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Elk hunting gear questions
Aaron H:
I wish the best of luck to you Scott. Put the arrow where it needs you go, your points will handle the task.
And don't forget to give us a good story when you get home.
Wolf Watcher:
Scott: Are your tags for antlered or cows? The reason I ask is I hunt cows completely different than bulls. Different strategy. Where in Idaho do you have your tags? When I had an outfitters license I had a back quiver that I made for horse back riding as it was always a long ways back in the mountains. I used that same quiver when I hunted coastal elk in Oregon and Washington because it kept the feathers dry and was a very quick way to get an arrow out and knocked. Someone came up with Cat Quiver design which works much the same way. Those quivers did not always survive the rodeos. I tried to make one for the raffle and it turned out way to heavy and big. I never had a problem with breaking a point except when shooting. Please don't disregard the cow calls. A lost or distressed calf call can bring in cows and a good "here I am" cow call can work wonders on bulls. There are three different bulls when it comes to calling. A herd bull and he has all the eyes of his cows for help and he will not come any distance from them. Young bulls want some action but if you sound to big they will retreat so you have to go to them. The third bull is the one you can call in as he is generally a bigger bull that has no cows and is willing to accept a challenge. He will often circle to get the wind, but will take chances if you don't over call him! A good pair of field glasses is necessary. We had a small herd of 20 or so cows head up country yesterday across the hills from the house. They are beautiful this time of year. Good Luck Joe
lebhuntfish:
--- Quote from: PEARL DRUMS on June 20, 2016, 02:01:00 pm ---Something tells me you will do just fine my friend ;)
--- End quote ---
+1, for sure!
Patrick
nclonghunter:
Wolf Watcher,
I am wondering what type or brand of calls you use for the bulls? I think Scott, myself and others will benefit from your experience.
We added a cow elk "Heads up" decoy to our bag of tricks last year and I truly believe it brought in the young 5x4 that my buddy took at 12 yards. We were 50 yards apart and he was cow calling and flashing the decoy. I was young bull calling and it came by me and to my buddy as I said. Elk hunting is the greatest hunting I know but I also realize you can never stop learning. I like a diaphragm call and a Primos Make a the bull crazy cow call. I keep a Hoochie Mama tied on my belt and will make low toned calf calls when going through dark timber. All my bull calls are with diaphragm and a piece of plastic pool tubing wrapped in camo tape. We hunt from Vail north to Steamboat Springs if you know of any areas worth looking at.
Thanks
Wolf Watcher:
Years ago when I was going to college in Colorado we used to hunt out of Rifle. Was pretty good for elk and big mule deer bucks. I hear its been fairly used up! In the late 40s and early 50s we used to go to Yellowstone in Sept. for a week or so to fish and watch the elk during the rut. It was a fantastic learning experience. I had a bugle made out of a piece of cane. To this day I would rather call a big bull in close than shoot him. Bugling bulls is my elk hunting joy. I can get three cow tags each year, but usually take a big calf as that is more than enough to feed us. I have been going to a camp as an instructor with the Worland Game and Fish Wardens for some years now. At one of those camps we were given a "POWER BUGLE" made by Elk Inc. out of Gardner Montana. It is the best one I have found as it can generate several tones and volumes. As far as cow calls go, I have a very small and simple one called Carlton's Calls. It is about 2" long and 5/8" around. It has a plastic reed with a movable round rubber band over the reed that can be adjusted to change the sounds. It fits in my pocket or in the palm of my glove and I can make all the calls with it. I quit carrying my Hoochie Momma as I never learned to make consistent calls with it. If I was asked to give anyone advise about bugling and cow calling I would say be very judicious and do not over call. A bugle made out of a piece of rubber garden hose can be just as effective as the high dollar ones in the hands of an experienced caller. By the way, Mike "Hawk" Huston bugles and cow calls without a bugle and is very good at it. I also rate shooting a bull moose with primitive equipment as good as it gets for me. Joe
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