Calling Situation - Scenario 1

[WapitiTalk1]

Allright, you are the caller and during a cold call set up, you've gotten this pretty little bull to come in silent. You're at the yellow arrow, directly where the bull is looking about 40 yards. Your buddy is set up in the direction of the red arrow no more than 20 yards away, and at this moment in time, is drawn back but has no clear/clean shot.

Tale of the tape: You and your buddy set up in a very heavily used elk area and had the presence of mind to properly "set up" with good positioning to possibly give the shooter a chance if a bull came in to your calling. A very light breeze is flowing from you (yellow arrow) directly at the bull. During your cold call set, about 10 minutes earlier, you started with some cow/calf herd talk and mixed in some brush raking and a few screams. This bull came in on a string, silently, directly downwind from you... past your buddy at a slow trot, put on the brakes, and spun back around and "stopped" on the other side of that gray log and the scub tree covering his vitals. Your cover/concealment is good but still... bullwinkle is more than a bit nervous about what he heard but doesn't see.

What do you think some options are at this moment in time to possibly get your buddy/shooter a chance at bringing this bull home for dinner?

elk12aa.jpg (20.5 KiB) Viewed 4885 times

[Trophyhill]

If I am concealed enough I would try a little raking/stomping with the understanding the shooter will stop him with a nervous grunt when the bull opens himself up for a shot. Don't know if this will work but every time I've been victim of a hangup and tried calling, it hasn't paid off. Disclaimer; I haven't had the luxury of having a caller.

[Toby]

I'm probably not going to do anything. With the breeze blowing at this bull he is going to turn to go any second, hopefully the shooter, red arrow, can stop him when he turns long enough for a shot, as he is already drawn he just needs a hesitation.

[Swede]

Stay still, be ready, and don't mess things up for your hunting buddy. If you call from the bush you are hiding by, the bull will know something is wrong. He is looking right at you. He is not real intelligent, but he knows bushes don't make elk calls.

[jmez]

If the breeze is toward him the gig is up. I'm not calling or moving.

Hope my buddy can call and give him a popping grunt right now, don't wait until he turns to leave. I think it is going to be in a hurry with a bad wind. At 20 yards he shouldn't have to move much to get a shot. With a popping grunt hopefully he turns more than just his head.

[ElkNut1]

With your wind going at the bull he's bolting in real life in any second, your only real chance is if the caller is already at full draw & can take him. Once they wind you it's very tough to stop them with any sound even the Nervous/Popping grunt, they basically have all the warning they need for a quick exit once they get a whiff of the human scent!

ElkNut1

[pd]

Oh dear. Based upon Paul's comment, whenever the bull approaches from downwind the caller should be prepared to fire away (regardless of previous arrangements with the shooter...)? While this really sucks, I can understand why it would happen---as hard as you might try to set up downwind or at least cross wind to the target, if the prey circles around and comes up to you from the downwind direction then you have no choice but either "let him walk, and try again later" or "shoot." Do I get this correctly?

[easeup]

you guys all agree this game is almost over.?
The shooter must be in the game too and realize the situation with the wind. If I am he, I would be thinking the same, that this bull is almost to turn and sprint out.
I offer up as a shooter to take the initiative quickly, take a side step out and release.

[Csrbowhunter]

I don't know if I'm concealed enough or not but if you can throw a rock to your right behind the bull he might turn to look what it was. If not you just have to hope the shooter does something good.

[Wyo67]

With the breeze blowing toward the elk, yeah, I think this opportunity is almost over. When I've been busted by the wind, it seems as though they always turn back and go the direction they came from. Since he already went past the shooter, that may be your saving grace here. If he starts to bolt, give a nervous grunt, and hope he stops at a spot where the shooter has an opportunity.

[elkmtngear]

With your wind going at the bull he's bolting in real life in any second, your only real chance is if the caller is already at full draw & can take him. Once they wind you it's very tough to stop them with any sound even the Nervous/Popping grunt, they basically have all the warning they need for a quick exit once they get a whiff of the human scent!

ElkNut1

Yeah I have to agree with all of the above.

Of course, I'm assuming he's staring at the decoy with me behind it...so If he starts to spin or bolt, a popping grunt would be more likely to stop him (convince him), hopefully giving my buddy the shot opportunity.

[Trophyhill]

As the caller, can I shoot this bull right thru the < and tell the shooter he should have been in a better position?

[WapitiTalk1]

As the caller, can I shoot this bull right thru the < and tell the shooter he should have been in a better position?

You're gonna hit that little scrub pine David and I'm gonna throw a rock at you

[Trophyhill]

As the caller, can I shoot this bull right thru the < and tell the shooter he should have been in a better position?

You're gonna hit that little scrub pine David and I'm gonna throw a rock at you

Oops had a little tunnel vision again lol