summer elk

[hunter1993ap]

Hey i was out scouting yesterday and got a couple cameras out for elk. i was just wondering when do the bulls lose their velvet and start a wallow?

[jml11]

They should be starting pretty quick, I imagine some of the bigger bulls are rubbing already.

[hunter1947]

Hey i was out scouting yesterday and got a couple cameras out for elk. i was just wondering when do the bulls lose their velvet and start a wallow?

They should be loosing there Velvet as we speak ,as for starting a Wallow ,they don't start one there already there ,the elk just come there to roll in them.

[bozzdrywall]

i have video of two bulls all ready at the bone stage one 6x6 bearly and a big 5x5 got about 40sec. of vid on the bulls than later that night saw a mule deer in full velvet still. the buck was lower down maby that is why.

[GoatGuy]

Saw 4 bull elk, 8 bull moose, a bunch of muley bucks on Saturday all still packing velvet.

[ARC]

I imagine elk antlers develop a fair bit faster than those of moose then?

Me and my hunting partner shot a couple of bull moose opening day up north a few years ago and the antlers were still growing. All the points were rounded off and we actually busted an antler on my buddy's moose dragging it out as it was still soft.

[hunter1947]

Bull elk ,mule deer ,whitetail deer ,they all have a time span on what day they will start rubbing there velvet from there antlers ,some carry there velvet longer then others.
It all depends how long it takes to grow there new head gear as for when they dropped this years antlers off ,could have been late or early..

[BCrams]

Earliest wallow / fresh elk rub was August 17th for me.

I expect the biggest bulls to be thinking about rubbing any day.

[hunter1947]

1993ap that elk is a dandy one that you sent to me ,I would keep an eye on that area.

[hunter1993ap]

ya last year was my first year hunting elk and me and my dad had 3 big herd bulls bugling. we were under 100 yards a couple of times but just couldnt close the distance.Hejust wouldnt leave his cows for anything. but it was the best hunting experience i have had,camped right with the elk up in the mountains.

[mark]

Ive seen 6 point elk all polished up by aug. 15 saw a 4 point elk still in velvet on sept 3 once.
Buddy shot a big moose still in velvet on sept 13 a couple years ago.

Last year saw an alpine 4point in full velvet on sept.12

[hunter1947]

ya last year was my first year hunting elk and me and my dad had 3 big herd bulls bugling. we were under 100 yards a couple of times but just couldnt close the distance.Hejust wouldnt leave his cows for anything. but it was the best hunting experience i have had,camped right with the elk up in the mountains.


In a case like this when a bull holds out a hundred yards or so you got to go to him and close the distance give him a few bugles make him think that you are going to challenge him ,grab a branch and smack the side of a tree that will get him upset ,if he is moving away from you keep after him and sound off bugles back to him every time he gives one to you.

[elkdom]

Ive seen 6 point elk all polished up by aug. 15 saw a 4 point elk still in velvet on sept 3 once.
Buddy shot a big moose still in velvet on sept 13 a couple years ago.

Last year saw an alpine 4 point in full velvet on sept.12

the last week now(Aug15/18 ) I spotted a couple of big bull elk wearing a "veil" and located a few fresh elk rubs, all bull moose in full velvet,

last October some mulies still had velvet, and the year before I shot a 8x8 non-typical muley with much of his rack still packing velvet on Nov 03, some younger bull elk dont rub till late in Sept, this spring I noted a couple of mule deer bucks, still packing white bleached antlers from last year , this was in June!:eek:

[Nuzguy]

I had a 5x5 come to a cow call in the first week of August with on tatters hanging off his antlers. Had a crack at him three weeks later and blew it. I'll never forget first seeing him and then seeing him again three weeks later. Closest I ever got to getting an Elk.

[hunter1993ap]

In a case like this when a bull holds out a hundred yards or so you got to go to him and close the distance give him a few bugles make him think that you are going to challenge him ,grab a branch and smack the side of a tree that will get him upset ,if he is moving away from you keep after him and sound off bugles back to him every time he gives one to you.

ya we were going in on them really really hard and bugling each time they did. we covered alot of ground when we were going after them but they were just a little bit out of range. when my dad and i got going after them there was no slowing down we chased the bulls for quite a few kilometers but they jsut wouldnt leave there cows. this year i have learned alot and plan on doing a few things different but i dont think there was that much we did wrong last year.

[hunter1993ap]

on one of the bulls we were on, it was probably the most fired up and ready to come in. we had it bugling from about 3 in the morning and we were so close when a guy on horses rode in and spooked the whole heard so that was a little upsetting, but thats hunting.

[hunter1947]

on one of the bulls we were on, it was probably the most fired up and ready to come in. we had it bugling from about 3 in the morning and we were so close when a guy on horses rode in and spooked the whole heard so that was a little upsetting, but thats hunting.


Sometimes it is smart not to call at all if you think your dealing with a heard bull ,I have found it really helps out to close the distance on the heard by not bugling back to him.

Let him give himself away by letting him do the calling.

[elkdom]

Sometimes it is smart not to call at all if you think your dealing with a heard bull ,I have found it really helps out to close the distance on the heard by not bugling back to him.

Let him give himself away by letting him do the calling.

so true! the last thing a herd bull wants is a Rumble with another bull! you get too aggressive with bugles and the HERD Bull will gather up his cows and disappear into the next water drainage miles away, do some cow calls work with the wind, try and keep him thinking about COWS, NOT another Bull Elk to battle with! if he has a herd of cows he wants to be a lover, not a fighter!

[hunter1947]

so true! the last thing a herd bull wants is a Rumble with another bull! you get too aggressive with bugles and the HERD Bull will gather up his cows and disappear into the next water drainage miles away, do some cow calls work with the wind, try and keep him thinking about COWS, NOT another Bull Elk to battle with! if he has a herd of cows he wants to be a lover, not a fighter!


You and me elkdom did not learn this over the last few years :wink: ,over the years we learned what to do and when to do :wink: ,years back I had found out about not to call a heard bull with cows ,many of times I tried to keep up with him when he was moving his cows ,it was impossible to try and keep up with the heard ,within 10 min he was no where to be heard of or seen again.

Almost 99% of the time when he heard my call he would gather up them cows and make exit over the hills to the next mountain never to be seen or heard of again ,after this had happened to me a hand full of times I sure smartened up http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/icons/icon7.gif.

[hunter1993ap]

ya i plan on taking the advice you have given me and not bull calling if he is not coming in. but those herd bulls are really smart animals that will take me years of hunting to figure out how to oursmart them.

[hunter1947]

ya i plan on taking the advice you have given me and not bull calling if he is not coming in. but those herd bulls are really smart animals that will take me years of hunting to figure out how to oursmart them.


1993 Join the club ,I still have not figured out elk ,if you ever do please let me know http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/icons/icon7.gif.

[Tikatack]

them ghost deer are so unpredictable to me, especially the monster herd bulls.

The closest i've come to taking one was a fluke... walking through a grassy, steep old burn between two gladed areas and walked right into them. Had my head down climbing over dead fall and look up to see the monster herd bull standing 30-40 yards broad side on the game trail. He just stood up. By the time I could shoulder my gun he dipped over the other side of a knoll and took off too fast for me to squeeze the trigger on him. A couple of 5 points and a ton of cows exploded and bolted. Seems like yesterday. My hunting buddy was 20 yards behind me, had the shot but my head was in the way. He still razzes me about it 9 years later. We called him Jasper - he was bigger than any park bull i've ever seen. Would have looked great on my wall!