I'm looking for the best bet on when to time a bow hunt in SE Wyoming, and looking at either the 3rd or 4th week of September. I'm probably splitting hairs here, but does anyone have suggestions on which week may be better in order to coincide with increased rutting/bugling, assuming average weather conditions for the season. Thanks!

Just a guess a but, I'd guess the 3rd week would be good. 4th week you start to run a chance of the bulls being locked down with cows and not bugling as much.

Only have experience in CO, but my guess is either could be a good week with a slight lean towards the 3rd week. I'd choose the one when the moon is not up at night.

typicaly a day or so either side of the 26th but, as exbiologist said, buy the 4th week it can be hard to get them away from a harum of cows.

We have pretty good luck going around 17-18 of September. The weather plays a huge factor though.

Whichever you choose, you should have been there the week before or after!

On the opposite corner of the state I would say the third week.

First of all rut in not only weather dependent. If it were the deer in the Everglades would never rut. Elk in my area of WY (NW) rut during the bow season BUT calling has become less and less effective as the dummies that answer back get killed. (Darwin was right). Opening day is always best IF you have the means to get well into the back country in a camp with horses. It has been so warm the past few years that w/o horses you're going to lose the meat to the warm weather. Most decent bulls will also be very high then. Hiring a PROVEN guide is the best way to go unless you are an iron man. Finally pansy bows will not work. An Elk can take an arrow in one lung and keep on trucking and probably heal up. If you don't "double lung" him you'll probably will lose him. Good Hunting!

have a look at:
http://www.irazoo.com/ViewSite.aspx?q=Lunar+Factors+++Rut%3b+&Page=1&irp=1&Site=http://www.bowhunting.net/eMagazine/Articles/001-TRMichels-03ElkAddict.html

If the weather is fairly cool, they'll start bugling around Labor Day. That 1st week can be interesting. You'll often see a small herd on the run with the lead cow keeping them moving and the bull dragging his tongue to keep up. She'll lead them on a merry chase all over the place at a trot that would kill a horse in short order. I think the idea is to cover as much territory as possible to give the bull a chance to find as many unattached cows as possible.
I once watched a cow lead a herd of about 6 or 7 cows and the bull down off a steep ridge at a fast trot. I watched them for close to a mile. They disappeared into a patch of quakies at the bottom, then 2 minutes later they came back out and she lead them straight back up to the top of the ridge again. The lead cow is in charge of herd movements and calling won't do much good when she's got them moving like that.

Sept 10-25 is peak rut in the western states! Sure elk rut (bulls bugle-cows in estrus) outside these dates but it's not peak rut! Nothing like rutting elk, have fun & hunt hard, give yourself at least 14 days to seal the deal !

ElkNut1

Peak of the rut is 3rd week of Sept. "Best time to go" .... there are a 100 answers to that question. I have taken a handful of elk all through the month of Sept (and even early Oct). I have friends that kill elk EVERY year on public land and some swear prerut is the best (bulls are gathering cows), others only hunt the peak (easier to locate) and yet a couple others kill their elk when most of the cows have been bred and the bulls are roaming and looking for those unbred cows. But for a first time elk bow hunter, go during the peak and while you may not kill an elk, you will hear those bugles; and then you will be hooked for life.

With the full-moon on the 23rd, ( Sept.-moon ) it will be a hard year to predict the week they really start to bugle. The August 24th full moon might negate the shorting days of late August(delaying the peak rut?).

I will spit on the dice here and say that if we have many overcast days late August/early September, it will be a slightly earlier rut. A less pronounced start and peak-rut is more likely.

Just plain given the chance, I would hunt the darkest moon phases possible. Hunting the 3rd week of September this year, the evenings will have moonlight with darker mornings.

The 4th week of September will have a lot of moon, with out any overcast days, elk will be more nocturnal.

Plan to have fun, pray for bad weather!