 'Listen and Respond'

[JohnFitzgerald]

Thanks guys! I'm seeing a trend that it's really not about Spot and Stalk, it's more about Ambush.

CNELK - That's the way I would have done it. Sweet cow talk can get the job done too.

So when others talk about putting away the calls and sliding in silently on a vocal herd bull, what's your strategy? The only reason why I'm pressing a little is because of the Growler! He's a very large bull that we've hunted for 3 years now. Tried every calling tactic on him, he just never bites. Two years ago we tried ambushing.. My team sat on 3 game trails one morning. Of course he came bugling down the 4th and skirted off.

[ORelksniper]

JF, here's your solution: Swede and I will set up on trail #4.

No? How about: do you ever see him with cows? If so, try pulling a cow or two toward you with distress calls. Just a thought if you haven't already tried it.

[elkmtngear]

Doesn't his cows pick you off long before you get close enough?

I know it sounds crazy, but my buddy and I were actually able to use the SLIP System with the Profile Elk Decoy, to move around a group of cows and spikes and get in position on a herd bull. We walked around that group of elk on their leeward side, two guys using one decoy "shield" on an open ridgeline.

The bull was bugling back behind them in the timber. When we got to the timber's edge, Cory crawled forward about 60 yards and set up behind a big spruce. From behind the decoy, one estrus cow call was all it took, the bull screamed and cleared the timber, locked on the decoy, and came in to get my wind. Result was an 8 yard slam dunk shot by Cory.

We accomplished this with our Decoy Prototype before we actually gave the "thumbs up" to the Factory. We fully expected those cows to bark and blow, we were amazed that we got away with it!

Bottom line, if you want to "Spot and Stalk" a herd bull, you had better convince his entourage that you are the real deal!

[JohnFitzgerald]

JF, here's your solution: Swede and I will set up on trail #4.

No? How about: do you ever see him with cows? If so, try pulling a cow or two toward you with distress calls. Just a thought if you haven't already tried it.

LOL! You on 4, Swede on 5, he would then run down 6. We've tried sweet, rough, and everything in between. He's called The Growler because when he's heading to and from his lair, everytime we get close, he stops bugling and just growls. Going in quiet doesn't seem to work either because his routes and bedding are choked with downfall. Some stacked well over my head.

Maybe he's just one of those bulls that will eventually die of old age.

[>>>---WW---->]

Find a herd that is bedded up late in the morning. Slip into bow range of the nearest cow and wait. Several times during the day the bull will get up and mill around his cows checking for signs of estrus. When he gets to the cow you have setup on, wack him.

This only works on small herds that are not being harassed by other satellite bulls. Or, in other words, a herd that is fairly able to settle in and rest up for a long while.

[twinkieman]

I hunt Blacktails above timberline in open country, and I bed them, pick a route and stalk my way in. When I've closed the distance, I wait for the buck to get up, then put an arrow through him. I have been very successful, and most of the time there are multiple bucks bedded together, and I am able to get in close. Sometimes I have to watch the deer of my choice for several days before wind etc. will allow me to make a successful stalk, I have only tried stalking one bull, and wolves jacked up that stalk. My point is, I've only had the right situation for stalking develop once, most likely due to not catching elk in an open spot that allows me to know where all the animals are, and the time needed to pick a route that I can get in undetected. I love spot and stalk, but for elk calling is my best option.

[Still Hunter]

Just act like a horny good looking cow, and call that big boy in.


Another lame joke from the old guy. You could try still hunting the bedding area. It's the only way I hunt, and I don't even own a call. Catch them going to and from the bedding area, or just moving around in it. They don't lay down all day. If they're being pressured you need to accept you're going to have to get in the dark timber that isn't popular with most hunters. The good part is you can hunt all day.