Concerning rut trends, is the rut changing?

[Stache Attack]

We hunt 2-3 states a year and I have noticed in Colorado it's not great until about the third week but everywhere else elk hunting is still good if not great.Last year in Montana it was 90 degrees opening week and every spot we hunted the bulls were screaming.Everyone we talked to said they hadn't seen any and they weren't bugling.Even in Colorado we are in elk every day and I have been in serious rutting action during the first week although its rare.I know it's not what it used to be but I also don't feel like it's as bad as people say.

Breaks in MT? My area was quiet until end of second week

 

[Raghornkiller]

Breaks in MT? My area was quiet until end of second week

No,we hunt the western part of the state

 

[bcnorth]

Imagine you are going to hunt with a primitive weapon, where sound and scent are your worst enemies, where it's true essence is the challenge of matching wits one on one with the phantom of the Rockies.......but there are 6 in your group, trundling hunting down a drainage. And to make matters worse, then you hammer Youtube telling everyone this how you do it, and to come join the party....more is needed.

BC also seems to be catching up to this new normal sadly. Last two elk seasons my partner and i had been pressured out of drainages by run and gun buglers multiple times. No joke, i have seen the elk file out and even stampede right out of the drainage. Our hike ins to spike camp were 5-10km (in already remote areas) and rarely would see anyone in the 10 days. When we did, it was a pleasant BS and a discussion about which drainage we were planning to hunt to avoid each other.

On one occasion i was 2km from my spike camp working an elk herd back towards my camp and downwind. I look up to the top of the mountain and see a large big white flag waving back and forth. I put my binos up and see two guys, one on the spotter looking at me and one waving the flag. They both start to signal to me to back off away from the herd and away from camp lol. To make matters worse the thermals are going straight from them to the elk and there is still another group of hunters on the opposite ridge in the same drainage.

The most obvious changes i noticed are that people pushing farther, are way more vocal and aggressive with calls and younger geared up hunters. I do think elk are very killable still and i enjoy meeting new hunters to an extent but this year were going more remote and dropping our usual elk spots.

 

[GoatPackr]

Calves are born at the same time every year. Don't think it's a later rut. Just bulls learning to not talk to humans.

Kris

 

[sundance1]

There are two estrus cycles, around 4 weeks apart. Cows who aren't bred in the first cycle will initiate a second rut around the 3rd week of October. That is why you will see some calves still spotted out during the first of September, and why October rifle hunters come off the mountain with bulls in the back of their pickup, commenting that the bulls were "bugling up a storm". My grand daughters rifle hunt, and my son who bow hunts with me, will comment that they heard more bugling in one morning than we heard all of the bow season.

 

[Mykolaivka887]

There are two estrus cycles, around 4 weeks apart. Cows who aren't bred in the first cycle will initiate a second rut around the 3rd week of October. That is why you will see some calves still spotted out during the first of September, and why October rifle hunters come off the mountain with bulls in the back of their pickup, commenting that the bulls were "bugling up a storm". My grand daughters rifle hunt, and my son who bow hunts with me, will comment that they heard more bugling in one morning than we heard all of the bow season.

Yeah, I have to chuckle when I hear or read what bowhunters say, or rifle hunters for that matter, that;

"The game commission moved the start of season back this year to later in September [or early October] and the hunt this year falls after the rut".

Such nonsense .....

 

[sundance1]

Ya, seems like bow hunters in Colorado are at the end of the hunting food chain. Have a rifle -oops /// muzzle season during bow?? Put archery tags on a draw in some units because herd numbers are down, but leave rifle Otc tags alone??? Blame bow hunters for pushing bulls away from cows during rut as the main reason for herd numbers?? Have a state lobbying organization, the Colorado Bow hunters Association, whose main objective is to increase bow hunting numbers and it's exposure, a Wildlife Commission that is controlled and appointed by the governor whose every conversation about the future of hunting starts with revenue. Damn, must be Monday bitch morning....pass the coffee.

 

[mtblackdog]

100% I started bow hunting as a teenager in the late 80s. Bulls would start talking in Late August until the first rifle shot in Oct. And they would bugle throughout the day. And albeit some of them having always been call shy especially herd bulls. You could always pull Satellite bulls in like Jake turkeys. That is definitely not the case now. Archery pressure has gone waay up and they have evolved. Its a spot stalking chess game in the units I used to be able to bugle and locate them 20-30 years ago. Crowded planet

 

[Duckhunter11]

A little late to this thread….but in my experience having hunted in CO in a heavily pressured low point draw unit now for the last 7 years the two biggest factors of quiet elk are muzzleloader season and the moon. Keep in mind this unit has a muzzleloader season running in the middle of September and has roads and trails running through every chunk of ground on most of this unit.

The theory always has been when you have a full moon elk are more active at night and less active during the day. And that is true. However, what I have found is that when there is a full moon during muzzleloader season the elk actually act like elk during the rut…..granted they are still by no means easy but getting on bulls and at least being able to follow them back to their beds is a possibility. When there is no moon during muzzleloader season and the elk have to rely on doing everything during the day there’s has been times (this year included) I haven’t heard a single bugle from the 10th-20th of September. I spotted a small 6 point bull a few days back on the 20th that for this unit will likely be a heard bull that had no interest in cows or cows with him. He hardly even looked up at my cow calls.

In 2023 we had no bugling from early September-25th…then when the match struck it turned hot. We had no moon during muzzleloader.

In 2024 we had consistent bugling the entire month during archery, there was a full moon during muzzleloader.

In 2025 we have not heard anything from early September-23rd (today). Hopefully we follow suit with 2023 to end the month.

Again there’s always variances in states and units in states and different parts of certain units. But as a whole on heavily pressured units in this state I am bringing to enjoy a moon during the peak rut period as (in my opinion) it gives the elk a nighttime period to relax and act like elk….sure it’s not always easy to get on them especially in the morning since they’ll likely give you only an hour max of activity after daybreak but if you can generally you can follow them back to their beds and make a play.

Just thought I’d share my perspective.