Hunting Washington Forum
Big Game Hunting => Elk Hunting => Topic started by: nub on August 14, 2011, 12:13:02 PM
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When do the locating bugles really start to kick off? I have read several differant answers to this question.
Do they wait until september to start calling to the cows? I have read that they will have a few days in august that they will start, then they will shut down again until early september. i have also read they will bugle most of august fairly randomly.
Im going up for my last cam check next weekend then ill be out until the season opens. Im just wondering if the areas i "think the elk are and/or will be in" should have a bugle or 2 come next weekend? This is only my second year of heavy preseason work and im still trying to figure out what to expect prior to septembers opening day.
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Bulls bugle to gain familiarity with each other during most of the month of august. They are not looking for cows for the most part, they are "learning" who's who. Once Sept. rolls around basically every bull in a given area (maybe 4-20 square miles depending on their movement and the terrain) knows his competition by sound.
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A majority of the bugling will be done in the first few hours and last couple hours of light, just when the elk a more active.
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It is just the testosterone starting to elevate in there system. Kind of like going through puberty every year. They just have to start acting out as the time nears and some just start earlier than others.
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I heard bugles the 3rd week of July. I also cow talked a few cows and calf's in to my location.. :dunno: My experience (which isn't much) Elk "talk" to eachother year round.
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Basically they start mid August and bugle more and more until the end of September then it declines. There are lots of variables but this is a good average rule of thumb.
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Cows were very vocal this weekend.