Help me learn from my mistakes

[Piker]

OK, I'm an easterner, and I've never hunted elk before. This year my buddy and I split our CO points and drew unit 66 MZ bull tags. 9 days to hunt elk in a SW Colorado wilderness!

We hiked a couple of miles in the rain the day before the opener, and set up camp with elk bugling nearby.

Day 1 Nothing in the morning, moved camp another 2 miles, called one that wouldn't come in the early evening. Just enough rain to keep us from drying out.

Day 2 Nothing all day, moved camp another 2 miles, nothing in the evening. Just enough rain to keep us from drying out again!

Day 3 Followed a couple of buglers for about a mile in the morning to no avail. Moved camp about 1 mile back towards trailhead. Now about 5 miles from trailhead. Called one in the evening that wouldn't come. Starting to dry out.

Day 4 Buddy went low and I went high (just above treeline). Finally we have good weather. I called with a Hoochie Mama to one of the three bugles I heard in the morning, and he went away. Heard a bugle at 1:00 PM. I called / followed him all afternoon. Mid afternoon I decided to get closer. I bumped him and a cow. He calmed down and was comming to hoochie mama when the cow went the other way. He followed her. Later in the afternoon I repeated this series of unfortunate events. Meanwhile my buddy came up, and we called this and another bull till dark. They talk, but they won't come.

Day 5 More good weather. Buddy saw lots of elk, I saw nothing.
Early evening, after walking away from a pair of big 4 points or small 5 points my buddy actually called a good bull into shooting range with just minutes left in shooting hours. The bull came in silelently. Buddy only called because we had nothing better to do. He missed.

Days 6,7,8 wind tried to blow us off the planet. No bugling was heard. Day 8 we moved camp back to 2 miles from trailhead.

Day 9 Woke up to 20 degrees inside the tent, 6 degrees outside. No more wind. We heard 2 bugles during breakfast. Choose poorly and called in a pair of archery hunters. Later the wind came back. Never heard another bugle.

All in all we saw about 15 bulls with 8-10 being good 5 points or better. Most called to went away. Some that went away, we know had a cow along.

2 days of good weather out of 9 was much worse than we expected. Were we unrealistic? The only time the wind didn't change direction ever couple of minutes was when it tried to blow us away. Is this normal for this region? How do you hunt like this? We would really like to try hunting elk with our bows, but we couldn't even get the job done with muzzleloaders, and we don't know what we did wrong.

TIA

 

[bschnoor]

It's hard to say without being their, but one thing for sure is you don't want to over call and you also have to make sure the wind is in your favor! Hope this helps - Brian

 

[Piker]

More info

LAST EDITED ON Sep-26-06 AT 07:33PM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Sep-26-06 AT 07:30 PM (MST)

Most of our calling was cow calling. My buddy was very good at mimicing the videos we studied, and my hoochie mama is almost idiot proof. We weren't very good at bugling. That was definitely a weakness, but we expected cow calling to be the ticket. Next time we'll bring all the tools!

Sometimes I thought my buddy might have been overcalling, but after he pulled that one in wednesday evening, I became a believer. Only a never quit attitude could have brought that one in.

 

[DonVathome]

RE: More info

I am eastern and have elk hunted some but not a ton. First you did pretty good! Second I hit that weather toom was bowhunting NM right next to CO, man that wind made hunting, by far, the hardest I have every seen, we were bow and getting under 50 yards was near impossible most times.

Note, mnts are famous for shifting winds so it always happens, this year was worse though.

Lots to calling. By far you will see most successful knowledgable hunters are aggresive, and call and move forward. Hung up bulls occur most times, but if you all and move forward 50-100 yards they are in range! The bulls either think you aer a hunter or at least know they should see the elk calling to them.

Bugling bulls in anywhere but very best units is far overrate, does not work that well! Cow calling does, but there must be an area an elk can be hidden nearby and moving forward after calling is a great plan.

Read dwight shu or mike lapinski books. Great info

Also find elk first then hunt them, find tons of sign or elk, FRESH then hunt. Check North and east facing slopes.

 

[ELKabong]

Live 'an learn!
Sounds like a great first effort, though.
The only consistent thing about weather 'an wind in the mountains is that it IS gonna change ever 5 minutes!
'An ya hafta consider that elk have ESP... so the trick is, think like 'an elk!
Just some thoughts from a novice though...
Patience! Pick a spot fer "camp", 'an leave it. Hunt out farther if ya need to, but comotion will spook elk into the next drainage.
Expect the unexpected... "bull came in silently..." it is flat amazing how all that mass can float through the thickest timber 'an be quiter than squirrel flatulance!
Study study study... read what the guys that make their own luck haffta say.
Good luck!

 

[Me2Hunter]

>
>Days 6,7,8 wind tried to blow
>us off the planet.




I don't care who you are..........that's funny right there.

But as far as your hunt. It sounds like to me you were trying everything that you could think of and never gave up. Elk are the most elusive animal I've hunted. That's what makes it so gratifing when FINALLY things go right and you've taken what you've worked so hard for. Do all the research you can, read all you can and practice the bugling all the time.


Nothing like guttin' a 6x6 elk at 7:30 on opening morning.

 

[cmiddleton]

here in wyoming in a spot i allway call and see lots of elk they never really got hot tell sunday the 24th we finally got into a herd of buglers.
tell then everything we saw came in scilent. we had one bugle and one chuckel tell then. strange year here.

 

[Cookie2]

What worked for me this year was, bugle to locate if they weren't talking on their own. Then move towards them quickly. I didn't worry too much about making a little noise. When I thought that I was fairly close to where they were at last report I would give two or three cow calls to see if he would answer. If he did I would move in fast, no worries about noise as I wanted to sound like an anxious cow. You have to have a pretty good idea of where he is or this next part won't work. Go about half way to him and cow call...once. If he's still moving away, give him a good chewing out, all kinds of cow sounds. Then move at him hard for about that same half distance. If he is interested this should turn him around. Cow call once and check his position. I don't like to bugle except for locating only. After that it is all cow calls. Keep chasing him with the cow call and you will convince him that you are a cow desperate for a bull. That is my way and it has worked on several occasions.

 

[dutch]

I talked to a few hunters from Unit 74 during archery. They said cow calls were not working up until about the last 5-7 days, after the last snowstorm. Then they said they started responding. Before that, nada.
dutch
" Man who excels at putting worm on hook is Master Baiter"

 

[a3dhunter]

Sounds like you spent a lot of time moving camp. I was told that in that area so many hunters have used the Hoochie mama in the last couple years that if a bull is mature he has more than likely already been called in with it and busted hunters using it, I don't know if this is true but when you use it and the bull heads away think it is time to stop using it. I have been told to use a more aggressive approach into play by closing quickly with no calling. I only saw elk on north or east facing slopes during my archery hunt this year, so I stopped wasting time on south or west facing slopes and saw more elk. Who knows?

 

[Piker]

My buddy spent alot of time practicing with a Woods Wise reed call, and he did almost all the calling when we were together. I used the Hoochie Mama to bring the one he missed on Wednesday out into the open. Sometimes I tried a Primos Hyper lip, which sounded good the 3/4 of the times I got it right. Actually, I was depending on my buddy to do most of the calling. I'll be a better teammate next time.

Moving camp wasn't a big deal. "Camp" was a two man tent, our sleeping bags, pads, food, and JetBoil stove. We went in with 50+ Lb packs including our guns.

It sounds like we were way too timid with these beasts, but we didn't want to blow them out, and then have to look for somewhere else to hunt. We expected it to be alot like turkey hunting.

 

[rost495]

All I can say is look at the success ratios. Elk are not easy. You can call and chase a LOT of them IF you find them. And only a few will reply and come in. I tend to stay as quiet as I can unless its a hot rut time, listen, chase, snoop for trails etc.... during the day and try to setup closer and closer to where we'll cross paths.

At least you had super luck because you researched, got off the trail etc.... I had folks with me in the Eagles Nest Wilderness in CO this fall that only left the tent area at the border 2 times. And then never left main trails. Expecting elk to be out at 9am whent they got on the main trail, and being back at camp well before dark.

You just have to sometimes pray for luck, and then sometimes pushing it hard is the only way to go. IMHO just dont' push em hard into the bedding areas. That will bust em into other country usually.

And forget about what you see on video/TV shows. That doesn't represent real life OR anything most of us can afford. I tend to watch a bit here and there but its all so damn fake its not funny. And they won't even show the times where its slow and dull. Care to guess on how many hunts they go on where there is no footage ever shown due to lack of succes even on high dollar private hunts? Enough anyway. I've been in on the filming of hunts before and it turned me way sour. Even folks I thought I had respect for, well its all business and its the publics fault, because they want to fantasize and not see anything but animals they dream of shot. never mind a doe,cow or jake being shot.

Its why one of my favorites has been Gander Mountain series. They haev at times showed it like it is, work your butt off, see or catch nothign and head home empty handed. Much more realistic.

Jeff

 

[woodruffhunter]

It sounds like you had a typical elk hunt! I doesn't sound like
you were really doing anything wrong. I think we get caught up in believing that the perfect call will always bring the bull in.

Personally, I believe most often than not, a bull with cows will rarely leave them to find a single lone cow.

I think it is important to have a more than one cow call. The hoochie mama call is a good call but I also like to have a reed type call in order create slower drawn out meooowwwww's. I also
have the tendency to over call. I don't think one needs to respond every time a bull bugles.

I have also found walking and cow calling will help you out when getting on a herd.

Not sure if any of my rambling will help, but it has worked for me. You best teacher will be experience. Good Luck

 

[fldrw22]

what did you do wrong , well lets see ,first of all , NOTHING ,second , again , NOTHING , some times all of youre efforts pay off and some times they dont. my first question is , did you have a f ing blast on youre trip, do you feel good about youre efforts, if youre answers are yes and yes than things will eventially come together . Tag soup is a common meal for the people hunting with ethics and pride. keep up the hard work and things will always pay off . Maybe not this hunt ,but, they will .