rut

[DeerMadness]

Are they starting yet? Im ready to find a big beast!

 

[MichaelJ]

I heard they started to light up good last night in unit 4...

 

[springbear]

LAST EDITED ON Sep-15-11 AT 11:50AM (MST)[p]they are started. Bet with this cold fronts coming this weekend they will be fired up big time.

 

[brymoore]

I have elk living around my house (they're been eating my garden and landscaping hard the past few weeks).

They're just starting to bugle now but it's still light. Once they get really serious, we can't sleep at night.

 

[springbear]

gotta admit that there are bigger problems to have than the elk keeping you up at night!!!!

Nothing better than the sound a couple of bulls squaring off with each other, around a camp fire, or lazy boy in brymoore's case....

 

[Rizzy]

I just got back from scouting the Sawtooth zone and I didn't hear anything in the last 2 days.

 

[UGAhunter]

I just got back from 4 days hunting (southeast Idaho). They were bugling pretty good at first light. Called in lots of smaller bulls. We saw 18 bulls in 4 days, many inside 50 yards.

Other hunters we talked to did the typical complaining of how the elk were not bulging and they could not find the elk. Of coarse they were sitting on the 4-wheeler while telling the sad tale.

 

[idahoan]

The wolves ate all the elk in the saw tooth, that's why the were not bugling. What few are there just do not want to give out there location I would think. How was the scouting trip though? Did you see some good animals?

 

[matt4695]

If you don't here bugles now, you are not around elk,,,they are screaming...

 

[BowHntr510]

Yes the elk have started bugling in the Sawtooth region. Yesterday they were screaming from deep in the drainages. Only a little spike was brave enough to come within range. Talked with the sheep herder and he stated no issues with wolves however they were howling during the middle of the night.

 

[brymoore]

It's on big time now. They were at it all night.

 

[MichaelJ]

Just came back from a weekend in unit 7. This is my buddies 6th year on this mountain and my 2nd and we hear anywhere from 8-12 bulls a day screaming with the weather like we had... Even last year when it was hot and still pre-rut we were able to call in multiple satellites. Not so this year! Saw a lot of wolf scat and not nearly as much sign. Still saw elk, and in the typical places but only a fraction of what we usually see/hear. We only heard 6 bulgles from thursday night through saturday. Finally got on a big bull saturday night and we tag teamed him into 15 yards from me but the slide alders were so thick and nasty I never saw him.

I was able to call in a small 4x4 to my buddy friday night that he made a great shot on at 19 yards but without finding an arrow and no blood in the dark with headlamps we backed out for the night. We packed him out saturday morning, he was hit through a lung and liver and was dead probably within 30 minutes.

Not sure if we are going to go back or not. I might try a different panhandle unit or wait for the late muzzie hunt and hunt with snowshoes! We either think they had some bad winter kill or a pack has moved onto this mountain or a combination of both???

Mike

 

[garywright]

Afternoon,
I have been up to 10A from the openner hunting 4 days,home for 2 days and back up during the month. We have been hearing them from the first morning on the 30th. Not a lot but enough to keep you going. You can hear them breaking brush and limbs but just can't see them. I know guys that have hunted in areas up here in northern Id. know how it is. I'll be back up there tomorrow. Good luck
Gary