My first elk was a cow at 9 yards...
Closest was a 4 pt elk at 4 feet. I was just off the trail, and my buddy was cow calling about 40 yds further down the line. This small bull came trotting towards me down the trail. I let out a cow call just before he was straight across from me, and he hesitated long enough for me to get the shot.
Next close shot was a 5 pt elk at 11 yds. This one was the most exciting as we were bugling back and forth for a while before I got the shot.
Have had lots of close encounters with moose. My closest shot was about 12 to 15 yds. I usually do the calling for moose, so my partners have had the close encounters. I called one in for my buddy at 3 feet. He was on his knees and he had to lean back and up to shoot. Talk about adrenaline. I have shot about a dozen moose and the average shots have been under 20 yds.
I'm heading out again on Sept 3'rd for our annual Elk hunt for about 10 days and our annual moose hunt will start on Sept 26'th.
Can't wait to hear the bugles and grunts again. Music to my ears.
For the bull grunt, I use a funnel made of birch bark, and for the cow call I just cup my hands together. All my vocalization is done with my own voice. I live in an area where the moose are around all the time, so I have had lots of opportunities to ovbserve and listen to their sounds right from off of my deck.