# Opening day Archery Elk!!!



## Fishane1 (Sep 14, 2011)

Never hunted Archery Elk on the opener....Is this to soon to be calling? Cow call Bugle..what would you suggest. What should I expect?


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## UtahMountainMan (Jul 20, 2010)

My experience is that bugling that early does not work, in fact it seems to hurt. Cow calling/chirping doesnt necessarily hurt but I dont think it helps. The first 2 or even 3 weeks of the archery elk hunt I think by FAR the best option is to be mobile and find the elk. Dont bother with cow calling at all. Keep the wind in your favor, move slowly, and find the best route to get within range of the elk. 

This method has proven to be much, much, much more successful for me than getting elk to either come to a call or even respond to a call. 

If they DO come to the call its usually a few cows or a spike elk that will silently walk in, but even that is rare.

My general rule of thumb when I am hunting elk is unless the rut is going hard I dont use calls or bugles, I find the elk with optics and then go to them. I think too many guys rely on calls and bugles to bring elk in (or so they hope) and then when no elk come in that area and the elk that reside there are labeled "call shy".

My 2 cents


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## shaun larsen (Aug 5, 2011)

WATER, WATER, WATER. sit on WATER. WATER IS THE KEY until around the 10th of sept.


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## north slope (Sep 8, 2007)

I find the best way is to cow call, bugle as much as possible and do it from your four wheeler or truck (while it is still running). Repeat in every canyon and drainage you can, until something comes in. :roll:


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## UtahMountainMan (Jul 20, 2010)

north slope said:


> I find the best way is to cow call, bugle as much as possible and do it from your four wheeler or truck (while it is still running). Repeat in every canyon and drainage you can, until something comes in. :roll:


Yeah that must work because it seems to be a very common tactic!


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## shaun larsen (Aug 5, 2011)

UtahMountainMan said:


> north slope said:
> 
> 
> > I find the best way is to cow call, bugle as much as possible and do it from your four wheeler or truck (while it is still running). Repeat in every canyon and drainage you can, until something comes in. :roll:
> ...


seriously!!


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## bowhunt3r4l1f3 (Jan 12, 2011)

I would say this all depends on where you are hunting at. For instance last year on opening day I heard multiple bugles on the Manti. But if your in an Anybull area you probably won't hear anything. But either way I still wouldn't bugle myself. You can try some chirps as cows call year round. If you get a reply try to get as close to them as you can before calling again. But like I said don't waste your time with bugles it will just scare them off.


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## klbzdad (Apr 3, 2012)

north slope said:


> I find the best way is to cow call, bugle as much as possible and do it from your four wheeler or truck (while it is still running). Repeat in every canyon and drainage you can, until something comes in. :roll:


You forgot to do it while smoking a cigarette and drinking a beer with the radio on and your wife on her cell phone. Yes, all of the above has happened and I was at least a mile and a half away watching through my binos. :roll:

There is some really good advice here but its become my experience that using calls does nothing more than tell them where NOT to come. I've decided that because bulls haven't gotten all dumb from hormones yet, they still kind of know each other like you and your friends know each other by the sound of your voice. Big bulls and lead cows will move away from those new sounds just as quick as they do a four wheeler. Find them, find where they are going and why (food, water, bedding, etc...) and then go get em. If you feel you need to call, use them to get yourself into position when moving into an area and cover your noise. My two cents on the already good advice....


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## Finnegan (Sep 7, 2007)

Calling is a skill. There's no getting around the fact that developing a skill requires time and practice. There are individuals with enough skill to get a response from elk almost anytime. I'm not one of them. But I do speak enough cow talk to get a response and I use a call sparingly as a locator.

I got to attend a workshop a few years ago with elk-calling champion Corey Jacobsen. I learned a lot from him and one of the most important things was that bugles that win contests and bugles that get elk aren't the same thing. Bulls often make bugles and other sounds that aren't "right". :lol: 

So, to the original question, I'd say get yourself an external reed cow call and get practicing. Start with the basic and familiar chirp. The goal is to make the sound you expect to make, first time, every time. Then on the mountain, limit your calling to one or two chirps every 45 minutes. But don't expect too much the first year. In fact, you can expect to make some gawdawful mistakes - dry mouth, out of breath, inhibition, temperature or humidity effecting the reed, whatever...might sound more like a rabbit being strangled than an elk. That's okay - all part of the process.


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## wapiti67 (Oct 2, 2007)

It's too bad that north slope, UtahMountainMan, and company still feel that calling early season doesn't work. I call from the get-go and ALWAYS have bulls and cows coming in!! I bugle..I cow call, I have tons of success. It's all about sounding like an elk, or a herd of elk, instead of sounding like a duck or something else.


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## bwhntr (Sep 12, 2007)

wapiti67 said:


> It's too bad that north slope, UtahMountainMan, and company still feel that calling early season doesn't work. I call from the get-go and ALWAYS have bulls and cows coming in!! I bugle..I cow call, I have tons of success. It's all about sounding like an elk, or a herd of elk, instead of sounding like a duck or something else.


I completely agree! I too have had much success calling elk in the early season....mid season, late season. In fact I have enjoyed calling and hunting early season elk with you John. 8)

There is a learning curve to calling elk. Knowing the right call at the right times is important. Also, I have had many times I call just for a locator and I have to work my way into the wind to get to the elk. Just because elk respond doesn't mean they are coming to you. On that note, just because elk don't respond doesn't mean they aren't coming in either!


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## north slope (Sep 8, 2007)

No question you can call in bulls John.....However, I just wish you could clear trees and bushes out of my shooting lanes next time..  Hey, you want to go on a hike?


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## wapiti67 (Oct 2, 2007)

I can't hike with you NS...My doctor said a coronary might not be good for my health...you really need to change your name to northslope goat!!


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## pkred (Jul 9, 2009)

I thought the best strategy for the Elk archery opener was to hunt deer, then Elk on the 2nd and 3rd weekend. Have I been misinformed?


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