"The Day the Elk Went Silent"

[WapitiTalk1]

Sounds like a B movie, right  .  On the tail of rtspring's thread (this is kinda different), have you noticed that seemingly every September, the bulls just seem to fall silent for a day, or two or three, when they had previously been screaming their lungs out?  Yep, as coach mentioned in rt's thread, there can be numerous physical reasons that potentially cause this (wolves moving in to the drainage, drastic weather change, increase in hunting pressure/road traffic, etc., etc.).  But..... I have noticed that even in an area where none of the afore mentioned stimuli are occurring, seemingly almost every year, the bulls seem to shut up for a day or three sometime between the second/third week of September. Anybody else experienced this strange occurrences?  If so, any idea why?  RJ     

[Karl Blanchard]

cows are hitting the peak of their estrus cycle and he is busy getting busy   I know a mule deer buck, once on a doe that is about to cycle, sticks to her like hot glue and doesn't do much but sniff.......never mind

[Nice Racks]

Happened to me just last Sept. I shot a bull opening day and was talking to bulls the entire first week. Then all of a sudden the freak wind storm from the east hit and the full moon was apon us. From that point the bulls just stopped.talking. They were still there in the same area, just being quiet. I had several bulls walk within 20 yards of my tree stands, but my friends weren't in then because of the wind. Trail cams.rule.

[rtspring]

Been there done that, but usually i just covered more ground and found bugling elk in another area..

[Shawn Ryan]

Have had it happen almost every year. Don't know why. Used to think it was pressure; now I don't. After it passes, I still see bulls gathering, herding, protecting, and chasing cows. IDK why it happens; usually about a 3 day event for me.

[coachcw]

Seems to me it typically a weather shift ,  wind  or snow. I hate snow during the ruT .

[buglebrush]

One thought.  There isn't such a thing as an unpressured area on public land.  If you find the spot someone else will too.  All it takes is one other hunter in there to shut it down.

[coxral]

It's those damn cows, like the doe in 'Bambi' " careful, man is in the woods"!!!

[kentrek]

There isn't such a thing as an unpressured area on public land.

That's not true,lots of areas that don't see any pressure

All it takes is one other hunter in there to shut it down.

Unless  it's a smart hunter this is very true.....

[buglebrush]

I still say that public land that holds elk is being hinted by more than just you.  It's always funny when I run into someone way back in, or in some out of the way place.  Without fail they express absolute disbelief that someone else is hunting their spot.

This past year we killed a couple bulls in one of or best spots.  I've never seen a hint of any other person hunting the for all the years I've hunted it, but we met two guys who've pulled a lot of bulls out of there on the last ten years.  I don't know how we've never run into them before, but we both go to extremes to hide our vehicles etc...  There may not be anyone there the same day you are, but trust me you are not the only person hunting that little honey Hope.