Guest Blog Post From Michael Waddell / Calling Elk Bow-Close

The following is a guest blog post from fellow hunter and writer Michael Waddell. Michael just this week announced that he will be a regular writer and contributor to Peterson’s Hunting. I’ve had the honor of meeting him a number of years ago here in Raleigh at the Scope Show and it is an honor to have him post on MooseDroppings

Whether hunting public or private land, the fundamentals of calling elk remain the same.
Calling Elk Bow-Close
Michael Waddell

We heard the bull bugle at first light and snuck into his core area. When I hit a lick on my bugle, the bull simply came unglued and stormed our position like a tank, crashing through brush and small lodgepole pines like they were matchsticks. Before we could react he was in our lap and we were pinned down, me hiding behind a camera, too scared to touch the tripod for fear my shaking hands would ruin the footage. All I could see of my partner wedged against a stunted pine was the tip of his undrawn arrow quivering on the rest. Before a shot presented itself, the bull smelled a rat and disappeared as quickly as he arrived. While this experience didn’t result in a dead elk, it did hopelessly addict me to calling them.

It seems that in all walks of life, be it the animal kingdom or humans, communication is a key ingredient for all social interaction. However, not all living things communicate to the same degree. If you ask my wife, I am sure she will tell you I am lacking in the communication department; in fact, I’m sure she believes I don’t listen to her at all, but when it comes to communicating with animals I can barely shut up. Of all the animals I love to communicate with, elk rate right at the top.

By nature, elk are very vocal. The uninitiated often simply think of bulls bugling, but cows, calves and bulls make all sorts of noises year-round. If you encounter a large herd, while you might not hear anything from a distance, if you get close you will hear lots of subtle vocalization. Most of the time these are sounds of contentment, but depending on what’s happening the vocalization reflects it. Elk can convey contentment, danger, curiosity or a cow in heat. Bulls, for instance, only bugle primarily in the rut, but they also communicate to establish a pecking order. After spending a considerable amount of time chasing the mighty wapiti, I’m convinced every elk in the herd knows each other by sound alone. This happens with the cows as well as the bulls, and based on my evaluation, somewhere in this mix is the deadly secret to calling elk bow-close.

Imitation Is The Sincerest Form Of Flattery
It seems that the more vocal a herd, the better the odds are for success at calling them. Some cows call subtly, while others are loud-mouth ladies actively looking for a date. By listening, it gives you a better opportunity to imitate the particular tones and intensity of the herd.

By calling, we are automatically intruding into the social club without an invitation. The closer we can sound to a known elk and match that intensity, the better the odds are of filling a tag. Even though we may sound like an outsider to the herd, luckily for us, love-crazed bulls are not looking to be intimate with just one or two cows; they are looking for all the love of every cow in the world, so taking advantage of their sexual frustrations and promiscuity is our salvation.

It doesn’t take a world champion elk caller to trick bulls within range. By simply paying attention to the herd and understanding simple elk rhythm, tone and, more important, volume when calling, a hunter can depend on an elk call to be a valuable asset to dulling broadheads.

Public Versus Private Land
Since I started hunting elk 16 years ago, on private as well as public ground, I’ve realized comparing these two different types of ground is like comparing night and day, and it is all about the amount of pressure each receives. Generally speaking, private ground bulls are way easier to call than public ground animals, but this is not always the case. Some private land gets a lot of pressure, which can make for some pretty tough calling duels with elk that can serve you up a humble pie every time you bust out a call. Conversely, some public land, either through sheer remoteness or hard-to-get tags, is like calling the best private land in the nation.

Hunting untouched land and cow calling to bulls that have never heard a Hoochie Mama would obviously be nice. It wouldn’t take long working over these uneducated elk to start feeling like an elk-calling pro, only to be deflated the first time we went to the national forest and mixed it up with bulls so well known by local hunters that they have nicknames. However, regardless of where you hunt, the basics of calling remain the same.

Start with mastering the cow call and all its various inflections. Your basic reed-type calls are the easiest to learn as well as get proficient with. You will find two kinds; both are bite-down reed-type calls, one being enclosed and the other having an open reed or reeds. These calls make a very realistic sound and before your wife can run you out of the house you will master the basics.

I rely heavily on the cow call and think most of the time hunters are better off sticking with it over a bugle no matter where they are hunting. However, learning how to make a basic bugle is important, especially for locating bulls at a distance before getting close and working him with your cow call. In addition, sometimes it is the bugle that finally provokes a dominant bull to commit, especially during the early season when bulls are still sorting out their pecking order.

Earning Your Public Ground Ph.D
Let’s face it, unless you have deep pockets much of the private ground in the West is pretty much off limits, so you have to learn to hunt public land. This is not a bad thing, as public ground comprises millions upon millions of acres across the West and happens to have some of the biggest bulls found anywhere. While it can be tougher than private, once you learn how to hunt it you won’t be disappointed. Over the years one of my favorite places to hunt is the Gila National Forest in New Mexico, and even though this is a trophy area, tags are fairly obtainable through application.

In the Gila, the trophy potential is off the chart, sporting some of the biggest bulls in the country, but just because the big ones live there doesn’t mean that you automatically make one call and they come running to get in the back of your truck. These mature jokers have a Ph.D in avoiding hunters.

Over the last six years I have hunted this area religiously and have had the opportunity to shoot some nice bulls, all by using elk calls as an aid to close the coffin.

Notice I said, “as an aid,” meaning the call was just one thing in a bag of tricks to help smoke these monarchs. My biggest bull that came out of the Gila was a 378 P&Y bull that earned the name The Professor because he always seemed to take you to school when you applied too much pressure. However, this bull was vocal and would bugle his butt off. He also seemed to be fairly easy to find, not only by his gnarly, raspy bugle that set him apart, but frequently he could be found early in the morning in a large meadow just south of a particular water hole that always attracted a large herd.

The Professor was not the only bull in the area that had large headgear, but it was the Professor that seemed to call the shots. I had caught this bull in the open several times, but calling seemed to really make him uneasy when you were in close. However, he would bugle hard to distant cow calls and seemed to be whole heartedly interested, but he had a sixth sense when you moved in for the attack.

Finally, we decided to have a caller stay behind as we worked him coming off the meadow at daybreak. By doing this we could keep him interested and bugling as we stalked in closer. The caller always was no closer than 80 yards behind me. While the caller kept him occupied, I slid within 50 yards and gave him a G5 Tekan right behind the shoulder. This hunt was really a stalk, but the call and caller had a big part to do with his demise. Once we started quartering the bull, we found a piece of an old arrow lodged just below the backstraps, so obviously someone had him in close before and gave the teacher an education, which explained why he was so wary.

The Double Team
As this old bull showed, hunting with a partner can work extremely well. It not only puts the hunter out in front of the call, it gives the hunter a chance to move and adjust the angle based on where the bull might be approaching. Likewise, the caller has the flexibility to move and apply a lot of different calling techniques.

The double-team plan worked again on another hunt. It had been hot, and the bulls were only bugling early and late. As soon as the sun would rise the elk woods would turn into a ghost town.

Just after daybreak on the fourth day of our hunt we heard this bull bugle. He hit it only two times, both very weak. He sounded like the littlest rag horn in the land, but with no other game in town we went after him. Getting as close as possible to where we thought the bugle came from, I eased up and sat down by a pine stump while my buddy moved back and to my right about 40 yards.

Neither of us was very optimistic about our chances. My buddy made one or maybe two very soft cow calls on a two-reed diaphragm, then he started raking a tree and rolled a few rocks. We sat there for possibly 10 minutes in silence, then out of nowhere appeared a wide 6×6 coming directly to us.

At 25 yards the bull let out a soft chuckle, looked over his surrounding, and kept walking in the direction of where the last rock had been rolled, which led him 16 steps from my pine stump. By now I was at full draw, waiting for a broadside shot. When the arrow left my bow, I knew we had killed a call-shy monster by keeping it low-key and staying patient. Needless to say, I was never convinced by the two times he had bugled earlier that he was a shooter. This was a lesson in itself. Never judge a bugle until you can see what is making the sound.

The most exciting way to bag a bull elk is to get him in close, and the best way to do that is with a call. Confidence in your call is critical, because if you’re insecure about using your call, there is a good chance you will spook elk. Have confidence in your calling ability and become just another elk in the herd where you are hunting.

Find a call that works for you and not what works for someone else. Think like an elk and do as elk do. Realism, rhythm and volume control can make the difference between bringing them in or running them over the next ridge. Remember, it’s not always about calling. It can be about just patiently listening to the sounds around you and applying minimal calls while practicing good woodsmenship and stalking skills that could help you put that monster on the back of the truck.

Remington Recalling Model 597 17 HMR Semi-Automatic Rifle

Remington has announced the recall of their 17 HMR Ammo as well as Model 597 17 HMR Semi Auto Rifle.

DO NOT USE REMINGTON 17 HMR AMMUNITION IN SEMI-AUTOMATIC FIREARMS.
DO NOT USE THE REMINGTON MODEL 597 HMR SEMI-AUTOMATIC RIFLE.
Remington has been notified by its supplier of 17 HMR ammunition that 17 HMR ammunition is not suitable for use in semi-automatic firearms. The use of this ammunition in a semi-automatic firearm could result in property damage or serious personal injury.
If you have a semi-automatic firearm chambered for 17 HMR ammunition, immediately discontinue use of Remington 17 HMR ammunition. If you have any Remington 17 HMR ammunition that you wish to return to Remington contact the Remington Consumer Service number below. Do not return the ammunition to the dealer. Remington will provide you with a $10.00 coupon for each complete box of 50 rounds of Remington branded 17 HMR ammunition you return to Remington. This coupon will be good for the purchase of any Remington ammunition at your local dealer.
In light of the ammunition manufacturer’s notice, it is very important that you immediately stop using your Remington Model 597 17 HMR semi-automatic rifle. If you own a Remington Model 597 17 HMR semi-automatic rifle and wish to return it to Remington please contact the below Remington Consumer Service Number. In return for your Remington Model 597 17 HMR synthetic stock semi-automatic rifle, Remington will provide you a coupon valued at $200.00 good for the purchase of a replacement Remington firearm. If you have a laminate stock Remington Model 597 17 HMR semi-automatic rifle, Remington will provide you a coupon valued at $250.00 good for the purchase of a replacement Remington firearm. Remington will also reimburse you for the actual postage to return your Model 597 17 HMR semi-automatic rifle to Remington.
Please allow up to 6 weeks after Remington receives your Model 597 17 HMR semi-automatic rifle or your Remington branded 17 HMR ammunition for the appropriate coupons to arrive. Instructions for redemption of the coupons will be contained on the coupon.
For any consumer questions or instructions on how to return of your Model 597 17 HMR semi-automatic rifle or your Remington branded 17 HMR ammunition, please contact the Remington Consumer Service Department at 1-800-243-9700, Prompt #3.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Remington Web Site

Please pass this information on to anyone that may have one of these guns especially predator hunters .

Got A New Toy

I had been saving my pennies to get a crossbow in anticipation of that weapon becoming legal in North Carolina to hunt with but that has been delayed for a year. So I decided to upgrade my blackpowder gun picking up a Thompson Center Omega. Finding a pretty good deal on line I ordered and in less than a week it was sitting on my front porch when I got home from work.
We still have a bit of time before blackpowder season gets here but I got to put the scope on it and get it sighted in. One of the many pre hunting season projects I got to get done before September gets here and the hunting begins. Once residential goose season starts the 1st of September the weeks will fly and the October eastern blackpowder season will be here in a flash.

Big Buck Expo This Weekend In Greensboro

With about 6 weeks or so till the deer season opens here in North Carolina it would seem like an ideal time to have a deer hunting show. The Big Buck Expo is back in Greensboro this weekend and this year they have Michael Waddell and the Bone Collectors as a draw.

Greensboro here we come!!! The summer Expos with Michael, Nick and T-Bone have been nothing short of a blast. If you’ve never met Michael and the guys in person, you’re in for a treat. They are as crazy (and as real) in person as they are on TV. They’ll be at the show during all show hours Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Also, don’t forget to bring your bows and your bucks to the show. We’ll be hosting an “Open” 3-D shoot all weekend and we’ll have official P&Y and B&C scorers on hand all weekend scoring deer. The scoring for one deer is included in your admission price. Additional deer may be scored for only $5 each.

As you may recall last year’s show was dismal as far as attendance went with many of the vendors pulling out early because of the small crowds. This show came in on the heels of the very successful Buck Masters shows that were held in Greensboro while the venue they typically used in Alabama was under some major renovations. Buck Masters seemed to draw a bigger crowd so we’ll see how this year goes for the Big Buck Expo.
I hope to get up there at some point this weekend and check it out as I’m getting pumped for another hunting season that will soon be here.

Magnet Gun Caddy A Handy Device

I remember it like it was yesterday but it was actually a few years ago when I found myself looking down the muzzle of a 12 gauge. Although no one was holding on to it at the time, someone had laid it across a pickup truck toolbox, I turned my head as I walked towards my truck and it was just mere inches from my nose. It startled me and with a number of people in and around the truck it was still quite unnerving. Muzzle control is of utmost importance when it comes to gun safety and even guns that are out of our hands when we take a break.
I was given a Magnet Gun Caddy to try out but it came in at the end of turkey season and I haven’t had much opportunity to try it out.

A Smarter Way to Rest Your Gun
The Magnet Gun Caddy is designed to provide a handy place to rest and protect your gun and your car. Whether you are getting ready to begin your hunt, just taking a break to water your dogs, or returning from a rewarding experience in the field, the Magnet Gun Caddy provides a fast and convenient way to rest your gun. Remember, NEVER use the Magnet Gun Caddy with a loaded gun.

Well with some work days coming up and the sightings of a coyote at the last one it seemed like a pretty good idea that we keep some fire power close by. I wanted to check the zero on my 243 so it gave me a chance to try the Magnet Caddy out. I’m sure if you’re like me you’ve rested your gun against a truck. A good way to scratch the truck and certainly dangerous if that gun is loaded. The Magnet Caddy will securely hold your unloaded gun in place against your truck or any other steel object.
I was pretty impressed with the Magnet Gun Caddy and think it is something I’ll use regularly. It has been made a permanent addition to my truck toolbox so it will always be handy.
I would think with dove season coming up soon that this would be a product a lot of folks could use. Dove hunting is a big family event here in the south and what a better time to reinforce gun safety and to make sure all those muzzles are pointed up in a safe direction.

Order Info

A Dark Night at Knight

Knight Rifles once the rifle of choice by the majority of professional hunters is closing their doors. A few years back it seemed like Knight Black Powder was the only gun anyone on TV hunted with until Thompson Center took them on. Now Thompson Center seems to have the market saturated.

During the recent NRA Annual Meetings, Americanrifleman.org/Americanhunter.org learned that Knight Rifles is closing its doors after 24 years as a key American firearms manufacturer. That news was confirmed late last week via an announcement from Modern Muzzleloading, Inc., a related subsidiary under corporate parent, Pradco Outdoor Brands/EBSCO. The press release stated, “The decision to close the Knight operation resulted from an overall industry downturn.” Reportedly Knight sales had declined sharply in recent years and efforts to sell the brand and company assets were unsuccessful.

The release indicated Knight owners would not be abandoned. “All warranty, non-warranty, and replacement part services will remain in place…and all customers will have access to experienced service personnel for consultation, questions and repair of Knight products (in serviceable condition).” Additionally, Modern Muzzleloading will continue to offer Knight parts and accessories, according to the announcement.

Shooting Illustrated

Downturn? Seems to me that gun manufactures are scrambling just to fill orders. I suspect the pressure from T/C did them in myself.

Sighting In For Turkey Season

One of the most important things you can do to help you be successful in the turkey woods is to sight your shotgun in. You’d be surprised at how many people overlook this important step and have no idea what kind of pattern there gun is shooting. We talked before about shot size and choke tubes in an earlier post and both will effect the pattern your gun will shoot.
When it comes to shooting a turkey with a shotgun remember unlike other types of hunting with shotguns you really need to shoot it like a rifle. That’s why it is important to sight it in. I like to have a minimum of 20 pellets in the spine / brain area of the turkey target when I sight my gun in. So I’m including some printable targets that you can use to check your gun pattern before the season comes in.

Gunners Den Target

Missouri Wildlife Turkey Target

Remington Targets

Season will be here soon So get prepared.

Selecting The Shotgun For Turkey Hunting

While far be it from me to tell anyone they don’t need a new gun but the reality is for many first time turkey hunters their current shotgun will work just fine. The 12 gauge is probably the most popular gun but with the advances in ammunition and choke tubes the 20 gauge is gaining in popularity. I’m sure a few gobblers meet their demise each year with the rare 16 gauge and 10 gauge. While a 410 will fold a dove or quail it’s probably a bit light for the turkey woods.
The key to a good turkey gun is working up a good shot pattern within the gun usually the tightest choke is what you will want. There are a number of aftermarket choke tubes that you can use to help work up that killing pattern but before you rush out to buy one check the tubes you may already have. I didn’t have a full choke for my Mossberg 500 so I bought an Undertaker Choke Tube a number of years ago and it works great.
The other part of the puzzle is the ammo you’ll use. I would suggest that you pick up a box or two of turkey loads because the technology has advanced a lot to make it worthwhile to spend a little bit of money to get a turkey load. I use Hevi Shot # 5’s that seems to give me the best pattern over the years testing a variety of different ammos. Most people I talk to seem to use #5 or #6 shot and occasionally I run into folks who use #4. Like anything individual guns will work better with a particular shot size and even a brand then another so it’s important to test them out.
Other aspects that you may want to consider when pulling a shotgun out of the safe to use is the importance of camo. Some guns have a camo finish others you can add a sock or tape to help the gun blend into the woods. While it is not a must to have a camo gun avoiding shiny or reflective items that may help the gobbler bust you is important.
Tomorrow will go a bit more into the sighting in process and I’ll even give you some free targets to use on the range.

Tick Season Will Be On Us Soon

Rick over at Whitetail Woods gave us a great reminder to get ready for tick season with some great tips. As the weather warms the ticks will be out and a little bug like that can cause major illness and suffering if you’re not careful. Rick shows the product he uses I use a similar product from Repel.

Permanone® Clothing and Gear Insect Repellent
An item for every campers packing list.
This odorless insecticide is designed to protected clothing, shoes, tents and other gear from ticks and mosquitoes. Spray any item, let dry and Permanone will provide up to two weeks of protection. Permanone will bind to the fabric being treated, and actually kills insects that come in contact with it. Enjoy a bug free camping trip.

Repel

I’ll spray all my turkey hunting gear down with this a day or so before I plan to go out. It lasts for two weeks even if you wash it. I use to pull a lot of ticks off me every year until I started using this stuff. I think last turkey season I only found two ticks on me.

National Park Lead Ban Makes No Sense

Mike Zlotnicki’s column in the N&O about this ban points out how ridiculous the ban will be.

Sounds noble, but is it necessary? Should places such as Cape Hatteras National Seashore be managed in the same fashion as, say, Yellowstone National Park, which has a ban on lead fishing tackle and doesn’t allow hunting?

I wonder how many birds die from eating a lead weight used for surf fishing?

Bob Eakes, owner of Red Drum Tackle Shop in Buxton, who also sits on the board of the American Sportfishing Association.

“It took us by surprise,” he said. “This thing floored a lot of people. Ingested lead by birds and ducks is bad, but what bird can ingest an 8-ounce pyramid sinker? This park service is out of control. They’re not using good science.”

I’D agree it seems like the National Parks Service is out of control on this issue but should we be surprised with the bunch of lefties we got running this country? A lead ban on fishing tackle maybe the least of our problems.

Finding Your Way In The World

Now a day’s everyone seems to use a GPS unit to get around no matter if it is driving to the store or hiking in the wilderness. GPS has certainly made navigation a lot easier for us and helps us find our way around unfamiliar territories. While I could do a lot of stories about GPS how it works and how to use them etc. I’m not going to at this time. Over the next few weeks I want to focus on what I feel is becoming a lost art and that is using a compass and a map.
Growing up in the city and going to public school one would not expect outdoor skills would be part of the curriculum. I was lucky in that as part of my physical education class in high school there was a number of survival skills they taught us. One of them was how to use a compass and a topo map to get around.
Next to my high school there was a nature reserve and we used it to learn how to do orienteering. If you’re not familiar with the sport of orienteering it basically is a course of points that is laid out and with a map and compass you go out and complete the course. At each one of the points there is a way to mark your card to prove you made it to each one of the points.
There are orienteering clubs all over the world and likely there is one near you where you can often learn the basics for free or for very little money. Some of the local parks and recreational departments may offer orienteering and some may have permanent courses set up that you can use.
Using a compass and a map is important skills to know no matter if your desire is to find a remote place to hunt on public land or to hike in a national park to a remote waterfall. Especially if your GPS unit dies, your batteries die or you find yourself in an area where your access to the satellites is blocked.
So join me next Friday and we’ll look at compasses and how to use them.

Getting Ready For Black Powder Season

Black Powder season opens here on Saturday so I’ve been busy getting things ready. One of the things I had to fix was my gun and the breech plug problem. I have an H&R Huntmaster that has a very small breech plug wrench. I had misplaced it and could not find it so I just cleaned the gun as best I could without taking the breech plug. Well I found the wrench but despite using the breech plug grease it was hopelessly stuck. I got some solvent and sprayed it down the barrel letting it sit a day or two but it didn’t do much. I tried a number of things but nothing seemed to work so I did a posting on a message board for some help. Well I got a variety of suggestions but most of the promising ones seemed to involve heating the barrel up. The majority seemed to involve using a torch with flashbacks to my early years in shop class I thought there has to be another way. A couple of folks suggested using hot water which is what I decided to try first.

With a hot tea kettle of water I went out on the back deck and gave it a shot. I filled the barrel and let it sit for a few minutes. Most of it leaked out through the breech plug and nipple but what didn’t I dumped out. After filling it 3 times the barrel was to hot for you to touch so I figured it was hot enough. It took a little elbow grease but I finally succeeded in getting the plug out.

Tonight I completed the cleaning job and reassembled the gun with some breech plug grease, that contains Teflon, that I picked up at Mace Sports. Hopefully that will make future removals easier but if not I’ll breakout the tea kettle.

Now I’m ready to go out and sight it in. Maybe if the rain holds off tomorrow after work I can check the zero. Saturday Morning will be here before we know it.

Posted by Dan McLaughlin AKA Moose

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