wandering about elk

[big game walker hounds]

just wandering, been a few years since ive hunted the koutenys. trying to remember when the bulls started to get in to it bugleing wise, cant recal if they were or not in bow season.

[brotherjack]

There was one bugling outside my bedroom window at the crack of dawn this morning, if that gives you any idea. I thought it was too early for that sort of thing (in more ways than one!), but that sound is kind of hard to mistake (and my dogs howling and barking convinced me I wasn't dreaming). :)

[hunter1947]

It is weird that there is so much sign of rutting activity right now. On the way to work a saw 4 bucks in a field ,two of them were sparing for about 60sec. That is the second time i have seen this in two days.

[Elkaholic]

It is weird that there is so much sign of rutting activity right now. On the way to work a saw 4 bucks in a field ,two of them were sparing for about 60sec. That is the second time i have seen this in two days.

I have seen bachelor packs of deer sparring alot around Cranbrook over the years, some pretty good matches too. I don't think its anything new.

[BlacktailStalker]

I have seen over a half dozen sparring matches already this year. Its how they break up their bachelor groups and determine the pecking order in the area.

As long as those bulls are rutting hard between Sept.1-15 is fine by me.
Actually you have a better chance at getting a herd bull BEFORE the rut as they are more likely to investigate your cow calls while building a harem than they are to leave an already established harem. So we will definitely be there for the best part.

[yote]

Two weeks and it all starts. People say all the islanders go up north, they all go to the East Kootenays now by the looks of it.:eek:

[hunter1947]

I have seen over a half dozen sparring matches already this year. Its how they break up their bachelor groups and determine the pecking order in the area.

As long as those bulls are rutting hard between Sept.1-15 is fine by me.
Actually you have a better chance at getting a herd bull BEFORE the rut as they are more likely to investigate your cow calls while building a harem than they are to leave an already established harem. So we will definitely be there for the best part.
Andy ,you are smack on with what you have said ,you took the words right out of my mouth ,http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/icons/icon10.gif.

[hunter1947]

I have seen bachelor packs of deer sparring alot around Cranbrook over the years, some pretty good matches too. I don't think its anything new.
Yes well said words elkaholic ,it is when the first of Nov comes around when all hell breaks loose ,that's when the big boys move in to gather there gals.

[Fisher-Dude]

I've watched lots of different ungulates spar at all times of the year. Some I believe is just play, but most of it is determining the pecking order in the group. Even does kick and push one another to be "top dog".

Although the breeding instinct in the elk is determined by the number of hours of daylight in a day, the level of rut activity is most often affected by lots of other factors such as weather, moon phase, availability of water in the high country, hunter pressure, etc. Some years they are running all over the place and bugling lots, other years they aren't. I've been on 2 week elk hunts where I haven't even heard a bugle, then the next year they keep you awake at night screaming at the moon. Some years I've been tagged out by 10 am opening morning, other years it took me over a week to even see a cow elk. Ya never know - that's why it's called hunting.

[eastkoot]

wOndering No way, they won't start till first week in September. I have some deer in the backyard that spar all year round.. NOT the rut yet...You've got 2-3 weeks to pack your stuff and sight in your rifle..

[big game walker hounds]

ya just wandering how talkeyive they are during now season, taking my dad back to were i used to hunt, just hoping they are talking, hes laughing any way, but would like to pull another bull with my bow. like those 10- 3 yrd shots. closest ive taken one was a small 5 at about 5 feet. planning on leaving around the 28 - 30 th of this mounth.

[hunter1947]

ya just wandering how talkeyive they are during now season, taking my dad back to were i used to hunt, just hoping they are talking, hes laughing any way, but would like to pull another bull with my bow. like those 10- 3 yrd shots. closest ive taken one was a small 5 at about 5 feet. planning on leaving around the 28 - 30 th of this mounth.
Don't worry ,the elk will be yakking a storm up the first week of Sept.

[hunter1947]

I've watched lots of different ungulates spar at all times of the year. Some I believe is just play, but most of it is determining the pecking order in the group. Even does kick and push one another to be "top dog".

Although the breeding instinct in the elk is determined by the number of hours of daylight in a day, the level of rut activity is most often affected by lots of other factors such as weather, moon phase, availability of water in the high country, hunter pressure, etc. Some years they are running all over the place and bugling lots, other years they aren't. I've been on 2 week elk hunts where I haven't even heard a bugle, then the next year they keep you awake at night screaming at the moon. Some years I've been tagged out by 10 am opening morning, other years it took me over a week to even see a cow elk. Ya never know - that's why it's called hunting.
Yes true fisher dude ,but you have to remember one thing ,there in rut and there there you just have to find them.

[BlacktailStalker]

I'm a firm believer the only thing that is of real relevance to the actual rut is when the cows come into estrous.
Yes the bulls know its coming but it's all foreplay, they arent truly rutting til those cows are ready to breed.
Then you get those REAL magical 3 days of complete chaos.
I just watched a free dvd with the bok Im reading, "Elk Hunting The West," it has footage of what Mike Eastman calls a rut fest. Pure chaos, elk screaming, chasing, fighting, glunking, cows chirping in a remote meadow. Unreal to watch.
It only confirmed that it is all on the cows.
Good book by the way, if you hunt elk, it's worth reading. Twice.
Anotehr good book I just read is Bowhunting Trophy Blacktails by Cameron Hanes, another good read.
Next is, "Backcountry Bowhunting." By then I should be driving east and my island bow buck will be @ the butchers :)

[eastkoot]

The cows will not come into estrus until the amount of light hitting the retna is just right. This is dependant on the time of year, early September for us, when the days become shorter. Some elk bugle anytime of the ear, I've herd them in the spring. That is not the rut..

[hunter1947]

I'm a firm believer the only thing that is of real relevance to the actual rut is when the cows come into estrous.
Yes the bulls know its coming but it's all foreplay, they arent truly rutting til those cows are ready to breed.
Then you get those REAL magical 3 days of complete chaos.
I just watched a free dvd with the bok Im reading, "Elk Hunting The West," it has footage of what Mike Eastman calls a rut fest. Pure chaos, elk screaming, chasing, fighting, glunking, cows chirping in a remote meadow. Unreal to watch.
It only confirmed that it is all on the cows.
Good book by the way, if you hunt elk, it's worth reading. Twice.
Anotehr good book I just read is Bowhunting Trophy Blacktails by Cameron Hanes, another good read.
Next is, "Backcountry Bowhunting." By then I should be driving east and my island bow buck will be @ the butchers :) In the early rut ,that is when you want to sound like a cow in estrous ,the bulls think o boy she is in estrous ,i found a gal that is ready and he comes running ,i have had this happen many times in the first week of Sept.

[mooseless]

Sooo... you don't have to hear elk bugling then to use a call to attract a bull in the early season, is that right?

[hunter1947]

Sooo... you don't have to hear elk bugling then to use a call to attract a bull in the early season, is that right? That is correct ,http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/icons/icon12.gif. The bulls are looking for one thing and that is cows. But i will give a few bugles ones and a while but most of the time i will use the cow call.

[model88]

Crap, sure is a lot of talk about elk hunting in the east Kootenays, which is funny cause there aint no elk in the east kootenays.........;);)