T
here’s a scene in the movie Lonesome Dove where Captain Call
gives Newt a six-shooter on their way to steal horses in Mexico.
As he hands him the gun Call says, “It’s better to have it and not
need it, than to need it and not have it.” I feel the same way about most
of my hunting equipment, including game calls. And that theory proved
true just a few years back, at last light, when I was about 10 yards
from a bull elk in a wallow. I couldn’t see him, but I could hear every
heavy breath and the plop of his hooves when they sucked free from
the gumbo. This was a situation where a lot could have gone wrong,
but because I spent a couple bucks on a mouth call and was prepared
to use it, the hunt ended in my favor.
It had taken me six years and hundreds of boot miles to finally
draw on a bull, and the call helped me when I needed it. Since that time,
I’ve experienced several more “Aha” moments while calling, and these
experiences should help you during your fall hunts this year.
Call Less, Way Less
Call companies send out their best callers to put on seminars and
compete in calling competitions. This is all good, and they sound great,
but what you aren’t being told (very often, anyways) is that squawking
through the elk woods probably does more harm than good. Yes, I’ve
walked into elk herds that are extremely vocal and, in turn, have been
very vocal with them. But this isn’t the norm, and when it does happen
it usually doesn’t last long.
For instance, the elk I described above was killed when I made just
two mews from a mouth call. But before that time I was patient, called
sparingly, and only moved when I should have, which put me in a killing
position. I was ready when that bull finally made his move. Since that
time my mantra has been, move more, call less.
You don’t have to be a calling champ to trick an elk
Elk sound similar to each other, but they
don’t all sound the same. I’ve heard elk
choke in the middle of a bugle—so they
aren’t perfect. Neither are we. Some of the
funniest moments at elk camp are right
after someone makes the most horrific
sounding bugle “anyone’s ever heard.”
The tip here? We all know we need to spend more time practicing
with our elk calls, but the reality is most of us are pretty dang busy. So,
how do you make time? One trick is to leave your calls in your car and
practice on the way to swim lessons, or on the way to the kid’s baseball
game. If the call is there and you can see it you are likely to practice
with it more often.
Sometimes you don’t need to call at all
Once, on an early season hunt, I dropped into a canyon with five bulls
bugling halfheartedly. After getting the wind right I planned my attack.
The first bull I encountered was a young five-point that I thought would
be easy to call in. Unfortunately, I thought wrong—when I called, that
young bull ran away.
Fortunately, a few minutes later I found myself about 150 yards
away from two bugling six-point bulls. Rather than repeating my mistake
I tucked my mouth call into a pocket, knocked an arrow and snuck into
bow range across an open sagebrush flat. Sometimes it pays to keep
quiet and use your stalking skills instead.
Get in Close, then Call
A mistake I made early in my hunting career was calling to elk that
were a long way away. I must have watched too many elk hunting videos
and thought I could call them in from across the longest and broadest
canyons imaginable. Sure, we all know “that guy” who called one in from
a mile away, but let’s be real—that guy is most likely not going to be you
. . . and it certainly wasn’t me.
If an elk is being vocal, that means his attention is elsewhere. Use
that to your advantage. Move in and get close while he screams for all
of the world to hear. When sneaking in, there is a good chance you’ll
encounter an elk doing the same thing—sneaking up to him. Be on the
lookout for those satellite bulls and don’t worry about spooking them.
Elk are accustomed to a lot of commotion during the rut and, more often
than not, bumping a satellite bull won’t mess things up for you.
When sneaking in on a bugling bull, I like to get within a minimum of 150
yards before I call. You’ll have to gauge the situation, but this is when
I’ve had some of my best calling encounters. Catch the right bull, in the
right situation, in close quarters, and you could have the hunt of a life-
time unfold in front of you.
Tip: Better have your arrow knocked before you rip a bugle in his
kitchen.
Diversity of elk calls
I have a favorite call that was given to me by my elk hunting mentor.
Actually, that call is hanging on a branch somewhere, but I’ve replaced it
with the same one several times (damn trees stealing my elk calls). That
call goes on every hunt, but I also carry at least two other options on me,
and a few more in my pack. Sometimes elk are like spring turkeys and
they’ll ignore one call, but 30 seconds later go crazy for another. Simply
put, diversity in calls is a good thing.
Remember, it’s easy to get caught up in the hype and excitement of
calling in a big bull, but sometimes you need to just move more and call
less.
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