What to do? Scenario #1

[WapitiTalk1]

Allright.. It's here. The fall elk season has finally came around! You've planned your trip, you're buddy bought in and is on board, the OTC tags have been purchased, you've driven the 2316.91 miles from (name your town) Alabama.. You've practiced your calling until you're pretty dang good with locater bugles, challenge screams, and you're feeling pretty good about your cow and calf sounds.. The drive out was painfull, dreaming about your first elk hunt and at long last, you've arrived... stepping into the elk woods for the first time. You and your buddy leave camp and hit the access trail and climb close to 2 miles before you take a hard right and stop on the finger ridge that looks down over the 1/4 mile wide (insert state here) basin you've looked at 104 times on Caltopo and perused over the hard copy 7.5 minute USGS maps you've had for almost a year. You and your buddy stand there for a few minutes, that golden time right before the sun actually comes up over the eastern skyline, taking in what is truly God's country.. You throw out your first locator bugle and "holy crap".. a bull answers you with a locater back. At this time of the morning, the thermals are moving steadily down and will do so for the next several hours at a minimum. The bull seems to be directly below you on the sidehill several hundred yards. What's your initial plan of attack to get close enough to get a shot?

[Indian Summer]

Asap I'd get away from the area above him. Then look at the map. Decide whether I'd rather approach him from the left or right based on the lay of the land and cover. Once I know he's not directly below me I'm dropping down to his elevation hoping to catch a game trail for both me and him to use to move toward each other. Then I'd use the gutless method and show my buddy how to pack elk. I guess I skipped a few things.

[Swede]

I think I would do what I.S. suggests and when we get down to the level of the bull. I would softly tell my buddy stay here for awhile. I am going over there (toward the bull) and sit a spell. While I am gone I want you to beat up this small tree with a good limb like this one. Beat it up for a couple of minutes on a ten minute interval. You can stomp around too when you are thrashing this small tree. I will come back when I think you are done.
"Be sure to give it a good thrashing. The Forest Service wants to thin these little buggers out."

[Elkonthebrain]

I'm with IS on this as well. Whether it be to the left or the right, get on the bulls level. I think I would have one guy cow call trying to get the bull to respond. If you get a response the caller stays back to keep the bull talking. Then the other hunter trys to sneak in and get a shot.

[twinkieman]

Since he answered with a locator, and didn't tell me to stay away, I'm going to drop elevation, get on his level, where I can keep the wind in my favor, and if the encounter lasts longer than expected, and the thermals switch, I can move back up in elevation. I'm going to assume, with just the one bugle, that this bull is alone as well. Once on his level, I'm going to give a few soft mews, and wait. If no response, I'm going to lost cow call, and if I am right , and he is alone, I expect an answer. From this point on, what he says or doesn't say, will trigger what I do next.