Your Definition Of "Quiet Elk"

[ElkNut1]

We hear this phrase "Quiet Elk" on here on a regular basis. So what's your definition of this phrase? To some it means they hear a bull now & then, to others no elk sounds are heard at all in the course of several days. So when ones refer to quiet elk what pops into your mind as to what they are talking about?

ElkNut1

[Trophyhill]

I think this is a subject that a lot of folks prefer not to talk about because it goes against what we think elk hunting is about. We see all the videos and tv shows of screaming elk and think that's how elk hunting should be. Anyone who has hunted long enough knows that hunting silent elk is a very real possibility. And a real challenge. When entering the elkwoods we lose sight of the fact that we are on elk time now and must adjust to the changing circumstances. Once we figure out how to kill elk that aren't vocal, the rest just seems easy. Finding those sounds that can and do trigger a vocal response from silent elk can be a huge advantage. Other methods like still hunting and reading sign can pay off too. It's all part of unlocking the "elk code". IMO this is where having patience is paramount. Elk will talk but you really have to be in the right locations and be listening and paying attention to everything.

[Washington Wapiti]

For me, west side Washington elk = quiet elk.
What comes to mind when I hear the term, is simply that . . . elk that are not talking at all. I suppose that could include very intermittent vocalizing too, but that is just what makes sense to me. Where I typically hunt I'm used to very quiet elk, and ambush style hunting works very well here. If the bulls start screaming it is a very cool, "bonus year." 2 seasons out of the 5 I've hunted this area have been vocal years. I have never heard real cow or calf sounds there either, only bulls.

[stringunner]

Where we hunt, we have quiet days and vocal days. The vocal days are few, but occur when the elk start grouping up, generally when we see groups of 15-20+ the groups are vocal. When the group size is smaller than that we have noticed very little vocalizations. I think it has more to do with hunting pressure as opposed to predators as where we hunt we do not have predator problems per say when compared to other states. It is amazing however when the groups are vocal just how fast they can and do shut up and become completely silent. Still hunting and ambush hunting are ways we have found better success.

[ElkNut1]

I think many hunters right here on this Forum have an obscured idea of what some of us veteran elk hunters experience every year. It's really no different than what Washington Wapiti just mentioned. I think many here feel we are into vocal elk more than not. By no means is this the case, yes we get into bugling now & then but not on a daily basis, it's very sporadic at best & hearing cows talk is as rare. Many of the areas we hunt you would rarely if ever see elk first. Much of our hunting is by vocalness on our part to locate elk or setups that pull quiet elk in from varying distances up to a mile away throughout the month of Sept. -- The key to having shot opportunities is knowing what to do with those times, quiet times or vocal times. We do our best to make the most out of every single situation we get into. There's a reason we cover 5-12 miles a day, it's because in so many cases the elk are quiet so we go in search of! Whether it be what glassing that comes available or tons of varying setups with advertising bugling or breeding sequences, etc. we just don't give up. When we do find vocal elk we read the situation as quickly as possible & act upon our decision. This is elk hunting the DIY OTC way! No real way to sugar coat it! (grin)

ElkNut1

[Swede]

I understand there is no standard definition for quiet elk, but here is my take on the subject. Quiet elk has nothing to do with the cows. I have noticed no difference in cow talk between Roosevelt elk and Rocky Mountain elk. Cows on the move are talking. You just have to be close to hear them. To me quiet elk refers to the bulls bugling. Some days they are vocal and on other days they bugle very little if any. Quiet elk are the same animals as the vocal ones. It is just how actively they bugle on a given day.

[Screaming_btf]

I think of high pressured or spooked ELK not Bugling, not responding vocally to calling attempts or just very low key responses when in close.

[Washington Wapiti]

I think many hunters right here on this Forum have an obscured idea of what some of us veteran elk hunters experience every year. It's really no different than what Washington Wapiti just mentioned. I think many here feel we are into vocal elk more than not. By no means is this the case, yes we get into bugling now & then but not on a daily basis, it's very sporadic at best & hearing cows talk is as rare. Many of the areas we hunt you would rarely if ever see elk first. Much of our hunting is by vocalness on our part to locate elk or setups that pull quiet elk in from varying distances up to a mile away throughout the month of Sept. -- The key to having shot opportunities is knowing what to do with those times, quiet times or vocal times. We do our best to make the most out of every single situation we get into. There's a reason we cover 5-12 miles a day, it's because in so many cases the elk are quiet so we go in search of! Whether it be what glassing that comes available or tons of varying setups with advertising bugling or breeding sequences, etc. we just don't give up. When we do find vocal elk we read the situation as quickly as possible & act upon our decision. This is elk hunting the DIY OTC way! No real way to sugar coat it! (grin)

ElkNut1

You mean there ISN'T a magical, elk land where they just talk non-stop and you simply follow the sounds or respond back!? Now my dreams have been dashed.
This makes sense to me. Most of the time while doing non-game wildlife work, illiciting a response was about 95% of the norm. So, I don't see why it wouldn't be that way with elk. Good to know! In the past, it was probably just my limited repertoire of call types and not saying the right things to get them talking. Although with that limited calling I was able to bring elk in on a couple of occasions. If only I knew then, what I'm learning now . . .

[WapitiTalk1]

From my meager perspective, silent elk are 1. early season elk (early SEPT), and 2. a time or two in the third/fourth week of SEPT when they shut up for one to several days, perhaps due to weather, just to annoy me .

[Gselkhunter]

Quiet doesn't mean non-vocal it means quiet. The cows still talk to each other it is just a low volume. Bulls will also join in to this mode. The reasons can be many. One of the main ones I see is younger bulls running cows and a bigger bull shows up. The young bull shuts up and tries to sneak out with his cows. Another is in warm temps when they dig into the darkest coolest hole they can find and will not exert themselves until it cools down. Being a good timber rat I will go in after them but stealth is the only way to work this game. Slowly moving and watching for color in the trees. Calling must be in the same mode as the elk would do, limited and low key. Rubbing a instead of beating a tree and a single grunt instead of a bugle. Most of the elk I have gotten to come in when it is like this don't make a sound. This kind of hunting may not be as much fun as a screaming bull running in but you better be on your toes at all times because it happens so fast in close quarters.

[flystrait]

How many of you have had a bull 60 yards away and bugle, but you could not here it unless you were watching him. Your hunting partner is only a few yards from you and had no idea that the bull was there and never heard a sound. I have seen it a few times. This typically happens when there is a heard bull and you are cow calling and the satellite slips in and does this. He does not want to draw attention to himself trying to collect cows. I bring this up in this thread because it tells me elk can be more vocal then we can imagine and you just can't here them.. Hmmmm something to think about?

[ElkNut1]

Excellent thoughts guys, these were some of the very thoughts I'd hope would come out!

Craig, yes have been in similar situations with some of those slippery juveniles! (grin)

ElkNut1

[BrentLaBere]

flystrait, Gselkhunter,
Very helpful insight to what silent elk means. Craig, I remember you saying this before and for some reason it just clicked for me here. I think some of my problem last fall was being too loud with calling in situations and then others not being loud or aggressive enough. It surprised me looking back on situations of how close we had to get in order to get a response. Talking about it here, makes me think the elk were talking the whole time and I didn't hear them because of the terrain and distance. Also, other times, we could hear cow talk from a 1/4 mile away with excited bulls bugling. Pitch tone and intensity ringing true? Use them accordingly it seems.

[flystrait]

flystrait, Gselkhunter,
Very helpful insight to what silent elk means. Craig, I remember you saying this before and for some reason it just clicked for me here. I think some of my problem last fall was being too loud with calling in situations and then others not being loud or aggressive enough. It surprised me looking back on situations of how close we had to get in order to get a response. Talking about it here, makes me think the elk were talking the whole time and I didn't hear them because of the terrain and distance. Also, other times, we could hear cow talk from a 1/4 mile away with excited bulls bugling. Pitch tone and intensity ringing true? Use them accordingly it seems.

It sounds very plausible Brent.

[Toby]

Good thread. In the past I have relied too much on loud elk sounds, this thread will get me focused on those quiet elk. Of course, being hard of hearing makes them all kinda quiet, some more than others