Calf elk alone?

[Elite]

Went for a hike in a new area tonight and did some light cow chirping and heard a cow chirp back so I paused for a bit and a calf elk pops out and wonders up to me about 15 yards away and then catches wind and trouts off. Just wondering if a calf elk being alone in the rut is normal? I hunted that area and never did find a herd just the Calf


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[Read1t48]

I can almost guarantee it’s mama was not far off. I’ve seen a cow with a calf, just the two of them, in the middle of the rut, but never just a calf. I’ve had a calf wonder in to me by itself but the ‘herd’ was nearby.

 

[LostArra]

Momma could be in a cooler

 

[Dos Perros]

My go to strategy for locating bedded herds (hopefully with a nice bull) is to timber creep and make calf squeaks. The calves can't help themselves. They'll call back, and as you've noticed sometimes hop their asses up and come over for a look. I have several videos of calves walking and calling very close to me, looking for me, but I'm frozen and silent. I wouldn't be surprised at all if that calf covered a distance large enough that you never detected the mom, or rest of the herd.

 

[WeiserBucks]

My cousin came across a lone calf a few years ago, it became his 1st elk harvest. It was running amok and bawling like crazy, I think it got separated from its herd during the opening day shootout and was trying to relocate the herd.

 

[zrodwyo]

I see this all the time. Someone shoots the mom and the calf will come in to any and all cow calls for a few days.

 

[87TT]

Last Wed It as just too hot to hunt so I headed to the rig. When I was a couple hundred yards from the truck. I stopped and threw out a couple of cow calls and stepped off the trail and waited. Within 4 or 5 minutes a calf came running down the trail right past me a 3 yards and stopped about 20 yards past me and kept looking around. I also had one see me packing out an elk up on the hill and come up the hill to me without me calling. That one I'm pretty sure was orphaned that morning. Saw some guys cutting up a cow not to far away earlier.

 

[Coveyleader]

I see this all the time. Someone shoots the mom and the calf will come in to any and all cow calls for a few days.

Yeap, this happens. There can be other reasons, but nothing worse than shooting a cow in August/Early September and a calf hanging around chirping every second for the next few days. I go out of my way these days to ensure I shoot a dry cow. If there is any doubt, I don't shoot. If I was a rifle hunter, and hunted them late OCT or NOV, I'd have no problem shooting the same calf.

 

[trophyhill]

Last year I called a calf into 60 yards. And it ran in and was chirping looking for that cow (me) it heard. Chirped incessantly. I was waiting for momma but she didn’t show up. I’ve had other calves do the same thing. Had one come in one time so close I could touch it. Perfectly normal. The calf heard calls and responded. It’s part of the elks “education”