2020 elk bugle report

[bruce44]

I can’t seem to find the old thread so I started this one. Anyone still hearing elk bugle at night? Sitting here by halfway reserve totally quiet since I got here at 3am. Anyone got some tips for this area? Please PM me. I know I sound desperate but I don’t really want to eat a tag after 6 hours of driving from Prince George.

[Ride Red]

I can’t seem to find the old thread so I started this one. Anyone still hearing elk bugle at night? Sitting here by halfway reserve totally quiet since I got here at 3am. Anyone got some tips for this area? Please PM me. I know I sound desperate but I don’t really want to eat a tag after 6 hours of driving from Prince George.

You only just arrived. Get out there and look for sign, call and make an informed decision from there. I’ve hunted plenty of areas where elk have been super quiet but the signs showed they were in the area. They call it hunting and not shooting for a reason. Boots on the ground, good luck.

[Jrax]

No matter what they r bugling somewhere!! A cow has gone into estrus as I typed this. If u see cows stick close or follow, or find shiny poop and figure out where they come and go. New area for me is find a good looking area, I like to look for a hill, mountain that has good cover, food and water then get somewhere up the hillside, find a trail and traverse a long way looking for sign (wind in favour). Calling every once in a while cow then location bugle every 200m or so depending on area. I may go silent if I feel the area is pressured. If no sign then repeat above until I find sign. In that area if u work hard u will find them.

[rocksteady]

In the EK, the bugle action has gone very silent. Bugles in the dark but once it becomes daylight they are going dead silent. Even when i find them in the daylight they are not responding.

[browningboy]

I'm told they are vocal at end of Pitt Lake.

[swampthing]

I just got an inreach report from the east koots. The 5 points are makin noise and comin in but the 6 points arent!

[Sharpish]

I can’t seem to find the old thread so I started this one. Anyone still hearing elk bugle at night? Sitting here by halfway reserve totally quiet since I got here at 3am. Anyone got some tips for this area? Please PM me. I know I sound desperate but I don’t really want to eat a tag after 6 hours of driving from Prince George.

Eat a tag after 6 hours of driving? Give me a break. Your expectations are out of line. Work for it for 2 weeks and then learn from the experience. 6 hours and one day hunting? Laughable.

[Everett]

Nothing bugling around my camp

[Grizz.325]

They r bugling in my neck of the woods.

[Sitkaspruce]

Elk died yesterday bugling across the hwy from mile 95.

Elk are not dumb and up here they learn fast as they are hunted hard for a couple months then another couple in the winter. That big ridge you drive by on the 95 has elk. But to kill an elk in this country you need to get off the beaten path, burn some boot leather and be prepared to bring it out on your back.....or find some private land that has very little pressure. Try across the Halfway and the Kobes/Altares area or up the Herald Ellis.

6 hours.....my buddies will be hear tomorrow for a week and they drove 24 from the island.

Cheers

SS

[dapesche]

It was quiet where we hunted. My friend and I got our 6 pt bull last Saturday. 14.5km day including approach, kill and packout. They were quiet and they were up high. We had to go get him. We found fresh sign and I speculated on where he was bedded. It was an hour hike through a basin and across scree to get into position for my first bugle. He answered right away.

He bugled and chuckled in response to my bugle and chuckle. We started towards him. 4 mins later it was another bugle and chuckle at him. I had concerns he was trying to gather cows and run so I ran at him to the ridge above him. Bugle, chuckle, rake. He seemed to hold up and was growly screaming back. We then dropped down into his bedding area. I stopped halfway down slope. Sent my partner another 1/4 way down the slope. Rake, bugle and chuckle. In came the bull and my buddy shot him at 10 yds. I was about 35-40 yds above him watching it all play out. EPIC!

Moral of the story. Find fresh sign. Develop a plan. Get to a spot where you can bugle that is different from the last 30 bugles he has heard from other people. If you get a reply you need to know what he is saying. Know if he is gathering and running or know if he is holding up. Pressure him. You don't need to bugle every 30 secs when you have him going.

Our bull was dead in about 15 mins from first bugle to last. I stopped in 4 different spots as we closed distance quickly.

Obviously not all situations are the same, but that's how mine played out. My bull last year was very similar, but I was making gathering/locating calls. I called from 3 different spots over a 15-20 min timeline. I heard him the night before and I copied his call. I actually ran away from him when I was calling as it sounded like I was gathering his cows. I killed that bull oct 19th at approx. 10 yds. He walked broadside in front of me facing downside off the FSR looking for the possible cows I was dragging away.

Be strategic. I haven't had a dumb one come in during peak rut with a hot cow where I just called and he ran at me. Looking forward to that day though. My 2 bulls have require me to be a bit more active.

[rageous]

Sounds like you have lots to learn.
We get a bull every year out of 95 mile area.

[boilerroom]

It was quiet where we hunted. My friend and I got our 6 pt bull last Saturday. 14.5km day including approach, kill and packout. They were quiet and they were up high. We had to go get him. We found fresh sign and I speculated on where he was bedded. It was an hour hike through a basin and across scree to get into position for my first bugle. He answered right away.

He bugled and chuckled in response to my bugle and chuckle. We started towards him. 4 mins later it was another bugle and chuckle at him. I had concerns he was trying to gather cows and run so I ran at him to the ridge above him. Bugle, chuckle, rake. He seemed to hold up and was growly screaming back. We then dropped down into his bedding area. I stopped halfway down slope. Sent my partner another 1/4 way down the slope. Rake, bugle and chuckle. In came the bull and my buddy shot him at 10 yds. I was about 35-40 yds above him watching it all play out. EPIC!

Moral of the story. Find fresh sign. Develop a plan. Get to a spot where you can bugle that is different from the last 30 bugles he has heard from other people. If you get a reply you need to know what he is saying. Know if he is gathering and running or know if he is holding up. Pressure him. You don't need to bugle every 30 secs when you have him going.

Our bull was dead in about 15 mins from first bugle to last. I stopped in 4 different spots as we closed distance quickly.

Obviously not all situations are the same, but that's how mine played out. My bull last year was very similar, but I was making gathering/locating calls. I called from 3 different spots over a 15-20 min timeline. I heard him the night before and I copied his call. I actually ran away from him when I was calling as it sounded like I was gathering his cows. I killed that bull oct 19th at approx. 10 yds. He walked broadside in front of me facing downside off the FSR looking for the possible cows I was dragging away.

Be strategic. I haven't had a dumb one come in during peak rut with a hot cow where I just called and he ran at me. Looking forward to that day though. My 2 bulls have require me to be a bit more active.

Thanks for the great story! Lots of great points to learn from.

cheers, br

[walks with deer]

I can’t seem to find the old thread so I started this one. Anyone still hearing elk bugle at night? Sitting here by halfway reserve totally quiet since I got here at 3am. Anyone got some tips for this area? Please PM me. I know I sound desperate but I don’t really want to eat a tag after 6 hours of driving from Prince George.

secret go back to town and swap your bugle for a soother..

[white moose]

Was out in 4-9 and heard one long distance response, could have been another hunter. lol. Anyone else having luck in the west koots?

[dapesche]

two bulls down in the West Koots.

Both large packouts though. Both up high. Both screaming. One shot at 10yds. The other shot at 40yds.
They both answered my bugle with chuckle with a bugle and chuckle. We had to located both. Both bulls were not actively bugling.

Good luck out there. Not an easy season and feeling fortunate to have gotten it done twice.