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Closing The Gap

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Closing The Gap

Postby Swede » 05 19, 2019 •  [Post 1]

All of us have been almost close enough, but just could not get that last few yards. What has gone wrong, and what have you learned that will make almost be alright?

I have never considered myself a great caller, but that was not my weak link. I could get nice bulls into 50-60 yards or just behind some brush, then they would stop look for me and start pacing back and forth. I learned that when they hang up and start pacing, it is game over for me. I could not call them in closer and could not come to them either. I would be seen either way.
Elk know when they are close enough to see the place the call came from and they are not seeing the bull. When that happens it is game over. After talking to Elknut I have come to understand it is critical to have the bull within shooting range when he comes within view. This was probably the biggest problem I have had. There are others but will give some other hunters an opportunity to embarrass themselves. You elk hunting veterans should have some dandies.
One other quick thing I will mention is, the pathway to learning the nuisances to being successful is paved with mistakes.
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Re: Closing The Gap

Postby saddlesore » 05 20, 2019 •  [Post 2]

Although a rifle or muzzle loader hunter.I have learned that I don't want to hunt in open country where I can see elk too far away to shoot. I hunt thick timber where I will see them at 50 yards or so,ever closer. In Colorado at least, by rifle season about the only time elk come out into the open is in the dark.
A few times when I do hunt more open country, I am the only one around for a few miles or it is in the 1st 15 minutes of legal shooting light
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Re: Closing The Gap

Postby >>>---WW----> » 05 20, 2019 •  [Post 3]

They are detecting your electrical impulses. You need a HECS suit. I also have some ocean front property in Arizona for you. :lol: :lol:

Seriously, elk have the ability to know exactly where your calls are coming from even from far away. Once they reach a spot where they should be able to see, they will hang up and look around. If they don't see what was making the calls they will become suspicious and hang up or leave. One solution would be to pick your calling setup better so that when he comes into that area where he should be able to see you, he will already be in shooting range.

If you have a partner, place him on the other side of the hang up area where the elk will have to pass by him in order to locate you, the caller.
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Re: Closing The Gap

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 05 20, 2019 •  [Post 4]

>>>---WW----> wrote:They are detecting your electrical impulses. You need a HECS suit. I also have some ocean front property in Arizona for you. :lol: :lol:

Seriously, elk have the ability to know exactly where your calls are coming from even from far away. Once they reach a spot where they should be able to see, they will hang up and look around. If they don't see what was making the calls they will become suspicious and hang up or leave. One solution would be to pick your calling setup better so that when he comes into that area where he should be able to see you, he will already be in shooting range.

If you have a partner, place him on the other side of the hang up area where the elk will have to pass by him in order to locate you, the caller.


What >>>---WW---> said. In a partner setup, I have also found that being too static as the caller can result in a bull switching ends. I am normally the caller, so, once a bull puts the brakes on and starts scanning, listening, smelling for the elk he heard (if it doesn't look like my partner gets/has a shot)....., I'll oftentimes move backwards, 10 to 25 yards terrain/vegetation depending, and let the bull hear me move (stomp, rustle brush, etc.). I'll do this "moving bull" maneuver pretty quickly and start raking or calling again (however the mood strikes, more so as the "situation" dictates) and that will usually bring old snot nose past my partner/the shooter. Elk aren't that smart but smart enough to figure out a poorly executed hunter calling setup/sequence. Good thread!
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Re: Closing The Gap

Postby Swede » 05 20, 2019 •  [Post 5]

Certainly terrain and vegetation make a huge difference in how and where you can set up. Where I hunted for years I often could not move after calling because the elk could see for several hundred yards and f you were caught moving it was game over. I was not not selecting my calling location carefully enough.
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Re: Closing The Gap

Postby 7mmfan » 05 20, 2019 •  [Post 6]

I haven't gotten a chance to utilize this technique, but I've always felt that if you can add a visual that will give that bull some confidence, he will commit. I know that the sound of raking a tree is effective, but has anyone tried raking and moving a tree violently enough to get the bulls attention visually so he feels that his competition is just on the other side? For a single shooter, this is problematic unless you have the ability to move straight away out of view to set up for a shot, but for a team session, I would think it would be effective. Looking for other's experiences with this.
I hunt therefore I am. I fish therefore I lie.
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Re: Closing The Gap

Postby Swede » 05 20, 2019 •  [Post 7]

7mm: I have decoys and none are enough to convince a skeptical bull to come if the setup is not right. They will see the decoy and still move on.
Elk are all different. Some are curious and come to a decoy. Many elk don't care much, but others leave on seeing one. It really makes a difference on the situation and what they expect. Maybe someone else here knows the secret to getting a bull to more consistently come to a decoy.
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Re: Closing The Gap

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 05 20, 2019 •  [Post 8]

7mmfan wrote:I haven't gotten a chance to utilize this technique, but I've always felt that if you can add a visual that will give that bull some confidence, he will commit. I know that the sound of raking a tree is effective, but has anyone tried raking and moving a tree violently enough to get the bulls attention visually so he feels that his competition is just on the other side? For a single shooter, this is problematic unless you have the ability to move straight away out of view to set up for a shot, but for a team session, I would think it would be effective. Looking for other's experiences with this.


Yes sir. I've located bulls (as probably many of us have) before by just seeing brush "moving" on a choked up hillside as they were going to town on a chunk of innocent alder, U brush, etc. (one of those encounters that make you store that visual away for future use). I've used this same sort of locator beacon to pull bulls in, in combination with calling and raking. As I mentioned in an earlier post, as the caller, I will move sometimes to try and draw the bull in closer/off his hang up spot in an effort to pull him by/closer to the shooter. I make noise when I do this (after all, I am a bull at this point, the focal point of the in coming elk's attention). Shaking a small tree, or tall brush, as I move give the in coming bull both sound and sight reference..... I can almost always tell a hunter who is calling from a real elk. Some of the indicators (hunter vs. real bull) are where the "bull" is located/calling from, to a certain degree what the "bull" is sounding like, and finally....... if that "bull" is calling from a static position, never moving (oftentimes, that signals hunter to me).
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Re: Closing The Gap

Postby Lefty » 05 20, 2019 •  [Post 9]

The truth and a bit of a prideful moment. for an oversized guy I able to close the gap while stalking given time.
However we seemed to be discussing mostly calling situations.
First too many hunters are impressed with how elk can pin-point sound. Many of you may be surprised how accurate you are also when it come to "pinpointing sound. Even with fading hearing abilities you can get very close.
In the desert, wide open spaces effective calling may be very limited in shooting light conditions if not placing the sound behind and beyond geologic features.
Early on in my elk hunitng I had a few elk respond and come across more open areas.
My 4 years hunting timber Ive learned a lot. Years back when Elknut was on another site I applied what I thought were his best suggestions. Ive had plenty of close encounters with mature, big, and huge elk that most will never have. Basically dont let the elk see no elk. ( I sometimes do use a decoy but even my decoy has limited visibility.


Calling predators and what makes a good or poor stand location is invaluable andcan somewhat be generalized to elk hunting.
Even though I think I knew this,.. it was in a discussion with Elknut who emphasized this piece of hunting advise . We try to set up in tight quarters. While maybe a rifle shot could stretch out to 40-50 80 yards I want the bull to be on top of the shooter( my daughter) when he stops and often that means tight cover. Or I move forward when hunting alone. Sight distance is seldom 60 yards from the original calling site I try to cut the angle like a hockey goalie. move in So I may be setting waiting 40 yards from the original calling location. Make adjustments as the elk move in. Quiet elk tend to bust me :)

hunter who is calling from a real elk. Some of the indicators (hunter vs. real bull) are where the "bull" is located/calling from, to a certain degree what the "bull" is sounding like, and finally....... if that "bull" is calling from a static position, never moving (oftentimes, that signals hunter to me).
fortunately the distance has always been 400 or more yards when Ive heard other hunters bugle and could spot them with the naked eye. Ive never been fooled by a hunter,.. but Im telling you Ive heard a lot of "sounds terrible" that were bulls.

Ive shared this two year old story. My daughter and I set up where a bull had been locate lazy bugling most of the afternoon. Wide open tall timber Good viewing out to 150 yards. We tried to sneak in.
The elk was blown out when ATV hunters drove in. I told my daughter I was going to mess with these guys. I was not happy. I moved to the top of the timbered ridge and made like a big herd dropping off the far side, cows and calves , timber popping good stuff. These guys came running,.. and did an about-face as soon as the one hunter nearly stepped on my daughter.
Being the jerk I am about off road abuse I left my name and number with a trails map under their wiper blade of the truck. Then let our local hardcore off road Desk jockey CO burn their ears. They never showed up this year. You can hunt stupid around me but blatantly drive off road really chaps me. We had been hearing the bull for hours. climbed500 foot in elevation, stayed down or side wind for nearly twice that . 40 minutes to the end of LSH they came bustin in.
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Re: Closing The Gap

Postby ElkNut1 » 05 20, 2019 •  [Post 10]

Whenever possible, force the elk to come to you, advantage hunter! The other way around & advantage elk in so many cases!

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Re: Closing The Gap

Postby Tigger » 05 21, 2019 •  [Post 11]

Agree with the comments so far and I will add in a blunder I made one year. We had a bull answer a locator bugle. He was on top of a ridge and we were on the very bottom. We started to go up to get a place to make a stand and surprisingly, he started coming down. My two shooters stopped on an ancient logging road that offered them a little opening. I was the caller and had my head down while climbing cuz it was really steep and before you know it, I am standing next to the shooters and the bull is bearing down on us. Ooops.
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