Elk question

[FerretWYO]

Now to the original posters questions. Elknut talks a little about this in his field manual. Something like a bait and switch. Dont call as long. Move from the original spot if you are alone. Up hill and/or downwind and forward. Be carful not to get busted. Try locating and stalking over just brining them to you. Remember when you are calling you took him from where he was comfortable to where he is now on alert and looking for something he is not going to find. Elk go and hang out where they are most comfortable meaning they can and sometimes do let the gaurd down just a little giving you the chance to make a move.

I hope this helps perry

[widow sax]

Just like what was said I took Elknuts advice last year and it worked like a champ. I made my last call moved over and up real quick so I would have him broadside he walked 15 yrds broadside right by me now if that branch had not jumped out and swatted my arrow I would have had elk steaks and lots of different memories.   Widow

[John146]

I have used a Montana Decoy and had good results both alone and team calling. I tie one end of some parachute cord to the head and the other to the rear and just hang it over a branch at the right heigth and then call from the up and downwind side. When you are done just fold it up and strap it to your daypack and go to the next spot. Good luck.

[Knotter]

I saw that episode of BHM where curt wells takes that shot.  He then explains the circumstances of it very clearly.  same program but a different episode where dwight Shuh shot a bull elk perfectly broadside. no explanation required.  

Be patient... your shot will come. ...I hope mine does some day.

[Montanawidower]

Here is another tip that I haven't seen posted yet...   Get above the elk and "Play the folds".  


1)   In my neck of the woods you have three types of approaches
     
a)  suicidal young bulls
b)  lookers
c)  fighters

2)  A and C are pretty easy if you have a partner.  B is the real challenge and frankly 90% of the bulls we see.  

3)   The lookers will go to the first place they can SEE the call location... comfortably as Randy put it.   Guessing that is the game.  In some country thats 300 yards out, in lodgepole blowdowns that may be  15 yards.  

4)  Our trick...  Use folds of land to hide the calls and then move to the lip of the fold.  Once you are at the lip crest it move downwind.    Very often the bull will come to that lip and freeze.   He will then scan to see where the calls are coming from.   THOSE ARE THE PLACES TO KILL YOUR ELK.  Some country is awesome for this... other areas are more of a challenge to get the right set up.  

5) Again being above the elk makes a huge difference.  Elk can see along way downhill but must crest lips to see uphill.  

6)  In our honey holes, we often just locate and follow elk until we see the situation developing in a spot we can play hide and seek.  Then we lay into them and get them coming to our trap.  

7)  With two callers it is more straightforward.  The caller just stays out of sight behind the lip and judges the  approach based on the bugles.  If the bull is going off coarse, the caller moves laterally hidden by the lip to adjust the bulls approach.  

If you are solo, its harder to adjust after you crest the lip.  But depending on the terrain it can still be done.  I know because I have done it.    

A second type of "looker" we see every season is the "circler".   These are perhaps the most frustrating of all.   They usually don't follow a straight path and thus guessing their approach to the lip is tough.   The problem is the bull will  circle and crest the lip in a funky position and then freeze on the wrong side of the lip.  

Our solution to the circler is to switch roles mid play.  Once the bull crests the lip ,the shooter starts moving on the other side of the lip and assumes the role of the original caller.  He moves aggressively away and laterally (hidden by the lip)  to suck the bull to the original caller (now the shooter).   I have killed two of my last 4 bulls on the circler switch up.    One was a nice 6 pt herd bull.  

Luckily my partner recognized the scenario and picked up where I left off.  Also luckily my buddy and I are comparable callers and both good at moving elk.  If I had one real pearl it would be find a caller to team up with.  Its tough but it makes the game 50times easier.  Not to say killing elk is easy.  Just easier.  

Hope that helps.  Good luck.   I am pumped just thinking about it.  

Jeff

ps  Here is a classic looker... We called in this herd bull... from camp.  Notice the lip.  oh and turn up the volume, I'm whispering.    

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPMwK15oXT0

[elkbreath]

Jeff, great post!

So, from the pointers we've read, we have use the land (stay above them), obstacles, and moving quickly after calling.  All good stuff that I've seen work.  The throwing your voice thing works to a degree, but they are never off by more than a few yards if your calls have any real volume.

Another thing that is dynamite and easy that we can add to all this, and I use it when calling for other folks too, is to throw stuff. When you see that bull coming head on and within 70 yards or less, ears up and eyes open, wait till he's hidden and throw two rocks at the same time as far as you can to the correct side, depending on wind, usually in the timber that's about 30 yards.  do it again if you have a chance.  if hes coming good, that sounds like elk hooves and he'll head that way.  Elk make all kinds of noises when together in the woods, he's expecting it to a degree.  This works for me pretty much every time.  

one last thing is to just shut up.  Those dudes are bird dog anxious to find that cow.  If you have the wind right and hes coming good, and your worried over the head on thing, then just let him look without saying much.  If hes not spooked, he'll spend some time looking, especially if hes not buglin in response to cow calls.  Learn to cow call with your mouth closed, so its super quiet and muted, like a content cow on her belly or with a mouth full, in order to not help him out with loud calls.  When cows are hearded up, they talk in whisper all the time.  The bull will hear it if hes looking for you, but it wont be so easy to pin down and sounds very natural, nasally.

good luck