Good question frank
I'm guessing your heading out for "over the counter" 2nd rifle season? I've had Bulls blowing their lungs out on opening day/2nd rifle as late as Oct 21st. They were worked up to say the least, and remained that way for 24 hours (until shooting and human contact shut them up). But unless you are skilled at Elk language, heed the guys advice; Cow/calf talk is the rule. Elk make a lot of noise, not only vocalizations but truly, NOISE. They can sound like a heard of Buffalo going through the woods but a savvy old Bull can sneak up on you with no problem. Concentrate on Elk language before you go. If you have a satellite Bull in heavy cover, try scraping a pine tree with another piece of wood. Most of the time the Bull will either come straight towards you or try to sneak in down wind of you. (You want him to think your a young Bull rubbing a tree, so don't overdo the branch breaking. No calling is needed.) Watch for your first open shot you feel comfortable with. Always be listening. Mature Bulls sometimes "huff" when on the move. Very hard to hear something alien to our ears, so get yourself some of the excellent calling DVDs now available. Woods Wise Call company produces some good video. Don't focus on "Watch us kill 10 Bulls on 10 hunts" or anything like that. Concentrate on calling video's. You'll learn more. Mature herd Bulls aren't interested in fighting as a rule. Most of that was done early; before prime rut. Now he's more interested in hanging onto the Cows he still retains in his harem. Fights mean bad things to an old Bull; death, injury and his worse fear: losing his Cows. He's thinking; "I got em, you don't, I'm outta here." He leaves the younger Bulls that are full of p*ss and vinegar to do the fighting. Cow calls when done correctly can get your Bull. But remember; Cow calls can and will call Cows! Learn what your saying before you head into the wilderness. You want to imitate a mature, lonely Cow in heat. Not a lost calf, or a whinny Cow. This draws the wrong attention. If your hunting with a partner (I never hunt Elk alone) let them do the calling; at least 50 yards behind you! When the Bull hangs up (and he will 90% of the time) you should have a good shot at him and a very reasonable range. I can't say enough about good video; get all you can and watch them over and over. As for calls, my favorites are the Power Bugle and Cow Talk by Elk Inc., Gardiner, MT. and Woods Wise calls; Hyper Hot Cow etc. They are in Franklin, TN. Good luck this year and good hunting, grayghost
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