best way to hunt for cow elk!!

[GMARC]

I was able to draw a AZ archery cow tag,as was curious to find out how you all hunt for cow's??

do you spot and stalk?

do you stand hunt?

do you hunt over water?

and which way do you think has the highest rate of success??

Thanks GMARC

[rather_be_huntin]

Depends on the conditions. If you are near agricultural fields stand hunting can be very productive. If you're out in "elk country" meaning the normal rugged terrain elk love to inhabit, then I prefer spot and stalk with a cow call most of the year and I would even use a bugle a little during the rut. However if its extremely dry and you can see that elk are using a particular water hole then you can wait for an ambush there. So just depends on the conditions of the hunt but under normal conditions I like spot and stalk.

[gleninAZ]

It will be dry and warm. Find a good water hole and get there early 'cause you will have competition. Set up a tree stand if you can get out early. Usually best at dusk so I will get on the stand at least 3 hours before dark. Also can creep into the woods early morning at dark and find an oak thicket and crawl in. cut a few shooting lanes. You will find lots of elk trails and they tend to walk all over the hills going up in the morning to bed and down at night to drink. I didn't get drawn for squat so hope you have a good hunt and leave one for me for next year.

[noway]

Lost calf call, watch the wind.
Walk half hour, call 15 minutes, repeat.
Of course you need to be in country where there are elk.

[pharaoh2]

First you need to get permission from farmer Joe. Then, if your real sneaky, you just might be able to sneak up on her when she's getting milked. After your within range, (bear in mind to make sure she's clear of the barn!) let her have it.

[j3k2c1]

Well assuming that you mean cow ELK you have already been given some great information! I personally love a spot and stalk method.

If you didn't mean ELK, talk to the rancher and get his permission before you shoot his bovine!

[GooseHunter Jr.]

Would the lost calf call work during a rifle season!!

I usually stand hunt for my elk....

[Wolf killer]

I spot & stalk hunt with my bow. I think a tree stand or a ground blind might yeild a higher success rate? I just prefer to be on the ground stalking them. I would get too bored sitting in one place.

[elknut1]

In the areas we hunt there's no room for spot & stalk, to much heavy cover! So we rely on calls for all visuals. We also live in an area where water is abundant, so it's futile to sit a water hole or stream.

Now if the area you're hunting is a dry arid one then sitting (or treestands) waterholes or trails leading to them can be an effective way to harvest an elk. You just have to put in your time. A few cow calls now and then can be effective too, along with a decoy, this just lets other elk that there's elk at the waterhole already and may speed up their entrance.

Things we do here for calling in cows can also apply to hunting areas such as NM or AZ..

Such as lost or separated cow sounds. We also use cow or calf distress sounds along with a spike squeal thrown into the mix, we setup and create a little excitement with the calls as well as stomp the ground and such. Of course your setup has to be one where elk have to come looking for you, so you need some cover and not do this in wide open spaces where they could easily look your way from a distance.

Another sound we use is the "come on over this way sound" it's a call the lead cow will make when she's leading the harem from feeding to bedding or vice versa. You can throw in a few other cow & calf sounds as well at this time. If you can tell elk are in the area by sight or sound then this is an excellent method as it will bring other elk your way, be patient and don't move around when waiting for elk to show up, sometimes they just seem to appear out of nowhere. Be willing to wait around 45 min at each setup before moving on.

At any rate, always be ready to create a situation that can attract other elk your way.
Remember too, bugling at this time is also a good way to locate a herd of elk, if this happens move in and give those cow and calf distress sounds, the cows should come your way to see what the problem is. Anyway here's a few of the things we use and have been very effective. Hope this helps.--Paul