Cool stuff Brad! Silent bulls usually live because they see me first! Last year I killed a silent bull because he stepped on a twig and I knew he was coming. The vast majority come in completely silent which blows my mind that a 500 pound animal can come in without making a single noise. Last year my buddy watched a bull come in silently. He said the bull was tilting his head around branches and trees so his horns wouldn’t touch a thing. Pretty amazing!
I had the biggest bull of my life come in like that 2 seasons ago. Only difference was he came in straight behind me. I heard a twig snap very close to me and unfortunately turned my head a little too fast only to see him frozen in his tracks 12 yards behind me. He caught my movement and knew something was amiss. He vacated the area quickly. If only I had nerves of steel to keep my head still, he would have walked right by and I could have smoked him. It just makes me too nervous not knowing what critter is standing right behind me like that. Unfortunately I think this will be the future of calling in elk, as the vocal bulls will be killed off.
It happens every year in every unit that holds elk no matter the state! Give a bull a reason to bugle/talk & he will! Give him a reason to shut down & he will do that too!
Bowsiteguy, hunters tend to kill the loud ones! We called in several this year that were silent, even in the midst of other bugling bulls. One of them came in behind me and stood right in the spot I had been in less than a minute after I shifted position, I never even knew he was there but my buddy who was calling saw him...
John, we hunters do a variety of things that can temporarily move elk to a degree of becoming call shy. Overcalling, Wrong Calling, Lots of Hunting Pressure, Being seen while calling or moving to a position, Being Winded, etc.
This isn't including the elements/predators that can also play a part in elk becoming quiet temporarily or heat to turn them lethargic!
But outside those things Bulls will Bugle, all Bulls will Bugle at one time or another as Rut increases, this generally escalates as cows come into estrus & their airborne pheromones fill the air in a given area, this will heighten bulls to become competitive as they search out the source of these hot cows, bugling is imperative at this time!
Maybe it is my eyes, but I swear I saw a wound right on this guy’s front left shoulder... Certainly could be a gore wound or an arrow... Anyone else see this? Cool vid.
Paul, I hunted a spot a few years back that was otc in a very popular area for camping, hiking, etc. Saturday morning of the opener I called in 5 different bulls. Not a peep from any of them. I assume it was all the people pressure but talk about frustrating!!!!
Opening day generally refers to late Aug, that is very normal for bulls not to be sounding off much during that pre-rut stage. It's more common at that time for bulls to come in silent especially with Cold Calling Setups with mostly cow calling. They're not fired up in most areas & show up mostly out of curiosity, elk are herd animals so their interest can be provoked as to who you are since they are not familiar with your cow or bull sounds as to elk they know are in the area.
You can imagine how frequent these elk are called to that are closer to hunting pressure from roads & trail heads, many of these elk bust hunters who attempted to call them in silent or vocal so can be disciplined in a very short time. In many cases these elk bust hunters without the hunter even knowing they existed, these elk can slip in & slip out. -- This does not mean these elk will not call at all the remainder of the season.
We too call plenty of bulls & cows every year on our OTC elk hunts that are silent but we call to plenty that are more than happy to respond back too! Elk are flesh & blood as we are, they too have personalities with different wants & needs from elk to elk on any given day, they are not programmed robots. It's up to us as hunters to adapt to these different days & attitude of the elk when calling is employed.
