Calling mature bulls early rut

[Aerosith]

Last Season on Sept 16 2022, I hiked in a remote basin and bugled (5 am) several times not knowing what i was doing. To my surprise I heard a few response bugles in the distance well over a mile away. I also tried cow calls to coax the bull in, but all that did was push him away even further. It was now 7:30 am and i had hiked 1-2 miles in the bulls direction without bugling when I had found fresh tracks. I decided to bugle one more and immediately got a response maybe 120yds away he also started raking. In response I started ferociously raking and bugled one more time and about a minute later that bull came in silent to 20yds. The entire time his bugle was weak he sounded like a raghorn bull, but when he came in I was looking at a 350 class bull. Mind you this was my first time calling a bull in, but one thing I learned is to respond to the bull in the same tone he is exhibiting and sneak in as close as you can.

 

[rogerthat]

I can not count the number of times I have heard people calling and thought "what the F are you doing" If I can tell you are not an elk, you can be sure that an older bull can too.

This right here is the best wisdom on the thread so far. I don’t know how many times I have been sitting and listening in the dark to a herd going nuts only to have “an elk caller” work out onto a finger ridge and belt out there best rendition of a bugle followed by quite a cow frenzy than back to the bugle. Usually the elk go dead silent the coyotes return the challenge howl they just heard and the hunters move off to check another basin shaking their heads wondering where the elk went. For most people, calling should be the last option for a mature bull. But of course YouTube says different

 

[Stocker]

This right here is the best wisdom on the thread so far. I don’t know how many times I have been sitting and listening in the dark to a herd going nuts only to have “an elk caller” work out onto a finger ridge and belt out there best rendition of a bugle followed by quite a cow frenzy than back to the bugle. Usually the elk go dead silent the coyotes return the challenge howl they just heard and the hunters move off to check another basin shaking their heads wondering where the elk went. For most people, calling should be the last option for a mature bull. But of course YouTube says different

My favorite is “calls too much guy”. The kind of guy that carries 2 backup squeeze balls for his hoochie momma in his pack because he knows he’s gonna wear them out.

You can track him wherever he goes, 10 steps, herd of squeaky cows, 10 steps, herd of squeaky cows.

Bugling non stop every couple yards is good too, make sure you stand out on a point so in the off chance there is an elk they can see you.

 

[FREAK]

The other thing I started doing is I’ll throw rocks and sticks 10-20 yards behind me after a couple soft calls to sound like I’m a couple cows moving around. Shot two bulls last year at 30 yards or less that we’re looking right through me to where the sounds were coming from.

 

[TheTone]

I remember a couple years ago getting 6 bulls going on Sept 1, at least 2 of which were nice 5 or 6 points. Granted all the bugling was over by 730 or so in the morning but it was still a fun day. It was the most bulls I’ve ever heard in a day in some of the crappy stuff I hunt.