The Public Land Grind Elk Season Part 3

Published by Ryan on

Each elk season that passes I believe that no matter how successful your season ended up there is always going to be lessons to be learned along the way, these lessons can be later applied to your hunting tactics during the next fall season. During the off season the question that all elk hunters should be asking themselves is what can I take from the previous elk season and my experiences in the elk woods that could be later added to my mixed bag of tricks in order to be more successful. Time spent in the elk woods is never wasted while placing yourself amongst these animals. I know that I gained a vast amount of knowledge I never would have hadn’t I spent so much time in the forests pursing wapiti….

A break down of elk season the public land grind 2020: During the first few days of early archery season (Sept 1st-9th) due to unfavourably hot and dry conditions elk activity was almost entirely non existent. The elk simply just weren’t moving during daylight hours, and they were far less likely to make their bedding locations known by letting out the occasional bugle. So, when the weather is seemingly just working against you like in this instance the heat was doing just that. What do you do? Do you just not hunt? Is it a waste of time? Well, as I learned the hard way being prepared and knowing where elk go especially during the hotter months of the year might have helped me immensely during those first couple unbearably hot and dry days. Had I known where the elk had gone to bed during the summer months I could have possibly put a game plan together to either put a stalk on or slip in close enough to where they were bedded and begin to call. Due to the fact I hadn’t done a sufficient amount of summer scouting for elk this wasn’t an option for me. Thus, during the first few days of season I found myself wandering aimlessly around the forest. 

Being prepared means putting in the time even during those hot summer days and finding where the elk are seeking refuge.

After my fairly unproductive early bow season due to my lack of scouting and the unfavourably hot conditions we had been presented with; Come rifle season, I decided to hang up the bow and take to the field with a rifle in hand. September 11th I had been waiting for a buddy of mine to arrive from out of town as we had planned to hunt that weekend together. He was running a little late so by the time we had met up we decided we’d spend the night in town and head to our spot in the early morning hours. We still had just under an hour of shooting light left so we decided to drive out to spot not 15-20minutes out side of town just to see what might be around. As soon as we got into the the forest I found a little side road that had been deactivated in recent years so we pulled off the main FSR and parked the truck. I pulled out my phelps bugle tube and gave it a whirl right from the truck. To my utmost surprise I was met with an almost immediate response from a bull no more than 300 yards away. Something that can be taken away from this experience is that you shouldn’t just write off those areas that are closer to town because you think that there might be a lot of hunting pressure. Many people believe those areas are heavily pressured but never go see for themselves. We drove not twenty minutes out side of town, ripped off one bugle and got an immediate response with 30minutes of shooting light to spare we called that bull in and had he been legal that just might have been it!

The next morning instead of sticking around close to town where we for sure knew elk were, we drove hours into the original spot we had planned to go hunting, far outside of cell service. Where we hunted for the next few days and despite our best effort never seen or heard a single elk. 

The further you go doesn’t always necessarily mean the better hunting is going to get, keep your options open! Don’t always be quick to right off those particularly obvious spots you might be surprised to learn what they hold!

On a mid September morning this past fall I mistakenly slept in way past my alarm. By the time I had made it to the trail head into the area I wanted to hunt that day it was nearly 9:00am. Of course this made me go into full panic mode as I had a certain area I wanted to be and a specific time that I wanted to make it there by.  Once I had thrown all of my gear together I hastily made my way up the trail almost in a full out sprint when suddenly after having charged a mere 600 yards up the trail I hear some rock kick up just to my left.  I glance over and what do I see but a bull elk with in 100 yards of me trotting away. Now, this was a hard lesson to learn for me because this wasn’t just a little rag horn bull no this was a nice 6 point bull and he managed to get away from me simply because I was in a rush. Had I just eased my way up the trail despite running late things might have turned out a little better for me in this instance. 

When you’re running late don’t do things in a rush, stealth is your best friend at all times when hunting.

I’d have to say that the rut came rather late this year. I could get bulls to respond during the month of September occasionally but I was never able to get them fired up enough to commit and come in. Now that doesn’t necessarily mean that you should just hang the bugle tube up and call it a day! No the point is although bulls weren’t getting overly riled they were still responding from time to time. 

Throwing out the that short location bugle every once in awhile certainly isn’t going to hurt even before the rut has officially shifted into high gear. As long as bugling is just kept down to a minimum you can use their occasional responses to your advantage. It’s just important that you don’t demonstrate an over abundance of aggression during the slower times of elk season or they might just wise up to what’s actually happening given how pressured the area is year to year that you’re hunting.

Then came the glorious month of October, and the rut appeared to be in full swing! Elk were absolutely everywhere, bugles rang out in every direction and sudden surprise encounters while just sneaking down a trail became and almost daily occurrence. While the rut activity was seemingly at its peak for 2020, bulls were far more likely to give up their locations and quite possibly commit to coming in if challenged by a potential threat to their dominance within the area. However, you can’t just bugle, bugle, bulge, and expect that bulls are going to respond with the same amount of enthusiasm you have shown them. Depending on how each situation plays out it is still possible during this time to bulge too much. The important thing to keep in mind is that each bull might not be as fired up as the next.  It’s imperative that you check their temperament before getting overly aggressive with your challenge bugles. I learned that the hard way mid October when I had found a bull after ripping a short location bugle and letting out a few cow chirps. The bull responded immediately, and before I could do anything he bugled again, now this is where I made a mistake.

After hearing the bull respond with not just one but two bugles in a row I immediately hit him with an aggressive, raspy challenge bugle. That’s when this bull decided to go completely mute on me, despite having previously shown me that he was fired up enough to at least bugle more than once. Well, as it would turn out he wasn’t quite as fired up as I must have sounded and therefore I was unable to get this bull to fully commit and come in, in fact he decided it would be in his best interest if he slipped away entirely undetected.

Always test the waters before getting to carried away with your aggression in your calling.

 

In the field tip: Never allow things to become to routine while in the elk woods; Routine, will only become your enemy. Never be afraid to change things up whether it’s your tactics, your approach, or even your location. Hunting pressure, weather conditions, predation, rut activity, and elk activity in general can alternate the outcome of your entire hunting season. Nature is constantly changing, occasionally we should too in order to stay on top of things.

Although my tag was left un-notched this past fall I wouldn’t trade my time spent in the woods pursing these amazing animals in one of the most incredible places for the world! My freezer may have been left unfilled by some of the most delicious and nutritious red meat a guy could ever ask for but the memories made and the lessons learned will remain ingrained in my mind for many years to come!

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