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I wrote this on another Site, thought I'd share it with you! Most should apply. I hope it helps out.
I love those North Facing slopes, ridges, fingers or just the little hidey holes that face north on many west & east facing faces. The wetter the better! (grin) You most likely won't get to hear much bugling at that time. (fingers crossed) But it's possible for some bugling! Glassing from vantage points can be very effective in your locating ventures, especially if the country/terrain allows for it.
Since you're after Cows exclusively, I'd take out the bugling parts, in some cases the bulls show 1st when the bugling/harassment senario is added. You can try it both ways if you'd like, but it's not needed.
Your odds aren't the best to get into many if any bugling matches early on, it can happen, but odds are small. Early on in pre-rut bulls bugle for 2 main reasons. They'll get in a "displaying" mode where they show themselves off to other bulls in their given area. (pecking order) They do this by raking & bugling in one anothers presence, they'll size one another up for on coming rutting purposes, they'll do this while still in bachelor groups & many times on their own just feeling their oats, the on-coming hormone change within them. But they'll bugle some at this time. Bulls know each other by sound, smell & sight.
It is possible that cows, (older ones) will come into estrus first as early as late Aug. this can promote some pretty intense rutting activity, lots of bugling, but it's in sporatic areas. If you're present when this is happening, great, you can "work" these elk!
Just giving you a little foundation on what to expect from elk come early season.
Sitting wallows in early season in the evenings is best, elk hit wallows from mid Aug. to mid Sept. the hardest then taper off, they still will use them but not as hot & heavy, weather has a lot to do with this as well. The hotter the better! A treestand or ground blind strategically set to keep favorable wind from their approach is very important!
There are many ways to get into elk & have them come check you out "early season" as this is the time the elk, specifically cows, are splitting up & getting into their smaller groups preparing for the on-coming rut. Bulls especially the younger 5s & 6s will be looking for these groups of cows, they do this by sight, smell & their biggest way is by "SOUND" They will bugle at times for advertisement, that is calling attention towards themselves in an attempt to bring cows their way. Many times cows will answer or respond to them excitedly thus showing great interest in them & for him to join them, that is a selective sound used by cows & a very important one that can be used by us hunters other than just social "cow talk". Cows can invite or reject a bulls advances.
Your setups in an effort to call elk/bulls your way in this time of year is important so that you use certain sounds that fit the time of month or time of the rut, the more natural the more success you'll enjoy.
Some of your setups between feeding/bedding areas may include simple cow talk back & forth from a hunting partner that's 30yds away from you, being 4-6 cows & a calf feeding/milling around with one bossy sounding cow in the mix that stands out above the others is a very realistic approach. Her sounds can be sharp mews/chirps or from estrus to excited sounding longated mews. Doing this calling senario for 5-6 minutes then one of you turning around & giving an excited raggie squeal with some rapid chuckling, 5-6 of them shows a young bull has heard them & is approaching them, it also shows his excitement in his new found treasure. You may go into several different directions with your calling at this point, from aqccepting him through the invite call, to him coming in harrassing this small group, especially the excited cow. You can build on that one thing & raise a fairly believable ruckus, this can & in many cases attracts other bulls within earshot to hurry & come check out the ruckus happening. At times elk can show quickly or they can show up 30min-to an hour later, be patient & sit & wait when in a good elky spot.
Calling in low tones every 4-5 minutes or so will let other elk around that you're still there & can keep them coming your way to check out this unfamiliar group.
Sometimes I use what I call "Battling Cows" method! This is a deadly "setup" as well. Cows will battle for dominancy just as bulls do, this takes place early on in most cases before cows are herded up by bulls. Small groups can come together & all it takes in one of the Lead Cows to get irate at the presence of another group or just flat wants to be the boss of all of them. When this happens Cows can be very vocal & fierce in their approach. Their mews can start out in a demanding pitchy sound & escalate in minutes to brash nasally pitchy threatning sounds that are off the charts, many are longated as a lost cow sound would be much pitchier.
You & a hunting partner get 40 yds apart or so in a good setup area with good wind from where you exoect elk to approach from & start this senario & build-up to the climax of the sounds as well as a lot of stomping & thrashing along with other nervous mews & chirps from the other cows in the group. Build up to the climax & go down like you started. We've had bulls go ballistic with this method as early on as Sept. 1st--They come flying in, we've had as many as 3-4 bulls come in at the same time, this really attracts attention, have your bows ready & an arrow nocked, don't get caught off guard.
Too, we've used a sound as simple as a "Lost Cow Sound" from the same spot along with a nervous calf chirp, this is very realistic when the calf chirp is added, it denotes a nervous action on it's part recognizing the moms uncertainty. This sound requires aid/attention from other elk in earshot. Once again you must be patient & hidden where elk must come look for you that puts them into bowrange. We wait up to 30-45min with this setup before moving! When using lost cow sounds one must be persistent, 12-15 calls in a row is normal with 3 - 4 sets of them, then break & hit a few more off & on for a couple minutes then stop sit & wait.
Yes there are other methods as well but here's a couple to think about!!!
ElkNut1
