Bugling in Colorado high country

[PMcGee]

We spent the last 12 days hunting. No bugling. Saw one 6x6 by himself no other shooters. Passed on a cow last week. Though year.

 

[xziang]

Been in 37 last 3 days and haven't heard crap. Did bump two elk working down a ridge and one was a tall bull. They never responded to a bugle and cow call 1 hr earlier and 150 yards up the mountain. *shrugs*

 

[DEHusker]

Just got back from my weeklong trip. I have been hunting in the central part of the state. For the first couple of days I checked around the 9 to 10,000 foot areas in the pockets I had been scouting earlier in the year. Completely dead silent and no animals. The weather was warm and dry with clear skies and bright moonS for the first couple of days of the week. As soon as I got smart and went up higher, to about 11 to 11,500 feet, they were going crazy. For the past five days there's been heavy rutting action with multiple bulls bugling going back-and-forth until noon. They take a break from noon to four then are fired up again from four until well into the dark hours. I was camped at 11,500 feet and heard bugles all night. So, in my unit, just had to look around and go higher to find them. They were feeding and rutting at Treeline and then coming down into the dark timber during the day. I did notice that they were much more active during overcast periods. The full rut definitely fired off this last week. Hopefully it does the same by the end of the season for the rest of you. Good luck.

 

[jdmaxwell]

Last 6 days in 78 unit. Hiked up to 11,000 ft twice.
Never heard a single Bugle.

 

[slick trick]

UNIT 53 IS STARTING TO BUGLE. Had one about 1 mile away as i watched him in spotter talking,called up 2 others by bugle only they where talking but i had to leave.

 

[timekiller13]

Unit 14 colorado. Very little bugling September 17-20. But everything changed on 21st. Bulls bugling like crazy. Kept us up all night on 22nd.

 

[jkra410]

Been in southern 81 in Chama Basin for 4 days sleeping outside and hunting all day. Not one bugle to be heard or elk to be seen. Moving to South San Juan for the last few days of my hunt.

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Update: spent two days hunting south of Platorro in unit 81. Heard some sporadic bugling but so far off as to be useless. Got up to 10.5 & 11k feet the past two days in an area that historical has good action. Didn't hear a peep and saw limited sign. All the guys staying where I was have hunted many years and are all shocked how quiet it is and the lack of results. Tough year for my first western elk hunt but I had a great time. Writing an article with some after action review comments and will post it here.

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[Matthoek21]

Started in 74 Sunday and Monday and didn't hear a thing. Pulled out and went to 71 and heard bugling right away at night and in the morning. Killed cow on Tuesday evening and bugling continued to improve until we left. Thursday morning had one bugling for 3 hours continuously but couldn't close the deal. Here is my cow. 28 yards double lung.

 

[westrnwild]

Still no interest. Got up close to a 5x5 at treeline. 11500ft and I couldn't go any further due to lack of cover. I cow called at the loan bull. He looked but did not care. Only 150 yards away and he kept feeding up. Nothing I could do but watch. The basin offered no cover to pursue. Weirdest year I've experienced.

 

[aggieland]

Me Dad and I used a horse and 2 mules around Platoro in southern Colorado. Packed in 8 miles and never heard a single bugle or saw any elk. Packed out and went up a different trail 5 miles. Same thing, so we packed up and headed to the Del Norte area. Also skunked..

 

[G-unit]

Unit 81, red lake.. Got there last Saturday ..Almost no bugling.. Saw elk everyday but they were sticking to timber. Managed to get lucky

 

[DEHusker]

Still no interest. Got up close to a 5x5 at treeline. 11500ft and I couldn't go any further due to lack of cover. I cow called at the loan bull. He looked but did not care. Only 150 yards away and he kept feeding up. Nothing I could do but watch. The basin offered no cover to pursue. Weirdest year I've experienced.

This exact scenario happened to me once. Lone satellite at treeline with no remaining cover at 140 yards. I tried cow calling to him too. He almost ran from my cow call! However, a decoy and some raking brought him in closer - to about 75 yards. He then winded me. Now I carry a decoy all the time!! I'm a believer.

 

[5MilesBack]

This was the most bizarre archery season I've seen. If someone had knocked me out and taken me up and said "go hunt", I would have said that it was the first week of September the way the elk were acting. I was getting bulls coming in silent to cow calls (which I hardly ever use but was trying to go more........well, let's say less aggressive this year). But silent bulls don't do me any good and I just bust them out of there when they see me because I'm on the move.

So I finally decided to pull out the bugle and started going big and aggressive like I normally do. Only then did they start to pipe up and respond. But I snuck in to a few of these bulls and every bull I found with cows was a raghorn. All the bigger bulls were alone and off by themselves. Finally got a lone bull worked up by going big and shot him on the 22nd. Then had another bull bugling just above me while I was breaking down my bull.

This first rifle season could be a killer this year with bugling bulls. I actually thought that cold spell in late August would get things going earlier, but now I think it actually pushed things back. I saw more raghorns this year than I ever care to see again. In a few years, could be some great bulls if they don't all die in the rifle season. Lots of raghorns though, must have had a great breeding season 2-3 years ago.

 

[kstatemallards]

Only hearing bugling at last light in SW Colorado. Not a peep all day for the past week.

 

[DWinVA]

Hunted hard for 8 days in GMU 75. We finally heard 1 bugle Saturday morning, the second to last day of the season.

God Bless.

 

[LongWayAround]

I hunted 14 days in northern Colorado this season and only heard bugles on 4 days. Two weeks ago, I passed some cows at 10 yards because I wanted to shoot their boyfriend hanging out around 40. I only had 3 encounters in the 8 days after that and only one was a calling scenario.

 

[Dos Perros]

Spent another 7 days in western CO (17th-23rd), heard bugling almost every day, including some days with bulls going till 11AM and starting as soon as 2PM. Some bulls on their own, some with cows. Sounds like we were the exception and not the rule this year.

 

[crazyhawksfan]

Three buddies and I hunted southern colorado for ten days and heard bugles most of those days. Usually first and last light but also had several bugling till bout noon. Was able to get in close to one of these late bugling bulls and challenged him. Came in to 5 yards and my buddy smoked him in the chest. Another buddy hunting with us shot a smaller bull the same day. One of the guys also bugled in 2 giant Bulls to 40 yards mid day and they came in bugling. Also bugled in a smaller bull. Only our second year hunting elk but definitely heard a lot more bugling then last year.

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