How are the bulls bugling in your area?
Contributors to this thread:Elk
From: Stick & String
09-Sep-20
Stick & String's Link
Just curious. I hunted opening day (Sept. 2) to 6 in northern Colorado on public land. I was surprised because I actually heard to good amount of bugling and cow calling (no they weren't hunters). Although they were bugling, they didn't get really cranked up and have screaming matches with you. Just the occasional bugle and didn't have any bulls come in. We did manage to intercept a big herd of elk on the move and my buddy managed to shoot a cow. The bull was bugling pretty good but didn't get a look at him.
From: deerslayer
09-Sep-20
I have heard the bugling is heavy early this year in lots of places.
From: jordanathome
09-Sep-20
I heard a whistle, not a full bugle, 2nd day of season up around 9300' in the late afternoon. Nothing that night and was a good 3 miles back off any roads or good trails. north central co.
From: Destroyer350
09-Sep-20
I was also in N Colorado and bugling was fairly good but it got so dang windy during the day that I couldnt hear anything an hour after sunrise up until an hour before sunset. Headed back tomorrow for 11 days and excited to see what happens.
From: Coyote 65
09-Sep-20
Have heard a few in AZ, but in two weeks it will peak.
Terry
From: Lark Bunting
09-Sep-20
They were bugling the 1st-5th while we were up there. I'll be back up the 24th-28th.
From: Glunt@work
09-Sep-20
Spent the weekend in Northern CO. Had my son in a treestand over water so I stuck pretty close and didn't really hunt. No elk watered and no bugles heard. He did have deer and a bobcat under him. On the trail cam we had a sow and cub that watered about an hour after he climbed out Sunday morning. I saw a couple elk but left them alone hoping they would make their way to him.
From: Stew75
09-Sep-20
North central CO. Heard first bugle this am (more of a squeak). What’s strange is the groups of cows we are seeing don’t have bulls with them nor do they have many calves in the group.
From: Ucsdryder
09-Sep-20
99% of bugles are responses to my bugle. If you’re out listening you won’t be hearing much. Blow it like you mean it! They’ll respond.
From: delkslayr
10-Sep-20
Ive been hearing bugles but only in response to mine. No bulls are excited to come in but will answer when called to.
From: Ucsdryder
10-Sep-20
I’m convinced a lot of people that don’t hear bugles aren’t triggering them to bugle.
From: altitude sick
10-Sep-20
They were talking well on their own just before season and the 1st day in Colorado. Then the heat and Moon seemed to shut them down. Opening day we had 2 bulls bedded together at about 10,000 ft. They would lazily bugle all day from their beds. We got the wind and camped out on where thought they would travel that evening. Of course they did not follow the plan. We had a very tough opening week in an area we have never been due to fire closing our unit. I think Colorado deserves credit for moving quickly to make the decision on refunds and point restoration for fire closures.
From: Jaquomo
10-Sep-20
Southern WY the bugling was sporadic. I did call a couple in that came in silently. One morning got into a herd with a big bull and a satellite and a few cows, and it was nonstop bugling and roaring down below us. I expected them to come up the drainage and bed over the ridge so I didn't chance the dropping thermals, figuring we would have a chance to call them in as they came up and the thermal shifted. Figures, they went down a long nasty deadfall ridge to bed.. But overall, between the full moon and heat it was pretty quiet where I was, and I was around elk.
From: LINK
10-Sep-20
Nothing in central NM. I have called in hunters almost every day, maybe that’s why the elk are quiet. I’ve seen elk about every day. It’s been frustrating to cold call and spot elk 100 yards later that are feeding.
From: Knothead
10-Sep-20
Where I was in AZ last Friday - Monday they bugled real good from 5:00 am to 8:00 everyday.
From: Pop-r
10-Sep-20
I've been in several herds the last couple days and not a peep other than just normal chatter.
From: Stoneman
10-Sep-20
This bull squealed a few times but nothing serious. He seemed pretty comfortable with his cows surrounding him.
From: BOHNTR
11-Sep-20
They’re bugling at night in my field. AZ unit 3B
From: KHNC
11-Sep-20
I hear them in my living room each night. Also , in my bedroom. Thankfully , i get to hit the road in the morning to NM to actually hunt.
From: Bowfinatic
11-Sep-20
Pretty quiet in the ghilla NM
From: Norseman
11-Sep-20
Saving up their voices for the second season! Ha!
From: Quack
17-Sep-20
my bunch isn't hearing anything in 33.
From: gil_wy
18-Sep-20
Bulls are pretty quiet but the other hunters Are really cranked up! Called in several hunters last weekend but none presented a shot...??
From: LINK
18-Sep-20
Gil I’ve considered starting a YouTube channel like the big YouTubers. Only on my channel it would be a blooper reel of the hunters I’ve called in. A day by day series with heart pumping daily call ins of elk hunters. Maybe in a 30 day span a few elk, with an option to guess whether the action is hunter or elk before it’s revealed the next episode. I hunted a terrible NM unit this year and will say the quality of elk calling was far better than OTC Colorado. Not many people blowing a flute in NM.
From: Snuffer
18-Sep-20
Flat brimmers are easiest to call in...
From: Guardian hunter
18-Sep-20
We just finished a week of hunting in very hard hiking and our south of Grand junction. Lazy bugles very little action. Got in great shape though
From: Bob H in NH
19-Sep-20
Been out twice after work inWy. Called in a silent spike and heard one bugle.
From: Monarchcx
21-Sep-20
No bugles. They're coming in silent though.
From: ROUGHCOUNTRY
21-Sep-20
Rediculous amount of bugles here in eastern Montana......I felt like I was hunting in Yellowstone park. I’m going into look for my bull in the morning to cap off the funnest 5 days I’ve ever had!
From: deerslayerjb
21-Sep-20
Very quiet in south central Wyoming. No bugles in six days of hunting.
From: PECO
21-Sep-20
My friend had a muzzle loader tag, and I went out with my bow and we hunted the entire ML season. I heard only a few distant bugles one day, and one in the middle of the night. It was real slow this last week here in the sangre de cristo mountains near Westcliffe, Colorado.
From: Out-there
22-Sep-20
Mainly locator calls in our area. No real bugling yet.
