How About An Elk Story For Those Not Able To Hunt!

Here's a story of one of our Elk Hunts this year, like many hunts this one has its ups & downs! (grin)

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We located a bull just after light during a Full Moon & found he was already in his bed! He bugled once, we heard him while 350 yards away & he had 200'-300' of elevation on us, yes it was very steep! He was on a small bench above us from his bugle. We headed at him & could get to about 175 yards before we were concerned with being spotted if we called & he got up to look for us. It was thick timber & brush so we did have concealment if we used it correctly. My son moved up ahead 30 yards & I went to a dead tree with lots of branches & concealment to setup to see if I could get this bull to an aggressive state! I started with a few mews as if I was entering the area, I repeated after two minutes with 3-4 more soft ones, no sound from the bull.


I continued with several more sets of mews & whines over the next 5 minutes, he finally bugled again but with little interest. I switched to Contact Buzzes, 4-6 of them a 1/2 second long each, I did 4-5 sets inside two minutes & the bulls next bugle had a bit more excitement to it but he had not moved! I did another set of Buzzes & he immediately bugled, I was ready for him & started to rake a tree & snap branches during his bugle. I raked for a solid minute & then panted 3 times through my bugle, he immediately bugled back & I cut him off with my own Challenge, he bugled instantly over me! Awesome, I'm getting him fired up! 8- 10 minutes has passed since we first got to calling! I continue to rake & thrash around along with foot stomping & mid volume excited mews as I changed pitch. This got him to bugle with more intensity & I could tell he was on his feet & had come 30-40 yards closer, no doubt he's looking down the mountain for these elk but my setup was good & it did not give him the luxury to see where the calling was coming from without coming much closer!


The bull was now bugling every 30 seconds, he was trying to call the cow & intimidate the bull to stay back! (me) I continued to thrash & bugled over him several times. I retreated about 15 yards as if pulling back a bit & continued to rake/thrash & a few buzzes, this really fired him up!! I could hear him coming down the mountain & now I can see glimpses of him moving through the brush, he still 80+ yards out from me so is aprox 40 yards or so from my son. I need him closer to him as he's shooting a Longbow. I retreat another 10 yards without being seen, I stop rake & scream a Challenge bugle, he hammers me right back. I now growl at him followed by 3-4 grunts, he moves down the mountain closer & I see my son stiffen as he is waiting for the perfect time to draw & shoot. There's no holding a 60# longbow at full draw & waiting for him to appear. I can see small glimpses of my son to my left & the bull to the right, they appear to be inside 30 yards from one another with willows separating them, the bull is fixed on me & has no clue my son is present. Out of nowhere I hear the soft thud of the arrow released from his bow & the bull goes crashing through the willows & the dark timber. 25 minutes have passed since I started calling, this bull had me pulling out all the stops, he just didn't want to come down but he did! (grin)


I start bugling the second I heard the bull crash off in an effort to slow him down. I headed over to my son to find out what happened!!!!

ElkNut/Paul

I love your stories, and enthusiasm Paul. Wish I knew 5% of what you've forgotten!

I appreciate the story, but it's not helping me feel better about missing elk season this year! Patiently waiting for the next chapter.

My heart started pounding just reading how that bull was coming in.

Captain's Log September 21st 2017 10:48 a.m. I read a fantastic elk hunting story today, but it did not make up for the fact that I'm not currently elk hunting.

Great story. I shall live vicariously until the day I can head west. I thank you for this.

ElkNut1 said:

I start bugling the second I heard the bull crash off in an effort to slow him down. I headed over to my son to find out what happened!!!!

ElkNut/Paul

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Forgive my ignorance, but how much does this help? Does anyone do this is with whitetails?

blazinsoles said:

Great story. I shall live vicariously until the day I can head west. I thank you for this.




Forgive my ignorance, but how much does this help? Does anyone do this is with whitetails?

Click to expand...

If I bugle and cow call like crazy after an archery shot the bulls will often stop running and try to figure out what happened. I'd say it probably works more than 50% of the time

Well that was a great story!!! I have to wait about a month and a half before my 2017 elk adventure and this didn't help me at all! Thanks for sharing!

Thanks guys for listening to me rattle on! This only took place a bit over a week ago so still fresh in my mind! (grin) Here's more!

p.s. Yes it can help slow an elk down after the shot, I have a habit of doing this on all elk shot with bows.

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He's sorta shaking his head in disgust! I'm like Uh Oh, I know that look & it's generally not good! He says on the last bit of calling I did when the bull committed & ran down to range he was getting ready to stop him with a nervous grunt as he cleared the last bit of brush but instead the bull stopped just inside of the willow brush, he felt there was plenty of window to get a cedar shaft tipped with a Snuffer head through it as the bull was 100% broadside to him. 3/4's of the way to the bull he sees the arrow glance off a limb & hit the bull low, he thinks it may have been in the upper part of the leg but not sure?


We sit there for around 15 minutes giving it a bit of time but not having high hopes at all. We decide to look for his arrow & evaluate the situation then. After 5 minutes of looking I find the shaft with no head & a few inches of shaft missing. There is blood there so we commence tracking the bull, it's muscle blood for sure. (plain red blood) It's hit & miss, fortunately more hit than miss! (grin) After tracking 10-15 minutes & going aprox 125 yards we hear a bugle 175 yards above us? It's him!! We easily recognize this bulls bugle, we look at each other & my son whispers to me, I guess we can eliminate he's not hit in the lungs! (grin) We weren't smiling but very disappointed. We decided to follow the blood a bit more & the bull bugles again a few minutes later, he is well above us & feel he can hear us & wants to know what we are.


Roughly 1/2 an hour to 45 min or more has passed from being hit. All of a sudden my son hears a cow mew, then another & another, they are coming from the same spot as the bugling! At first I did not hear them but then listened closely & heard a couple more, the elk were still in their bedding area! I looked at my son & smiled, I said I think I can call him back in, he looked at me like I was crazy! (grin) He was right too, calling a wounded bull back in is something I've never done, I have to try though with the new set of circumstances with there being cows present, advantage hunters! (grin) Here's what we did next!

ElkNut/Paul

Naa

OK, we now know this is a herd bull & has several cows alongside, that's a game changer! Still in the bedding area as it's only about 9:30. We form a plan to now call his cows away, this can work but is risky because it's obvious there are none in Heat/Estrus or our odds would be much higher. We have nothing to lose so go for it hoping for the best. We will know which way this is going to go with my first call but prepare with a positive attitude that this will work! I'm not going with the same calling scenario that was first used! This time I'm going to employ both a Lip Bawl & Challenge Bugle! Between the two it could work!


We are still roughly 175 yards under this group so are able to speak softly, wind is still coming towards us too, we are on a north face. I tell my son to go to my left aprox 35 yards, if the bull bugles back to me instantly I'm going to head up the mountain to my right side to keep him to the left forcing him between us in hopes of giving my son another shot opportunity as I pressure him fast. I let him know to parallel me as I head towards the bull in a slight rage as I call & rake, the bull should cut the distance pretty quick if this works so be ready? -- I will wait for him to bugle again & we are certain he will, when he does I will hit them with the Lip Bawl Bugle, a coarse one! This is calling his cows my way & telling him to back away. Fingers crossed that he Challenges me instantly or we could push him.


The bull bugles as anticipated! Before he can finish I cut him off with the Lip Bawl, HE COMES UNGLUED, he is screaming a warning like I had not heard him do until now. I close the distance as quickly as I can by 30 yards to a tree which offers cover & something I can rake. -- This is crazy as this is a wounded bull with a partial arrow in him!!! I push hard now as I get to the tree screaming as coarse a Lip Bawl as I can & rake like hell. He comes right towards us splitting the two of us to aprox 80 yards, I see a flash of him but just parts & pieces, I'm hoping my son has moved up as I did as I cannot see him at all, it's too thick! At the 80 yard spot the bull hits me with a single nervous grunt & a Round Up Bugle, this tells me to come on out, he wants to see me! I'm able to move up another 10 yards to the next tree, I quickly hit him with the same single grunt & a shorter version of the round up bugle showing intensity which insists for him to come over my way, he does just that & runs right towards me, he stops at 35 yards & I can now see him through the tree branches.


I see him sorta pacing & he bugles a Challenge which seemed like it was right in my face!! I'm quickly thinking where is my son? About that time I hear the arrow release & the solid impact in the elk, the bull blows out of there heading straight back to his cows, this time he didn't quite make it! As I hear the shot I bugle instantly to slow him. I now head towards where I think my son is & this time he's smiling! (grin) I get to him just in time as he points up the hill & I see the bull rolling down it towards us! I'm actually in disbelief that a 2nd shot opportunity took place inside an hour! The bull traveled 45 yards & was done!


We found the 1st arrow embedded high in his front leg wedged next to his leg bone! Man that had to be uncomfortable. As the bull came in the 2nd time he didn't have so much as gimp, it was as if nothing was wrong! We had a little lady luck shine on us that day! (grin) All in all it was an awesome hunt on OTC ID public land.


ElkNut/Paul

Congratulations, great hunt. Thanks for sharing.

Great story and congrats to you and your son!

Great read! Shows us rookies the need to learn more than a couple sounds! thank you!

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That is absolutely awsome. Congrats

Awesome story and Bull!!!

Way to get it done!