How do you hunt this type of bull?
Elk
Contributors to this thread:
My buddy and I call them runners. They are typical of the area I hunt and they are usually herd bulls.
The scenario goes like this: You make a locator call, either a bugle or cow call. The bull bugles and moves away. He will rarely bugle on his own, he will only respond to a call, but he always moves away. With two hunters one of us will call while the other sneaks in. I have had a little luck in the past calling in the cows and the bull follows, but calling in a bunch of cows results in a lot of unwanted attention. However, I have had a lot of trouble getting close to these bulls on my own. Challenge bugles have typically resulted in the bull gathering his cows and blowing out of the area.
Any tips?
Two ways I use , go silent and move in downwind and get close . The other only works with a really good partner and that is what you are already doing. Caller moves back and hunter moves in. I'm sure there are a bunch of guys on here with good advice that is far superior to mine but that is how I have always done it. What you are describing is typical of public land bulls around here too.
God bless and good luck , Steve
Find his escape route and sit there while your buddy calls to him and makes him vocal. Good luck. Hunt
Try to anticipate the direction the bull and cows will go when called too. Set 1 hunter in the area you think the bull will go and the other circles around so the elk are between you and the caller. If you are ahead of where the elk want to go when the calls begin, you have won 1/2 the battle. Use raking and foot clunking against rocks to draw them in.
If he's vocal on his own don't say a word and sneak in on him. Also agree with Huntman statement.
all the above is good advice. you sometimes can sound like a small bull, nothing ticks a bull off like a subordinate bull bugling. bugle 1 time from a distance before you get to where the elk usually are then call as little as possible. hard hunted elk can be tough.
I encounter a lot of elk like this. I rarely have one that wants to charge in and fight. Why go fight when you can take your cows and be peaceful? Ha
My go to tactic is being quiet and sneaking in on the herd bull or ambushing. If you call them they pinpoint your location and calling can just plain make them leave. I like the silent approach.
Like Huntman said might be a good idea to ambush in his escape route.
I tried this on several occasions just this last two weeks. It'd just rained and it was super quiet. My brother sat way back and kept the bull bugling. He'd stay in the thickest crap there was and wouldn't come out. No way for me to get closer.
Another was like you described. The bull was growling constantly on his own. I crept in and just as I thought I was getting close, he'd be further down the hill. Finally got to the bottom and he was going up the other side. Sometimes these bulls just don't stop.
I think the escape route idea is not going to work for elk. The elk I hunt on public ground don't have patterns. They go where they want, when they want and rarely use the same trail twice. Hell, half the time they are bull dozing around making their own trails.
I think with these herd bulls, you just have to get super close before calling and play your cards exactly right for them to come in to you. I don't think there's any silver bullet answer. You just have to be in the right place at the right time and say the right thing that bull wants to hear. Today it might be a cow call, tomorrow it might be a scream in the face. These darn elk are so unpredictable in what they want it seems.
Use your ninja skills to get within shooting range of the main body of cows.
Lay low, and play it cool, a bull, or thee bull will be along shortly.
Do your locator and then be quite and move in his direction.....
Have fun
Good luck, Robb
Have you tried a bull calling cows bugle within yards of the cows? I have had this work on occasion. Not always or even half the time but when it does its live action. Especially on a growler that is locating himself quietly over and over.
Also if you have a buddy get about 100yds apart or more and start bugling back and forth to each other. He might just come in wanting to know who these new bulls our!