Scenario 6

Without warning, cows begin walking a downwind trail to 30 yards to your South. Moving is not an option since they are in plain view. The herd bull is bugling on the other side of the hill, out of sight, and following his cows. What would you do?

Danny Moore

I would get up and walk away from the cows with my back to them. I would rather have them spook from seeing me move than wind me. Many times elk are not sure of what they see. But once they smell you, they leave the country.

Paul Medel

As long as I can stay where I'm at without being winded I will do so and wait for the bulls entrance. I would do no calling. If I have to stop him for a shot in a window-type opening I'd do so with a nervous grunt while already at full draw. If I'm just about to be betrayed by the wind as the cows get closer, and I have no choice but to get aggressive, I will do so! With the bull still out of sight I'd run at the cows and scatter them. Then I'd give a powerful short scream for them to stop and come back followed by a 2nd one. Most likely the herd bull will be on a dead screaming run to push this intruder bull out of there! This has worked for us on similar occasions.

As in any scenario as above, additional action or sounds may be needed but it's tough to say what until things start unraveling.

Paul Medel II

If there is no way that I could move, I would have to make something happen. Try to spook the cows without letting them smell me and while the herd bull is still out of sight. If you can get the cows to scatter run in as fast as you can (downwind) without letting the herd bull see you and start screaming a bugle. The herd bull will think that there is another bull trying to steal his herd and this will cause him to react. From there the action should be fast and furious. I would have a spot picked out ahead of time and get an arrow out and wait for the pissed off bull to show himself. This is usually a very close encounter - so be ready.

Al Morris

I will assume shooting one of the cows (that has presented a shot) is not what we want and the herd bull is our goal. I will wait until the cows in front of me have moved down the hill enough that I feel they will not run back over the hill and back to the herd bull. I will then move even if the cows see me. If I feel moving won't spook the bull I want to kill, I will move even when other elk can still see me. With great risk comes great reward and it doesn't work all the time or even most the time but when it does you might just kill the bull of a lifetime. Make as good of an elk sound as you can make and use a good decoy like the Montana elk 3, it will help you navigate into close range to call and kill those bulls.

Corey Jacobsen

I'd wait until the cows were below me and just about to wind me, then I'd let out a challenge bugle and quickly move straight towards the bull. Hopefully it would bust the cows down the mountain (away from the bull) and get me close to being between the bull and his scattering cows. Ideally, the bull would think another bull was trying to steal his cows and come running. It would definitely be a fast action scenario and the effectiveness isn't altogether high, but it would sure beat standing there and watching as the cows winded me, gave an alarm bark, and ran back to the bull. Even a slight chance is better than no chance at all!

Rob Sherman

Since you can't move, you have no option other than sit tight and see what happens.  Hopefully the bull comes within range and offers a shot before the cows catch your wind.  If the cows catch your wind before the bull exposes himself, you still might have a chance.  Once the cows spook, I would give out a strong bugle.  This might make the bull think that another bull has moved in and tried to cut out a cow, causing them to spook.  This may very well cause the bull to confront the "intruder" and offer a shot before he catches on.