For all you elk hunters... Hunting the Rut... With a Camera?

[dave]

go call in a national park, the park will offer greater chance of a receptive bull, and probably a bigger one. as a east side hunter i can tell you we work hard for our tags and you busting up a good area or pushing a bull someone is working might not get a warm welcome. also with the little ones bring your senses and your bear spray, bears will come to elk calls. happy hunting

[bugle-em]

  For some reason this one kind of hits a nerve, guess i didn't think so many would be against someone out enjoying the best time of the year, the rut!, hell i haven't been drawn for quite a few years, and it could be many more before i do, I'm not going to stay out of the woods just because i don't have a tag, sure theirs the chance i could mess up someones stalk, i try not to, don't think I've done it before, i stay away if i know someones hunting an area, I'm not going to stay out of the whole unit though, if i don't have a tag i cant kill your bull, but if i run into you i certainly can and have given info on what I've seen and where. i just like being in the woods, tag or no tag, think the chance of someone messing up someone Else's hunt is pretty low, can it happen? yes, has it happened to me? yes, do i like it? no!, oh well, its still hunting and i wouldn't spend my time doing anything else. that's my happy huntin!

[jackelope]

go call in a national park, the park will offer greater chance of a receptive bull, and probably a bigger one.

show me where it's legal to do so...i'd love to give it a go.

as a east side hunter i can tell you we work hard for our tags

you're from tacoma.

[ShirtGuy77]

I do it with my brother while out scouting for our general season.  The way I see it, it I can take someone not experienced with elk hunting, and let them experience what it is like to call in elk, then maybe they will begin to hunt.  It's a win win.  With the amount of elk out there, I find it humorous when people say you will "Educate" the bulls.  That particular bull, yes, he may think twice next time.  But it isn't like he is telling all is buddies to be weary if he happens to hear a bugle or cow call.  Come on, aren't we over analyzing this a bit?

[dave]

go call in a national park, the park will offer greater chance of a receptive bull, and probably a bigger one.

show me where it's legal to do so...i'd love to give it a go.

as a east side hunter i can tell you we work hard for our tags

you're from tacoma.

 SHOW ME WHERE ITS NOT LEGAL TO CALL AND TAKE PICS OF ANIMALS IN A NATIONAL PARK. AND I SAID I HUNT THE EAST SIDE, I DIDNT SAY I LIVE THERE. SO WHAT IS YOUR POINT.

[dave]

 AND WHAT IS WITH THE INTEREST IN ME JACKALOPE, YOUR NOT MY TYPE,

[billythekidrock]

go call in a national park,

First of all National Parks are state land and they will even tell you that you are "not in the state of WA anymore, this is Federal Land". Believe me.

Second of all calling in a park can be considered harassment and open you up to a fine.

[dave]

that may be true but you will be open to the same fine out of the park, if it is harassing in the park then it is harassing out of the park. right...

[Houndhunter]

if its illegal then why would you call in a park? i did not know that but most my hiking trips are in wilderness

[jackelope]

Calling to attract wildlife
Bugling to elk, howling to wolves, etc. - is illegal.

from http://www.yellowstonepark.com/MoreToKnow/ParkRegulations.aspx

i'm pretty sure that means it's illegal in yellowstone. i'm not going to search every NPS website to decide where it is or isn't legal.

Dave--my point was you made it sound like you thought that you were special because you worked hard for your tags...not sure why you think that has something to do with being an eastside or a westside hunter.
  if i read your post wrong i apologize.

[billythekidrock]

that may be true but you will be open to the same fine out of the park, if it is harassing in the park then it is harassing out of the park. right...

You are not getting the point. The rules in the park are different from the rules outside of the park.

[HUNT]

Wow...  This thread kinda hit some nerves....  I was just posting the question to see what responses people have to it.  I haven't done it in the past.  I have 3 sons (14, 9, 7) who are very into hunting.  Two of them have their license and hunt with me.  We have not been able to draw a rut hunt.  We will probably not draw one before they move on into the world as an adult with the way the seasons are here in Washington.  The rut for elk is one of the neatest things nature has to offer in my opinion.   I just want my kids to experience this before they do.  I have mixed feelings on it myself.  I would not bugle in elk to ruin a hunt for a fellow hunter.  My intentions are not to harm the animal or another hunter.  What good debate we are having here.   

[RUTNBULL1]

I do it with my brother while out scouting for our general season.  The way I see it, it I can take someone not experienced with elk hunting, and let them experience what it is like to call in elk, then maybe they will begin to hunt.  It's a win win.  With the amount of elk out there, I find it humorous when people say you will "Educate" the bulls.  That particular bull, yes, he may think twice next time.  But it isn't like he is telling all is buddies to be weary if he happens to hear a bugle or cow call.  Come on, aren't we over analyzing this a bit?

SH77 first of all kudos to you for taking the time to introduce another individual into the world of hunting, and probably no one better than a sib, and enjoying the time together. Has it ever crossed your mind that the bull that you called in before the season, just may be the bull of a lifetime or even a bull that you would love to harvest during your upcoming season that was maybe just hours or days away from opening day. You can do alot of sucessful scouting without draging out the old Primos tabernalce and telling the world hear I am, and don't think that the bull that you called in was the only one bull that came into your call, not all bulls come screaming, and I'm sure a few have came in silent and noticed Brad Ferris and Will wanabe over in the brush playing the plastic flute. I suggest   possibly let him experience that great experience of a called in bull during the season, and just maybe you or him harvesting that bull, wouldn't that be a two for one experience. Trust me, I have been at this game of calling and elk hunting for along time and I have witnessed some situations that you wouldn't believe. Education of bulls by calling from the road has been on going problem for years. I have dove off down into a drainage into the quiet and still of the morning with a bull screaming below, have stalked within his zone waiting, and hundreds of feet above you can hear in the still of the crisp morning air the dreaded road hunter or just maybe the inexperienced, get out and start bugling down into the drainage below,and yeah the bull that was near me shut up and moved off just slightly until about twenty or so minutes after the truck had started his engine and drove off, then he bugled by himself but in  much more mellow tone, this bull has now been EDUCATED for the year and he was never called into range. So keeping this in mind you don't have to call them in close to educate them. And for this reason thats why I personaly hunt many miles away from easy access due to so many people intrigued by calling from roads and excessively but not all people can fortunately get back into the woods that far, so shouldn't we respect them for the type of hunt they are going to partake within and not ruin it for them.

[dave]

Calling to attract wildlife
Bugling to elk, howling to wolves, etc. - is illegal.

from http://www.yellowstonepark.com/MoreToKnow/ParkRegulations.aspx

i'm pretty sure that means it's illegal in yellowstone. i'm not going to search every NPS website to decide where it is or isn't legal.

Dave--my point was you made it sound like you thought that you were special because you worked hard for your tags...not sure why you think that has something to do with being an eastside or a westside hunter.
  if i read your post wrong i apologize.

     
       what i meant is we only get a bull tag every 5-10 years, and 2 weeks to seal the deal, we need as many cards in our favor as we can thats all. and calling to animals in the woods without a tag is harassing and also illegal.

[bugle-em]

calling in elk without a tag is harassing and illegal?? that's a new one for me.