Stopping Elk For The Shot!

[elknut1]

Hunting with trad equipment means you have to pick your spots when the time for killing is there! Sometimes you have to stop a bull or cow then take your shot but not always. Thing is to be prepared to handle any situation at the moment of truth. Know how you're going to handle an elk if this or that happens, experience is a great teacher but not everyone can wait on it. This is where Sites like this can play a big part in ones success because of others willing to share what works in many cases & what doesn't!

There are various ways to handle oncoming elk, some stop for the shot, some look away or are concentrating on a caller, other will look right past you in the direction they heard the last sounds, others will pin you down, in many cases you can win these battles.

One of the things we do to minimize movement is to have our bows in the ready position when we know the elk is coming in, as it gets closer we have our bows half drawn where our right hand (right handed) is tucked tight to our lips & our left bowarm is still slightly bent because of just a slight bit of draw weight on it, we can maintain this position for quite sometime. As the elk gets to the point of shooting it we now only have to pull back the last few inches in a smooth horizontal pull, no jerking actions. If the elk is standing still, great! If he's not & we must stop him we do so. About 5% of the time it's with a cow sound. If the elk is close just a voice mew can do it, if he's beyond 15 yards or more an abrupt shriek type cow mew is needed.
But our all time great sound for stopping any elk is the Nervous Grunt, it just never fails! It will lock elk & anchor them in their tracks even if they are trotting by, there's just no better sound out there!
We've have elk take 2-10 more steps after using various cow sounds in an effort to try & stop them, they'd look our way but in most cases they'd take a few more steps, in our situation with lots of thick country that isn't good, we try & stop them many times in a small window of opportunity at best! The Nervous Grunt just simply does not fail. We can draw & make this sound with either our voice or with a mouth reed that's always in our mouth, we do this simultaneously. The elk is so intent on identifying this unseen elk that it gives the shooter the needed time to do his thing. Learn this sound well & it will amaze you, we've never had an elk not respond to it by locking up the second they hear it! It's things like this that can make the difference in ones elk hunt!

ElkNut1

[rastaman]

Thanks Paul!  Good stuff for me, a total neophyte when it comes to elk!  

[COOCH]

I'm going to have to try this.I'm mostly hunting in NM and I think it's a bit more open more high desert.I've generally don't stop them to shoot.Every time I try to stop them they seem to come unglued and exploded out of harms way.It may be the nature of the open terrain,or maybe I can't talk elk all that well    It sure is hard to be an elk hunter from CT

[PowDuck]

Good info to have. Thanks.
Just what is a "Nervous Grunt?" and how can we hear it?

[easyup]

I have never produced a shot using a cow call to stop moving elk, can't wait to try a grunt, thanks.

[easyup]

I have never produced a shot using a cow call to stop moving elk, can't wait to try a grunt, thanks.

[Tater]

That is a great piece of advise.
  I was talking with a friend the other night and we were discussing hunting Elk and I made the comment you better be prepared to make the shot when they are moving, because they almost never stand still.

[trad_bowhunter1965]

Thank's Paul great tip.

[elknut1]

Guys, for those who want to hear this sound go here & scroll down to the Bull Sound video clip.  http://elknut.com/Directions_1.html

  This one sound is responsible for truck-loads of elk put on the ground. It will anchor elk like no sound you've ever used out to 200yds. Like most sounds used "timing" is as important as the use of the sound.

  The reason it works so well is because it asks an "action" out of other elk. They are asking for an identity or a visual of this animal they sorta see or hear. A cow sound on the other hand ask for nothing, it merely represents that there is an elk there but does not require an "action" of them. This is why so many times after a cow sound is used elk will take a few more steps, but when this Grunt/Bark is used they freeze! It can make or break your hunt! Thanks!

  ElkNut1

[Wolfkiss]

Thanks for the info Paul, need to get the full set of your dvd's.

[elknutz]

I've never tried that for stopping them. Another good tip.  Hope to put it to use this season.  Thanks Paul.

[Lost Arra]

Paul: how about if you are hunting alone? From your video clip it would be impossible (at least for me) to have your bow/arrow ready and make the Nervous Grunt.

Say an elk is close. Bow is up ready for a shot as you described above and you need to get the elk to stop? Is there a "mouth-only" sound that might work?

Thanks for the tips.

[sagebrush]

You keep your diaphragm in your mouth the whole time and use it without the grunt tube. DON"T SWALLOW IT. hahahahaha Gary

[bowfiend]

My experience has been that the cow mews work pretty well to stop little bulls or satellites that are trying to "stealth" you, but a bigger bull - who's dealing with a harem - is not as concerned with a single mew.

Paul - I've watched your videos a bunch of times and there's great info in there. I always go into the woods thinking I'm going to use the calls you talk about and then I get frantic in the "heat of the moment" and forget what I'm doing. I have been able to use the "tending grunts" a few times when I'm in close to a herd and, man, big bulls do not like it when you pretend to be in charge of their cows!

By far the biggest problem I have is having bulls come in hard quartering towards. They come in close and fast and then stare at you until your muscles are so sore that you have to move before you fall over. Do you have any advice for this situation? What calls do you like for a bull that knows something's up, isn't giving you a shot and will inevitably circle and wind you?

Mind you, I bow hunt a lot solo so a good setup with a caller is not always an option for me.

[elknut1]

I hunt alone a lot Lost Arra, it's not an issue at to make this sound. I have done it 2 ways, with a single reed mouth diaphragm or just with my voice. With my bowarm in the ready position & arrow nocked & fingers at partial draw I have given this nervous grunt sound while in this spot or drawing bow & given sound at the same time. You do not need your hands to produce the sound or a bugle.
  When using my voice for this sound I am drawing air in not exhaling. I give some sorta sound adding voice inflection like I was struggling for air, add volume to it & with a bit of practice you will be doing the sound in no time. Practice it regularly between now & elk season so when it's time to be used you can produce the sound with confidence! It's an elk stopper! I've had elk spot us while in position to shoot at 10-15 yds & bolt 3 steps or so & then hit them with this grunt & they stop dead turn around for one last look & it costs them! I have never had an elk continue moving off after using this sound, it flat locks them up!

  Any here who have elk hunted for a while recognizes this sound when elk use it against us during a hang-up, especially if we were cow calling a bull & he gets to a spot he knows he should see something & doesn't, he will issue forth this single grunt asking you to show yourself if you're really an elk! This is not a warning bark, it's a nervous reaction to something they see & are unsure of or have heard & are unsure as to where it is?
  No matter if you use a mouth reed or your voice, practice this sound before you hit the woods, it's a life saver! (grin)

  ElkNut1

[Lost Arra]

Thanks again Paul.


>>You keep your diaphragm in your mouth the whole time and use it without the grunt tube. DON"T SWALLOW IT. hahahahaha Gary<<

My thoughts exactly.
Better practice with and without the diaphragm.
I wonder what sound I would make as a choke on it!

[elknut1]

bowfiend, good points, I too find that during Cold/Blind Calling setups that the smaller guys & cows will come in, in a free spirited way! If you were using cow sounds to begin with & you see or hear the elk coming then yes a cow sound can stop them at times as this is what they're looking for.

  There are things to consider as bulls come your way, when was the last time you called before they showed up? If it was 5-7 minutes plus then they will look for you & keep coming as you could have moved off a bit, but if you called a minute or two ago then they feel they have a good fix on this elks position they just heard!

  When I can, especially during a call in not a Cold Calling Setup I will call & move off 20-30yards  to the left or right so I have the wind in my favor from where they should come, on bulls slipping in silently, thus avoiding an elk coming straight on to me. At times I'm fortunate enough they come in vocal or noisy enough that I can hear them before seeing them.
   At these times I'm generally up ahead from my last calling position & will have a large baseball type stone or big thick stick in the 2' length. If I have the luxury of hearing them & they are coming at me or a bit to far away from where I want them to come to I will toss the object to where I want them to go to for a shot, at times this does work, it gives elk a direction as if elk are walking around over there. These are a couple things I do to avoid that frontal shot with trad gear. It can give you the needed edge!
   But, it's like anything it's still hunting & there will be those times that nothing works, except the nervous grunt! (grin)

  ElkNut1

[snag]

I have heard bulls give this nervous grunt as if they are wanting a visual....at that moment I wished I had placed a cow decoy off to one side.
I like the idea of calling and then moving off to one side or the other depending on thermals. This will allow the bull to center in on the last place he heard the call and not directly at you.

[twitchstick]

Thanks for the good info,I have never tried that call as a stoping call. I had shoot one bull on the move because the cow call didn't even slow him down. Luckly it was a real close shoot.

[PAPA BEAR]

the grunt works good,the mew works good.i sometimes will bark out an alarm at them,this also stops them in an instant but you better have your bow ready and like stated no jerking type motion.smooth is the key.good stuff.