I found a small herd of cows and spikes. They seem to come to an area every few days but it’s not like clockwork. They are spending most of the time on private, but cut through a small section of BLM on a trail. I can’t decide if I should just sit that trail mornings and evenings all weekend and hope they come through or maybe get a chance at a bull coming to find them or if I should just keep hiking and calling and do a couple overnighters this weekend calling and hiking in the dark. Any thoughts?

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.

Want to wish everyone a great a season. We are officially pausing our zoom sessions and hopefully will resume them once season is over. You can still message me and I will try to respond during the season when I have time. Here is a few tips I want to share with you for the season to help you Locate, Call, and Shoot a bull. 1. Find 3-5 solid elk spots and if you are seeing fresh tracks hunt those spots and around until you locate the feeding/bedding/transition spots. 2. To locate bulls use location bugle and get ELKNUT app and learn the sounds he teaches. 3. Cover allot of ground every day if you are not finding fresh tracks, find saddles where elk travel, hunt water spots like marshes, thick brush, and steep north facing slopes. 4. When you locate the elk herd or a bull focus on the wind to get within 100 yards and then start your calling sequence. 5. Don't rush the bull, instead give him more time to peak his interest and curiosity and give him a scenario where he believes you are another bull with a how cow, and he will come in. 6. Start your day at 4am by hiking and using location bugle when it's dark to locate the herd and the direction of their movement. 7. If the bull is bugling none stop, you don't have to respond, instead play the wind and get close. 8. Focus on thick cover around water to find fresh tracks. 9. Find elk rubs on ridges, valleys, and around water. 10. Focus on the top 1/4 of canyon and your bugle sound will carry far, if there is elk they will respond. 11. Don't try to find elk out in the open during the day time, they are not stupid. Location bugle in the open spots while it's dark to see if there are any elk there. 12. You only need 3x3 square miles of a prime area transition area where you can hunt for 7 days straight and have many, many bulls come through. Usually it will be the saddle of two big canyons. Hope this helps some of you and feel free to add your tips for other hunters and what you found that works.

If you have been hunting elk for a few years and still have not shot your first bull then you belong here. 90% of hunters don't even see a legal animal during the season. But this year you have to put a bull on the ground.