Ep. 57: Remi Warren's Essential Skills for Every Elk Hunter

finally September. And if you're like me, you've been thinking about these days since the beginning of March when we first heard about this thing called COVID, and you're like, now, but we got elk hunting in September, that elk hunting

is finally here. Over the last couple of weeks, a few weeks about a month, I've been going over some of my favorite elk tactics, especially a lot of calling as far as escalating the challenge with a bull and then creating a party with cow elk and then using decoys, and I kind of realized that we've got a pretty extensive library going of some really great elk hunting tactics that I'm not necessarily sure are shared very many other places. And these are things that I found through the years

really work. So what I want to do is we're gonna go back and I'm gonna pull out some of the highlights of things that I've found in past episodes and give you one final just compilation of incredible elk tips. So between the last stuff and this stuff, you should be well on your way to harvesting a bull elk this September. If I were to break down elk hunting into basic steps, step one, find the elk. If you

can't find the elk, you can't hunt the elk. Now that seems pretty obvious, But whether you're going into a new area, or maybe you're in an area you've hunted before or an area that you've scouted or planning on hunting, and the elk just don't happen to be where you thought they were going to be or where you're hunting, what do you do? What I do is I pull out my mapping software and I do some e scouting beforehand as well as while I'm in the field if

I'm looking for new spots and things aren't panning out properly. Now, I'm going to go over what I do on my ONYX map and the type of topo lines that I look for, the type of habitat that I look for, and how to key in on the things that Elk need digitally so you can get out in the field and have a better chance of figuring out where they are in real life. So we're gonna go back to episode twelve, and I'm just gonna pull out my phone on this episode and run you through what I'm looking

for to find Elk. So I'm gonna open up my app right now and then I'm just gonna give you a quick rundown of the things that I'm looking at. So let's say, let's go for this. We're hunting Elk. I'm gonna grab a random unit in Montana, and then I'm just gonna kind of look and say what I'm doing and what I'm looking for, just like I were planning out a hunt in an area that I've never been. Okay, so the cool thing about this app is it has the unit, so I can start there. I've got the

Onyx Hunt app open. I'm in Montana. I'm just randomly scrolling the screen so it lands on a unit. I won't tell you what unit because I'll probably end up giving someone's secret spot away, but I've got the unit, so that's a start. Now I'm looking for public ground because that's the kind of tag I have. I don't have access where I'm going, so I'm now going to be having the layers on that show me public and

private ground. I always start my map at the topo level, okay, because what I'm doing is I'm trying to key in on key features that really hold animals. When you think about finding say elk or any animal, they all need three key things. Doesn't matter if you're hunting antelope, sheep, whatever.

They need the right habitat that sustains them. And for that they need food, water, and cover or some kind of As far as antelope go, they don't really use cover, but they need open is their cover because they use their eyesight. So you kind of just have to understand the animal a little bit. But you have to find the three things that create good habitat. Now I'm looking for elks, so I'm going to find something that probably

has food, water and cover in a smaller area. Where I like to start is I like to start looking at ridges, finger ridges, and head basins. So I'll define those for you. A ridge is just anywhere where we've got that descending elevation on the map. A finger ridge, let's say the ridge goes north south from the top of a mountain down. A finger ridge would be anything

that spurs down off of that. I'll explain that here in a little bit because the reason I'm looking for those finger ridges and ridges is what they do is they provide multiple areas for micro habitats, things that include food, water, and cover. No matter which way the wind's going or the direction of the sun, they have a little bit of everything, as well as provide multiple escapes for the animals, so it's a really safe place for them to hang out.

So I'm gonna start identifying these based on the topo lines. I'm gonna pick a few areas that look really good. Another thing I'm gonna look for is what I consider head basins. Head basins are a great area to really start focusing your search. Often there will be water running down the canyon, and then it offers the animals multiple bedding options based on the orientation of the hill. So think about a slope of a mountain. You've got the north face and then you've got the south slope. So

the south slope is the gentle slope. It's the one that gets the most sun. It often has the least amount of timber and often more feed. The north face is often more timbered and more shaded, which lends to good bedding. Now, if you have a head basin that includes both north and south slopes in one micro area, what that's doing is creating good habitat in a very small area. So late in the season, when it's cold, they can get sun, and when it's warm they can

get shade. They can just choose their bedding and feeding areas based on the time of year and other things. It also has food around, and it also probably most likely has water in the bottom, so they have everything they need right in this one little area. The other thing it offers it offers multiple options for bedding depending on which we the area is going. Because when animals bed, they generally like the wind coming downhill onto their back.

Bedded in a way that it's more comfortable facing downhill, so then they can look for danger down below. So if you have that in your mind, you can really start to pinpoint where they might bed depending on what the wind or thermals are doing for that day. Now that I've identified some good basins to look at, some good head basins, some good ridges, and some good finger ridges. What I'm gonna do is I just now switch it to the hybrid map where it's got topo and satellite

imagery together. So I'm I picked this particular area, and just as I hoped, in this head basin, there's a nice What I'm looking at right now is a ridge coming down on the north slope is a big grassy opening with this is just looking at the map without any imagery ahead of time. I hit that and I have exactly what I'm looking for, a timber north face and open south face. It has water in the bottom

and looks like prime out country. Now from here, what I'll start doing is dropping pins and identifying spots where I believe elk will be or good spots where it looks like they might hang out. This will just remind me to check these spots out later. Now I'm gonna switch back to the topo and now I'm looking for

areas where I can glass into this spot. So I'm looking for a knob or something where I might get a visual idea of somewhere I can get to and see this area where to hunt from a lot of times, what I'll do is I'll take that same pin go to Google Earth, and I'm opening up my Google Earth app and putting in my coordinates and I'm flying to that spot that I've identified. Now I've got a three D look around where I can say, Okay, I'm sitting right on this knob, what's it look like? Can I

see from here? Am I going to have a good vantage? While it does change a little bit, it gives me a good idea of places to go and more of a real life feel of what it looks like. Once I've identified the spots that the animals like using the Tobo lines. From there, I go back to my Onyx app, I mark the spots that I want to glass from, hunt from, and there you have it. I have pretty much my recipe for the hunt before I even show up in the area. I've said it before and I

will say it many more times. The key to calling an elk, the key to being successful elk hunting is really understanding elk behavior. There's so many different scenarios that you can encounter based on the time of month, the place that you are, how the ruts picking up, uh, even things like the moon cycles and the temperatures outside. It's all gonna go into how the elk are behaving where you're at, and they might not be behaving how you want. So how do you take the scenario that

you're given and turn that into success. Let's say it's hot out. Let's say you were bugling, You're planning on calling in a bull, getting him all rutted up. You throw out calls and you cannot get anything to respond. The elker well quiet. How do you turn that into a successful hunt. We're gonna go back to episode five and I'm gonna share the way that you can coax in a silent bowl with some cow calls. You really have to know what that bowl wants that you're calling to.

The reason that he's not calling back is probably because he might be a little bit afraid that another bull will just round up his cows, run him off, or fight him off. What he wants to do is he wants to come in silent and investigate first. And that is actually the majority of the elk out there. It's not because that elk knows you're a hunter calling to him. It's because that's what that elk is doing if other

elker in his area. There's a lot of ways to pinpoint these loan bulls, and there's a few places that you can start your focus on. Let's say it's just been a hard week of hunting, the elk are not making noise. Okay, where are we going to start, Well, let's pick a time. Are you hunting a little bit earlier in the season. Do you believe that maybe they're really the peak rut hasn't kicked off yet, or are

you hunting what should be the peak rut. Maybe they're just really hooping it up in the middle of the night, but during daylight hours they're making noise. Let's start with early. Okay, what are some places that bulls will go by themselves. One of them is wallows. Now in areas where a lot of water, yeah, you might be able to sit a wallow, but he may not hit that wallow when you want. Because you gotta understand what is a wallow. Well, a wallow is essentially a perfume factory for a bull elk.

During the rut, what they do is they urinate in that water, They roll around own in the mud that holds their scent on them. It's a way that they mark their territory, mark their bodies, create a aroma that when they run into that herd, they look beefed up, they smell good, and they're gonna take those ladies. But that's also an easy to target elk with this kind of strategy, because he is ready to be entertained by

your fake harem and got it. Another scenario is an area where you're seeing a lot of elk sign maybe around the edge of a feeding area. If you're hunting more timbered country, these open pockets, these open meadows are probably going to be the spots that the elk are goom be coming out at night. But if you aren't seeing there in the middle of the day, they're off

in the timber. However, if you create the illusion that the elk are out there now, like I did on that New Mexico hunt, you have a higher likelihood of drawing a bull that's hanging out in the timber out to investigate. These are curious elk that you're calling to, and they want to slip in, assess the situation, possibly pick off a cow to steal on their own with little to no confrontation. Now, it's not as fun as getting riled up bulls and bugling until your heart is content.

I agree with that there is a patience element that really sucks, and it's hard to be patient in an area where you aren't sure if there's elk. So you really have to pick your setups so you're not wasting your time calling to nothing. Ways that you do that are areas where you expect loan bulls to be in areas where you're seeing sign but you just are not seeing the animals during daylight hours. Another great spot to start calling to these loan bulls is areas where you

smell elk. Use your nose to identify the location. That means that they're within an earshot oftentimes, but you might not be able to suss exactly where they are. It's always better to try to get them to come to you than I only go in to cover looking for them. So that's another great setup. And then the best setup is if you spot a lone bull moving on his own,

that's the time to employ this tactic. Get to where he's going, create that cow sound, and then draw him in those those are the bulls that drawing on a string because you've visually seen him. Maybe you lose them in the timber, but you can create this illusion of a harem of cows to draw them in. So, now that we've covered the where to call, let's talk about the house. Let's set the scene. You are going to create a herd of elk. Now, I like to start

a couple of different ways. The first scenario is, if bulls aren't making noise, I'd like to let him think that, hey, we're just a bunch of ladies looking for a lover. There's no bull here, just a bunch of cows hanging out. And I start by throwing out cow chatter. Now, cows will talk throughout the day, a lot of times as they're moving, and then also even when they're just betted up.

So if I find an area that looks good, I'm going to create the illusion of elk moving into the area and then set up in almost a betting type scenario, because it's gonna take a while for that elk to come in, and you need to make sure that you're there long enough for him to slip in before he figures out what's going on and leaves, and you don't want to leave before he has time to get there, like in that story where I took the nap and then the elk just walks right to me, I gave

it ample time that I probably would not have done had I just gotten patient like I normally do and walked off and tried another spot. So I like to create the illusion of elk moving into an area talking to each other. That's just basic muse It's not a lot of activity. It's just a lot of you back and forth. I got a little call here. I'll just give you a few examples, and this is gonna be. You're gonna do this while walking in, and then you're

gonna set up elk talking throughout the day. Maybe give it a few hours if you really think that this is where a bowl should be and you don't really have any better options. Nothing's making noise, and you're in an area where you can't really glass it. This is a great set up in mornings and evenings, especially on the edge of say a feeding area or moving into a betting area near where wallows will be. So here's

gonna be the first example. We're just walking in, we're moving along, and we're just a couple of elk talking to each other. One of the tactics is just changing the direction that you're throwing those calls out. Sometimes I'll even have a couple of different types of calls, maybe an open read call or a diaphragm call, throwing out different sounds in different directions. This sound like multiple animals

moving through the woods. I'll give it a little bit and then I'll get set up in an area where I'm gonn create the illusion of a group of cows interacting with each other. This is gonna be in hopes to draw bull in to that particular location. I'm gonna pick that location down wind of where I'm assuming the bull will come from. And that's really important because a lot of times when they come in, they're gonna try to circle and catch your wind or smell the elk first.

So you really want a good set up and really decipher, Okay, what's the best location where a bull would be, and how do I put myself down wind of there to

start my stationary calling. So we get set up, and what I like to do is I like to throw out a few more aggressive what I would consider the aggressive side of cow calls, something like cow's talking, but also maybe a lead cow barking directions, or even an estrus wine a little bit longer, more drawn out cow call, because that can get the bull a little more curious.

Another thing that I will throw out, aside from cow balls, is even a short spike bugles, something that just kind of says, I wonder what the hell is going on over there, but not so much that thinks, hmm, I don't really want to deal with that right now. Oh h oh. Now, when I first get set up, I'll talk a lot. Throughout the period of time, I'll stop, I'll give a few calls here and there, and then ease up, because what you want to do is hopefully

catches attention, but make him want to investigate. If the bull doesn't come in right away, very often will a bull walk in silent right away. However, you have to remember, like go back to that story, if he's within your shot, he can probably pinpoint your exact location where you're calling from. And that is the key, because when you set up in that spot, you just have to be patient and hope that that bowl hears you, and he's gonna come

in when he feels like it's the opportune time. Maybe he needs some time to wallow, maybe he needs some time to think about it. Maybe he's just gonna take his time to investigate. But if you're in the right location, it's really hard for a bowl that's by himself to pass that up. There's so many times where I've been hunting on my own or guiding, and the weeks just

seem un action packed. But by doing these tactics and these simple little scenarios, I'm able to find success and call in a ton of elk a lot more than you'd think. When you're talking to other people and they go, man, that was a slow week. The ruts not kicked off, I think to myself, Yeah, but I got something in my bag of tricks that's gonna work. And whether the elk wanna play or not, I know that by setting up that scenario and calling to the elk that's gonna

come in silent, I can still be successful. One last little tip to add to this realistic setup, which worked really well for me when I was guiding in New Maca, Mexico, and I would really concentrate this type of approach in good feeding areas is I would essentially set up this illusion of cows by calling near feeding areas. Now, these feeding areas would be bigger meadows. The trouble with that is elk a lot of times the bulls would circle

and stay and cover and look in there. So what I started doing was I started setting up like foldable Montana decoys one or two off kind of where I was slightly in the timber, so they couldn't catch the whole animal at once, but it gave them a visual queue to come my direction. That actually really brought in a lot more elk that would cruise and kind of think something was hinky, but that caused a lot more

animals to commit to coming within bow range. I would say the large majority of the elk that I've tricked that way, I've had the decoy out because it gives them a focal point. Also, if you're calling, it lets them focus on what they see and not you as the shooters slash caller drawing back trying to get a shot. This is also a really good tactic if you're hunting by yourself. Bugling do bull is my hands down favorite way to hunt out because it's so action packed, but

it's also quite difficult to do if you're alone. So there's a great tactic for mornings and evenings if you are hunting alone, because it helps draw animals to you, but also doesn't give your position away if you're using it in combination with, say in elk decoy. The next scenario is one that I'm pretty sure you will encounter this fall. If you get into a herd of elk, it goes something like this. You call bull, calls back. Everything seems good now the bulls rounded up as cows

and it's heading the other way. Where many people might think they did something wrong, I'm here to tell you you did something right. We're gonna go back to episode four and I'm gonna teach you how to dog an elk and stay persistent to draw that bull in after or she's rounded up his cows and headed out. I would classify the tactic of bulldogging is this. It's where you persist on a bull to the point where he has no other option but to turn around and fight.

And that's what you want. So how do you get to that point? It's in the technique and the tactics of calling. It takes two things. It takes the right set up, and I would say the most important some physical stamina. The reason that I would stay in shape for rail hunting is because of this tactic, because it is so successful that if you can pull it off, you pull it off regularly. So let's set up the scenario. The end game where most bulls turn around and fight

is what you're reaching for. That happens as you gain the dominant position over that bull which sees himself as a dominant Where does that happen when you actually gain elevation over the elk? So what I like to do is I like to push the elk uphill and I would say seven out of ten times I can get that bowl. If if I've kept up, it's probably more like nine out of ten times I can get that bowl to turn around and come in. Once he's crested the top and I am above him within two hundred yards.

Now you think, well, I could never catch up to elk. But it isn't that he's moving that whole herd of elk. Those cows don't really give a rat's ass. They don't want to be pushed around. Half those cows are gonna be feeding, they're gonna be stopping. I've even seen cows get over the top and lay down because he's just maintaining that herd and trying to assert his dominance in

a group of elk. That is mostly matriarchal except for during the rut, like he's running the roost right now, But those cows really know that they run the ship the year. So even though he's pushing him away, a lot of those cows are dawdling. They're doing their thing. He's not really trying to make a run away from you. He's just trying to say, look, I'm in charge right now.

And so it gives you the opportunity to get into that bull's head through the calling, and also gives you the opportunity, with the right amount of physical exertion to catch up and give yourself that scenario where he drops over the ridge and you're now on the top, which is where he's probably going to turn around and chase it. So in order for the setup to work, you need a downhill wind and you want to start calling below

the bull. A lot of times you'll find that if you're below and elk calling and he is a dominant elk, he will actually call a lot back to you, but he won't actually come into you most of the time. There's the occasional time they do. But when you get that dominant bull on the move and then get above him. It pisces him off. So I'm gonna go through the calling techniques to get that bull to that piste off point. So it's gonna work when you get it to the top.

You put in all that energy hiking chasing after him. You want to make sure you do the right sequence to get him to turn around more often than not. So it starts out like this. Let's say the scenario is you call, he calls, You call, he calls. You're below him, the wind's going downhill. You've got the right set up. You're gonna want him to push those elk up hill, those cows uphill because they don't really like

to go uphill. It's physically exhausting. He's gonna be running around a lot, and he knows that's what's gonna put him in a bad mental state when you get to the top. When I start out at a further distance, I like to sound small from a distance and sound big as I get closer. There's a reason for that. It's the mental game in his head. As he's pushing those elk, you want him to constantly scream back, I'm the boss. I'm the boss. But as you get closer,

you want him to doubt what's happening. You want to now tell the elk the cows around him that you're the boss. You're the boss. Do you want him to get brazen from a distance and then be bold as you get closer. So let's say it like this, the elks start moving call, I'm doing more simple, drawn out bugles, not a lot of emphasis into it. To start. I'll let him build up. My first aggressive bugle is going to be as he's clearly moving in the direction I want,

I'll start the chuckling sequence. Your hope is, and it will probably happen, is that bull starts chuckling back. Now, this scenario works when the elker kind of in a frenzy, you'll hear a lot of cow calling. You hear that bull bugling, And that's how you're gonna be able to stay on these elk and follow him. As I get closer, I'm gonna start throwing cow calls in the bulls distance through my bugles and bugles away from the bull. The reason is is I want him to believe that there

are cows. Like let's say we're getting towards the top third of the hill. I want him to think Okay, there's still cows back there and the bulls behind. I want him to believe that the bulls further away than I actually am, because what that's gonna do is that's going to slow him down. He's gonna try to keep a certain distance from me. But if he thinks the

bulls further away, that allows me time to catch up. Also, if he thinks there's cows where I'm at, that might give him the idea of okay, I still have things to round up. Now, the play really comes in when you get to the top. Once you get over the top, he's lost whatever elk might have been behind. This is the point where I now throw out cow calls at the top, but switch the rolls. I throw the cow calls back behind me so he thinks the cows are further away. My first bugle over the top is going

to be the meanest, hardest bugle I can do. I'm talking a type of bugle. And when you both through the bugle tube, it's like someone kicked you in the nuts. If you don't have nuts, it's like you're kicking someone else in the nuts. The reason is is because you want him to believe that now this bowl is between

him and his cows. He has the upper hand by being above him, and he is piste and claiming that herd any bowl in his right mind that doesn't want to lose his cows is now going to turn around and try to push you off or fight this other intruder off. You're at the top of the hill and you're just gonna go. It doesn't even matter what really the call sounds like at the top, as long as

it sounds piste like elk feel that feeling. So I'm gonna throw the cow calls back behind me, and then I'm just gonna let out just something throwing some voice inflections and just sound angry. I mean by this point that the real bolts throat might be cracking. He's gonna sound weird. It's okay, it doesn't matter. Just sound angry. At that point that bowl below you should not like that, and you'll know he'll turn around and he'll either comes straight in or he'll let out a similar bugle, start

raking and then come in. That is your setup where you're gonna get that bowl. If you've made it to that point, congratulations, my friend. You just dog that elk now over the past month or so, I've been really diving into some really good ways to call in elk, from bugling and building that escalation to creating a party with a bunch of cows sounds. And when I was talking about that cow party, I also talked about making

noises noises that sound like elk. So outside of those vocal bugles, muse cow calls, bull calls, there's a lot of non vocal sounds that are extremely important to drawing in a bull and maybe the difference between having a bull hang up and bringing him right into bow range. Things like breaking a tree, stomping the dirt, glunking, and other non verbal sounds, even going as far as taking

a leak on the ground. We're gonna bring it back to episode six and I'm gonna teach you how to entice a bull with those other sounds that elk love to make. I think a lot of people make a big mistake by when they're calling, they're quiet. They're quiet back here, and the only sounds they're making are coming from the calls. But that's not what it sounds like. When you get into a herd of elk, there's a

lot going on. There's stick snapping, there's elk raking. There's a lot of sounds and noises that not only bode confidence that this is actually another elk, but there's sounds and noises that they used throughout the running process that do a number of things that incite other elk to have to come check it out. And that includes marking their territory, releasing pheromones, as well as talking in a

way that isn't bugling or mewing to each other. That means certain things, especially during the rut, that means things like this cow's hot or I'm ready to breed, and those are the kind of noises that other bulls cannot resist because that's when the action is going down. A big bull does not want to miss out on breeding account. He doesn't also not want another bull to be into his turf. He wants to think that this is his zone, these are his cows, everything is owned by him, and

all intruders should be beat up. That's what you want, because that's what's gonna draw that bull in that extra distance. If you're bow hunting and some thicker stuff, you might need to get that bull to come within ten yards of your shooter just to even be able to see it, and that's a lot of times the difference between being successful or just getting a bull to hold up twenty yards away. These other sounds, a lot of times incite something in a bull's brain that makes them say, I

need to get over there, I need to fight. This needs to be a confrontation, not just a screaming match. So what I want to do is just talk about the different sounds when and how to use them. I think the first sound that I have to talk about, because it's one that I use nearly every time I'm interacting with the bull is raking. Now, raking is well,

white tails do it, mule deer do it. All dear species do some form of raking, but elk in particular, when you're calling back and forth, they'll rake their territory marking. What it does is releases their scent onto a tree, but also creates a visual marking, and it's a display of dominance. So a lot of times you'll be calling to a bull and maybe you might be a long ways away, you might not even notice that that bull is raking in between calling back and forth to you.

So the way a bull rakes is it's pretty loud, and it's pretty vicious. He tries to kill that tree, and I do the same. Then after I rake, I let out a bugle because I've seen elk do that in the wild more often than not, So it works like this most of the time. I start the raking sequence when I get in and the bulls already fired up. When he's fired up, that's when he wants to show his dominance. So I pretend like I'm showing my dominance here as well. I'm saying, no, this is my area

and not your area. I'll generally take a big stick and I try to find a tree that's live, because the sound is a little bit different if you find use dead branches. So I get a big stick and I just scrape it up and down, thrashing this tree. Just imagine in your head a bull raking at tree, and then do the same with a stick. Sometimes I've even used my bugle tube for it. It makes not the same sound. A big stick is the best. I get it up against the base and I rake down.

You really want to create the illusion by scraping down the tree. Scraping up and down if you just hit the outside of the branches is not the same get to the base of the tree scrape, because the bull gets in there, gets close to the tree, is foreheads rubbing up against it. His sense getting on that tree, his antlers are tearing it apart. You want to try to mimic that sound as best as possible. Now, as soon as I'm done raking, I often let out an

aggressive bugle followed by chuckles. That seems to be what I've noticed real elk doing right after they scrape a tree. But that sound is something that causes the bull to want to come in and investigate, like who's marking my territory? Is this a small bull? He wants to see what's going on and why this bull is marking up his turf. Okay, so one side note about raking. It depends on the scenario because you've got to think of it like this. In the wild, when a bull is raking, other bulls

will come and investigate. So you need to decide whether you want to be the bull that investigates or you want to be the bull that has the other bull come investigate you. A lot of times when you rake another bowl rake, or if I hear a bull raking after he bugles I'll wait maybe thirty seconds and then start raking on my own. Every scenario is different, but

when a bull is raking, they're often distracted. If you know that he might be pulled away from the cows and there's not other eyes, that's the moment you want to run in because you could probably get a shot or close the gap while he's raking. So you have to think of raking in two ways. When he's raking, you can be the bull that goes to him, or when you're raking, you might be in a scenario where you can't risk going to him. You need him to come to you. A few years ago, my buddy John

and I were hunting in Nevada. We had a bull raking and it was one of those deals where we kind of held back and we should have ran in. It turns out as a giant bowl, and he had just come to us, raked up a tree, and he never committed the rest of the way. So that's something. When you get a bull to actually start raking, he might just mark that territory say I've done it and

I'm out of here. So you have to really play it situationally, whether you want to be the bull that goes to him, or he's the bull that comes to you. Just because he doesn't come to you doesn't mean that he doesn't think you're an elk. It just means that maybe he was expecting the exact opposite from you. So maybe his raking scared you away if you're a real elk. So you have to think of it like that and

play it per scenario. But there are certain instances where the bull will not come in because he believes he's more dominant and you might have a better opportunity at him if you are the one that moves to that bowl. Now let's talk about some of the other sounds. There's a term that elk callers used. They call it glunking, and that's a really weird sound. It's often done through

the bugle tube. But what this sound is, I've seen it many times in the wild, and these ideas are just from the way that I've seen elk using this sound. It seems to me like this sound is a sound that bulls make to communicate to a hot cow. Every time I've seen it, generally it's a bowl running with his nose right up the butt of a cow, or pushing a cow around or just trying to talk to one cow. This sound isn't a bugle it's more of like a popping noise through a bugle tube. Or so

I'll make it a sound through my bugle tube. Some people. The first time I learned to make this sound was just hitting the end of the bugle tube. So I'll give you an example speaking and just kind of get it in your head what this sound might sound like. So just hitting the bugle tube. I think it sounds better if you just do it with your your voice, where you get a h When I've seen that sound,

that's generally means that a bull has a hot cow. Now, if you do that sound in a herd where a bull won't commit, he's going to run in because when a cow gets hot, he wants to be in on that action. He's gonna push whatever is on that cow away. That sound really works well when they're fired up and he believes that there's a hot cow in the area. Now, another sound that I hear a lot is just a heavy breathing. It's more of I'm here, I'm dominant, and I don't even need to bugle you. You're a bit.

This is the I don't even know if there's a name for this sound, but I've heard it a lot of times. It's a breathing sound that raises the hair on the back of your neck and often happens when a bull is within thirty yards. Doing this sound back really establishes your dominance and it's a good way to get that bull to try to commit. So this is more of a heavy breathing noise where he's just piste off and breathing hard. It's like lunking, but to a bull,

not to a cow. It's just heavy breathing. It's kind of like a a snort wease for a white tail. If you heard that, like and it's just a bull piste in another bull and he's so close he knows I don't need to bule And a lot of times that sound will incite the bull to fight. And if a bull makes that sound, you know, I would say he's within thirty yards of where you're calling from. So that's something to keep in mind. If you hear that sound, be ready, that bull is really close now if he

doesn't come into that sound. I picked up this trick from one of the first outfitters I worked for up in the Swan Valley of Montana, real thick country in there, and one day he was just some of the best elk calling advice I ever got. It's when you call a bull, you visualize yourself as that bull. You have to get piste off, you have to get fired up. You become that elk. And he's like, you know how many times you think about when an elk comes in, what's the first thing he does? He gets there, he

rips up a tree's pissing all over himself. You have to be that bull. So he says, you know, I'll even be calling and I'll just start peeing on the ground. I got, really And then the first time I tried it, I pulled the bull right through the small patch of conifers. I actually had a water bladder at the time, pop the tube off the hose and started pouring it on the ground, and that bowl just came in fired up. It's those little sounds of here's another bull marking his

territory in my zone. Now that that sound is a sound that you would make when you know that bulls within. I would say thirty yards that that range, that he's gonna hear it, and he's gonna believe that you're marking your territory. There's a hot cow in there, combined with some of the other sounds, the glunking and the raking, and so that oftentimes when they're close and they won't I'm that extra little bit of distance is a noise

you can make. They will just send them over the edge and cause them to come in and looking for a fight. And a lot of times that's the difference between you telling your buddies, Man, I had that bowl right there. He was just twenty yards on the other side of some trees, but I couldn't I couldn't move. I was pegged down. I couldn't get that bowl to

come in any closer. Well, try some of these other sounds, because a lot of these sounds are the sounds that are gonna get that bowl to come right into your lap and give you that shot you might not otherwise get.

I really hope that through the course of this elk series you've learned something about the behaviors of elk and really wrapped your mind around different possibilities, different opportunities to hunt from wallows, through bugling, cow calling, raking trees, and even just setting up and understanding what moves to make

when elk do a certain thing. Now, a lot of this is going to make a lot more sense as you get out into the field and you start running into the saw areas and give these tactics a really good try. I'm really looking forward to hearing how everybody does this fall. I know last year a lot of the tips we throw out there, people came back and said this worked, and I got a lot of success pictures. Please send me those success pictures. Tell me those stories. I love to hear how these kind of things have

helped you. I'm really excited with this thing that we've built out for elk hunting. You know, maybe you don't have an elk hunt planned this year, that's perfect. This is a great time now to start thinking about it, start thinking on these tactics and start planning, maybe start scouting and finding areas. So it's it's something to think about for the future. But for those of you out in the field this September, I really hope that you can take some of these tactics and find success. Like

I say, I'd love to hear about it. Also, if you think about it, give us a great rating on whatever podcast app you listen to. Feel free to share this with your friends as well as subscribe if you aren't already subscriber. I really appreciate that. I think that throughout the course of this hunting season there's gonna be a lot more stuff that you find useful. Also, on the terms of useful, next week, I'm just gonna answer the things that you think are going to be useful.

So we're gonna be diving into a, Q and A, and then we're gonna jump into some other topics that I think are going to be very useful for the fall. That's all. That is a rap for our Elk series until next week. Bugle on Garth Bugle on