1 - Very slow, little bugling.
2 - Not bad, heard enough to make it fun.
3 - It was great, no shortage of bugling this year!
ElkNut1
After ML season, dropped to a 2, but way less animals around, and the bulls quieted down big time. Still a great hunt, but weeks 1 and 2 are now my go to weeks from here on out.
Some days were 1-2.
A handful were 2+.
ElkNut1
ElkNut1
-1 for me as far as bugling goes,still killed though
The reason I asked was most hunters that do not hear much or any bugling is because it's pre-rut or possibly near roads, trails or they themselves are not bugling enough at the right spots or times for locating elk!
I would say we contact most bulls well before daylight while they are still brave even though there may not be hot cows near them. A bugle response here & there generally means no hot cows. Multiple intense bugles in response can generally point to competition among the bulls pointing towards a hot cow around.
It's common for us to hear a few hundred bugles throughout the course of the archery season but few ever bugle on their own, me must get them fired up by starting the bugling ourselves. When locating bulls with bugling we rarely grunt or chuckle, it's the long high note that receives a response. At this time we are looking for a direction as to where elk are, we are not attempting to call them to us
I feel most hunters do not bugle enough throughout the course of a day. Of course each day can bring a different challenge but bugling no matter the date should be in the arsenal. If hunting lots of open country glassing would play a big role as well but bugling would not take a back seat! (grin)
ElkNut1
That said, the first vocal bull I encountered made a mistake that day and I came home with my biggest bull elk to date. Endured eight long days of nada, glich and zero...but it all turned around on a dime.
Hung around for three days after punching my tag, but the bugling activity went back to zero. No idea what was going on? There was virtually no hunting pressure in the area. Never experienced anything quite like it before.
ElkNut1
Bulls are fired up on their own.
ElkNut1
Opening morning bulls were bugling above the water holes my dad and I were sitting. My dad did some weird thing with his quiver and elk were barking at him before shooting light opening day.
The last week of the season there were 8 to 12 year old mature growler bulls going gangbusters the first few hours of each morning. You really could not call before shooting light because there would be elk in your lap.
The last weekend a buddy of mine came and helped call for me, he cow called and got me on 5 different bulls under 45 yeards but shifty winds and being in too close did not result in an arrow through an elk. 3 of those bulls that day were easily over 375" class, and one pushed 390+ easily.
It was an experience I've not had in 32 years of hunting Colorado Archery Elk, so I would say it was worth the wait and the best elk hunt I've been on. I did not shoot an elk, but had numerous 310" to 340" bulls I could have easily poked an arrow through.
You can't kill the big freak daddy when you shoot his little 340" sattelites.
#1 in CO OTC Sept 19-26
I hunt public land, hard-hunted elk. They've pretty much seen it all, heard it all. Back in the day when hunting pressure wasn't so intense, bugling was great. Heck, there were days when the bugling was literally nonstop...they could be counted in the hundreds. No more.
A couple things have been the culprit. First off, elk aren't dumb. It doesn't take but one time for them to be fooled before they realize if I talk, people with pointy sticks show up. With every Tom, Dick, and Harry running through the woods tooting their horns, bulls have been educated. Secondly, I firmly believe elk are going through an evolution. Bulls that are predisposed to talking are the majority of the bulls getting killed. Those less prone to talking survive at a higher rate, thereby passing on their "introverted" personality. Nothing I can prove or disprove, just my opinion.
As I stated earlier, overall bugling has decreased dramatically over the years. Although I rely mostly on mews until I get in close, I would say I actually throw out location bugles more often than in the past. I don't get intense with my bugling until I get in tight to a bull, otherwise I'm more apt to bugle in other hunters rather than get a response from an actual elk. There are still times when the action can be incredible, but those times are more the exception rather than the rule.
I'm certain those that hunt areas with a better bull/cow ratio (i.e. limited quota areas) still have the potential for great bugling action, but for hard-hunted public land bulls, it's getting spotty at best.
Point is, elk are not rutting everyday of every hour during Sept. Right place right time! Hit it right & you will get into bugling action no matter where the elk are found, yes we can blow it & run them into a different zipcode but they were there & we did have an opportunity.
2 things to entertain are -- Why do bulls bugle & When do they bugle? If you can answer this it will open a whole new door of how to handle just about any area that carries elk! Know this, during late Aug through Sept to most of Oct IT'S ALL ABOUT THE COWS! Does this mean we should only cow call, of course not, no more than we should only bugle if we are going to try to fit into every encounter. Hunting OTC Public Land elk is a challenge but is certainly doable!
This is why under the right situations a Bugle can be extremely powerful! So can cow calling! Knowing when & why to use each one according to that day we are there is the hardest part of elk hunting! (grin) You will here some say that elk hunting is easy, why? Because they are part of that 10% success rate on a yearly basis!
It's all about Reading The Situation, this applies to an encounter or the day at hand! Too, pre-rut, peak rut or post rut phases. Understanding what elk are thinking, feeling during these different phases will help stack the odds in our favor from day to day, it will help you to use the right sound for the time frame you are experiencing! When elk are not rutting draw on their curiosity! I'm referring to calling aspects here, there's always treestand/ground blinds, water sources, wallows, sitting trails, etc. These can be very productive, but some of us are Runners & Gunners at heart! (grin)
ElkNut1
Ya think? Unlike some people, I don't claim to have all the answers. (grin) All I know is the bugling in the areas I hunt has dramatically diminished over the past several years. And yes, the last time I checked, there are still some cows around.
The ONLY thing that's changed is the number of hunters. I talked to some guys that said the bulls were bugling during rifle season, like Vernon stated earlier. Don't know if the warmer weather has something to do with pushing the rut a little later, although the biologists say the rut is affected by the amount of sun, not the weather.
No doubt, hunting OTC public land elk is doable. Hell, I've been doing it for 31yrs and yes, killing an elk can be easy, but the bugling has diminished in the areas I hunt, regardless of what spin someone wants to put on it.
don't read that very often !
Having the privilege to talk with a couple thousand hunters a year I find hunters these days do not call enough when running & gunning elk. They shy away from it mostly because they've heard from friends or Internet sites that you cannot bugle/call elk these days so they move around cow calling now & then but rarely bugle. Most do not bugle more than 4 times in a day & some none at all.
This is why I put this thread up! I wanted to see what folks were experiencing. Too, there are countless lurkers on this site that read on a lot of these forums that do not comment, as a matter of fact there are 10 times the lurkers reading these thoughts over folks commenting here. Most of them can gauge their experiences from last year or previous years as to what they are hearing out there. Many will be surprised out there that they are no different than many of us here!
This is where the statement is directed when I mention "It's All About The Cows" -- Sure many of you know this & take full advantage of it but be rest assured that there are countless others out there that are fairly clueless as to what that statement really means! So it's important to them & us Why Bulls Bugle!
The three main Bugles we all hear or use each year are Location Bugle - Advertising Bugle - Challenge Bugle. Each have their place, one should not be swapped out for another under specific encounters for best results.
1- Location Bugle - Bulls looking for other elk, mainly cows!
2- Advertising Bugles - Bulls letting other elk know they are in the area as a possible breeder especially during pre-rut. They are also used by bulls to call attention to themselves when close to a herd in an effort to draw cows away.
3- Challenge Bugle - Challenging a herd bull. You are questioning his right to keep & breed the cows in his harem. With this method you are generally in the bulls face (inside 100yds) This is mainly done when there are cows in estrus in the harem & not before!
Each of these bugles have a different intensity to them & can be easily heard & understood once you know what you're hearing! There's lots of encounters these can be used to draw bulls out or play on their curiosity! When bulls only bugle once or twice in a day get inside 200 yards & let the Advertising bugles fly! It's not uncommon to give 15 to 50 in a 30 minute stretch. Of course when using this method it's best done away from other hunters but it's not a must!
This will generally pull in bulls silently & on a rare occasion a few cows. If after bulls this is the ticket! This is an encounter specific method! A good setup is important here.
ElkNut1
