Pop up for Elk

[deep n the heat]

Do elk shy away from pop up blinds like whitetail do? Thinking of taking one with me to sit water holes in Colorado.

[TildenHunter]

2 years ago my brother shot an elk out of a pop up in New Mexico. They get used to them a little better then whitetail but still are cautious of them.

[johnpaul]

Just hunker down by a tree or behind a bush.

[ranchdog]

Just hunker down by a tree or behind a bush.

I did that one time but as soon as I had to swivel a bit and draw my bow the gig was up fast. That small Colorado bull was gone in a flash... That dude was not sticking around no matter how many cow calls I was using. The cow calls got him running to me like a fool, but once he saw I wasn't a cow or a yuppy hiker he be gone

A popup may have given me a chance to turn and draw my bow. But then again, he probably would have noticed the blind was something new. Like I think I would see if someone put a new piece of furniture in my house , wait, my wife tried that one time
Why ? cause my mother in-law told her it worked with for Mildred on Ralph . Poor Ralph had 6 or 7 new pieces of furniture in his house show up over the years he was told had been there for years....LOL

Ranchdog

[johnpaul]

I did that one time but as soon as I had to swivel a bit and draw my bow the gig was up fast. That small Colorado bull was gone in a flash... That dude was not sticking around no matter how many cow calls I was using. The cow calls got him running to me like a fool, but once he saw I wasn't a cow or a yuppy hiker he be gone

A popup may have given me a chance to turn and draw my bow. But then again, he probably would have noticed the blind was something new. Like I think I would see if someone put a new piece of furniture in my house , wait, my wife tried that one time
Why ? cause my mother in-law told her it worked with for Mildred on Ralph . Poor Ralph had 6 or 7 new pieces of furniture in his house show up over the years he was told had been there for years....LOL

Ranchdog

Probably the only reason he saw you was because he came in looking for a cow. It seems to me that the less we call, the less weary the elk are and in turn are way less likely to ever pick us out.

[Blank]

We use them all the time with good success, but brush them in to blend well, and try to get them in place a couple days early so they get used to them. Just setting one up in the open, on the first day you hunt, they will be cautious of it.

[HDWRENCH]

In a situation where you are there for a short time . First thing is brush your blind in VERY good .

Step back make sure you do not have light coming into the blind.. I have found its super important to wear black over camo in them .

and then brush it in some more , once done add some more brush ha ha .

I have had guys walk past me in CO very close an never see my blind

[deep n the heat]

Thanks for the answers. If I do not have any trees in the right spots I’ll give it a try.

[Bort]

Elk can pinpoint where a noise is coming from extremely well. If you are not hunting solo, have someone call 50 yards beyond you and out of site. That way, the elk will ignore you as he walks by fixated on the noise coming from 50 yards away. Otherwise, he will most likely come in and see a pop up blind making cow noises and run.

If you’re hunting solo, set up on a wallow, brush in your blind, and be quiet or at least throw your call, so it sounds like it is coming from further away.

Personally, I would leave the pop up at home. Instead, set up in front of a tree or thick brush to breakup your shape and draw once the elk has walked by or when he is behind a tree. Be sure to be downwind of where you think he will be and get on his level.

DO NOT set up behind the tree or brush, you will end up with a deflected arrow or an elk that walks by without a shot. They rarely come through right where you think they will.

[Bort]

Sorry if that came off preachy. That’s just what I’ve learned from my elk hunting mistakes over the past three seasons.

[unclefish]

I would not do pop-up blind. With the wind swirling and switching you have to switch your position when it does. Tuck in a little hidey hole and then go find another hidey hole on the other side of the pond cause the wind will switch and that's a guarantee.

[Chew]

Had an outfitter put me and another TBHer in popups at fence crossings. It was a disaster. Waste of $6K

[Sackett]

I've had success in pop ups at water holes. The key is to brush them in very, very well to look as natural as possible (brush "growing" the right direction). The main problem we've had are bears. They are curious creatures and will tear a tent blind up in a hurry. We've lost 4 tent blinds in the last 4-5 years in CO to bears. I would definitely bring it, but be prepared to have it destroyed. Hunting water holes is better during the early season, even more so before the elk get started heavy on the bugling.