Hey guys my son and I are hunting some river bottom areas which are a mix of blm and private..we hear 2-3 different bulls bugle in the river bottom in thick cover in the mornings for the first hour of daylight. They tend to move further away from us as the morning progresses. I haven’t called a lot to them..a mix of cow calls and bugles..what would your all’s strategy be? Since they move off the public to private but they bed on public because of the thick stuff..I’m assuming they’re following cows into the hayfields on private but I haven’t got eyes on them yet. It sounds like they’re bugling from their beds before daylight and stay put the first 20 minutes of daylight then move away. Should I get as close to their beds as possible while they’re bugling then call? I estimate I was 250-300 yards from them this morning.. Any advice would be appreciated..thanks! (I’m a new archery elk hunter)
Need Strategy Advice-found elk
- Thread starter TN VOL
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SAJ-99
Well-known member
Sounds like they know the drill. Maybe be more aggressive. What do you have to lose? You could get as close to where you think they are and throw a bugle at them and challenge them. They aren’t going to leave the cows unless they think there is a threat.
Addicting
Well-known member
I would just set up in between the private and the public bedding and wait.
Mtnhunter1
Well-known member
1st,, The elk should be in the private fields eating all through the night and then head to cover for bedding at daylight. If you have not actually seen the elk, are you sure that the bugles are not coming from other hunter waiting to intercept the elk?
Good suggestions are mentioned above. Good Luck and shoot straight.
Like others have said. If you think you have them patterned you need to be where you think they are going after daylight. Of course make sure the wind is right. Definitely get closer before calling to them. There’s a huge difference in calling to a bull that’s 300 yards away and getting to that 100 yards and in zone. Don’t be afraid to bugle right back at one and try to piss him off or rake a tree. Good luck
Well..just had an amazing hunt. Didn’t get a shot..closest we got was 90 yards and I don’t shoot that far. It ended up being a huge herd of elk..best hunt of my life..stalked for 3-4 hours couldn’t get close enough to shoot. Wind was in our favor but we were trailing the elk and they finally stopped and it was to dark to shoot In a field..plus there was no cover for us to get close enough anyway. I’m hooked now!
OntarioHunter
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I have to say I never heard an artificial elk bugle I couldn't identify as fake. But it's been a long time since I have hunted them. Perhaps technology has improved?
In the back of my mind after I found those bulls..I thought..you know that could be hunters..but I’m glad they weren’t seen 7 bulls this evening and it was a bugle show! Unbelievable experience
2rocky
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The Bull I ended up killing along the Owens River was doing the same thing. Feeding in a hayfield along the river, crossing the river at first light and bedding out in the desert during the day. The herd came back into the river area and bedded near the river in the afternoon. When the cows got up to go to water the bull followed and I got him.
Basically I dogged the herd as long as I had wind and cover. Never bugled, just cow called. The bull came because he thought one of his cows wandered outside the group.
Basically I dogged the herd as long as I had wind and cover. Never bugled, just cow called. The bull came because he thought one of his cows wandered outside the group.
