wild guide : cow calling elk
IT WAS MID- SEPTEMBER AND THE ELK RUT WAS IN FULL SWING .
I watched the dominant herd bull run off the two smaller bulls and keep his cows gathered for about 20 minutes . It was a real pleasure to watch nature in its purest form from my hidden location . However , I was here to fill the freezer with some delicious elk meat and I needed to come up with a game plan to draw one of the bulls to within bow range .
I was concealed amongst some fallen spruce trees contemplating my next move . I was reluctant to bugle to gain his attention . After watching what the bull was going through with the satellite bulls , I feared if I bugled the herd bull might think a third satellite bull had joined the fight . If that was the case , I feared he would gather his cows and leave the area . Elk can put many miles behind them in a short period of time and if that happened , my hunt would be over .
The most aggressive satellite bull was a big 5x5 and he was persistent and wanted nothing more than to steal a few cows from the herd to call his own . The cows were growing impatient with the pestering of the two satellite bulls and were beginning to move further away from my location . The herd bull ran the 5x5 off again , but this time he ran him off in my direction . I gave a light chirp from my Cow-Girl cow call and the bull jumped to attention . He was looking in my direction . He had no idea where I was but his actions made me believe he thought there was a lone cow in the trees in front of him . I squeezed the cow call again and the bull moved another 50 meters towards me . Realizing I was onto something , I positioned myself for a clear shot through the tangled tree limbs . A few more soft chirps on my cow call and the bull moved closer . I had no doubt I could walk him in , however , it would work in my favour if he came in fast and hot so he wouldn ’ t be looking for me or get a chance to wind me . So I got aggressive with the cow calls . Four quick and loud chirps on the cow call and the 5x5 went crazy . He began to urinate all over the ground and bugle back to my calls . He lifted his head high to smell the air and began to quicken his step . Within a few seconds he was running towards me and I knew if I didn ’ t make this shot count the bull would bust me and scatter every elk in the area for miles . I moved my body , drew my bow and aimed it through the only shooting lane I had .
The bull closed the distance to a mere 32 meters but was still searching . I stopped the bull with a quiet cow chirp from my mouth call . As the bull stood slightly quartering away I squeezed the trigger on my bow release and sent the arrow on its deadly voyage .
The arrow found its mark and the bull ran a short distance before colliding with a birch-tree and collapsing to the ground . When I emerged from the tangled tree limbs , I was surprised to see the big herd bull only 80 meters away . I was so focused on the 5x5 I hadn ’ t realized the herd bull was also coming to my calls . He must have thought one of his cows had snuck away and he was on a mission to retrieve her . After seeing me , the old warrior returned to his cows and the herd disappeared into the thick cover .
The story above was my second successful bull elk hunt in as many years using only a cow call . There ’ s nothing like the sound of a bull elk bugling and answering back to your bugles . It ’ s a very adrenaline filled conversation . However , over the years , my cow call has helped me put more elk on the ground in comparison to my bull bugles .
Last year on a cool morning high in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta , a big bull sounded off less than 100 meters in front of me . I had no idea the bull was there . The bull ’ s call made the hair on the back of my neck stand up . The sound echoed through the early morning mountain air and the rustic sound of a bull elk bugling in the mountain setting is something I will never forget . I was bow hunting mule deer but had an elk tag in my pocket . I quickly dropped to my knees . I needed to close the distance so I pulled out my cow call . It always amazes me how such big animals like elk and moose can move through the thick woods supporting large antlers as quiet as they do . There ’ s no way a human that is much smaller can move as quiet no matter how hard we try . So to cover my clumsy human noise , with every four or five steps I lightly squeezed my cow call making a light chirp . My belief is the bull now thinks it ’ s a cow moving towards him and lets his guard down . As the distance between the two of us narrowed , I could see through the trees that the bull was beginning to circle around smelling the air . The wind was in my favour for now , but if he made it behind me the bull would wind me and the hunt would be over . I began to get aggressive with the cow calls . They slowed him down but he was still working his way around and I was running out of time . I pointed the call right at him and chirped as I worked my way straight towards him . I had nothing to lose and went right at him moving as fast as I could . At 40 meters he stopped to make sense of the aggressive cow coming towards him .
7 Wild Guide . Fall 2017