Interested to hear tactics of others!!
Call elk
Kill elk
The wet pattern we had in July into early August has turned dry and windy and hot. I wonder if it will persist this way into the opener?
My plan is to revisit the old haunts that held elk in the past and hope I make contact and don't fork it up. I know a few water sources to monitor if it stays dry. Hoping the windy conditions calm down by then.
It was nuts on the front range this afternoon. Like a darn Chinook wind coming outta the west.
I think this year I may be more aggressive in working the bedding areas that I've stayed out of in the past. At least after the first weekend. Find fresh sign near those areas then creep in low and slow and glass, glass, glass the dark timber.
We know a few places where elk hang out, and we'll be around those areas. We shall see
Opening weekend & beyond I will Call or listen intently to locate as I am a Dark Timber hunter, no stalking/sneaking for me anymore. Once a bull is located either way I will cut the distance. It doesn't matter if he's in feeding or bedding area although most elk are in the bedding area when brought in & taken by my Son & I. My Tactic at this stage is Advertising or Slow Play, which one is used depends on the bugle or other sound we hear. Both are deadly tactics for us.
As season progresses to the 6th & on or so the Slow Play will take over for us. (this tactic arouses a bulls instinct to breed) It's a high energy Sequence that kicks butt on these OTC bulls that aren't rutting yet!
On Rutting herd bulls as cows show signs of estrus we go straight to in your face Aggressive Calling. On these bulls I simply move inside 100 yards & call to his hot cow, he resents that, I do it again & this can put him in Full Send mode, he's done when using the right sounds!
When I refer to Calling I'm referring to Bugling, Raking, Stomping, Thrashing, Panting, etc. as needed with very few cow sounds. For me the most important sound is employing the right amount of emotion to the bugle as I quickly elevate his temper, it's a progression not a pedal to the metal on my first bugle.
A huge key for myself on taking these herd bulls is once I get him to bugle once or twice I take over the conversation & make him respond to my calling, this puts him on the defense & not the other way around. I started doing this years ago & sharing it with the 3 other guys that are our hunting buds, we've taken over 80 herd bulls with this mentality. -- Some hunters say they only answer the bull & bugle the way he does, they mimick him. In my opinion you lose too many bulls when you let them run the show, I reverse those roles & it's made a world of difference.
In calling situations you'd better have great Setup Skills, bad setups with the right calling fail every year for hunters, master those Setups!
I don't use Cold Calling Setups, I'm not a cow hunter. My Calling Sequences are tailored to attract bulls first!
ElkNut/Paul