elk bugling question

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magicman54494
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elk bugling question

Unread postby magicman54494 » Thu Jan 11, 2018 6:47 am

So I'm watching the elk hunting u tube videos that stash recommended as I'm canning venison and I have a (probably stupid) question concerning calling elk. It seems like hunters are calling other hunters quite often. Why don't the hunters come up with a universally accepted call that they can use to identify if it is another hunter? Seems like it would save a lot of unnecessary encounters with other hunters.


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Re: elk bugling question

Unread postby tbunao » Thu Jan 11, 2018 9:41 am

I read something on elk101’s forum about this. The common theme was experienced elk hunters can tell if its another hunter. Makes sense but I’m not 100% sure as I don’t know the credibility of the responders. Only way I can relate is the turkey woods, most of the time but not all the time you can tell the difference between a hen and a hunter
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Re: elk bugling question

Unread postby stash59 » Thu Jan 11, 2018 12:33 pm

Lotta variables. Distance, terrain, thickness of vegetation. All affects how far a bugle carries, even how it sounds. Some humans are really, really good callers. Some elk are really really bad callers. One trick I'd do is if I thought a bugle was a human. I would cow call softly at first. Then get a little louder. Most people wouldn't bugle back at cow calls. They were only interested in finding a bull. Real bulls may or may not call back to cow calls but if they did. I knew it was game on.

Glad your watching the videos. And hope your enjoying them.
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Re: elk bugling question

Unread postby elk yinzer » Fri Jan 12, 2018 5:24 am

Can't say that's been an issue for me. Haven't ran into too many people on my elk hunts, but the few I have it was pretty easy to tell, mostly because the hunters were bugling from the ridgetops but the elk aren't up there, they are down in the dark crapholes. Most of the time I don't do much locator bugling, I wait for the bulls to give themselves up anyway.
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Re: elk bugling question

Unread postby OldMtnMan » Mon Jan 15, 2018 2:46 pm

I have my own solution. I don't call or go to calls. It's worked for me for 60 years of elk hunting.
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Re: elk bugling question

Unread postby OldMtnMan » Thu Jan 25, 2018 3:22 am

OldMtnMan wrote:I have my own solution. I don't call or go to calls. It's worked for me for 60 years of elk hunting.



I drive Paul (Elknut) crazy when I post this, but he knows how I hunt and is good with it. We're friends. Calling is very effective, but I like to be different. Everybody calls.
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Re: elk bugling question

Unread postby thwack16 » Thu Jan 25, 2018 5:42 am

OldMtnMan wrote:
OldMtnMan wrote:I have my own solution. I don't call or go to calls. It's worked for me for 60 years of elk hunting.



I drive Paul (Elknut) crazy when I post this, but he knows how I hunt and is good with it. We're friends. Calling is very effective, but I like to be different. Everybody calls.



I’m not an elk hunter, but I hope to one day.... may I ask you to expand on this?

Bowhunting during the rut you don’t go to bugling?
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Re: elk bugling question

Unread postby Lockdown » Thu Jan 25, 2018 5:47 am

magicman54494 wrote:So I'm watching the elk hunting u tube videos that stash recommended as I'm canning venison and I have a (probably stupid) question concerning calling elk. It seems like hunters are calling other hunters quite often. Why don't the hunters come up with a universally accepted call that they can use to identify if it is another hunter? Seems like it would save a lot of unnecessary encounters with other hunters.


Reminds me of a Paul Harvey story I heard on the radio years ago. One neighbor was telling the other about calling to an owl for the past few months. "I'll hoot and he responds right back to me. He's not out here every night, but he's around more often than not."

Neighbor says, "Really? I've been calling to him too!"

:lol:
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Re: elk bugling question

Unread postby OldMtnMan » Thu Jan 25, 2018 6:11 am

thwack16 wrote:
OldMtnMan wrote:
OldMtnMan wrote:I have my own solution. I don't call or go to calls. It's worked for me for 60 years of elk hunting.



I drive Paul (Elknut) crazy when I post this, but he knows how I hunt and is good with it. We're friends. Calling is very effective, but I like to be different. Everybody calls.



I’m not an elk hunter, but I hope to one day.... may I ask you to expand on this?

Bowhunting during the rut you don’t go to bugling?


Sure, no problem. I'm not a bow hunter though. I use a traditional muzzleloader. A Hawken copy with real black powder and round ball. (PRB) I'm sore re-enacting the mountain men of the fur trade era. !820-1840. My style of hunting is still hunting. If you're not familiar with that method. It's moving very very slow through mostly dark timber trying to spot the game before it see's me. I don't know where the game is exactly. I'm using my best guess by previous scouting. I scout over 200 days a year. It differs from spot and stalk as someone doing that see's the animal before sneaking in on it. That's stalking.

So, there are two ways that I apply this. During the rut in Sept I sneak into bedding areas. This is the most difficult because you have to deal with the cows too. I can do it, but it took me years to get good at it. A better way is to hunt the rifle season. I still use the muzzleloader. What i'm looking for is the older bulls who have be breeding in the rut. They done with cows and are off by themselves building their strength back. They go into the nastiest terrain. So, I know if i'm in an area that was easy to get to i'm in the wrong spot. It takes a lot of scouting before hand to find all these spots. I don't know the bull is there. It's just a good spot that he could be. If I don't find him I go to another spot. I have a long list of spots by previous scouting and hunting the same unit since the 50's. Even so, it's still hard to find them.

With all that said you can see with both methods it would be foolish for me to call. I don't want to give away my position. I wouldn't think a worn out bull who has been breeding for weeks would answer me anyway. More than likely he'd get up and leave. Calling during the rut when sneaking into bedding areas would also just get me busted. I always stay quiet. I don't even carry any calls when hunting. However, I do use calls during the year when scouting. Elk are very vocal all year long.

This method is not for everybody. It does take a lot time that not everybody has. I find it challenging and rewarding.


btw..I want to mention I never shoot an elk in it's bed. They move around a lot in bedding areas and are alert when up and moving.
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Re: elk bugling question

Unread postby thwack16 » Fri Jan 26, 2018 5:27 am

OldMtnMan wrote:
thwack16 wrote:
OldMtnMan wrote:
OldMtnMan wrote:I have my own solution. I don't call or go to calls. It's worked for me for 60 years of elk hunting.



I drive Paul (Elknut) crazy when I post this, but he knows how I hunt and is good with it. We're friends. Calling is very effective, but I like to be different. Everybody calls.



I’m not an elk hunter, but I hope to one day.... may I ask you to expand on this?

Bowhunting during the rut you don’t go to bugling?


Sure, no problem. I'm not a bow hunter though. I use a traditional muzzleloader. A Hawken copy with real black powder and round ball. (PRB) I'm sore re-enacting the mountain men of the fur trade era. !820-1840. My style of hunting is still hunting. If you're not familiar with that method. It's moving very very slow through mostly dark timber trying to spot the game before it see's me. I don't know where the game is exactly. I'm using my best guess by previous scouting. I scout over 200 days a year. It differs from spot and stalk as someone doing that see's the animal before sneaking in on it. That's stalking.

So, there are two ways that I apply this. During the rut in Sept I sneak into bedding areas. This is the most difficult because you have to deal with the cows too. I can do it, but it took me years to get good at it. A better way is to hunt the rifle season. I still use the muzzleloader. What i'm looking for is the older bulls who have be breeding in the rut. They done with cows and are off by themselves building their strength back. They go into the nastiest terrain. So, I know if i'm in an area that was easy to get to i'm in the wrong spot. It takes a lot of scouting before hand to find all these spots. I don't know the bull is there. It's just a good spot that he could be. If I don't find him I go to another spot. I have a long list of spots by previous scouting and hunting the same unit since the 50's. Even so, it's still hard to find them.

With all that said you can see with both methods it would be foolish for me to call. I don't want to give away my position. I wouldn't think a worn out bull who has been breeding for weeks would answer me anyway. More than likely he'd get up and leave. Calling during the rut when sneaking into bedding areas would also just get me busted. I always stay quiet. I don't even carry any calls when hunting. However, I do use calls during the year when scouting. Elk are very vocal all year long.

This method is not for everybody. It does take a lot time that not everybody has. I find it challenging and rewarding.


btw..I want to mention I never shoot an elk in it's bed. They move around a lot in bedding areas and are alert when up and moving.


Thanks for taking the time to answer. Once again, never hunted elk, but one day I hope to. I'll file this one away. It's actually kind of how I've previously thought I'd hunt elk, or atleast how I'd hunt them during the non-vocal mid day and any other non-vocal times. Obviously someone coming from nearly a day's drive away wouldn't have the rolodex of bedding areas scouted, but if you're only there for a week or so I'd think you'd need to stay moving and keep trying to make something happen.
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Re: elk bugling question

Unread postby OldMtnMan » Mon Jan 29, 2018 5:38 am

thwack...........It will be more difficult. If you could come a few days early to scout it would help. I don't use maps, but if I did i'd look for good areas where the elk would feed and then look for benches near those areas. Elk prefer to bed on level ground or close to it, so benches are always a good bet to still hunt into.

If you can be out before light in those areas and see the elk going back to their bedding areas it will be perfect. Then you can wait until they're settled and sneak in. Follow all game trails made by elk to see where they go. I'm lucky and can remember all the game trails, but if you can't make little maps to be used later. The better you get to know a unit the better. I've basically hunted the same unit forever and know it well. Try to do the same thing. If you hunt a different unit every year you'll never learn it.

Above all else...........stay positive. Never give up. It's hunting not killing. You need to love the hunt no matter what the outcome. Kills will come.
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Re: elk bugling question

Unread postby JoeRE » Sat Mar 03, 2018 2:46 pm

Good points mtnman.

I am sure its just like turkey hunting. With experience you can tell what is a hunter and what is an actual turkey 95% of the time. I can peg a hunter yacking on a diaphragm call pretending to be a hen turkey almost every time. Can't do it with an elk call but with more experience I am sure a person could.

Another thing, elk are far louder in the dark timber than most hunters would think to be. And if a bull is upwind he stinks like no hunter does even if he has been in the mountains for a month :lol:


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