To call or not to call

[mxracer317]

I’m going back and forth between how necessary it is to call bull elk durning the rut.

I know you can take them either way, but what are your thoughts?

@Big Fin I know the audience would love to hear your current thoughts!

 

[perma]

From the one time I’ve archery hunted elk, I learned that it’s best to be a part of what’s going on rather than what you may want to do. What you want to do should be your last day Hail Mary strategy. You might be dealing with nocturnal elk, so if the elk aren’t talking, I wouldn’t be doing much talking myself. If they’re screaming their heads off, maybe a little calling.

 

[elkfanatic]

I'm terrible with calls and would probably scare em away, so I'm better off trying to be a ninja

 

[Flatbrimmer]

I’m going back and forth between how necessary it is to call bull elk durning the rut.

I know you can take them either way, but what are your thoughts?

@Big Fin I know the audience would love to hear your current thoughts!

You forgot to include in your poll, call for location only and then stealthy ninja. It’d get some votes. Or even, “only call if the other elk are vocal”
Until then I cannot vote one way or the other.

 

[Gerald Martin]

Situational awareness is everything. When to call and when to be quiet is something that is learned by experience and experience is gained by making mistakes.

What kind of elk you are targeting is also important. If I am actively targeting an open country herd bull with cows I’m going to be quiet and ninja into position. If and when I do call its with the awareness that he is just as likely to leave the country as he is to come to my call.

When hunting in my historic archery area, I know that the majority of bulls are 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 years old. They are particularly vulnerable to calling in the right context.

One particularly memorable hunt, I called seven bulls within bow range over the course of four days. We killed two of those bulls. None of them would have been killed without calling.

In that same area we had an encounter with a large herd bull that one of our party was stalking and made the mistake of cow calling while still on the periphery of the bedded herd. The lead cow stood up without hesitation and led the herd away from him. Happily, they ended up moving right into the direction the rest of us and another one of our party was able to connect with a raghorn that was calmed and kept into the vicinity by my cow calls.
Same calls, same elk about half an hour apart but different herd dynamics and context.

Yes and no is the correct answer at different times. When is yes and when is no is part of the mystery of elk hunting.

The only thing that changes that is if you have a Hoochie Mama. If you have a Hoochie Mama bulls will come running and jump into the bed of your truck every time you call. You don’t even need to get out of the truck. Just drive and call out the window.

 

[LukeDuke]

Situational awareness is everything. When to call and when to be quiet is something that is learned by experience and experience is gained by making mistakes.

What kind of elk you are targeting is also important. If I am actively targeting an open country herd bull with cows I’m going to be quiet and ninja into position. If and when I do call its with the awareness that he is just as likely to leave the country as he is to come to my call.

When hunting in my historic archery area, I know that the majority of bulls are 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 years old. They are particularly vulnerable to calling in the right context.

One particularly memorable hunt, I called seven bulls within bow range over the course of four days. We killed two of those bulls. None of them would have been killed without calling.

In that same area we had an encounter with a large herd bull that one of our party was stalking and made the mistake of cow calling while still on the periphery of the bedded herd. The lead cow stood up without hesitation and led the herd away from him. Happily, they ended up moving right into the direction the rest of us and another one of our party was able to connect with a raghorn that was calmed and kept into the vicinity by my cow calls.
Same calls, same elk about half an hour apart but different herd dynamics and context.

Yes and no is the correct answer at different times. When is yes and when is no is part of the mystery of elk hunting.

The only thing that changes that is if you have a Hoochie Mama. If you have a Hoochie Mama bulls will come running and jump into the bed of your truck every time you call. You don’t even need to get out of the truck. Just drive and call out the window.

So true. Ninja bull

 

[Gellar]

ride your wheeler to the furthest point legal, shut off for 30 seconds and rip a bugle, fire up wheeler and roll to next point!

 

[SixPoint]

I rarely regret not having blown a call. That being said I’ve killed more bulls using calls than not. Call sparingly would be my suggestion

 

[Flatbrimmer]

There’s a fine line there! I’d say; you can’t kill what you didn’t see. Sure you can blow calls clear into January but you can’t see what you don’t know was there.

Or perhaps, “call until one comes”…

I see what @SixPoint is saying, and he’s killed more bulls than me! But I would think he’d agree, if you call and they don’t come; part of the chase. If you call and they do, calling works! I think @Gerald Martin said it best about situational awareness…

I love to call. I love to hear them respond. Does it kill more elk? Hmmm……

 

[rogerthat]

Call as much as needed and no more. That’s the true ninja way. I’m with @FoodIsMemories need more options before I vote

 

[TheTone]

I voted undecided but like others it’s situational. The country I typically hunt is really thick and the ability to spot elk from much distance is low. It’s also an area with a lack of bulls and especially mature bulls so locating bulls based on them bugling and stalking in is a hard technique. I’ve had a couple Septembers without hearing a single bugle and the only way I found elk was by having them come in silent to calling. There are days when I’m calling a ton and others I’m really quiet.

 

[Hunter4Life78]

Well Huntresses and Hunters are we getting the itch or what!!!

I love to archery hunt. I love calling more. I'm not a pro at all not even close IMO. I will be honest, I play the temperature when it comes to bugling or calling elk. If its hotter than the blazes of hades I'll cow call. Early morning I will start off with a "weak" bugle to test the waters, and follow with a cow call or three do the same in the evening or if I'm in cooler timber (yes I've used the hoochie mama before) use reeds almost exclusively now.

I practice on the rides to work, used to practice at work when I was stocking shelves at night much to the annoyance of co-workers. They got over it, well I took another job.

I've had better luck with cow calls in the afternoons than anything else. Had success in getting bugle when cow calling if rut is in full swing or a satellite has been kicked out or run off. With that said I have never taken an elk with stick and string. It would be great to do so, there's something about getting that answer back that just gives me an adrenaline dump and hypnotizes me.

I spent one night listening to bugle after bugle. Next morning they answered back. Until about 830. Next night same thing, slight skiff of snow fog rolled in, answered until noon when temps started climbing.

Those are my experiences.

 

[Hunter4Life78]

Call as much as needed and no more. That’s the true ninja way. I’m with @FoodIsMemories need more options before I vote

Same

 

[Hunter4Life78]

There’s a fine line there! I’d say; you can’t kill what you didn’t see. Sure you can blow calls clear into January but you can’t see what you don’t know was there.

Or perhaps, “call until one comes”…

I see what @SixPoint is saying, and he’s killed more bulls than me! But I would think he’d agree, if you call and they don’t come; part of the chase. If you call and they do, calling works! I think @Gerald Martin said it best about situational awareness…

I love to call. I love to hear them respond. Does it kill more elk? Hmmm……

The other option is find out where foodismemories is hunting. Get ahead of him. When calls shoot the legal bull that comes in. He will help you pack it out. He's said so on other threads.

 

[Mallardsx2]

If you're not calling (at a minimum just for locating) where I hunt, the odds in killing an elk are next to 0. There are no opportunities for glassing.

 

[MNElkNut]

I love calling and have had great luck with it. I love the information shared by Elknut Paul Medel. I swear some of the bulls I have shot have read his Playbook. He focuses on what calls to make in a specific situation.

 

[JLS]

It’s not an all or nothing deal. Read the tea leaves.

 

[Hunter4Life78]

It’s not an all or nothing deal. Read the tea leaves.

Very true.

 

[perma]

ride your wheeler to the furthest point legal, shut off for 30 seconds and rip a bugle, fire up wheeler and roll to next point!

THP did this in WY off of a guard rail, seems legit.

 

[Gellar]

So

THP did this in WY off of a guard rail, seems legit.

what you are telling me is I don’t even need to leave the road?