Where are the bull elk hiding?

[Razor84]

I've been scouting pretty hard this summer for elk. I've got numerous trail cams out with quite a few pictures of cow and calf elk. No sign of any bulls. Some of the area is showing alot of antler rubs from last year. I've placed cameras in these locations but no pics at all. Do the bulls prefer a certain type of area in the summer? I thought maybe there would be a couple pics by now............

frustrating

thoughts>?

[Walking Buffalo]

Bulls often have their own summer range away from the cow/calf herds.

Stick with the cows, the bulls will be joining them in a few weeks.

[Razor84]

I know it wont be long, I was just looking forward to seeing some of the antler growth!

[.300WSMImpact!]

I am having the same issue seeing tons of cows and calfs, what I am hearing the bulls are up high in bachelor groups, and I hope Mr. buffalo is right if so I have a couple good spots

[cloverphil]

I'll be looking for a cow with my LEH draw anyway, please pm with location if you don't mind sharing . . . lol

[300wsmBrowning]

I have run into a few bull herds now and they have all been in alpine and just below the alpine areas. They seem to follow the snow up the hills as it melts off.

[6616]

During the heat of the summer look for bulls up high in the sub-alpine or on north facing shady timbered slopes.

[J_T]

I think the key is bugs. Of course the bulls need cool, water and a good food source. They don't 'follow the snow up'. They follow comfort. If it's easy where they are, they stay put. If something bugs them or changes the comfort, they move. Heavy mosquitoes and flies will move the bulls up to the windy slopes of the high country, but I tend to find them in the dark cool timber of mid elevation creeks. Pop out of the cool for an evening feed at the edge of a cutblock and bed down close to the stream by day. Resting up for the battles and breeding to come.

[Razor84]

the area Im scouting is quite flat, no mountains or alpine anywhere around. So no migration to high country here!

confused

[6616]

the area Im scouting is quite flat, no mountains or alpine anywhere around. So no migration to high country here!

confused

If it's hot look in cool shady spots, densely wooded creek bottoms, etc.

[hunter1947]

The bull elk are in the coldest places they can find to keep cool they will be out of these cool areas when the rut starts and the weather starts cooling off.

[elkdom]

areas where bulls rub prior to the rut, are quite often revisited year after year, so are areas where bulls herd up cows during the peak of the rut, they are habitual and if unless undisturbed will continue to use an area ,,,

[rocksteady]

Bulls, with the exception of spikes, will be hanging out in bachelor bands, just like mulies...Probably in the deep, dark, cool, wet areas that they can just sit and feed their faces and grow antlers til their hormones kick in and they want to scrap....They will come out as soon as one cow turns on her estrous charms....

[Walking Buffalo]

I think the key is bugs. Of course the bulls need cool, water and a good food source. They don't 'follow the snow up'. They follow comfort. If it's easy where they are, they stay put. If something bugs them or changes the comfort, they move. Heavy mosquitoes and flies will move the bulls up to the windy slopes of the high country, but I tend to find them in the dark cool timber of mid elevation creeks. Pop out of the cool for an evening feed at the edge of a cutblock and bed down close to the stream by day. Resting up for the battles and breeding to come.

I agree completely....

As we know, Most mosquitos don't like sun and have difficulty in the wind. This is important to note when looking for early season game.

If flying blood suckers are bad, ungulates will very often choose a sunny and Windy bedding area over shade. It's more comfortable than being cool and itchy. Windy with shade, even better.

This just happened last week. Scouting a large meadow at sunset, and I'm watching the treelines as there are no animals in sight. Once the sun was down, deer kept popping up from their beds in the tall grass on top of the slightest ridges. There was one tree in the middle of the meadow. A cow elk stood up from the shade of the tree, at least 30 yards from the trunk. This evening was nothing new for July/Aug, basically the norm.

[elkdom]

Bulls, with the exception of spikes, will be hanging out in bachelor bands, just like mulies...Probably in the deep, dark, cool, wet areas that they can just sit and feed their faces and grow antlers til their hormones kick in and they want to scrap....They will come out as soon as one cow turns on her estrous charms....

x2! thats what they do,,, every year this time of summer,there is a particular northeast facing slope along the Sikanee River, for the last 20 or so years, if you glass during mid day, there is anywhere from 9 or 10 some years double that number,a batchelor herd of big bull elk lounging around, the slope has springs, lots of big willows and open areas with grassy meadows, around the 15/20 of August they move to areas where they rub off velvet and size each other up, before the quest for herding up cows,

[hunter1947]

I know where they are hiding but I won't tell you :mrgreen:....

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/1036.JPG (http://javascript<b></b>:;)