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Elk Hunting The Rut
ELK HUNTING THE RUT! ELK CALLING TIPS:First off, if you listen to elk calls during "the rut" or during rutting time they'll be bugling! It may be early or late in the day or both. Midday can be as chaotic at times as well, especially cloudy drizzly days. In heavier hunted areas closer to human activity look for the elk to turn nocturnal at times especially during full moon phases. Elk will become quite vocal at night, this gives away their position as well as their feeding, bedding, night time watering areas. If un-harassed at these times there's a good chance of their return. Many times just listening when dark is the key, much more so than calling at these times! Never be a one dimensional hunter for best results. By being versatile you'll be able to handle just about any encounter that comes your way. Adapting to present encounters & situations is the key to yearly success instead of one bull every 5 years. This is especially true when hunting OTC public land hunts. The only bull you come across may be the one you have to take! Be willing to glass a ton if the country allows it. Lots of States warrant this Spot & Stalk method of use. Others you can't see out anywhere so other avenues must be sought out. These areas can require calling! Then there's treestanding over water sources, wallows, escape routes, general trail use from bedding to feeding & vice versa, feeding areas themselves. At times being patient & putting in ones time will be enough, other times calling to create excitement is key. Adjust your way of thinking to fit the time frame you're hunting. When hunting very thick country I personally rely on calling in every OTC unit I've ever hunted. I use elk call sounds that require response from other elk, if I feel cow sounds are best, so be it, but that's rare for us. Bull sounds top the list for receiving location from other bulls. Selective sounds are key, this is no time for the yodeling type bugles, be realistic in your delivery & you'll see a huge difference in response. Always know what you are saying first, this way when response is received it's easier to evaluate what you just heard & now you can form a strategy to give yourself the best odds to take that bull or at least have a shot opportunity. listen to elk calls & spot & stalk adventures will turn into calling situations as the encounter unfolds, in most cases a cow call will not get it done on the bull you're after, many times this bull will try to call you over & if this bull has cows & you don't show you'd better have an eye out for that Sentry cow because she'll flank you trying to find this stubborn cow & spot you & you'll be none the wiser! Off the herd goes & leaves you scratching your head as to what you did wrong, this happens every year leaving hunters wondering what happened! I've found over the years when in tight to a herd & you can't get close enough stealthily to kill the bull & you're detected by a cow, spike, calf or several cows you'd better know how to turn it into a favorable encounter & still have an opportunity at the bull you want. From my experience a cow call here is very low odds for success unless interested in shooting a cow! You must get the bull to react to this situation, the way this is done is a high percentage opportunity in killing him is to "pose a threat" within his herd, this will get his full attention on the spot! You must be close, if you can scatter the cows without him seeing you do it fast then scream a bugle where you are calling those cows to you, this is a selective sound, this is a slap in his face to come right under his nose & try to take his cows. You've questioned his manhood & his right to keep & breed those cows. Too, once he here's the commotion he knows why???? If he hangs-up even for a 2nd I hit him with hot & heavy distressed cow sounds with guttural growls & chuckling as if I'm trying to force this cow away with me. If 2 hunters, I will retreat as if leaving thrashing on my way out leaving the shooter up front. This has caused many a herd bulls their lives over the years for us. Aggressiveness kills elk, period! As I mentioned above, be a versatile hunter, not all encounters require aggressive action, but be prepared mentally to do so when needed because it's needed more times than not during most OTC hunts. Never go against the wind either, you must have it in your favor 100% of the time regardless your type of scent control. Be a complete elk hunter, it takes desire & is worth all your efforts, the rewards are endless! Good Luck! ElkNut
Glunting Bull Elk Bugle Sound
GLUNKING BULL ELK BUGLE SOUND I figured there were a few who had experienced this bull elk bugle sound! I agree it's a very subtle sound & cannot be heard very far off. I've talked with hunters over the years that have this sound confused with "chuckling" which is "ape like" in sound & tone. Many times bulls will use very light or low volume chuckles & guys mistake that for glunking. You've got great ears to recognize this sound at 100yds or so, better than mine for sure! (grin)What does a bull do to make this sound himself? I've asked this to a whole lot of different hunters during our Seminars & no one has known the answer yet? Most feel it's a guttural thing by bulls, well, it is not! They make this sound by slapping their tongue against the roof of their mouths in a clicking or stabbing like action. Hunters can imitate this sound best with a mouth reed if you're good or another great way is to perch your lips together & act like you're trying to spit a piece of hair off your lips, let your lower lip lead out beyond your upper lip slightly & pop the sound out. With practice you'll get it down very good. Once there do it into the mouth of your Grunt Tube, it works & sounds great! Others will pop the back of their grunt tubes/bugles or have other devices to imitate this bull elk bugle sound!Bulls Glunk in the presence of cows or trying to call cows their way, it's not just an estrus thing but also a Dominance feature, bulls will also use this sound to call a new cow (you) over to them. It's a Dominance & Signature sound to bulls, it's generally only done by the more mature bulls in a group or given area. Because it is a Dominance thing among bulls it's a real slap in a herd bulls face to have another bull come in close to his herd & try to call his cows from him with this I'm bigger, badder & deserve those cows more than you. Remember it's the cows who choose the bull they want to be with, bulls will use this sound "glunking" to display their manhood & their deserving to be the chosen one to keep/have those cows & breed them. So it can be a challenge to the herd bull as well as an action on this new bulls part (you) to persuade those cows they should be with him instead. That's his ultimate goal is to have those cows for himself, he's trying to prove his worthiness!Now you can see why a well placed glunking action is very deadly at the right time!! Get in tight, glunk & give a series of rapid soft chuckles at the end & you'll be demanding for those cows to take notice of you, in doing so you'll most likely have a pretty upset herd bull, you'd better have an arrow nocked!!! (grin)ElkNut1
Keep it Simple
"Keep It Simple" & You Can Hunt Close To Roads: To do well on your elk hunt it isn't necessary to be the best caller out there or the most knowledgeable in the field about elk habits & mannerisms. But what you do work on, have it down well.I would seriously concern yourself with "setups" I call them "Cold or Blind Calling" setups, it's sorta like "trolling" for elk. These are very easy to master & more importantly highly effective yet very doable for newer & veteran elk hunters. When working these "setups" off roaded areas we simply pick a spot get into the woods where we feel is a good area & sound can carry & call. If nothing productive happens go another 1/2 to 3/4 mile & repeat, continue on until you get action, it won't take long! (grin) Do your best to setup where the wind is in your favor as to where you feel elk should approach from. When possible I like setting up where I have obstructions or large openings behind me where the wind could possibly give me up. Elk generally will avoid openings or these obstructions on their way over. Setups as this can be accomplished by yourself or with multiple hunters by being 20-30 yards apart. Start with light cow calling as if you were a small herd feeding & milling around a designated spot where elk sign is found or not & hopefully elk are within earshot, elk can be a mile away in any direction yet selective sounds & setups can pull them your way. By injecting a single cow whine in the mix, then using a pre-estrus or excited sound 3-4 on mid to low volume in a 15 second span & no more you are now showing other elk that there is a cow in the mix possibly feeling urges of estrus or coming into heat. Add some light stomping & rustling branches & brush to make it real now & then throughout your stay. This can attract both cows & bulls a like as elk are herd animals & can become very curious as to who these others are in the area that they're not familiar with. After 5-10 minutes of this off & on communication of this supposed group of cows, now inject a small bull or cow bugle, (this is optional) Yes, cows bugle in small groups as this, other elk know this! If you feel the need to pick up your game another level then consider this option that would come into play 5-8 minutes after your 10min off & on blind/cold calling setup. You would now add an "estrus buzz" into the mix only after you have concluded your calling in that 1st setup, use this estrus buzz sound in a persistent manner very similar to the video, mix up your volume to low to medium range. This new sound now shows a cow has entered the picture that had heard your previous calling & is now looking for this small herd & wants to join them. This is "making it real" It can really pick at the curiosity of any elk within earshot to come and assist this cow since this is what she is asking for! She wants to find these elk! Other elk will generally come and assist her or try & call her to where the real herd is! Guys we have called many many bulls & cows in with this sound done in this fashion. It's unique & most elk hunters have never used it or ever heard it but the elk know exactly what it means! (grin) Stay at your setup a good 30min after using this sequence, be patient & 100% alert & watch for elk sneaking in! This is a great Public Land method & can be used in Aug.-Sept.-Oct.-----Too, make sure your setup is one where elk must come within your effective range to see where the sounds are coming from, you need cover here! You need to stay put in one place for a good hour & allow things to develop, be on full alert as elk can show at anytime many times silently! You can do 3- 4 setups as this per day/morning/early afternoon. Setups as these are highly productive. They can be used all day or part of the morning & evening near feeding areas or transition areas between feeding/bedding.If a good water source is known or active wallow this could be a great midday or evening place to set a treestand or ground blind. Between these 2 types of setups/hunts you can really up your odds for success with little experience & without having to penetrate the woods miles in, generally all setups can be done within a mile or less from roads or trails. Here's a clip of this Estrus Buzz sound! Note the cows urgent tones & actions! This sound can also be found on our New CD "Sounds By The Elk" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrW-OAn8VA4Concentrate on achievable setups as this & you'll really enjoy your hunt. Don't concern yourself with knowing all the sounds elk make & trying to understand them all, that can come in time as you spend more time in the field & feel the need to learn more! ElkNut1__________________________________________________________________________________________ One More! This is for mouth reed postioning & the Estrus Buzz Sound!--------- A single or light double reed is your absolute best diaphragm for this sound. I use the Scream N Tormentor & my favorite the Hot Coaxer for this sound! The reed should be sitting in a 35-40 deg angle with the open end of the reed itself banked against your gum line where it meets the inside of your top teeth, right where the gums & teeth meet themselves! You can make a slight adjustment from there for comfort & call ability. The flexible "tag" on the top of call is what sits in the roof of your mouth not the whole call, saliva it up a bit & even chew/nibble on it to turn it soft like a wet t-shirt, this way it will seal in your pallet very well & not allow any air to escape above the tag part of the call, if air escapes you will get a shooooshing sound & you do not want that at all. With the call in the right spot, now work on making the nasally or buzz sound, your lips should be pursed together as if blowing a trumpet as you settle the tip of your tongue against the front part of the exposed latex, don't push to hard or the latex will not vibrate properly. If too hard you will get a high-pitch type cow sound so relax your tongue a bit & use some voice inflection along with the sound you are looking for! Give short burst of air when imitating the estrus buzz, you do not give a long flow of air at all, it's done in short bursts! I mention these points because even guys with a gagging reflex or tickling issues can adapt to the reed in this new position! Please give it a try & remember use the proper reed for the job & it will help you out immensely! Good Luck!ElkNut
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