Calling mature bulls early rut

[Moosecreek]

Hello HT members, I would appreciate any experience or advice you have calling older bulls in early bow season. I’ve had decent luck getting some elk in 30 to 40 yards but never had a good opportunity to take the shot. I know this is like asking for a map to the buried treasure but thought it might be interesting to hear from people who’ve put a heart pounding elk hunt together. Thanks !

 

[noharleyyet]

Squeeze this thing as hard and loud as you can...

I kid of course, I've always wanted to hunt a season when calling was feasible, best of luck.

 

[Doublecluck]

It’s all in the psychology, Make em think you’re another bull coming to a cow in heat. what are they are looking for, a cow in heat? They gotta go check it out.

 

[ccc23454]

Not exactly sure of your question as there is no trick. If they are ready to respond to calls you will know and it can turn like a switch! I have found this simple approach, just listen...if they are hot call like it, if things are slow minimize calls and combine locating with stalking. If your talking strictly "mature bulls" seldom do i have any luck calling in until later in month when everything is going.

 

[geewhiz]

Don't call them, ambush them. Fooling an old seasoned bull, even during the rut, is not an easy feat.

 

[longtail55]

Get yourself some really fresh cow in estrous piss... i mean really fresh, like collect it yourself and then paint your face with the freshest bull turds you can find.... i mean like fresh before they drop on the ground. that outta do it.

 

[Moosecreek]

Ok guys I like it ! Very interesting .. I agree old seasoned bulls have heard it all and I will really need to take into consideration the timing of the rut and my approach. In past hunts I have thought it may have been a deal breaker hunting alone and not having a caller behind me. Hey thanks guys good stuff !!

 

[NERedlegz]

How do you know you’re going to be calling old mature bulls and not younger bulls….do you only bust out the “old bull” tricks once confirmed? If so…I’m doing this wrong

 

[Moosecreek]

Good point .. I don’t know that.. I just may have the opportunity to possibly entice a 6 1/2 yr old bull in a particular hunting district. Also like ccc23454 said there is “no trick” just try to get a read on the elk that day and proceed accordingly.

 

[SAJ-99]

Hello HT members, I would appreciate any experience or advice you have calling older bulls in early bow season. I’ve had decent luck getting some elk in 30 to 40 yards but never had a good opportunity to take the shot. I know this is like asking for a map to the buried treasure but thought it might be interesting to hear from people who’ve put a heart pounding elk hunt together. Thanks !

I may have misunderstood the question. What you describe, stopping at 40yds, is a common problem. I have had cows come to calls and stop. At some point, the elk is looking for the source of the call. Positioning is always the tough part for me. I have found it hard to be the caller and the shooter in these scenarios and have never heard great advice on how to remedy it. Maybe it is mostly a numbers game. The more times it happens the greater the chance you can be successful?

 

[Gulf of America]

Good point .. I don’t know that.. I just may have the opportunity to possibly entice a 6 1/2 yr old bull in a particular hunting district. Also like ccc23454 said there is “no trick” just try to get a read on the elk that day and proceed accordingly.

If there's a particular bull you're going after, I'd try real hard to get on him the opening day of archery. Even a smart old bull is going to be a lot more likely to get curious and check out the first fake bugle after 8 months of quiet, but every one after that is going to make it less and less likely.

 

[Moosecreek]

That sounds very logical and with some good pre season scouting and pinning down where some good bulls may be, those first few attempts might really pay off !

 

[Gulf of America]

That sounds very logical and with some good pre season scouting and pinning down where some good bulls may be, those first few attempts might really pay off !

Get set up for a shot before you call. The last three years we've spotted or heard bulls bugle within the first hour of opening morning. We made moves to close the distance and then called, and every time there's been a mature bull in bow range in under a minute and I'm standing in the open with no arrow nocked. So hopefully one of these days I'll learn and take my own advice.

 

[GrantK]

seems like everyone is struggling with getting the shot off after calling a bull in, to me that is a setup issue, get close, get a good setup, and call, if you can't get the first two then hold off on making noise, mature bull or raghorn the program doesn't change raghorns give you lots of slack, you can have a mediocre setup and still do ok, big bulls tend to find the hole in your setup you didn't know you had, you're probably only getting one good chance, best to choose when to use it carefully...

I find it just as easy, if not easier, to kill bulls calling solo, having a caller is great in certain situations but most of the time if you are by yourself it's far easier to adjust as needed to get the shot, same cardinal rules apply, don't call if you are not ready to shoot, don't call from a spot that you are not going to be able to shoot from, don't call if the bull can easily circle downwind without you seeing him...

As far as early season calling in mature bulls, not just any bull, better to be lucky than good, the three biggest bulls I've called in have all been completely random, one came in from about 500 yards to a single bugle in about 30 seconds, he bugled, I walked to cover and knocked an arrow and bugled and he was in my lap, shot him at 50 yards in very open terrain, the second I had an hour-long back and forth finally getting into really thick timber with the bull, I shot him at 5 yards within maybe 2 seconds of seeing him for the first time, the third came in over the course of 4 hours from probably close to a mile, I was tagged out and hunting with a friend, we could hear a bull way onto the adjoining private land, given that it was noon we figured we would just occasionally call and see if we could get this bull to wander our way, after a couple of hours it was clear he was coming our way and getting more excited by the minute, we kept amping it up as long as he was responding, he finally broke loose and charged in, unfortunatly just in time for a couple other hunters who had heard our "rut" and were sneaking in on us to bump into him...

 

[Moosecreek]

That is something else and thinking about all the crazy things I’ve had happen at the last few seconds I will agree, I’m just not anchored and set up at that critical point.

Interesting what you had to say about the mature bulls and how random that can unfold. That’s cool and a great detailed experience, I’m going to put that order of operation to use ! Do you use a hands free mouth reed the last few seconds when at full draw? Im tied up with the damn squeeze box when I should have the bow at full draw. Hey I read that post twice I like it super informative.. thanks!

 

[DFS]

Depending on where you are hunting these mature bulls I would think calling would be a last resort.

 

[vagabond]

I prefer quiet, allowing my senses to remain alert, patience is key and really hard to master. I never bugled , just kept a cow/calf call on me for an emergency! The ambush is where all the fun is, and some incredible luck and the wind in your favor never hurt anything!

 

[GrantK]

Do you use a hands free mouth reed the last few seconds when at full draw? Im tied up with the damn squeeze box when I should have the bow at full draw.

I generally don't, I pretty much never cow call and I bugle really sparingly, if the setup is right I usually get close enough before I call that I only need to bugle once, it's usually a case of bugle, set the call down and draw, if the bull is looking for you he should be stopping on his own pretty frequently...or just mew at him with your mouth, it doesn't need to be pretty.

 

[Moosecreek]

I generally don't, I pretty much never cow call and I bugle really sparingly, if the setup is right I usually get close enough before I call that I only need to bugle once, it's usually a case of bugle, set the call down and draw, if the bull is looking for you he should be stopping on his own pretty frequently...or just mew at him with your mouth, it doesn't need to be pretty.

Ok thanks !

 

[antlerradar]

More often than not when I have tried to call a mature bull the best shot opportunity would be for someone to set up on the far side of the bull. Might get a shot as he is fleeing.
Could just be that I suck at calling.