Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Not Much Bugling From Elk Yet.

Last Saturday evening (September 5th) I was out driving around scouting for Whitetails when I came across a herd of 820 Elk that had just came down out of the mountains/foothills to take up residence on a valley floor private ranch!
They were just 250 yards (the closest ones) from a paved road and I pulled over over and set up my window mounted spotting scope and started counting Elk.
It took a while.
I then counted the various age groups of Bulls - results: 3 mature 6x6 Bulls, 20 5x5's and raghorn Bulls and right at 80 spike Bulls.
I sat there with the window open for 1 full hour and during that time I heard a total of 6 "bugles".
Cow calling and chirping was non-stop however.
That day started out with heavy rain at sunrise and cool temperatures all day, along with some ice at sunrise under the pivots, and short lived snow covered peaks that afternoon once the clouds lifted.
The cow calling was exceptional (IMO) in its non-stop intensity.
At first I thought the cows were nervous about my close proximity but even at the end of the hour the constant cow calling had not subsided at all.
The Elk were VERY entertaining to watch and appeared especially healthy (fat and sassy!).
Not an especially high ratio of calves to cows (lots of Wolves/Bears and Mt. Lions in the nearby foothills/mountains) though, but the calves I did see were chunky and frisky.
Hope everyone has a safe and successful Elk season.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Opening day they headed for the ranches, huh?

Smart buggers...

Same down here in Colorado. Those elk aren't dumb. They head for private ranches.

I hunt muzzle loader season also and usually they are not very vocal yet. That season starts this coming Saturday.

Hearing they are bugling their butts off in my part of NM right now. Headed out in 3 weeks.

No offense, friend, but that is music to my ears.

Last Thursday night they were pretty vocal in West/Central NM and did not hear a single bugle in North/Central NM this weekend.

Way more noise this year than this time last year around here. It's a lot cooler this year. We roasted last September.

Guess I'd better be watching a fence line Saturday morning

We just arrived in Gunnison today, packing up tomorrow or Thursday. Hearing that they're pretty quiet here still. I'm ready to go!

There is plenty of bugling in the Dubois WY area. It started about 12 days ago. I'm out every evening, the elk are still high, far from roads. I got a spot, public land where I can peer into the wilderness area and I see multiple Bulls every evening. Bow hunters should be doing good.

Photoperiod.....and the elk cows coming into estrus go hand in hand. Whether they invite you to the party is another story. That's a clue there.

We've covered dozens of miles in elk country around Dolores, CO in the last three days by foot, ATV, and truck both day and night listening and calling. Haven't heard one bugle yet or talked to anyone that has. It's been about 80 degrees here in the afternoon. Saw a few cows tonight and will hit a new area in the AM. I think next week will be better.

Listen when it rains. I have no clue why.

Still not a sound after many more miles in the last couple days. Found some great areas for future hunts though. Heading to WY.

The only elk I've seen have been on a ranch. Did hear one bull bugling, but that's it.

Spoke with my aunt last week. She said she thought she heard one there on the ranch, but if it was a pretty poor excuse for a bugle. Unit 18 just south of RMNP. She went on to say she hasnt seen any in the big hay meadow. So I suspect they are still up high.
Oldest son and I are headed up there 14 October. Mebbe we'll get lucky.

This Shiras was at the end of her driveway last week there on the place. We do see lots of moose on the ranch.

Pretty quiet down south here so far ...

Dennis is on an archery hunt now and reports little bugling but just enough to work with.

I saw about 20, including at least one young bull, last weekend. They were definitely not in rut mode.

Every time I go out I find turkeys, and of course no tag. That's ok, I like turkeys.

Camped at the trailhead, I was eating supper at dark when an ATV pulled out of a little 2-track, hesitated, and stopped. A middle-aged lady dismounts and comes over. She's in camo with binocs strapped on, scouting for deer. 2 dogs in the quad and a 1911 strapped on. Says she just finished glassing a tom lion "as big as a deer" 250 yards from me.

I love Arizona!

These two were quiet, but about a half mile away one was vocal with a bunch of cows. Private property of course. And the smaller one got ran off

Starting to hear some buying, though not much still in the snowies. Seeing lots of small groups of cows with no bulls and lone bulls.