Why Do Cows Bugle?

ElkNut1

WKR
Joined
Feb 25, 2012
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2,445
Location
Idaho
Many times especially when doing early scouting for elk in July, Aug. & early Sept. we'll hear a few bugles here & there, sometimes they can really get to singing. Many immediately feel it's bulls they're hearing when in fact in many situations it's Cows Bugling. It's really cool to see them do this, it sorta puts a smile on our faces when witnessed!

Why do they bugle? Can we use this as part of our hunting strategy? You bet we can, it's just another overlooked tool that can help punch that elk tag! The subject can be discussed here or it can be studied by those with the ElkNut App. It's covered pretty well on it & its uses, There's some good early season stragies on it as well imitating cow bugles, why & when!

Who has seen or feel what they heard was a cow bugling, it's a cool sight!

Here's two clips of Cows Bugling, check these two out!



https://youtu.be/M7nVOMZALP

ElkNut/Paul
 
Doing first elk hunt this year in NM, went scouting July 4th weekend. Around 1pm we laid down under a tree to get some rest and five minutes later I hear a bugle. I looked up and 2 cows and 2 calves had come over the wide open ridge across from us feeding, they bugled once or twice more and fed off. I'm glad I heard you talk about cows bugling on one of the podcast or I'd still be trying to figure out where that bull was.
 
I've seen/heard them do it a bunch of times when you have those summering herds of cows and calves.

I always just assumed it was moms wrangling their little ones to stay close.

More than once I've talked about and had some "expert" tell me I was wrong... like I didn't watch it happen.
 
Yes, cows bugle, grunt, chuckle, etc. for the same reasons bulls do & bulls will use cow talk the same reason as cows do. It's no different than us! Men & Women speak the same words when conversing with one another.

It's just cool to watch them do it, mostly for the very reasons 'LongWayAround' mentions!

ElkNut/Paul
 
Yes, cows bugle, grunt, chuckle, etc. for the same reasons bulls do & bulls will use cow talk the same reason as cows do.

I was surprised one year when I heard cow chirps coming through the timber and expected to see a cow come into view. Nope it was a bull with his nose to the ground sniffing around and cow chirping his way through the trees. Really bizarre to see.
 
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