Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Elk Hunting => Topic started by: backwoods_boy on August 25, 2008, 10:59:02 AM

Title: IN the RUT????
Post by: backwoods_boy on August 25, 2008, 10:59:02 AM: so i wanted to know when the best time to cruise the hills and listen for bugles would be. is it first week in september or middle or end of september.... October???. so i guess my question is what weekend comming up should i head back over to RIMROCK to play with some dumb bulls.
Let me know
thanks
guys
Title: Re: IN the RUT????
Post by: Gobble on August 25, 2008, 11:02:40 AM: Quote from: missionbigbull2008 on August 25, 2008, 10:59:02 AM
so i wanted to know when the best time to cruise the hills and listen for bugles would be. is it first week in september or middle or end of september.... October???. so i guess my question is what weekend comming up should i head back over to RIMROCK to play with some dumb bulls.
Let me know
thanks
guys

They start to bugle between Now thru early or mid Oct. Iwouldn't start bugling or calling too much at all :bdid: All you will do is educate them, that is the reason why so many bulls in Wa. bugle very little to none at all. Try cow calling and listen but don't over due it. The bulls are not hot right now and aggressive calling will just spook them.
Title: Re: IN the RUT????
Post by: boneaddict on August 25, 2008, 11:03:57 AM: What he said.(clear thru Nov on timing though)
Title: Re: IN the RUT????
Post by: backwoods_boy on August 25, 2008, 11:05:02 AM: i was aware that calling is a bad idea. :tung:

i just got the hoochie mamma and its really a good cow call.
i guess i should have worded that post different.
i should have said when is the good time to go cow call and listen to the bulls bugle back.
thanks for the tip
Title: Re: IN the RUT????
Post by: bucklucky on August 25, 2008, 11:12:06 AM: Oh no , another Hootchie Mamma in the woods :bash: :chuckle:. Its kind of like hearing the Primos bugle from every road and ridgetop. They all sound the same! :chuckle: If you want to here them bull bugling drive around about midnight on in to the reall early morning. If the bulls are going to bugle thats about the best time!
Title: Re: IN the RUT????
Post by: backwoods_boy on August 25, 2008, 11:17:40 AM: :dunno: :rolleyes:
i didnt know what else to get and i wont lie i love the truth DVD's so it seemed like a good one to have.
anyways i will definately be driving around midnight a couple of days.
ill try and keep the primo calling to a minimum. :IBCOOL:
thanks for the tip
Title: Re: IN the RUT????
Post by: hunterbuilder on August 25, 2008, 12:12:03 PM: Heard a few bugles on Saturday ;)
Title: Re: IN the RUT????
Post by: M_ray on August 25, 2008, 12:54:02 PM: They (the Bulls) are not bugling much right now they will call very little the next couple of weeks, right now they are cruising around to see who their competition is! later in mid Sept when you call use a couple different calls and try and sound like more than one animal but still call sparingly. To me the hoochie is too genaric and doesn't change tone easily or quickly I will be carrying a Rocky's mouth reed a Berry sleezy cow and a primos cow girl.... it's just more versatile.
Title: Re: IN the RUT????
Post by: backwoods_boy on August 25, 2008, 12:56:40 PM: got ya right on...thanks for the tip....i will be living in these mountains for the next 2 months with my dad and my brother.... :chuckle: we all have tags for big bulls in there!
we did see a pretty good sized spike in there that we watched and stalked for a bit.
Title: Re: IN the RUT????
Post by: M_ray on August 25, 2008, 01:03:59 PM: Cool that's awsome if you are going to be out there that much just be very in tune with what they are doing and copy them! I can't wait to see the pics from your hunt I know that area pretty well I go jeeping with friends up there and see lots of elk, Good luck!
Title: Re: IN the RUT????
Post by: backwoods_boy on August 25, 2008, 01:13:04 PM: yeah....we saw a tun of jeeps up there...do you guys see many quads on the jeep trails?
we are still slightly unsure if we can quad those trails but as i understand it if we trailor up to the trails and not ride on the FS roads we are fine if we have tabs and licences.orv.
I cant wait to get up there agian.
you seen any elk on your jeep trips.???
more soon with pics to follow
thanks for the tips
:IBCOOL:
Title: Re: IN the RUT????
Post by: M_ray on August 25, 2008, 01:20:35 PM: I have not seen any Quads personally but I have seen a couple of motorcycles and that's about it! Careful on some of the down hill runs like short and dirty you'll heat your brakes up in a hurry ... use your looooow gears!
Title: Re: IN the RUT????
Post by: backwoods_boy on August 25, 2008, 01:28:50 PM: yeah no kiddin,
that dirty & short is pretty nuts....ha ha
we are prolly heading towards that way...WINK WINK!!!
Title: Re: IN the RUT????
Post by: M_ray on August 25, 2008, 03:27:19 PM: ;)
Title: Re: IN the RUT????
Post by: buckmaster_wa on August 25, 2008, 04:53:07 PM: It seems like the last few years that I have been up there in archery season the bulls have been pretty quiet, but when I head back up with my father for muzzleloader season they really liven up and become very vocal. If you have the time hold out for a big one because I know theres always a few real big ones up there. Also dont be surprised to see a couple big bucks in that country, few and far between but there are a few there.
Title: Re: IN the RUT????
Post by: bucklucky on August 25, 2008, 05:02:08 PM: The bulls will talk more in the later stages of the rut. Just because you dont hear them doesnt mean they are not rutting ;)
Title: Re: IN the RUT????
Post by: boneaddict on August 25, 2008, 05:32:34 PM: They fire about Sept 15th. Have brought them in screaming as early as Aug 11th, but its rare and quite frankly I am a damn good caller.
Title: Re: IN the RUT????
Post by: TheHunt on August 25, 2008, 06:26:46 PM: This weekend I saw a spike fire off.
Title: Re: IN the RUT????
Post by: Opportunist on August 25, 2008, 09:01:34 PM: Before/After bow season and before the muzzle hunt. Sept 22-30. A guy doesn't want to mess up another hunters permit hunt by calling to bulls he doesn't have a tag for at that time. A guy can be out there during the peak dates without interfering with others hunts. I saw guys up in the Naches last year calling bulls with no weapon/tag during the bow season. Kind of the old "Golden Rule" deal.

If the only call you have is the hoochie your better off sitting on ridge tops an hour before light and the last hour until dark and listening versus trying to call.

This will probably piss off a few guys but I really don't give a *censored*. I can't stand the bugling after dark theory of locating bulls for the next day, it just dicks up the bulls even worse. I've seen this crap in Washington, Oregon and Idaho anywhere where there is too much pressure so guys take it one step further and really screw it up by calling at night. One campsite in Southeast Idaho we hunted out of was just up from the trailhead on a small ridge. The bulls would serenade us every night. Invariably throughout the two weeks we were there, trucks would pull up to the trailhead around midnight get out and fire off a series of bugles and the bulls would go silent. It would crack us up because before the rig pulled up the bulls were already going on their own. The guys would get back in their truck slam their doors and drive off and the bulls would resume their serenade. I just don't get it, the bulls are callshy during the day so let's make it worse and call at night when we can't kill 'em!

:jacked: Sorry!
Title: Re: IN the RUT????
Post by: bucklucky on August 25, 2008, 09:40:54 PM: IDid I say drive around and bugle at night? Uh nope! :chuckle: Youll here them alot at night if you go around and listen. ;) I do it all the time and works awesome. Got on them in the morning with ease. Listen to what Opportunist just posted, its good info ;)
Title: Re: IN the RUT????
Post by: Opportunist on August 26, 2008, 12:01:08 AM: Bucklucky, I wasn't aiming my mini rant at anyone, it just got me thinking about a real pet peeve of mine. I've just ran into alot of hunters on hunts that do what I was ranting about and I thought I'd voice my opinion that's why I apologized about thread jacking. I'm a big fan of sitting in the dark and just listening for bulls. I listened to the bull I killed last year for a good hour after dark, him and three other bulls and never made a call, didn't need to they were going on their own. Then slipped out of there and killed him the next morning.

Missionbigbull2008, Good luck on your hunt! If I had the late october rifle tag I'd put most of my energy scouting during the rifle deer hunt, right before your hunt. I always do my best scouting while I'm hunting and deer season is right there and the bulls should still be talking. Shoot straight!
Title: Re: IN the RUT????
Post by: bucklucky on August 26, 2008, 07:43:34 AM: I understood what you were saying and understood completely ;)
Title: Re: IN the RUT????
Post by: backwoods_boy on August 26, 2008, 11:36:55 AM: Great tips thanks guys!
im very anxious to find a big bull.
My dad and brother and i all have tags which is pretty cool cause my dad used to take my brother and i hunting when i was a little guy, now i am running the show but my dad is a wise hunter. I just dont want to eat tag soup and especially not 3 tags.
thanks again guys!
:hello: