Contributors to this thread:
It's always good to hear how things are going in different regions.
Please report what you hear.
9-01; Buddy in Eastern Nevada says they are just starting to bugle
Another buddy in Arizona -one of the top units- says they are already screaming
North park co 1 bull bugling his fool head off last sat morning, but not until after I shot one of his cows!
North park CO also, one spike trying to be the top bull on the mountain bugled his head off at me for about 30 minutes at 30 yards, the bigger bulls were no where to be found but I was looking to fill my b cow tag anyway...
I had one open up last night first bugle I heard this year. In the breaks in Montana
Bunches of them bugling Friday night, keeping me awake. Bulls with cows bugling Saturday, singles were quiet. I kept bumping Elk so I left after the Sunday morning hunt.
A lot of herd talk, little bulls squealing. Bigger bulls still in bachelor groups. Heading back over Sunday afternoon to get serious.
CO in the Routt near Clark...zero bugles heard since Friday when we arrived...sadface.
Any reports out of New Mexico yet?? Heading out on the 4th and staying till the 15th
Bugles and chuckles in the middle of the night in Idaho.
Crickets in unit 40 Bighorns.
Muleys still in velvet.
Central Colorado wilderness, most bugles I've ever heard on opening weekend. Plenty of chatter. Monday was crickets.
Starting to bugle in northern Alberta
A lot of Bugles here in Kansas. To bad they sound like lung cancer elk MMMM>>> must be hunters practicing. Sounded like the first night of a band camp around town the other night, just terrrrible.
Saturday in UT I saw a nice bull bugling, rounding up cows and running off little bulls. The next morning he was back at it.
Over the weekend, on flattops, no bugling, one bull breaking branches.
Scott
Colorado unit 34. Silent and crowded!
Bugling in northwest Colorado. Nighttime low temperatures in the high twenties in the high country Saturday and Sunday nights.
Colorado U181 no bugling. Saw a couple of bulls, no shots.
I was out saturday morning Aug. 30.. My son and I left camp at 630 and heard our first bugle at 645. We heard at least 150 bugles over 2 1/2 hrs. One bull in particular was bugling every couple of minutes. Bugling, grunting and chasing cows. Hard to believe but he had about 30 cows, spikes, raghorns and a satellite bull. Very nice 370 class herd bull.
When we backed out at 930 they were still bugling.
New Mexico
Multiple bulls bugling tonight but nothing aggressive.
Location bulges with some chuckling at night. Some practicing quite like, raking, grunting, chuckling during the day. Had a 6x6 tell me he was the big bull grunting at me after i responded to his locater bugle. Hindsight should have tried to piss him off a little more, maybe he get mad and come after me. Starting to heat up.
Wyo bulls bugling when the wind isn't blowing 20 to 50 mph and on cooler days. Some wallowing up to a week ago, some smelling cows but the majority of bulls were still single. Didn't see any bulls fighting but dominate bulls w/large groups of cows. All bulls I saw larger than spikes had shed their velvet.
I was out for the first three days of the CO season. Very little bugling on public land. Hammering away on private (which I don't hunt). It will heat up soon
North Idaho- Had one bull chuckle all weekend.
Bulls kept me awake Friday night. Saturday the bulls with cows bugled, a cpl were lit up well. Singles didn't bugle. Bumped multiple bulls while walking and had a 5x charge me when I was fumbling around trying multiple times to fold up my montana decoy. I kept opening and reclosing the thing. Finally got tired of bumping elk and came home sunday morning. Best bull was a 280 6x.
I was in central Wyoming hunting antelope and I had Bulls bugling and chuckling several nights at camp. I am heading back up to Wyoming in ten days. I hope the elk don't go silent and all I hear is Antelope.
I just returned from Grand Junction CO. I hunted the first five days of the season and did not hear a bugle. None of the wallows where being used.
Still in north park colorado bugling all night on private last night and what I believe to be the same bull from last Saturday still raising he$& up on the saddle this morning couldn't get the wife set up in time before he dropped over and shut up tho
Been going off for over a week in the Bighorns in Wyoming. If you aren't hearing bulls you aren't in the elk.
what is going on in idaho? they getting fired up yet? I leave today for two weeks
this bugling about bugling is getting me fired up!
All I all it's been very quiet here in Utah were I'm hunting.
A friend of mine who has hunted this area for many years shared his two favorite spots with me. One is such a neat, tucked out of the way area and so elky looking. It has a neat set of wallows tucked back in the trees just off a god trail he said they use.
This summer I we set it up with some treestands and a trail camera. Since then there have been bear, mountain lion, doe and buck deer and bull elk on the camera and thousands of domestic cows , but as if this date not one single cow elk has past the camera location and be caught by the camera.
About a week ago I heard a few cow calls and some bugling from my stands but the past week I have heard nothing. I really felt this was a place I could kill a god bull and get some great photos. I guess it shows how little I know about hunting these beasts
The last couple of nights they have been bugling, after dark and in the mornings when I leave to hunt. Less than a week left, but my hopes and dreams still remain.
Opened the bedroom window last night and awoke this am at 3 when a couple of bulls started making some racket.
AZ 23N.
Terry
One chuckler in 3 days of hunting Idaho...
Heard about 10 bugles this morning in Montana, 2 may have been hunters, 8 were definitely elk
Saw 10 cows this morning but no bulls and no bugles. I was surprised the cows didn't have a bull with them.
Southern Montana
Patrick
Snow Range in SE Wy the last two days and heard one bugle at dark last night... Not another peep....
Not a peep in the Pintlars, Montana. Nothing. I called in a decent bull. He came in silent and winded me at about 60yds.
Bulls bugling with cows but overall not much going on yet as none of the cows seemed to care at all what the 6x was doing and the smaller bulls were just play sparing without much enthusiasm.That will change this coming week in Idaho.
Arizona - Some limited night time bugling. Saw several big groups of Cow/Calfs without bulls that have not been broken up yet over the weekend. In my area I would say we are a good 10-14 days out before things get cranked up.
Had one answer a locator bugle in Steamboat area and heard a few others, more like heard talk than rut.
Western Colorado, bugles every day. One bull had 30 + cows and was screaming non-stop for two days. He is no longer screaming and his girls are looking for a new boy.
Talking all day in unit 17 NM. Hunt starts tomorrow hopefully we will take one of the noise boys off the mountain.
They are singing tonight!!!! Just went out on the porch to shut off the yard light. Heard a bugle, so I sat down to listen. Heard 6 different bulls challenging one another to attract the girls. I have heard the occasional bugle the last week, but not like this. The cold day today just set them off. Heard a bugle this afternoon at about 4. First time this year in the afternoon.
Terry living in AZ 23 north.
thalltdkm- I will be hunting abour 40 mi West of Grand Junction CO. Were you with an outfitter or were you on your own?
I am doing a drop camp with Elk Camp Outfitters.
I sent you a PM, but for some reason it does not seem to be working. I done a test and sent one to myself and never got it.
Coyote 65, great to hear! Heading up tomorrow and will be right across the highway.
Santon, I did not get the pm. Call me if you can. I I was DIY again this year.
Thalltdkm I need your number. you can send it to
[email protected] if you do not want to post it.
Thanks..
Have been in N. Central CO for the past 14 days. Saw or heard elk every day except yesterday, never saw or heard another hunter in the woods - all public land. 80% of bugles were in response to my locator bugles or pleading cow call. Very little bugling otherwise until right at dark.
Bigger bulls are mostly still solitary; strange for this late in September. That should be changing any day. The weather has made for tough hunting where I was. Constant rain fronts coming through, low pressure, bad wind even early and late. Bulls I've called-in came in silently except for one. I came down to dry out and regroup, since all my boots were saturated from all the moisture.
Should've killed a very nice 300" bull but got sidetracked trying to stalk a bear and ran out of shooting light when I got back to the bull. Back at it tomorrow. They should be cranking after the moon wanes, this cold front passes and the high pressure returns.
Here's the pond that formed in front of my "lakefront" camp #1 the first week.
Been in southwest Oregon since 9/3 and its pretty quiet cows are talking good but bulls are quiet I think we heard one bugle maybe 2 in last 7 days of hunting headed to Idaho to try it there for a few days then will cone back if fire danger don't shut the forest down
Aaron
Jaq- When I was checking in my moose at the DOW office on Monday a local was checking in his ewe bighorn and we were talking about the elk. He said wait until this full moon is gone and it cools a little bit and the herd bulls will start pushing the cows up high. He was thinking the 20th will be the best day to be out there, which has me excited since I'm heading back out on the 16th to hunt through the 23rd.
Good luck, I hope you catch up to that 300" bull you were after.
Congrats on the moose! Your perspective is exactly what I believe will happen, too. The last 10 days should be great, so long as we get some high pressure and consistent wind. I don't mind the rain so much, but the awful wind that comes with the fronts makes it impossible.
It was hit and miss in SouthWest Utah...They were getting there though!
Southern CO they went off yesterday afternoon and night, probably heard 50 bugles in an hour