Couple Of Ways To Hunt Quiet Elk!

[ElkNut1]

These two Sequences are ones every hunter should know & why they work! We have called in countless elk with these, mostly bulls! That's the cool thing with both these sequences they have a much higher ratio of drawing bulls in over cows & spikes! These sequences are very deadly on both Quiet elk or Bugling elk. You need to tailor it to the days hunt & the mood of the elk. We explain this & show you in the woods how we actually perform these sounds in a calling environment. Paul II is one heck of an elk caller, he's probably called more elk on Public Land than any one individual I know, his sounds are simply amazing & believable you have to hear him go through his routine. He calls a lot of bulls in with these two techniques. We're not World Champion elk callers here but the sounds we imitate are right on par with elk that are either Advertising themselves or in the middle of doing their best to control their cows in estrus before they are ready to be bred! These sounds flat attracts elk!

Knowing when a bull advertises himself & why is truly important in this technique. This is not just a couple bugles tossed out there hoping for the best, it's not running & gunning, it's high energy calling & setups from one spot, the elk come to you. Bulls will advertise themselves for various reasons, the intensity & repetition of their bugling can help us to read the situation & how to approach it from there. It's also one of my favorite ways to draw in quiet bulls!

Breeding Sequences on the other hand are unique! As the rut nears bulls in a given area are getting amped up, they will travel the same trails these cow groups are traveling scent checking them for cows coming into estrus, this is done through cows dripping or urinating on the ground. These trails in themselves can be great spots for a treestand or ambush as these non herd bulls can seek out these hot cows on a daily basis.

When a cow shows signs of coming into estrus the herd bull can become very vocal, at this time of courtship he tries to keep her close by especially in the feeding & bedding areas, he does this through specific bugling such as lip bawls, glunking, panting & chuckling, this is another way the satellites in the area are alerted to these herds with hot cows, they don't get emails! (grin) They listen for this sound sequence that can be heard at long distances & it draws them their way. -- You will most likely draw bulls in over the cows using this technique, bulls can come storming in or as quiet as a church mouse so keep your ears honed & your head on a very slow moving swivel as you patiently scan the area for sounds such as a stick breaking or unusual rustling of debris or any visual movement as these other elk show to this uninvited party.

Nice thing about these methods is we the caller can adjust our volume & intensity of the calling to fit our needs for the day & those more heavily hunted areas!

You want to increase your close encounters this year more than ever before then you need to check this DVD out! Paul II & I have called in & killed a ton of bulls with these methods. Yes, cows can show up too for those interested in them, you never know what may show first, bottom line is it pulls elk your way!

There are other methods as well but these two top our hit list!

ElkNut1

[baddaddy]

I recommend this video to everyone. There is great information in the video and the sequences are awesome. Paul and Paul II are both awesome callers.

[WapitiTalk1]

Just listened to the Breeding Sequence on the way home in my truck; love that stuff. For those that aren't aware, you receive an audio CD along with the DVD for the Elknut Advertising and Breeding sequence recordings. "Well" worth the price of admission.

[twinkieman]

As with all of the information, on the CD's, or DVD's Elknut has created, these flat out work, and should be in your bag of tricks. There is no sense just being in the woods to hunt elk, if you're going to hunt elk, you might as well kill elk!

[ElkNut1]

Thanks guys! I think what happens mostly with hunters is they are reluctant to bugle these days because of what they read on the net! If you're away from most hunting pressure guys we should bugle in an attempt to locate elk! This is best to incorporate after Sept 10th. Before that certain methods as mentioned above in addition to sitting stands in active areas as trails are the key to having shot opportunities! All elk will use trails!

ElkNut1

[Swede]

We know that much of bugling is controlling or locating, but how much of that calling is due to the cows coming into heat? How much does the rut influence bugling or quiet days?

[Lefty]

Thanks guys! I think what happens mostly with hunters is they are reluctant to bugle these days because of what they read on the net!,,,,,,,,, ElkNut1

I heard one group of guys bugle this year,.. they were terrible, and I sort of messed with them a bit .
But once I get back to where I hunt I ran across a total of 5 guys, two and three guys.. They all had top of the line gear. Each said they dont call because they were afraid of spooking bulls

[Swede]

I think I disagree with Paul on the reason many people are bugling less or not at all.
Calling used to work with very primitive bugles. Even a plastic flute would get a bull to respond. Then within a few years there were all kinds of pro built bugles, and the woods were full of them. It seemed the new bugles were being touted as the cure for all of your elk hunting woes. Instructional tapes and pamphlets were available. E.g. Herter's No. 531 Master Elk Call came with the following : "They will call in elk every time when used according to instructions that come with the call. Elk call easily, easier that moose or deer." Who would not want that call?
People who were never bow hunters picked up a bow the evening before archery season opened, got some arrows and a bugle, and thought they were going to be the pied piper of elk. Many more calls came on the market and everybody had the latest and greatest. Eventually in many areas they were much less effective for everyone, and the elk were not only not responding like they used to, but they were leaving the areas being hunted.
I would not suggest the bugle has no place anymore, but a hunter needs to know the right area, and more than that, they need to be skilled callers and bow hunters first. The day is past when a squeaky pickup door opening will bring a bull in.
Here is Oregon I suspect the number of bow hunters has increased ten times over. Part of that is due to the reduced opportunity to rifle hunt, but part is due to advertising bugles and the proliferation of hunting videos. Just my thought.

[ElkNut1]

swede, to your question in post #-6 Cows coming into estrus effects bugling dramatically. This would be considered peak bugling times as bulls of all ages compete for the cows attention. Of course there are other reasons bulls will bugle but not with near the intensity as hot cows can produce!

As to the thoughts in your last post maybe this illustration will help out. What if I were to say that ones cannot kill elk from a treestand. I've hunted for several years now from one over wallows, water, trails & natural mineral licks & rarely do I see any elk & have had no chances at killing one, treestand hunting just doesn't work & I don't feel anyone should have any faith in them, it's no way to hunt elk successfully! What would your thoughts be?

Here's what they would be. You'd say well you are doing something wrong! You would be correct. You'd say I've killed 20 elk out of a treestand so I know it works. You may ask me are you sure you are hunting these trails, wallows, waterholes, licks where elk activity is fresh? Are you very mindful of the wind direction or aware of how it can give you away? The list may go on as you try to help me figure out what I'm doing wrong!

You see swede, this is how I view ones who say Bugling doesn't work anymore! Hunters are doing things wrong! They need to pick good areas that can lead to their success, too, elk must be around. You need to know what you are saying when you do bugle. If lots of hunters running around a spot you've picked, well that's not good, no more than bad treestand placement is! My list can go on too. Point is when done properly bugling can lead to great success, it's another tool that all serious elk hunters need to learn it's proper use & times to use it!

ElkNut1

[Swede]

[quote="ElkNut1"]it's another tool that all serious elk hunters need to learn" quote]
I agree, a bugle or a cow call can be a useful tool, and like a tree stand, they are not going to be effective if used indiscriminately and everywhere.
I disagree with the point I quote. I know several, quite successful elk hunters, that are not using calls. They are not just tree stand hunters. Mostly they spot and stalk. Bugles are not for everyone everywhere, or at all times. I would say that like any useful tool, it is good to know how, where and why you the hunter are selecting any sound.

[ElkNut1]

Yes, spot & stalk can be a very good method. The country one hunts must be conducive to be effective though. Thick tight country is not conducive to spot & stalk. This is why it's just another tool to elk hunting, it's not an end all if you decide to hunt elk all over. You're best suited to be fluent in all styles of elk hunting not just one thing unless you do not intend to broaden your horizons. They all have their place!

ElkNut1

[CurlyTail]

I was curious to try this Advertising sequence this season. I really worked on my Bugling in the off season and improved my sounds a bunch.

My first try got no results. But is was a ton of fun.

My second try was nothing short of amazing. It was late afternoon, I had been in this valley all day and nothing was vocalizing. I thought the Elk had moved to the next valley. Figuring I had nothing to lose I let loose in the dead calm with nonstop bugles, half bugles, chuckles, raking - almost laughable ruckus to be honest. 10 minutes later a bull bugled up the valley a half mile or so. This encouraged me to new levels of absurd nonstop bugling. 5 minutes later, I got another bugle - 100 yards away and this guy way not joking around!

20 seconds later, this nice 6x6 bull comes trotting up the hill in a very aggressive fashion heading for me on a rope. My brother was well positioned and shot him about that time.

I will be doing this again.

Public land, Sept. 18th. I don't consider the Elk in my area to be heavily pressured compared to some areas.

[ElkNut1]

Jim, that's a great experience you've shared. I really enjoyed how you mention that on your first attempt at the Sequence you had zero results! You didn't let that stop you from giving it another shot & look at your great results! Awesome!

We too have employed this method countless times over the years in areas we felt good about no hunters being around us, it has payed off with great dividends over the years! Like yourself we also have dry runs but we do not let that stops us, no sir we will troll with this sequence until it pays off. It's sweet when it does! (grin) Just another tool in the arsenal!

ElkNut1

[mongopino915]

Advertising and breeding sequence (some may refer to as blind cold calling in one form or another) can be very effective at calling in quiet elk and we put 1 -2 bulls on the ground every season using these calling tactics.

A little background:

I recalled the first time I elk hunted with a bow and knew nothing about archery elk hunting and elk calling. At the time, I did not even carry an elk call as I did not know how to use it. The three guys that I was with had been archery elk hunting and calling for several years but really did not know much. It was around noon and we stopped to relax and lunch. The guys wanted to practice their calling and started making lots of crazy bugles and cow calls non-stop for like 10 minutes. While we were lunching and making lots of noise, I noticed movements in the wood. There were 5 cows and a nice 6x6 bull that had come in to check us out and were only 40 yards from us. Yes, we were busted but it clicked in my mind that you don't have to see or hear elk to call in elk.

Over the years, we have learned to be better and more realistic elk callers in the wood and refined our hunting strategies but the old advertising/breeding sequence always seems to deliver when the the hunting gets tough and the elk are not vocally responsive. The key factors are location, patient, making the calls sound realistic and meaningful.

We practice elk calling year round and try to be as realistic in tone, intensity, and volume, as possible.

We will do everything and anything to put one on the ground, including spot and stock, wallows, and just about every calling tactics and sounds we could think off depending on the situation.

Yes, we have had other hunters ninja in fully nocked with their shoes hanging on their back pack.