Questions on first elk hunt

[BDB]

I am heading out 3 weeks from Thursday for a New Mexico cow elk hunt. I got drawn and will be hunting with a buddy of mine and his 4 friends.

What I don't know is anything, short of what I have read here, on elk hunting. I was planning a trip to the hunting store to pick up a few things.

Should I bring along a cow call? I watch people calling bulls (TV) all the time with various methods but don't know about bringing in cows with it. I would think it would be good to have and blow on it occasionally while still huntning if for nothing else but to convince the other elk that the noise they hear is an elk.

I have the basics, game bags, pack frame, knives, bone saw, gambrel and hoist, 2way radio, sharpener, and my regular deer essentials for survival etc. Is there anything else that you experienced elk guys think is a must have?

Talking to the guys I will be with they say this won't be back country. They know the area, and can drive many of the logging roads and hunting will be somewhere out to 2-4 miles from the roads at the most.

Thanks,

Steve

 

[wmidbrook]

Have fun and good luck!

The Hoochie Mama cow call from Primos is easy to use and sounds great. A calf hauled butt towards some chirps and almost mowed a friend over in NM this fall on our hunt this year. A cow or two were lured in by it's sounds too.

There's a company out there with a tape/cds/dvds called 'Calling All Cows' with some insight. I think it's elknut.com.

 

[photohunter]

I agree. get a Hoochie Mama and a video or casette tape. I like the Primos "The Truth" videos - they cow call all the time in them.

 

[IdahoElkandDeer]

I've hunted elk for over 20 years and have always carried and used a cow call. I feel naked without it. A cow call will work on bulls and cows year round whereas a bugle's effectiveness can be more limited. Get some videos so you can learn a bit about elk behavior and when you do want to call. Elk are amazingly social and will be quite a bit more vocal than deer.

Most people think of a call to bring elk in, but cow calls are also useful for calming elk down. I've spooked elk hard and have been able to slow them down and even have had them stop and come back towards me with a cow call. There have even been times that I've been able to move with a herd of elk using a cow call. A herd of elk moving through the woods is very loud and vocal. With all of their noise you can sometimes move with the herd and not have to be extremely quiet. A cow call will help disguise your noise. Of course when the elk do figure out what you are...they often spook hard and end up in the next county!!

As noisy as they sometimes are, they can also be amazingly quiet. Several times I've plopped against a tree and cow called without hearing or seeing anything. After a couple of hours I've stood up and actually had elk sneak in within 40 yards and take off. It's actually scary how a large animal can sneak so quietly.

Good luck with the hunt and think of it as on-the-hunt training (OHT) for your next elk trip. You'll probably figure a few things out the hard way, but most of us who've hunted elk for a long time still learn the hard way too!