ROADHUNTER: GET ASSERTIVE WITH ELK

ROAD HUNTER

Want to bring a big herd bull within bow range? Try assertive moves, which can swing the odds in your favor.

GET ASSERTIVE WITH ELK

Bugling’s OK, but raking branches, using decoys and covering ground are tactics that really help fill a bull tag.

STORY AND PHOTOS BY SCOTT HAUGEN

When I was hosting TV shows full-time, I went on multiple elk hunts every season. I did my own calling, made my own decisions and learned a lot. Mostly, I learned how aggressive I could be and still fill tags. With many tags to fill in a season – elk and otherwise – my time was limited, so I hunted with assertion. Though not every hunt ended in success, I always came away having learned something.

“Why didn’t you shoot that bull?” my videographer Travis Ralls whispered as the hind end of a massively racked Rocky Mountain elk melted into the timber. “He wasn’t that big,” I smiled. Travis shook his head, knowing we were in for a long hunt.

The bull I’d just let walk pushed 350 inches. A great bull in many places, but on this particular public land hunt, it was just a bit above average. The first bull we’d seen on opening morning two

days prior was pushing 390 inches, and we saw three others in excess of 375 inches. The giants don’t come easy.

Over the course of six days I called multiple bulls to within 40 yards, though I didn’t let an arrow fly, as the bruiser bull I’d hoped for never materialized. Our calling success continued that season and I was fortunate to fill tags in three other states, securing some dandy bulls. The secret? Move and call aggressively.

RAKING FOR BULLS One of the most frustrating experiences an elk hunter faces is dealing with bulls that respond to every sound you make but won’t come in. While taking o the boots and slithering to within bow range of smart bulls seems good on paper, the truth is there are many variables to consider, not the least of which are lots of cows, swirling winds and dry ground that can botch each stalk.

If there’s no prayer of getting close to a hung-up bull, try raking a tree. Grab a hefty limb you can swing with both hands, then find a tree you can beat the heck out of. Before raking commences, be sure an arrow is nocked and your bow easily accessible. Make sure the wind is where you want

Be it Rocky Mountain elk or Roosevelt elk, both have big country to roam, and hunting with assertion can be the key to filling a tag.

it, then get to work.

In nature, when challenging bulls rake a tree it’s not a passive display. Bulls thrash, stomp, push, grind, kick and toss their headgear around with the intent of demolishing the tree to prove their dominance to other bulls. When raking a tree, you have to do the same thing.

Raking for elk is far more aggressive than rattling for deer. With elk, you’ll be sweating, breathing hard and getting tired as you try to fill the woods with sounds mimicking what a massive bull would produce.

I like raking a tree that’s surrounded by loose rock, hard dirt and, ideally, lots of dead branches. I vigorously stomp the ground, drag my feet over loose rocks and smash dead branches, all in an e ort to create as much commotion as possible.

After a minute or so of hard raking and stomping, I like letting out a raspy bugle, one an old bull would make. The goal is to bring in a herd bull, not young satellite bulls, and to do this you have to act big.

As soon as the bugle passes my lips, I grab my bow, clip on my release and listen. Sometimes you’ll hear a bull clawing its way up the mountain to get to you. Other times you have no idea how a

SLAYER ELK CALLS

I’ve tried a lot of diaphragm calls during my elk hunting career, but the new line of Slayer Calls could be the best I’ve used. The range of sounds you can generate from each specifically designed diaphragm is impressive, especially when delivered through their ArchAngel.

The ArchAngel is a uniquely designed bugle tube with an acrylic mouthpiece. The wide lip and specially designed back pressure system means less air, thus more accurate sound production. From penetrating dense timber to blasting across massive canyons to sweet-talking up close, the range of crisp, clear sounds this tube a ords is very impressive.

Toss in the Slayer External Call and you’re ready to o er seductive cow sounds and calf chatter that bulls respond to. Learn more at slayercalls.com. 700-pound animal can sneak in from the side without you hearing or seeing it.

Once in a while an old bull will gather its cows and leave the area. That’s OK, as you can come back and hunt it another time or day, perhaps some other way. The fact that the bull didn’t see or smell you means you still have a chance.

How long I rake and stomp depends on how a bull is responding. If it keeps bugling or starts raking a tree, I get more aggressive. Issuing cow and young bull calls can also convince a big bull to come in, as it creates the illusion that other elk are moving in. I’ve kept this up for 20 minutes to well over an hour, but how long you spend depends on the bull’s behavior, wind direction and your stamina.

DON’T NEGLECT DECOYS Another tool to help bring a hesitant bull within bow range is an elk decoy. Nothing I’ve found matches the realistic nature of a cow elk like the Montana Decoy line of options. I’m a fan of the Miss September cow decoy when hunting trails from a treestand or ground blind. The Back Country decoy is also good for this approach, and both decoys convey a calm feeling of an animal moving away, which often entices a bull to go forward at a quickened pace.

Montana Decoy’s Eichler Elk Decoy is also proven, and I’ve had the best results with this when hunting with a buddy. In this situation, one of us posts up, bow ready, while the other holds the decoy 50 yards or so behind the shooter. The person with the decoy also does the calling, and moves and calls according to the reaction of the approaching bull. If a bull hangs up, move farther with the decoy and add some bugles to the cow chatter. This will create a realistic simulation of another bull coming in and taking away the cows, something that can make a big bull close in.

If hunting from a treestand or ground blind, situate a cow decoy so a bull has to walk past you to reach it. When an approaching bull reaches a

By aggressively calling, rattling and covering ground, you can take your elk hunting encounters to another level.

GEAR FOR AGGRESSIVE HUNTERS

September elk hunts can be hot, and water is invaluable. Water, more than food, will keep your body and mind functioning and moving; there’s no such thing as drinking too much. A bladder is ideal because we drink way more water when a straw dangles inches from our mouths versus having to stop and dig through a pack for a bottle. Get a system with a good filter and, if you can, get water from creeks, springs, even ponds, every chance you can.

Moisture-wicking clothing is best for hunters covering ground, as are quality boots. Be sure boots are 100-percent broken in and know how they perform well before the season starts. Danner’s 4.5-inch Sharptail is a favorite early-season hunting boot of mine, as it’s lightweight and the low-profile footbed makes for quiet moving.

Always have a wind-check bottle handy, especially when hunting aggressively. If the wind changes, back out, as you can never fool an elk’s sense of smell. Its eyes and ears, yes, but never its nose. designated shooting lane, draw your bow and issue a cow call to stop it for a shot. A diaphragm call is perfect for this, but an open-reed call can also work.

MOVE, MOVE, MOVE Another aggressive approach I love is covering ground. Often I’ll hunt all day and cover miles of rugged country. The goal is to locate herds burrowed into heavy cover for the day, and I locate them by calling. Using cow and calf chatter, which simulates herd separation, is my top choice. Getting an entire herd talking at 2 p.m. in 80-degree temperatures is a rush,

and is doable in cooler timbered draws.

If the bull in the herd starts talking, issue some bugles, as sometimes this will pull it in. If the bull won’t budge, come back to hunt it that evening. Moving into a bedded herd at midday is risky, as so many eyes can bust you, plus the thermals in canyons can be very unstable at this time of day.

This elk season, be it raking, decoying or covering ground, don’t be afraid to get aggressive. If you sit and wait for the perfect situation to unfold, you may never get a shot. Pay very close attention to the wind, move in the shadows and cover ground, and you might come away with a new approach to elk hunting.  Editor’s note: To order Scott Haugen’s bestselling instructional DVD, Field Dressing, Skinning & Caping Big Game, visit scotthaugen.com. Follow Scott on Instagram.

Moving and aggressively calling paid off for author Scott Haugen on this elk hunt, as it has many times for him over the years.

HATCH OUTWEST PRECISION

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