SW Montana rut on pause?

[Garrett411]

Hey everyone.

I was out stomping around the snow with my bow this weekend in SW MT and heard one, maybe two bugles all weekend. Found very fresh sign when checking out a new area from the night before or that morning. What do you guys think the cold snap and 1 ft+ of snow up higher is doing to the rut activity? Regardless it was awesome being out and can't wait for next weekend!

 

[BH107]

Same results for us. A few bugles here and there, but not much. We talked to a ranger who said some areas were still firing, others were dead.

I don't know what to think now, with another front moving in.

 

[mike.adams.467]

We had the same thing just across the border in Idaho.


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[Herd Bull]

My experience was similar this weekend in Central MT. Rain in the foothills and 6-12" of snow above treeline. The woods were eerily quite Saturday morning. Bumped a few cow elk creeping through the snow but that was it. Maybe one distant bugle Saturday evening at lower elevation out of the snow but nobody was talking or wanted to talk. I know of a few people that connected with bulls this weekend, one of which was miles into the backcountry and they earned it.

 

[MT_Wyatt]

Yeah things slowed up big time, vocally - I was packing and not calling Saturday so hard to totally gauge it, but there certainly was a change. But craziness is inevitable, I got into a bull that was pretty damn wound up last Thursday.


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[Ridge Ghost]

Same here. The first two weekends I was getting plenty of bugle action, and last weekend it was dead quiet. The elk were there- I glassed several herds, but couldn't get anything to talk or come in.

 

[widnert]

Same experience for us. My thinking is the weather shut them up and pushed them down - mostly onto private in the areas I'm hunting. No sounds for us last week after Thursday. Saw fresh tracks and knew they were fresh due to the rain so, they're still getting out and feeding but, the bulls just got quiet. The wife and I had to come down this weekend to work a few days and remain employed before we head up again Wednesday evening. Still have a friend up hunting and he just texted that he's hearing them vocalize again this morning. Can't wait for Wednesday to get here now!

 

[bluetick78]

The bulls are starting back up. I called in a raghorn last night before I had to come home for work. It depends on where you're at, but in my area it was a slimy mess up high yesterday. The snow was sloppy and melting, made hiking hard. But the elk are back at it now, heard lots of bugles yesterday.

 

[missjordan]

We were in the same boat you were, the rut was definitely put on a major pause! On Saturday we got close to a herd and they could of cared less on our calling. Hoping this weekend turns things around!


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