Any bugling??

PerezA

PerezA

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Anybody hearing any bugles yet?? Nice storm front rolled in over my unit and should stay till the opener on Sunday, I’m heading up Thursday after work to pull cameras, pack in and finalize where I’ll be for the opener. The anticipation is killing me and I can’t believe September is almost here.
 
Last year in unit 34 , they were fired up opening weekend of archery. Then was quiet for a couple weeks then got hot again end of September. I know the rut action can differ from year to year. Good luck to all the archery hunters, I’m jealous wish I was chasing bugles down there.
 
Ya I have been in unit 15 for three years straight for the first hunt for myself and for friends hunts and it seems like we never had an issue find bulls bugling early in the season. We have always had a blast in that unit, this year I’ll be on the other side of the state solo while my other buddies will be back in 15. I am hoping to hear my first bugle of the year this evening. Best of luck to all, be safe and have fun.
 
The daytime temp at 8,500' in 6A is calling for a 70 deg high and has been low 70's all week.

My brother has a tag this year there for first archery. We went in and hung a stand over a spring (and wallow) a couple of weeks ago.

I miss hunting 6A.
 
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This guy was cranking all night and this morning till 10. Chasing cows and chasing off smaller bulls. Good enough for me
 
I find it interesting that new mexico seems to get some rutting action every year at the end of August/first week of september and then it slows down till end of September.

Utah and Wyoming seem to get almost no rutting action till 2nd week of September and then it builds from there.

Good luck to all hunting. I am helping my brother September 7-14 here in Utah.
 
goforbroke said:
I find it interesting that new mexico seems to get some rutting action every year at the end of August/first week of september and then it slows down till end of September.

Utah and Wyoming seem to get almost no rutting action till 2nd week of September and then it builds from there.

Good luck to all hunting. I am helping my brother September 7-14 here in Utah.
Click to expand...
They’re Chicano bulls! Can’t keep it in their pants 🤣
 
😂 At first glance I thought you said Chicago Bulls. They couldn’t keep it in there pants either, remember Dennis Rodman played for them in the 90’s. But he had Carmen Electra back then and was rutting hard, wallowing and pissin all over himself 🤣🤣
 
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Will miss the first two days because I have to work through Sunday night, only had so much vacation. But will be hunting by the 3rd until the end on the 14th then it is off to NV to start there on the 17th for another archery elk rut hunt until the end of the month. Going to be an amazing month, not going to want to return to reality. A cold rain really seems to get them going if has been dry for a day or two. Two years ago on the 6th or 7th it had been quiet and then it hailed for about 15 minutes mid afternoon and the woods lit up with bugles.
 
goforbroke said:
I find it interesting that new mexico seems to get some rutting action every year at the end of August/first week of september and then it slows down till end of September.

Utah and Wyoming seem to get almost no rutting action till 2nd week of September and then it builds from there.

Good luck to all hunting. I am helping my brother September 7-14 here in Utah.
Click to expand...
Yup Pressure changes patterns.

I was in Gila last 3 days, hotter than chit, sweated just sitting in the saddle. Grass is new deep and green but standing water was scarce. Not a peep where I was
 
Wind was pretty bad last night and this morning. Still heard them bugling this morning just had to get in a lot tighter than I would have liked. Hiked to the top of the mountain and now waiting to see what shows up tonight. Hoping I’m not kicking myself for leaving elk to find more elk, the area I was in last night was dead compared to the morning.
 
Elk 8 me 0
Heading home for work and family for a few days going back Friday. Passed a few small bulls an old ugly unicorn bull. Was in tight on many other bulls but never drew back my bow never given a shot opportunity. Bugling was minimal last night and this morning, they are definitely feeling the pressure and staying in the thick stuff now. Sucks to say but there are almost too many elk, always running into elk on the way to stalk elk. Oh well, good problem to have I guess. Colorado man is still up there holding out for a good one, he definitely has the good ones pinned down just a matter of getting to them without blowing out all the elk.
 
FYI, it's always the same...
Pre-rut bugling gets shut down mostly (with exceptions) after the Labor Day first week invasion of elk call abuse.

The rut always starts a couple days before equinox- Sept 22- cows go into estrus once the cows start releasing estrus pheromones

Yes, Pre-rut has a chance for a herd bull. Working the wind and not ringing the door bell over and over. You just let them know you are there. If you like hearing bugles as they leave, continue calling.
You can get lucky calling but if you knew how few get lucky...

Harvested a 6x6 336" first hunt with zero calls a few years ago. Qualify by saying " you can call small bulls as their education is growing.

Remember, the big name hunters on YouTube are funded by elk call companies. The elk are very educated now. With exceptions, they will circle to get your wind and while you are not aware.

Lastly, they can rut with limited bugling. Chasing bugles is fun. Killing a mature bull is much more fun but requires more discipline.

My 2 cents
 
Thanks for the solid advice bull., I honestly don’t do any calling at all. I’m solely spot and stalk and hear and stalk hunting. Maybe that’s why I’m such a crappy elk hunter because that’s the only way I can get in on them. I’m not looking to shoot the biggest bull on the mountain I just want my first decent looking solo wilderness bull.
 
Use a mouth reed to stop bull when open shot presents. Calls used to be effective. Lazy hunters just blow bugles way to much. See Locater bugles are forced on non bugling elk further educating them. Most herd bulls will gather up his cows and leave. During the rut Sept 17- Oct 4 roughly with the majority of breeding happening the last 8 days of Sept, satellite bulls will come in to calls more so. Expect 270-310 type bulls to commit with few exceptions. Smell is your biggest challenge. Hunt slow, quiet and downwind if you want a potential big bull. Leave a quarter in the tip jar. Let the others get excited calling and getting bugles occasionally. You go kill one.
 
Bullcrap said:
Use a mouth reed to stop bull when open shot presents. Calls used to be effective. Lazy hunters just blow bugles way to much. See Locater bugles are forced on non bugling elk further educating them. Most herd bulls will gather up his cows and leave. During the rut Sept 17- Oct 4 roughly with the majority of breeding happening the last 8 days of Sept, satellite bulls will come in to calls more so. Expect 270-310 type bulls to commit with few exceptions. Smell is your biggest challenge. Hunt slow, quiet and downwind if you want a potential big bull. Leave a quarter in the tip jar. Let the others get excited calling and getting bugles occasionally. You go kill one.
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Agree but exception would be non pressured elk on large private ranches . Like UU Barr express , old Taylor/ Celio Vista (sp?) , ojo Feliz to name a few. Those elk respond very differently to calling compared to public land bulls.
 
Bullcrap said:
FYI, it's always the same...
Pre-rut bugling gets shut down mostly (with exceptions) after the Labor Day first week invasion of elk call abuse.

The rut always starts a couple days before equinox- Sept 22- cows go into estrus once the cows start releasing estrus pheromones

Yes, Pre-rut has a chance for a herd bull. Working the wind and not ringing the door bell over and over. You just let them know you are there. If you like hearing bugles as they leave, continue calling.
You can get lucky calling but if you knew how few get lucky...

Harvested a 6x6 336" first hunt with zero calls a few years ago. Qualify by saying " you can call small bulls as their education is growing.

Remember, the big name hunters on YouTube are funded by elk call companies. The elk are very educated now. With exceptions, they will circle to get your wind and while you are not aware.

Lastly, they can rut with limited bugling. Chasing bugles is fun. Killing a mature bull is much more fun but requires more discipline.

My 2 cents
Click to expand...
Amen , haven't bugled in years. I will cow call occasionally
 
I saw about 70 cows and 2 nice bulls that were with them Sunday on private land that doesn’t have any E plus tags. Bulls were chasing cows around and bugling but not rut crazed yet. They get a little pressure on the forest and move to private. It has everything elk need, water, food, cover and no pressure ! I’ve seen them every day since Sunday. Guys are humpin the mountains near by and all these elk have found a nice big valley to hang out in. I talked to the owner about eplus but he wasn’t interested . No Hunting. He told me he wasn’t against hunting just doesn’t want people all over his land….Off limits Honey Hole !!! I don’t have a tag, just out looking for bulls.
 
It was about 4/5 degrees cooler this am. They finally got a little fired up with some cows being pushed by a good bull and some satellites hanging around. Wind was wrong for us this am so we didn’t push it. Will try to plan it better tonight.
 
Well I finally threw in the towel after tenting for 11 days. Yesterday morning when I was about to get up, I had a bull, 6-12 feet from my tent bugling, raking a tree (was hoping it wasn't the one my bow was hanging on!) and I could literally hear him chewing grass. A great experience but I couldn't move a muscle for about 50 minutes until he left. Was hoping he went just over the ridge which would have made a great story but he went the other way as I looked back and saw 4 smaller bulls go over another ridge. Had 2 bulls sparing around our tent the 1st morning too. I saw more elk and had more bugling than I'll ever have on any hunt but once I was solo, I decided I'd not be able to get one back to camp where I could get horses in without loosing meat. Sad to leave but great memories of extremely difficult rocky, gravely terrain made it too difficult to consider hiking an elk out uphill for significant distances. Fun time but another tag-soup hunt for me!
 

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