Elk grunt, what to do

[sled_guy]

So I was up scouting over the weekend and walked down through a pine draw. I cow called and got a bull to respond with nothing more than a grunt. I could cow call, he would just give off a grunt sound. Never bugled, never changed. I had other cows in the area also talking but he wouldn't ever do anything but grunt.

I did NOT try to sneak in on him, just moved on after 10 minutes or so.

So in this situation, what should be my approach? Go ahead and sneak towards him, blow a bugle, more cow calling?

I've never had a bull just grunt and not move.

sled_guy

 

[lang]

He is calling you (the cow) to him. Sounds like he's bedded and with a herd. So he's not going to go out of his way to run to you. I would get as close as you can then rip a big bugle if you can get close enough (under 100 yrds) with good wind and cover.

 

[fordshorty]

I had the same thing happen to me Friday went out to see if they were calling saw one decent bull all he would do was chuckle at me. Cow called and bugled at him didn't really seem to care.

 

[anadavid25]

move toward him and grunt back, if you cant get a nice and deep grunt going, pull your pecker out and pull on it while you grunt. that should do the trick.

 

[bowhunt3r4l1f3]

>move toward him and grunt back,
>if you cant get a
>nice and deep grunt going,
>pull your pecker out and
>pull on it while you
>grunt. that should do the
>trick.

Ha!
www.utahscoutingservices.com

 

[hilltophunter]

Those bedded bulls don't like to put much energy into the bugle during the day so sometimes its tough to get them to move. I usually never bugle big bulls unless its one or two bugles from a long distance off just to locate bulls in a canyon then it is all about the cow call.

In 08 I did have a bull bedded with cows about 100 yds below me on an archery hunt that was just grunting (and its easy to tell the difference between a grunt when they are bedded and if they are standing). He had cows bedded all around him in the pines and there was no chance of a stock so I simply sat down for an hour or so, used multiple cow calls and a good number of his cows got up and moved up hill and bedded around me (the wind was blowing up hill and perfect). The lazy bugger just figured he had added a few more cows to the herd and was prob trying to sleep one off from all his fun that week and I honestly couldn't get him to do more than grunt when I cow called. I don't usually carry a bugle and mine was about 2 miles back at my quad so I just mouth grunted him without one. Worked like a charm!! he figured another bull had moved in above him with his cows and the lazy bugger jumped up really quick and let it rip. It took him only a few minutes to work his way up hill to me on a trot through the oak brush and only one more grunt from me to help him locate my position. 8yds and game over, he never knew what hit him.

Honestly I've never been a fan of bugling at bulls because most times they round up their cows and run like hell. But if you can make them think you have moved into the herd and are stealing cows its amazing how dumb they get and how easy they are to kill.

Just a small take on my experience with a lazy/bedded grunting bull!!

Good Luck