Bull located, now what?

[Heartwood]

I was going over the" elk calling card" and it got me thinking about diagraming our thought process once a bull is located.
I'm interested in what some forum members processes are once a bull has been located by sound or sight.
My own process is to first decide or find out if the bull is a herd bull or satalite. Then if he is a herd bull, does he have a cow nearing or in estrus. What is the "mood of the day" as elknut says. Do I want to call a satalite bull or a herd bull? I must pick a bull to talk to and focus on if there are multiple bulls present and vocal. These are some questions that must be answered in order to respond in an appropriate way to the situation. A few years ago I would encounter a bull with cows but the bull would appear to be a less dominate bull so I would not use herd bull tactics on him. I thought I would run him off with herd bull tactics. I have since learned that if that bull has and is keeping cows then he is a herd bull atleast on that day and time. If I treat him like a herd bull, he has to act like a herd bull or risk looking weak to his cows. What is your thought process or check list to act according to the situation?

[Swede]

My first thought is to locate exactly where he is. Did he respond to my call or did I just hear him? If he responded, I will wait 2 or 3 minutes and call again. Is he still where he was or has he changed locations? Am I alone or can I get a shooter up close? If the bull is responding to me and is stationary, I will move closer in a hurry. There are too many variables to say I have a canned approach, but will try something to draw him out.

[twinkieman]

I'm assuming he was located by bugling.
First and foremost, is he a herd bull or a satellite, then right to what Swede says, did he respond to my calls? Is he stationary, or moving in my direction? If he is a herd bull, how did he respond to me? What I do next will depend on those things. If he is stationary, and did not tell me to stay away, I'm going right at him, cow calling my way in. If he told me to stay away, I'm moving in and challenging him. If he is just advertising, I'm also moving in with excited cow calls. If he answered me, and goes silent, I'm setting up, he may be coming in silently, trying to size up this new bull he heard, and I am setting up away from where I called from last, and eyes scanning.

[Swede]

There are just too many variables and "what ifs" possible. Even the time of day can make a huge difference. How consistent is the wind? I have gone right after the bull, but I have backed out too. Sometimes backing out and coming back later is critical to not messing things up.

[Ryan Conkle]

Good stuff...now I have a further question of my own, you have a bull located either by your own calling or that has sounded off on his own and you have determined that the said bull is a satellite bull...with that being said are you always going to approach this bull with excited cow/estrus talk, or is their a situation that would dictate bugling to this satellite bull and attempt to call him in from another bull's vocalizations' or challenges'? If such a situation would dictate bugling to or challenging this bull, I would be interested to hear an example of when that would be.

[twinkieman]

is their a situation that would dictate bugling to this satellite bull and attempt to call him in from another bull's vocalizations' or challenges'?

Yes, there are times that I would introduce a bugle into this situation. Again I have to agree with Swede,

There are just too many variables and "what ifs" possible

So you know he is a satellite, Is he responding to your cow calling, if so How? Does he start coming to you and hang up?

Threat Levels could be used, which employ bugling, lip bawl bugles could be used, raking as well. It all depends on what your bull says, or does.

[Swede]

Let's narrow this problem down some. We can do as RJ does on his scenarios. You are alone at 6:45 AM mid September. You have a situation as Twinkieman suggests. You received a satellite bull response bugle to your bugle. The bull was on the side hill about 300 yards away. Let's simplify this a little more. You have an Elkmtngear decoy.
I would evaluate the wind then move in as close as possible. Then I would set up the decoy in an opening near good cover and try some simple cow calls. Then I would move by some nearby cover, nock an arrow and wait. This is basically what my son did two years ago mid season when he killed a 5X5 bull.

[Ryan Conkle]

The bull is responding to your cow calling by the means of bulging and chuckling back, to which I would interpret as him attempting to call me to him, although he is hung-up and due to the terrain features' you are not able to move in on him any closer. Would this be a situation in which you would institute a threat level or bugling/raking in effort to create a scenario of 2 bulls' competing each other for a cow?

[Tigger]

I think you need to try to understand if he fancies himself a tough customer or is a raghorn just trying to get any cow he can. Satellites are satellites today and a herd bull an hour later. Some can handle a challenge, others turn tail and run. Simple as quantum physics.

[twinkieman]

by Ryan Conkle » 06 27, 2016
The bull is responding to your cow calling by the means of bulging and chuckling back, to which I would interpret as him attempting to call me to him, although he is hung-up and due to the terrain features' you are not able to move in on him any closer. Would this be a situation in which you would institute a threat level or bugling/raking in effort to create a scenario of 2 bulls' competing each other for a cow?

How close are you from the bull now? Is open terrain what prevents you from moving any closer, thick blowdowns? Distance is the key here. Can you do a Breeding Sequence, lots of bugling in that. Have you cow called your way in as close as you can? Lets say I'm inside of 100yds, and I can't get any closer, I would give this bull a reason I can't come to him, light chuckling, a rag horn type bugle, followed by painful sounds from the cow, as if she is being horned to hold her back, with lots of foot stomping, and branches breaking. I'd make it sound like the cow(me) wants to go to him, but a lesser bull is trying to keep me back.

[Ryan Conkle]

Thank you guys' for the advice... season can not get here soon enough!

[welka]

Don't overlook the tricky part. Don't assume you can figure out where the bugle came from! Very difficult sometimes with wind, noise, moving while you hear it, other bugles, etc. I can be standing next to my hunting buddy and we point in opposite directions on a bugle! Once you hear and "guess" the direction, start moving in that direction and play it from there. If you can't decide, then a couple of cow mews might help pinpoint. If we have direction, we never make any calls and beat the path straight towards the bull. Once you get close, lots of options and each situation may require a little different approach.