Elk STILL Ruttin!

[muleyman]

While out on our elk hunt we heard lots of bulls "singin" and making such joyious noise! I had one bull at about 150 yards "pounding" 4 different cows! That was pretty cool to watch. "Horn Porn" we call it...

I usually dont hunt rifle elk...is it normal for them to be rutting this late? I followed many blood trials in the snow obviously from cows in heat.

Pics to come soon and my huntin story...

muleyman

 

[BlueMountainAdventures]

Muley,
Its not uncommon. Its the 2nd or 3rd rut. They are breeding the cows that got missed on the first estrus cycle. However, most all the big bulls are already bachelored up. I did see a 370 class bull today running 50-60 cows! But that all I have seen doing that lately. I been seeing groups of 5-8 bulls.

 

[oregonmuley]

I had that same question a couple years ago. I had drawn a Murderers Creek 1st season tag and was out the 1st evening hunt set up in a nice meadow at the bottom of a canyon. Well I had been sitting about an hour and started hearing bugles coming from up on the ridge above the meadow - from 2 directions and they both were headed my way!! I figured had to be a hunter messing around since it was too late for them to bugle. Well, the one "bugle" finally came down the hill into the other end of the meadow into a creekbed. I was so sure it had to be a hunter I started to walk across the middle of the meadow hoping to see the fellow blowing the bugle. I get within about 150 yards of the creekbed and out runs a really nice 6x6 bull and he heads into the timber!! I just stood there and shook my head in disbelief, I ran after him up the hill and all of a sudden there were 2 bulls going at it bugling and all plus about 40 cows, unreal.
So, yah I think sometimes they still rut - I still kick myself when I think about this since it would have been my best elk