Wapiti Talk “It’s Your Move”, Episode #1

[WapitiTalk1]

Date: 20 September, 2015
Hunt/Tag: A Mountain State archery elk; any bull tag
Hunter status: Good physical shape; proficient with archery gear out to 45 yards; possesses proper clothing/boots for the terrain and weather; has studied and can recognize most elk noises, and, can make the following elk calls/sounds (locator bugle, cow mews and calf chirps, nervous or popping grunt, challenge bugle, and is pretty decent with chuckles). Hunter also understands and can make effective non-verbal elk noises (brush/tree raking, ground stomping, twig snapping). Hunter is also proficient with map/compass and has a working GPS
Timeline: Day 5 of your 10 day hunt; you’re solo hunting today

Scenario: You look at your watch. It is 7:10 PM with only 20 minutes of shooting light left. You have just arrived back up on Brushy Ridge Trail. You plan to slowly and cautiously walk back down the path you came in on, early in the morning. You have hunted all day with only one brief non-vocal encounter with elk, and that was at about 7:00AM. It seems that this is one of those quiet elk days you have heard all about. The area you are in has some hunting pressure, but not much. Right now you are 1/2 mile from your truck, parked at the trail head where you were the only rig parked when you came in early in the morning.
As you stand on the trail in a stand of pole timber, eating the last of your trail mix, and swallowing down some water, you hear a pretty three-note bugle. Wow! It sounds like a bull is at or near the trail 200 yards away. That call is down the ridge in the direction you are headed. In less than a minute you hear another bugle coming up from the scattered old-growth timber on the hillside below. The last bugle is only 200 yards to 300 yards down and back, near where you were about 15 minutes ago. There are quite a few good game trails in that area. The trails traverse the slope from the bedding areas to where the elk feed on the hillside, and in the canyon. The second bugle sounds big and has good resonance/tone. The sun has set and the wind is down slope and steady at this time. Now what do you do? What’s your plan to attempt to get up close and personal with a bull and possibly get a shot?

It’s your move. Please let us know what you may do in this situation.

[Indian Summer]

I am never in a hurry. Being in a hurry leads to bad things. It can easily take a little while to found even a well hit bull and it's almost dark. I'm pretty close to the truck so I think I'll get out of there as fast as I can and be back in the dark to try to pick up where I left off.

Maybe not the answer you were looking for but if you've ever had an elk go unrecovered you will do whatever you can to avoid that sick feeling again.

[ElkNut1]

I'm with Joe, smile, walk away & be there before first light, he won't be far!

This happened almost identical to me several years back, it was on the 29th & the season was closing the next day. I brought my son back with me explaining to him what took place & let's see about finding this bugling bull I had left just before dark the day before. He hadn't moved 200 yards as we heard him bugle up on a ridge in the timber. We got to within 300 yards or so of him & my son bugled from there just enough for me to keep tabs on him as I slipped in silently. I ended up being busted by part of his harem 15 yards to my right that I had not seen, I guess I had tunnel vision on the bugling bull. (grin)

We waited there 20 minutes & moved over the other side where the elk ran towards. My son bugled & so did the bull a few hundreds yards away. My son setup right there & this time used soft cow calling to keep the herd bull bugling just enough to allow me to slip in again, this time I put an arrow in him at 35 yards after a 45 min stalk & one nervous/popping grunt to stop him in his tracks! Nice 6-point filled the freezer!

ElkNut1

[Wyo67]

I'm with Joe & Paul. With additional hunting days to be had, I'm not going to risk blowing them out by heading towards them with the wind at my back. You know the spot, sneak in tomorrow with favorable wind before sunrise. Seeing as how it had been quiet all day, I'd suspect the bulls are just calling to see who's out there as the cows head toward water/feed. Curious as to what you heard the previous 4 days. Being September 20th, I'd suspect they may start getting hot at anytime... I'm sure I'd be headed back that way in the morning.

[Fridaythe13th]

It's not that I disagree with Paul & Joe, but last year we had a similar situation with a 1 1/2 left before dark 2 elk were bugling 3/4 of a mile away up 600 feet across a creek I knew it was going to take 45 min to an hour to get up to them so we decided to leave them and be on the ridge at sun up. We were up at 3:45 walk the 3 miles and were on the ridge right at day break we heard 1 bugle 4-500 yards away the wind was right so we moved in, 1st and last bugle in that valley a few cold call setups but nothing. I guess my point is a person only as a couple of good chances and sometime you have to make it happen. Next year I'm going after those 2 bulls.
To be continue a year from now.

[Swede]

Joe brings up an interesting point.

I am never in a hurry. Being in a hurry leads to bad things.

There is a big difference between being in a hurry and being aggressive. Bad things happen when you are in too big of a hurry. I am pleased that Joe brought out that point, as his lead to his post. I have often given council against charging ahead. The problem I have had is that, the council came without differentiating between aggressive and fool-hearty, or reasoned and impulsive.

[Huntrgathr]

Guess I'm one of those guys that doesn't know when to quit. 20 min can be plenty of time to kill a bull that is on the move. As far as it being close to dark, I'll take the opportunity to put a herd bull on the ground anytime. I'm only 1/2 mi from the rig and near a trail so it's an easy pack out, even at night. It's also likely that I can make a pass at him without blowing the elk out if I'm careful. I'm going after the second bull (better location in regards to wind) that is likely rounding up his cows to head for the feeding area. I'm dropping down to get the wind and I may or may not cow call on my way in depending on how vocal the bull is being and how well I think I have him pinpointed. Getting consecutive bugles helps determine the Bulls direction of travel. In the old growth, visibility is good for both the bull and myself so I'd move slowly, eyes up, using binos occasionally to look for legs, ears, etc. If he's cowed up there's a really good chance he's going to be the last in line as they move. I'll look for the cows to give me the intercept vector, slip in, and assassinate him.

If he keeps bugling from the same spot, not moving, I'll leave him for tomorrow...

[WapitiTalk1]

Episode #1, part II.

Well, you figured the bugle coming from the trail below you was possibly a hunter and you were correct. The decision was made to head down the trail to your truck and come back in the morning to hunt the bull that you heard down below you, back up the draw.

You are 1/4th mile back up the Brushy Ridge. It is 05:30 on September 21th, the 6th day of your hunt. It is still dark and you want to have a look at the bull you left behind yesterday evening. He sounded big, but you are not positive. You wonder if he has some cows or not. The wind blowing lightly down hill and it is just below freezing.
A couple of guys walked out the trail yesterday evening just after you got into your truck. They stopped and visited a few minutes and said they saw you walk by them on your way back. You got a compliment on your calling. "You sounded like a real bull" one said. They are not back this morning and you have the area to yourself. Apparently they mistook the real bull for you, or they just don't want to go back in the same area.
Now what do you do?

[Indian Summer]

Get as close as I think I can, locate the bull, have my partner keep him sounding off while I sneak in for the kill. Or vice versa of course. Quarter bull and get back to camp before dark to celebrate.