Me and addicted2fish hit the woods this weekend in search of elk. Saturday we climbed way up on this ridge and were just still-hunting along an over grown skid road that bordered an older reprod patch. We had just passed an extremely fresh rub on an alder. Bark shavings still all over the ground. We decided to take a seat and drink some water. Brandon aka addicted2fish lets out a few soft cow calls for the hell of it and immediately we had something big breaking branches and coming closer. with every cow call it broke more branches as it came our way. Wind was perfect but then it just went quiet and walked off slowly.

We knew we were on em at that point and kept hunting up the along the overgrown road. We decided we should find a place to set up camp and then set up for an evening calling session in the reprod. We were on a mission now to set up camp so we had stopped still-hunting and were walking at a normal pace and not being quiet. all of a sudden about 30 yards in front of us, just out of sight around a corner we hear a stick snap and we hear large animals run up hill and down hill. I look at Brandon and say, it's probly a few cows that we jumped.

At this point we can hear the one that went downhill tearing through trees and bushes. Brandon lets out a cow call. Turns out it was a bull with cows that we had split up. In repsponse to Brandon's cow call the bull fired back with a lip bawl. So then Brandon bugled back and so did the bull with another lip bawl. the bull went back and forth with Brandon a few times and then went quiet. we then let out a few more cow calls but he was still silent and we never got him to get closer. We did rake a tree a bit too trying to challenge him.

I'm wondering, if you all were in that situation what would you have done? Got agressive and snuck into the timber he went into? not bugled at all even though we split him from some cows?

Even though we didn't put it all together on him it was still the coolest experience I've ever been apart of. Actually hearing a bull bugling at you in close proximity is something to behold!!! Needless to say, I'm hooked for life now.

Please let us know what you guys would have done. We are just a couple rookie elk hunters hoping to learn from this experience.

Thank you,

Drew

Here's a pic of me standing by a fresh rub. We found so many over the weekend that it became no big deal anymore. Haha. Wish we had cooler weather to get em more fired up.

There is no right answer...

Perhaps you over called a little? But most likely it sounds like he winded ya...

Keith

we checked the wind as all this was going down and it was...decent. kind of right on the verge of not being good based on where he was while bugling. Now that you mention it though, He may have winded us right before we even bumped him and his cows.

I know if the wind is even remotely wrong or swirling, the odds of getting close drop to less than 10% in my book. I'll back out at times and wait for the eve or morning hunt where you have the downhill drafts that are consistent..

Keith

haha. I went through a drive through recently with the face paint and camo on an got some interesting looks. The face paint designs are only for Midwest whitetail hunters anyhow. Haha.

How close was the elk on your first encounter? If within' 75yd it's time to become a bull, not a cow for me. Sound small with a chuckle or scream. Glad you got to experience some stuff you will never forget.

we bumped him and his cows at around 30 yards. when we stopped him with a cow call it sounded like he was 50-70 yards. it was a soft bugle but we could hear the air rushing from those massive lungs. pretty Fvking awesome!