Calling Elk

Doodle30 · #1 08-14-2009, 07:38 AM

Hey Gents

Couple of questions. One serious, one fun.

First the serious. A see in recent post that a number of guys indicating that early season bulls will often come in silently. If the bulls are just showing up out of no-where, how long would you stay in a particular set-up before moving on. I realize that answer may differ greatly just kinda curious if there will be a consensus.

Now the fun, has anyone ever returned the calls of another hunter thinking they where communicating with a big bull?

As always thanks for the expertise.

Doodle

timberline · #2 08-14-2009, 07:52 AM

As for staying put after calling i would stay as long as you can,it's happened to me a couple times after calling,the wind would be swirling,i ran out of patience,decided this spot was no good and left,only to spook an elk coming to me or come back later and find elk tracks almost where i was sitting!
On the section of land i hunt,i called in a "big bull",turned out to be another hunter in the section kitty corner to where i was set up,pretty funny,after i bugled once he must of bugled back every 5 seconds for about 20 minutes,then he sneezed,talk about educating the elk!

Blind hunter · #3 08-14-2009, 07:52 AM

I once called in a hunter who thought I was a bull LOL. He was a little upset .

I don't start calling until the rut is close. I go and find them at night. One call, if they answer I move on and the fun starts in the morning

Bigfeet · #4 08-14-2009, 09:08 AM

My last 3 bulls have all come in silently, so I think it is a good idea to give them some time after calling - if you are confident there are elk in the immediate area. Last year, for example, a partner and I were hunting along a ridge and calling as we went. We had ran into some elk in the early morning, but had lost track of them. We were pretty confident they were somewhere along the ridge we were hunting on. Around noon, we had no responses to that point, we stopped for lunch. We set up so we could see down a drainage and called a couple of times before breaking out our food. No response. 20 minutes later I called again, no response again. About 5 more minutes and I spotted a bull moving through the timber 300-400 yards below us. I saw him only for a few seconds, my partner sitting beside me didn't see him because of the angle. He looked like he was coming toward us, so I called one more time and then we quickly spread out and set up. Within 5 minutes the bull walked up to 25 yards of me and my arrow caught him right behind the shoulder. He made it 50 yards and piled up. This bull never made a sound and I was lucky to have caught a glimpse of him - we were getting ready to move on after lunch. So, if you're close to an area holding elk, waiting after calling can be important. Also, this was close to the end of September, so they can come in silently later in the rut too.
As for calling in other hunters, I called in the same group of guys two years in a row. I voice bugle and have been told it is fairly realistic. Two years in a row in the same drainage, my Dad and I called in the same group of guys. The first year we both thought we had a good bull going until we spotted each other - heavy timber so we were within 50 yards when that happened. The next year, we recognized their calling and stopped so they wouldn't waste the effort coming to us, but we were too late. They had heard me and hiked up to us. They were good natured guys and we all had a good laugh about it.

Huntnut · #5 08-14-2009, 09:50 AM

If nothing after 45 minutes then you can move to another postion.

Hunter Trav · #6 08-14-2009, 11:07 AM

Not alot of experience with elk sneaking in on me, but I've cow called a hunter in, actually we called each other in...lol We had a bit of a chuckle, exchanged a little BS, and continued on our way. Another incident, but with actual elk, I was hunting a new area that I got permission on, and the elk were screaming all over the place. I was on one side of a creek, and the majority of the bugleing came from the other side. I figured I would cross the creek and go to where the most action was happening. Ended up running into the biggest elk I've ever laid eyes on, only problem was he was on the other side of the high fence, with about 30-40 of his buddies. I had no idea there was an elk farm in the area, and felt a little sheepish after that...LOL

Elkaholic523 · #7 08-14-2009, 01:17 PM

i never called in a hunter before but two years ago on aug 25 i checked my second spot of the day knowing my dad and a friend were in the generall area i called and got an answer right away i thought it was them for sure but figured i better check it out so off i went calling back and fourth for about half an hour chasing the call the whole time, walking at a good pace untill i came over a small rise and there was a 6-6 bull coming right at me i had no chance seeings how i had yet to even take an arrow out of my quiver the bull stopped at 10 yards head on nothing i could do but learn an important lesson never EVER rely on it being another hunter.