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I'm not sure who exactly originally coined the phase, but I'm
blaming it on a turkey hunter. Each spring thousands of hunters
travel the woods in search of a gobbler using their calls and
inevitably when one answers back with a gobble, the race is on. The
hunter hurries to get in a position that will give him or her an
advantage in ambushing the unsuspecting tom. Split second decisions are made as to
where the tom will appear. Weapons are readied for the climactic
moment when it all comes together. A vast array of purrs, cutts,
cackles and other sweet sounding hen talk are strategically offered
to keep the tom closing on the hunter. Then, as fast as it all
started, it stops. The tom goes silent for what seems like hours. In
the distance, the dreadful sound of the smart, old bird gobbling
as he departs further and further away is heard. The hunter picks up
his gear and sets on a coarse to intercept or flank the tom in hopes
of having just one more time at bat. The term used to describe this
style of hunting is commonly called "Run & Gun". While the term may
be more popular among turkey hunters, it is also used in elk camps
across the country.
Elk hunting during the rut and spring turkey hunting have many
parallels. The males of both species rely on vocal advertisement of
their presence to attract females. Tom turkeys shatter the morning
silence with their gobbles, bull elk bugle. Both will battle other
males for the breeding rights to the local females. Once
they have rounded up several partners to perpetuate the species, a
dominate male may push his females away from the vocal challenges of
another male instead of defending his title and risking loosing his girlfriends.
He may also boldly come to calls by other males with thoughts of
kicking his tail into the next canyon, which makes the old bull or
gobbler very vulnerable to hunters who can talk the talk.
Run & Gun hunting can be very exciting and fast paced. It can also
come back to haunt you should you encounter a game animal that has
had one or two tricks thrown his way. If this is the case, most hunters would
be better served by reading sign and scouting the area to determine
a good stand location. If you can figure out where your quarry wants
to be, chances are you can take a stand and wait for him to come to
you on his own. Stand hunting for game where they naturally want to
travel, bed or feed is at times much more productive than spot and
stalk or Run & Gun hunting.
 Let's
say you can't decide which tactic would give you the best chance at
connecting with a rutting bull elk. What would you do? A friend of
mine from Dallas,
Jeff Clevenger, and I were faced with the same question on
a late September 2004 bow hunt for elk in New, Mexico. The itinerary for
our five day hunt with
Kyle Bell of Folsom Outfitters had been set
for months. The New Mexico rifle antelope season was scheduled right
in the middle of our hunt. We knew Kyle would be tied up for a few
days guiding antelope hunters so we brought along some
Woodsey Too Treestands
to hang in a couple of places Kyle had scouted out for us. The first
two days would be spent on the ground, using cow calls and bugles to
lure the bulls within bow range, a classic Run & Gun archery elk
hunt. Jeff and I were then to hunt from our treestands for two days
while Kyle entertained his antelope hunting clients.
If needed, we planned on spending day five back on the ground.
Kyle kept us informed as to what he was finding on scouting trips of
the possible stand locations throughout the summer. I was confident
our time in the tree tops would be productive, as I spent five days
hunting elk with
Folsom Outfitters in 2003. One thing I remember
about that hunt was the abundant elk sign around every wallow or
water source we
passed. Most of the wallows were in or on the edge of thick timber,
with lots of tall trees within bow range. Kyle's reports had me very
excited about two locations he liked and I couldn't wait to see them
first hand.
Jeff and I arrived in Folsom, New Mexico ready for some serious elk
hunting. We checked our gear, shot our bows and got brought up to
speed on current elk movements. The bulls were bugling very good
early in the morning but the high winds were making it tough on the
hunters. Swirling winds are an elk hunter's worst nightmare. I know,
it cost me a nice bull last year. The elk hunter that was finishing
up his hunt with Kyle told us about his close encounter with a huge
6x6 bull that came into bow range. The bull winded him before he
could shoot. He ended up taking a young bull on his last day to fill
the freezer and rebooked for 2005 before leaving camp.
Our first morning of hunting got off to a great start. At first
light we descended into a deep canyon in an attempt to escape the
high winds. We were into elk within minutes, three young 4x4 and 5x5
bulls with three cows. Jeff and I setup while Kyle cow called from
40-50 yards behind us. I peered through my binoculars and watched as
the biggest 5x5 closed on our position, stopped, then raised his
head up high. At first I thought he was listening to the cow calls
and trying to pinpoint the source. A few seconds later I realized he
was checking the wind and not liking what he was smelling. The wind
told him to get out of there and that's exactly what he did. We
spent the rest of the morning walking and calling without a response
for our trouble. It was a long walk back to the truck that morning
but at the same time it was great being back in the mountains with
my outfitter friend and I looked forward to the rest of the hunt
with high hopes.
That afternoon before we hunted, we hung our stands in two great
locations on another ranch. Both of our setups found us overlooking
small parks with thick timber on the edges. One was on the edge of
a known bedding area and the other was on a travel route to and from
some small alfalfa fields. Both had wallows within 100yds that were
being absolutely hammered by elk. The tracks, droppings and broken
branches along the edges of the timber told us we were in the right
spot.
The second morning of our hunt was a heart stopping experience for
my hunting partner, Jeff. Kyle suggested we hunt another spot he
wanted to try where he had exchanged bugles with what sounded like a
good bull the week before. This bull answered back at every
challenge but was unwilling to leave his cows to investigate the
intruder. That's typical elk behavior during the onset of the rut.
Our hope was with the rut in full swing we would have a different
outcome this time. We reached the heavy aspen timber shortly after
dawn. Kyle bugled once and a bull immediately answered back with a
long bugle. We all looked at each
other and quickly setup to greet the big bull. Kyle worked this bull
with cow calls to within 10yds of Jeff's position. It was Jeff's
first face to face meeting with a bull elk and let me tell you he was
impressed and one very excited elk hunter when it was all over. The bull came in fast and stopped behind some low
cedar brush,
preventing a clean bow shot. He winded us shortly after stopping to
look for the "cow" that he just knew was nearby. The huge
350" class 6x6 may have gotten the best of us on
this hunt, but what an experience it was to watch it all unfold and
to be that close to a record class bull.
Later that afternoon we hunted on another ranch where Kyle and a
previous hunter had been a few days before. They had heard several
bugles and had one encounter with a mature bull. Unfortunately, the
hunter had stood up to move to another position just as the bull
appeared. You can imagine the frustration both the hunter and the
outfitter were feeling when the bull stepped out of the cover and
caught the hunter moving. Our plan was to get to a small, open park
early in the afternoon and wait until we heard a bull before
planning an assault. We spent the whole evening hunt listening to
bulls all around us. It was really exciting hearing five
different bulls bugling back and forth. Our hunt that day ended
without an elk, but just being that close to multiple bull elk
screaming their heads off time after time was
enough for this hunter.
Saturday morning would be the first hunt for us in our previously
set tree stands. My morning hunt was uneventful, except for a large flock of
Merriam's turkey. Jeff on the other hand, had a hunt he will never
forget. At 7:30am he heard a bugle. He responded back with a
Primos
Hoochie Mama cow call a few times and heard the bull bugle again.
The big bull entered the park heading in a direction away from
Jeff's stand, bugling again as if searching out the cow that had
gotten his attention. Jeff hit the cow call again and turned the
bull toward him. As he readied for a shot he couldn't believe the
size of this bull. At 15yds Jeff sent a Montec G5 into his lungs.
The bull took off back up the draw but stopped at 40yds. Jeff
quickly sent
another arrow into his vitals. The bull made it only another 40yds
before going down for good.
 Later
that morning when Kyle and I arrived to pick him up, Jeff was very
excited to tell us the whole story. This hunt had been a birthday
present from his wife and what a present it turned out to be. Jeff's
bull had a beautiful 6x7 rack and green scored over 355 Pope & Young
points! After taking several pictures and some video of the setup,
we spent most of the rest of the day with elk processing chores. I
was very happy for my hunting partner. On his first elk
hunt ever, he had connected on a trophy bull elk that may take him a
lifetime to improve upon. I've hunted long enough to know that you
don't have to take an animal for the hunt to be a success. But, oh
what a feeling when it all comes together. I was glad to have played
a part in seeing Jeff's dream of taking a bull elk with his bow. We
were all thankful for our good fortune.
Three days into our hunt we had one heck of a nice bull tagged and
had been into elk each day. Storms rolled in that evening and I
considered sitting out my morning hunt. Realizing I only had two
days left, I hunted Sunday morning in the rain. Most of my time was spent
hunkered inside the hood of my Gore-Tex rain suit. I had asked Jeff
to pick me up at 9:00am. Just as I arrived at our pickup point, I
heard a bull bugle. I glassed through the pouring rain to the ridge
several hundred yards above my stand. A group of cows were running across the open ridge
heading for the bedding area in some thick pine timber. Behind them
and bugling as he ran was a very good bull. My morning hunt may have been
dashed by the pouring rain, but my spirits were lifted as I watched
the bull and his cows enter the timber less than a quarter mile from my
stand.
Back at
the lodge I spent some time taking some photographs of the
successful antelope hunts and chatted with the hunters. They had
been very busy and were having a great hunt, with four good
goats being taken in two days. One of the guides helping Kyle was
his long time friend, Carlos. Carlos grew up in New Mexico and has
been guiding elk hunters for over 25 years. I told Carlos of my bull
sighting in the rain and where the elk had bedded. He got excited
and told me he thought there was a good chance they would use the
draw I had setup in as a route back to the alfalfa fields that
evening. We talked about calling techniques and when I should and
shouldn't use certain calls. One thing he stressed was that if a big
bull has cows with him I should only call once he got inside of
50-100yds, his safe zone. Once he heard a cow call within his safe
zone, the chances of him checking it out were much greater. If I
have learned one thing in my 25 years of hunting, it's listen to
experienced guides and hunters when they are trying to help you. I took
his advise to heart and thanked him for his help.
That evening as I sat in my stand I thought of what Carlos had told
me. It made perfect sense to a hunter who had been spring turkey
hunting as much as I have. I've pushed my fair share of Rio Grande
gobblers into the next pasture by being too aggressive with my
calls. Sometimes less is more. Around 5:30 I caught movement off to my
left. It was a young bull raking his antlers on a juniper tree
in a mock battle. The small 5x5 bull stopped and started trotting
toward me when
I hit the Hoochie Mama cow call just two times.
This bull was not a trophy in most hunters eyes, but I was
determined to arrow an elk and decided that if given a shot, I would
take him and be more than happy. The bull was coming
in on a line that should give me a 20yd shot until he got a nose full of my scent. He then retreated
but I brought him back again with a cow call. I never had a shot I
was comfortable with but it was an adrenaline rush to see even a
young bull
respond to my calls.
Once the sun set and darkness started creeping in I began to put all my
gear in my backpack so I could safely get down from the stand. I had
just tied my bow to a rope and was about to lower it to the ground
when I heard a bugle, it was close! I figured the bull to be no more
than 100yds
behind me. Then I heard cows talking and wining, it seemed they were
to enter my little draw from the same trail I used to get to my
stand. I couldn't believe it, he was going to wind me for sure if he
kept that line of travel! The second time the bull bugled he was
within 50yds. I hit the
Hoochie Mama a few times and the bull
screamed back with another bugle. I could hear the branches along
the trail behind me crack as he blasted through the brush. He stopped
not 5ft from the base of my tree and bugled again. It made the hair
on the back of my neck stand up! I could actually hear the air
escaping his throat as he announced his presence for the cow he
thought was calling to him. The bull seemed almost mad to think one
of his girls had strayed from his harem.
He took a few steps to the left and for a second I thought he was
going to go the wrong way up the draw. As he passed the last tree
before entering the meadow he turned ninety degrees to his right and
walked directly under my stand. I literally could have jumped out of
the stand and onto his back. He was less than 12 feet below me! I
quickly came to full draw with my
Mathews Outback bow and leaned forward to take the shot. I released
a Magnus
Stinger tipped arrow
which blasted through him like a
hot knife through butter. The bull humped up and ran across the draw
to the steep ridge on the other side. He started to climb to the top
but couldn't get through the thick oak underbrush and large lava
rocks. When he stopped I nocked another arrow and quickly released
while holding on his spine from 50yds away. Once the second arrow
hit him he bolted down the draw, crashing through limbs and bushes
along the way.
Because the low light conditions when I shot the bull and the fact I
did not actually see where either of my arrows had hit, Kyle and I
decided not to track the bull in the dark. We waited until the next
morning to return and with Jeff in the lead we walked straight to
him. He had left a very good blood trail and at the end of it was
the bull elk I had always dreamed of. The first arrow caught him
high in the right lung, exiting low in his left front leg. The
second arrow had just missed his spine and penetrated into his right
lung. My bull sported a 6x7 rack and green scored 325 Pope & Young
points. To say the least, I was very proud of him. Taking two record
class bulls taken with bows on one hunt makes this hunt one I'll
never forget.
So,
which tactic works best when chasing the bugling bulls of New
Mexico? Run & Gun hunting or stand hunting? Both. I enjoyed both
techniques and learned each has their advantages and disadvantages.
On the ground you can cover more area and have more encounters with
bulls. In the mountainous terrain big elk inhabit it can be a lot of
walking and steep climbing. The heart pounding rush you get when
coming face to face with these animals at ground level is something
I could never explain with words. It's awe inspiring. On the other
hand, sitting in a great stand location gives you the ultimate in
the element of surprise and let's you choose where you will take a
shot. Stand hunters can use the terrain that helps funnel game into an
area which gives them a great chance of harvesting a bull without
all the walking and climbing a ground hunter faces.
Either way, if you spend time in the mountains pursuing these
regal animals you're sure to have a hunt to remember. If you ever
have a bull cut loose with a bugle inside of 20yds you'll be hooked
for life. If that doesn't make the hair on the back of your neck
stand up and your heart beat faster, you had better seek professional
help, my friend.
Next fall, in late September, I'll be heading back to the Folsom,
New Mexico area to battle those wonderful bugling bulls with my good
friends, Kyle & LeVonne Bell of
Folsom Outfitters.
I invite you to make the trip out west someday as well and see for yourself
why so many hunters head west each year to quench their thirst for
the bull elk of their dreams. You'll never regret it.
At full draw,
Tyge Floyd
Editor-TexasOutdoorsman.com
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