Getting In Close

Getting in Close

I have a theory that's been somewhat proven over the years. Maybe you can confirm it.

Elk have similar characteristics to horses. Both are herd animals, both require similar habitat, safety, etc., to survive. Knowing that and how a horse will react to your body language will help you with horses but also with elk.

Scenario number 1:

A cow or bull spots you at 20 yards away. I found if you don't move and are standing up straight they wouldn’t see you. You should be in front of a tree for best results. Being out in the open will give you away as a human, which translates, to a predator in the mind of an elk. Elk will usually stop, stare, stare some more, then make a move. Their move could be to flee if they smell you. If you move they will move. If you don’t move they will probably walk off. Leaving them undisturbed is the best solution for this scenario, as it will allow you to return again and again until you are discovered. I took this photo after cow calling to this rutting 6x6. I was partially behind an 8-foot pine. The bull saw my outline but I did not move. He stared for what seemed like over a minute before turning broadside and walking up the mountain – still looking for that cow sound. Instead of pursuing (always a difficult thing to do), I backed off and walked the other way so I could return again. An undisturbed elk is a natural, stress-free elk. A disturbed elk will flee further than you think but will hopefully return to his routine three to four days later.

Scenario number 2:

You see the elk first (very rare) and they eventually see you. You are in the trees and decide to crouch down behind or in front of a pine to break up your outline. As soon as you crouch down you have just announced to the elk that you are a predator. They will walk, trot or run off. Don’t crouch down to make yourself appear smaller. To an elk you are about to attack. Naturally that position drives them away. What you should do is stand tall and still. If you must maneuver into a better position then make a parallel line to the elk. Don’t walk towards their rear end. Walk (parallel) towards their head. Your steps should be quiet, smooth and slow (moccasins work great for this). Don’t get in your mind that you are sneaking up on an elk. That puts you in a position to appear as a predator. You know, half crouched and suspicious looking. If anything you should think of yourself as an elk. Take steps heal to toe. That makes you sound like you have four legs. That’s a natural sound to elk. Elk don’t walk continuously unless they have some place to go. They do a lot of random walking, stopping, looking, grazing, and then taking a few more steps. Don’t be in a hurry. Elk aren’t unless they are spooked or migrating.

Scenario number 3:

The elk spots you walking through the trees (most common). You are already busted and you stop. You do what is natural to you. What you’ve learned from others. Get down! Right? As soon as you take a knee or sit down or even bend over you are telling the elk that you are a predator. You are emulating everything a mountain lion or coyote would do. If you try circling to either side of an elk at this point they will leave. Remember to stand tall and very still. If you can move closer then take a parallel line towards the head of the elk. If you choose to back off then simply turn around and take a casual stride in the opposite direction of the elk. Slow down and take a look back after some steps.

When elk see other elk that is considered a stranger to them they stop and raise their head. Bulls do this to appear larger. If they have a good set of antlers this makes them appear even more intimidating. This was a large cow that came running to the Primos Hyper-lip Single open reed cow call I was using. Notice how alert she is. Her focus is like a laser beam in our direction. Her ears are listening for any “unnatural” sound like our voices or clothing as we shuffle around. We didn’t move as we hid behind small pines near a creek. She didn’t like something about our situation and I’m convinced it was my crouched position as I took this picture. The elk didn’t spook but she didn’t stay around very long either. This whole evening we had to watch our backs as elk ran towards our cow calling. Our focus was on several large bulls in front of us. It was a good situation to be in. Rutting bulls with lots of competition. But it seemed every time I cow called we’d have elk approach us from behind. We never could get those bulls to come closer. For about 2 minutes we had every cow and bull in the area calling. I highly recommend Primos elk calls to anyone wanting to speak the language.

Always have the wind in your face, even if it’s just a crosswind. That’ll do. If the wind is at your back you won’t be able to get away with it. Even if the wind is strong or variable. Chances are you will get discovered. It just takes a whiff of your scent to alert an elk. I’ve seen bedded bulls go from dozing off to a trot in an instant after smelling a human. On days when the wind is blowing in the wrong direction in my favorite area I will give up and go somewhere else. It’s better to leave the area alone than spend the whole day looking for elk that have smelled you and left. You won’t see anything that way.