Born and Raised Outdoors clips

[Timber]

I am not nearly as tuned as some of you in the art of elk hunting so looking for other peoples thoughts. I have been watching some youtube videos from these "Born and Raised Outdoors" guys and they do very good in their hunts and videos. The thing that I can not get through my head is the amount that they move and call in the open and still have excellent success. Is this the way it is supposed to be done and am I not hunting elk aggressively enough if I am not hunting this way? I think maybe I try to close the distance too slow and cautiously. Any thoughts or advice to help me understand how I should be hunting? Please do not be afraid to break out the crayons for me!! Thanks!

[ishy]

I love their stuff. I've been able to help Kody promote the Full Draw Tour over the last few years and they seem like a great bunch of guys. My experience is aggressive is good more often than not. But it is just one style, and there are lots of ways and means to get the job done. One thing you have to remember about films is that they will never tell 100% of the story. BRO probably do a better job than most about trying to tell everything, but you can get a real distorted perception from most hunting shows on what takes place.

[Timber]

Yes they seem pretty cool and down to earth. I guess I have been told and told never call in the opening, always have cover. Then I watch these guys and they are standing right in the wide open area of the forest calling away at bugling elk. They seem to move a lot within eyesight but it does not seem to concern them. I guess when I start getting in closer, I slow way down and often results in a elk moving off.

[cohunter]

Most of their calling out in the open happens to be location bugling. They're covering a lot of ground hoping to hear what they would call a 'callable' bull. That and it makes for better camera footage - so much more dramatic! Keep watching and you'll notice that most of the time they're actually trying to call an elk in, they're in timber or just inside the timber on the edge of a clearing. That said, I watched one of theirs the other day and I didn't think there was any way that bull would come all the way across a clear cut but it did! A lot to learn from watching those videos but be careful to realize that the hunt is very condensed - you don't get to watch the hours of silent creeping through the forest which often gives the impression of non-stop aggressive action.

[Timber]

Most of their calling out in the open happens to be location bugling. They're covering a lot of ground hoping to hear what they would call a 'callable' bull. That and it makes for better camera footage - so much more dramatic! Keep watching and you'll notice that most of the time they're actually trying to call an elk in, they're in timber or just inside the timber on the edge of a clearing. That said, I watched one of theirs the other day and I didn't think there was any way that bull would come all the way across a clear cut but it did! A lot to learn from watching those videos but be careful to realize that the hunt is very condensed - you don't get to watch the hours of silent creeping through the forest which often gives the impression of non-stop aggressive action.

Yes Good points Cohunter. They do seem to find them and call them in pretty good. I enjoy watching their videos and trying to learn from them.

[saddlesore]

I also think some of that calling is staged after the kill. How do you get video foot age of the guy walking up to the kill when obvioulsy the camera man is behind the kill filming as the hunter walks towards the kill. Don't believe evrything you see on those hunting videos

[BrentLaBere]

I like the videos and have been enjoying the Colorado hunt videos they are posting recently. The wind situation they are complaining about is something I can relate to. I always wondered how most people get away with hunting all day. The winds seem to be very similar where I hunt, where it doesn't allow you to hunt all day. But I would guess the down time they would have, sitting around camp for the wind to be right, doesn't make for good footage. I dont believe that some of the calling is staged after the kill. I do believe they are posting clips together for better videos, but overall it looks like they had an action packed hunt.

[msd1228]

I like the videos and have been enjoying the Colorado hunt videos they are posting recently. The wind situation they are complaining about is something I can relate to. I always wondered how most people get away with hunting all day. The winds seem to be very similar where I hunt, where it doesn't allow you to hunt all day. But I would guess the down time they would have, sitting around camp for the wind to be right, doesn't make for good footage. I dont believe that some of the calling is staged after the kill. I do believe they are posting clips together for better videos, but overall it looks like they had an action packed hunt.

x2 - this Colorado series has been awesome.

[chipick]

You can get there box set of 5 dvds from camofire for around $40. Good shows

[ishy]

I also think some of that calling is staged after the kill. How do you get video foot age of the guy walking up to the kill when obvioulsy the camera man is behind the kill filming as the hunter walks towards the kill. Don't believe evrything you see on those hunting videos

I was cursed to help on a movie set years ago as a wolf handler(don't judge me it was a great job). Now I can't watch anything without paying attention to where the camera is getting shots. I can't remember for sure, but BRO seems to be pretty good about not staging much. Walking up to a downed bull is one thing, but to have any frontal shots of a hunter when an animal is in archery range and you know it's staged. It's too bad that so many shows think they have to create so much on their own.

[Swede]

I know nothing about BRO, but everything except the kill shot on the animal can be filmed after the hunt. My advise is do not call from where you can be seen easily. Don't call from locations where elk can see you before they get in shooting range. Public land hunting is generally not the place to expect the elk to come when you ring the dinner bell, or call from out in the meadow.

[Elkhunttoo]

B&RO do a good job sharing there hunting, (my personal favorite is Stuck N The Rut) I haven't watched all of B&RO videos but several of them. I don't think they stage any, it's just hard putting a day/hunt into 10-15 minutes. I taped my hunt last year and still need to put it on YouTube, but I have easy over an hour of footage and need to cut that down to 10 ish minutes and that can be hard to do. As far as calling in the open, I'm not sure what videos you are referring to for sure but I think it is a lot thicker then it looks. Cameras always make steep mountains look level and a meadow that is 20-30 yards might look huge on camera. Where I shot my bull last year was nasty steep and thick, yet in the camera it doesn't look bad at all...just a thought

[Timber]

B&RO do a good job sharing there hunting, (my personal favorite is Stuck N The Rut) I haven't watched all of B&RO videos but several of them. I don't think they stage any, it's just hard putting a day/hunt into 10-15 minutes. I taped my hunt last year and still need to put it on YouTube, but I have easy over an hour of footage and need to cut that down to 10 ish minutes and that can be hard to do. As far as calling in the open, I'm not sure what videos you are referring to for sure but I think it is a lot thicker then it looks. Cameras always make steep mountains look level and a meadow that is 20-30 yards might look huge on camera. Where I shot my bull last year was nasty steep and thick, yet in the camera it doesn't look bad at all...just a thought

I guess I am trying to get into more cover when a bull is moving in. I saw several of the videos where it seems that the hunter is moving a lot under very little cover. Do not get me wrong I really enjoy their videos but just scratching my head how they get away with it. Maybe I am not being aggressive enough. I am always worried that I am going to get too close and get spotted. I understand that video/pictures do not do justice for terrain.

[Swede]

Timber, regardless of what they do in the movies, you have to hunt in a way that the elk will not detect you. If they recognize it is a human calling, it is game over. If the elk know you are around, it is game over.
I have called from an opening thinking nothing was close, and I would just see if I could get an answer from off in the distance. That is usually just bad thinking on my part. As often as not, I was busted. Stay in the shadows and good cover where you will not be seen. Call from locations where the elk needs to get within shooting range before they can see where you are. You choose where you walk and where you call from. Give yourself all of the advantages.

[Timber]

Timber, regardless of what they do in the movies, you have to hunt in a way that the elk will not detect you. If they recognize it is a human calling, it is game over. If the elk know you are around, it is game over.
I have called from an opening thinking nothing was close, and I would just see if I could get an answer from off in the distance. That is usually just bad thinking on my part. As often as not, I was busted. Stay in the shadows and good cover where you will not be seen. Call from locations where the elk needs to get within shooting range before they can see where you are. You choose where you walk and where you call from. Give yourself all of the advantages.

Yes thanks Swede. That is why I was asking this. It seems these guys are very good at elk hunting and quite successful so I could not understand some of the hunts where they appeared to be fairly open. Do not get me wrong, I think they are good guys with some great videos!

In my earlier hunts I remember a day in MT that I had two other guys with me, I let out a call or two and no bugles but all of a sudden heard some heavy feet moving below us. We all froze in the open and stared below us in the timber trying to see the elk. I was afraid to move for fear of the elk seeing me, One guy with no experience did not think it was an elk, and the other guy was more clueless than us as he had 0 experience elk hunting. I kept calling trying to confirm it was an elk to prove it to the one guy but we never took cover! We could here it getting closer and moving a bit left to right but never saw anything and it just walked off until it was no longer heard by us. My point is we were in the WIDE open and I am pretty sure it spotted us and turned off as we just stood in the open afraid to move. Then same hunt we were in good timber and had 4 of us in a group trying to get a plan together as we let a few cow calls out here and there. Same crap 4 of us standing there with heavy feet(hooves) hitting the ground again. This time I decided to get some cover but had 2 of them now wanting a confirmation on whether it was an elk for sure or not before they moved. The elk started moving around us downwind and I couldn't convince the two guys to get the advantage on the elk and keep the wind in our favor. Long story short it got downwind and just "poof" disappeared fairly quick.

My replay if I were to do it over again would on the first blind encounter, A. Not call in the wide open. B. Move toward it very quickly to close some distance.(maybe to the right or left some even but for sure down hill) C.Not be afraid of making a move! My 2nd encounter would be to A If calling be somewhat ready to act. B. When it was trying to circle get in front of it to keep the wind to our advantage. C. Find different hunting partners!

Any input if this would be the best choices in those scenarios?

[Swede]

I have tried to cross an opening that a bull just went through. I kept quiet, but it did not work. The bull had stopped on the other side and was looking back. Game over.

[Lonnie]

Swede I agree with you. Never cross a opening. The elk will not ether. They topicaly will run the edge are in the shadows of the timber. There eyes are like ours in a way. If you go from light to dark it takes time to adjust. If you go from dark to dark your eyes don't have to adjust and you see just fine. I have watched many videos where guys tried to call bulls across a opening and the bull has gotten hung up.

[Timber]

Was just watching a hunting video for elk on the Missouri Breaks last night. I enjoy watching these videos and also learning from the different peoples mistakes and picking out some mistakes. I heard the absolute worse sounding cow call ever in my life. Also interesting in watching these guys hunt wide open areas. They had a nice bull pop out of a gully into a flat wide open area, they gave a cow call to the bull and watched it look in their direction and go immediately into a full run for the next gully(in the opposite direction).

[>>>---WW---->]

I have tried to cross an opening that a bull just went through. I kept quiet, but it did not work. The bull had stopped on the other side and was looking back. Game over.

Not necessarily! If you put a burlap sack on a stick and hold it behind you, and with the other hand, hold your bow on top of your head to look like horns or antlers, the elk will look at you and just think you are another animal of some sort. They won't spook if they don't smell you. I've tried it and it does work when crossing an open meadow . The two bulls in the meadow watched me cross the opening but didn't run and as soon as I reached the other side, they resumed eating.

Give it a try. Other hunters will think you are crazy as hell if they see you but the elk don't mind!

[Timber]

I have tried to cross an opening that a bull just went through. I kept quiet, but it did not work. The bull had stopped on the other side and was looking back. Game over.

Not necessarily! If you put a burlap sack on a stick and hold it behind you, and with the other hand, hold your bow on top of your head to look like horns or antlers, the elk will look at you and just think you are another animal of some sort. They won't spook if they don't smell you. I've tried it and it does work when crossing an open meadow . The two bulls in the meadow watched me cross the opening but didn't run and as soon as I reached the other side, they resumed eating.

Give it a try. Other hunters will think you are crazy as hell if they see you but the elk don't mind!

Is this a LAST resort option?