Hi everyone! My name is AJ. I’m a disabled veteran. I moved to the pnw in 2020, but this past year I moved out to the southern slope of Mt St Helen’s (Ariel,Wa). I used to hunt white tails in Iowa, but I never truly learned the art of hunting. It was just shooting fish in a barrel in the corn fields. This will be my first time hunting mulies, and my first time hunting elk. I’m shooting a 30.06, and maybe a muzzleloader in the future. I do own a .50 cal muzzleloader as well. If you’re hunting up my way and need anything feel free to hit me up. I live right in GMU 560. I am super intimidated, it seems there’s a lot to learn. Excited to learn and get to know everyone! Hell maybe I’ll see yall out there.

He guys. Let’s use this post to discuss Elk hunting topics regarding calling, scouting, vocals, and strategy. Here’s a few ways you can tell if the elk is coming in when you are using a location bugle. 1. Sneaky Bulls. You got no response and are sitting quietly waiting to hear a bull bugle back and all of sudden you see movement or hear a branch snap and it can be as close as 30 yards. Allot of big and small bulls are going to come in quietly to location bugle and not bugle back. They want to see/smell you first. I’ve had a situation this year where I was bugling my way down through timber and almost stepped a 2 raghorns (30-40 yards) they never responded, never made a sound, until I got super close. And another situation was when I was bugling downhill and hiking back to my car. I sat down and was looking at OnX for a few minutes, then I got up and a bull jumped out no more than 30 yards from behind me. He was following me downhill, stepping into my tracks, but never bugling back. if you did not get a response to your location bugle, it actually could be a sign that one is coming in, especially if you know this area holds elk and there is fresh sign. 2. The Raker! This type of bull often does not bugle back but then moment you let out a soft half volume location bugle he will stand up and start racking a tree aggressively. You can hear it rake from a few hundred yards away, at first it sounds like something is running through the forest but you will realize sound is coming from the same location. If you bugles and instead got allot of thrashing raking sound it’s time to close the distance to where the time is coming from. 3. The lazy bugle. This type of bull will often bugle a short 1 second bugle that sounds so laze and short you will most likely not be able to pin point him because he is bedded, lazy, and is not wanting to talk. but if you can hear it, than he can hear you also. It’s time to move slowly and watch ahead with your binoculars because he might have cows with him and they will have more eyes and ears than you. Pls the wind. Look ahead. When you get within a few hundred yards you can set up for a calling sequence.

This year I’m going out for deer and elk. It’s my first time hunting elk. I live in and am hunting GMU 560. I’m super intimidated tbh. Open for any tips!