Elk Rutting into October?

[Electraman]

I drew a Rifle Tag in Idaho in Unit 45
Season starts Oct 1 and I'm wondering if the rut will be still going on or pretty much over with by this time.
The unit is a lower elevation area and I'm curious if that might slow it down due to possible warmer average temps.
This is the earliest I've ever had the chance to hunt'em and I am definitely not the Elk Whisperer, sure I got a bunch of cow calls and actually brought a calf within 10' once, the only way I have ever had any success was to just keep putting one foot in front of the other.
I know there is no way I could become a "real" caller before the season begins but wondering if it's something a guy could learn enough to maybe help himself.
There are lots of very knowledgeable people around here that have been more than willing to share a great amount of information, as always THANKS and GOOD LUCK to all.

 

[belshawelk]

All depends on weather. Two years ago I got a cow in Colorado the last week of October. We hunted for 4 days without seeing a single critter. Then last two days bulls starting screaming. With them were all the cows. It can a happen. Last year in Oregon the bulls were still going once in a while the first week of Oct. In my opinion the rut is starting to happen a little later every year.

 

[SagebrushSlayer]

In Southern Idaho I have seen bulls rutting up until the 15th of October. Last year on Oct 1 bulls were still rutting through the first week of October. You might see harems of large sizes with bulls still bugling.

 

[mixedbag]

I've had bulls bugling and responding to calls on Oct 15th in Wyoming.They shut up quick when the rifles started going off

 

[el unit]

Definitely rut activity into mid-October here in this part of SW Montana.

 

[Irrelevant]

Yes Oct 1 you will still have rutting bulls, though it may be more rags and smaller 6s.

 

[SteveE]

That time of year most elk have pushed onto private and are screaming early and late in 45. One day it stayed cool and the herds on the private screamed all day.
The bulls breaking out a harem and pushing them into public seem to shut up once they got them off the big herds. The archery hunters work the public pretty hard.
I heard very limited bugling on public, they have what they need and with a high bull to cow ratio I felt they were trying to stay quite. I had zero response to cow calls or bugles.
The bull I killed bugled on private the entire way into his hidey hole then shut up. He ran a 5 point off and didn't make a peep. This was last year.

For this hunt I think good glass and knowing the property boundaries is more important then calls. It was an incredible hunt - good luck!

 

[LopeHunter]

Big bulls often have their harems of cows by end of Sept. For cows that do not get pregnant in the main rut there is an echo-rut that emerges that is much smaller and sometimes an even smaller mini-echo rut after that for a few females calves that just came into heat in very late fall. I think hot temps just make the activity nocturnal since a hot cow will make a big bull stupid no matter what the temps.

 

[JLS]

The peak of the rut is approximately the Autumnal Equinox, give or take 5 days. Any cows that do not get bred during their first estrus will come back into estrus in early October. Synchronicity of estrus, and timing of it is somewhat dependent upon the nutritional state of the cows. A very dry summer while they are lactating will lead to mild nutritional stress, and will result in a little later estrus and also possibly a higher number of cows that are not successfully bred on their first estrous cycle.

On a year like this you would likely see a higher level of rut activity into the early part of October, leading to the concept of a "later rut". Remember too, that cows can come into estrus well before the Autumnal Equinox, particularly those that weren't bred the year before or lost their calf early and didn't spend the summer lactating. These factors all interact and can lead to differences in the observed peak rut activity timing. In reality, the timing of the rut does not appreciably fluctuate from year to year.

The short answer to your question is yes, you will have cows still coming into estrus and bulls looking to breed them. How vocal they are will largely depend on 1) the weather and 2) the amount of human pressure on them during this time.

I have witnessed bulls bugling like I was in YNP in early October. I also witnessed a bull following a cow clear across a high basin one mid October day in SE Wyoming, bugling every minute or so. He walked by me at about 20 yards with his nose 12" behind the cow. The cows will pretty much be done with any estrous activity by mid October. Any later than that would put the calves on the ground very late in the summer and would not bode well for survival. Bulls will continue to vocalize well after the breeding season has concluded. I have heard them bugle into mid November in Montana, even though there was about zero chance of a cow in estrus being anywhere close.

 

[The Hedgehog]

Most insane rut action I've ever seen hunting elk was a herd of about 50 head, half bulls, and 6 of them well over 350 was on October 4th, 2015.

 

[tjones]

The peak of the rut is approximately the Autumnal Equinox, give or take 5 days. Any cows that do not get bred during their first estrus will come back into estrus in early October. Synchronicity of estrus, and timing of it is somewhat dependent upon the nutritional state of the cows. A very dry summer while they are lactating will lead to mild nutritional stress, and will result in a little later estrus and also possibly a higher number of cows that are not successfully bred on their first estrous cycle.

On a year like this you would likely see a higher level of rut activity into the early part of October, leading to the concept of a "later rut". Remember too, that cows can come into estrus well before the Autumnal Equinox, particularly those that weren't bred the year before or lost their calf early and didn't spend the summer lactating. These factors all interact and can lead to differences in the observed peak rut activity timing. In reality, the timing of the rut does not appreciably fluctuate from year to year.

The short answer to your question is yes, you will have cows still coming into estrus and bulls looking to breed them. How vocal they are will largely depend on 1) the weather and 2) the amount of human pressure on them during this time.

I have witnessed bulls bugling like I was in YNP in early October. I also witnessed a bull following a cow clear across a high basin one mid October day in SE Wyoming, bugling every minute or so. He walked by me at about 20 yards with his nose 12" behind the cow. The cows will pretty much be done with any estrous activity by mid October. Any later than that would put the calves on the ground very late in the summer and would not bode well for survival. Bulls will continue to vocalize well after the breeding season has concluded. I have heard them bugle into mid November in Montana, even though there was about zero chance of a cow in estrus being anywhere close.

Wait,,,,its got nothing to do with the first frost?

 

[JLS]

Wait,,,,its got nothing to do with the first frost?

Shit, I forgot that, the barometric trend, and the color of the leaves.

 

[noharleyyet]

Wait,,,,its got nothing to do with the first frost?

..thought it was the moon, no cover charge, and a three drink minimum.

 

[HUNTNNW]

Some of the best rutting activity I've ever witnessed was in early October in N ID and E WA.

I watched a bull scream his head off and try and mount a cow on nov 25th one year

 

[dtrkyman]

From my limited experience Oct. 1st would be prime, bulls were just cranking up end of sept. each year for me.

 

[Electraman]

Wow
Once again, very detailed informative responses.
I never really figured on calling no Bull into my lap. I know my abilities. But it is something I'm really looking forward to as far as just seeing the rut take place while I'm actually hunting. It sounds extremely exciting and I can't wait.
Thank you to everyone.
Good luck to all !!!

 

[ida homer]

October 1st-7th is the new Sept 18th-25th.

I bugled in a 5x5 and killed him with my rifle at 10 feet in the sawtooth zone in 2014. This was on October 15th, I got into a draw with some hot cows and there were 4-5 bulls screaming for most of the day.

 

[Pagosa]

No not going to happen. Just a waste of time! Leave your bulges at home. The rut will be over with on September 28th this year.

I've heard several bulls bulging like it was September in late Oct and the first few days on November. Yes it was during hunting season on public lands in Colorado and Montana.