Post Rut Big Bulls

[ida homer]

To me, this is one of the most difficult things to find. What is the secret to killing those 5 plus year old bulls on public land, post rut?

Not 5x5's, not crabby 6 points, but the wall hangers we all dream about. I'm sure a lot of guys are like me with a bunch of
raghorns bungied together in the corner of the garage.

Of course the meat is great. Last year I let 4 younger bulls go during the course of the general season.
In range, lay up shots. I couldn't bring myself to shoot them just to fill a tag. I wasn't excited and I felt I would
be slightly under whelmed after walking up on another raghorn. For me it's cow/spike or big 6 point.

I tagged my one big bull in mid October, still with the cows. He bugled once. That's different and not predictable during rifle.
Of course the best time is during the rut, but I prefer my rifle, glassing and colder weather.

It seems like the only way to find these sanctuaries is time in the saddle during the season. I'm not sure if pre season scouting helps like for mule deer.
Then couple that with 5+ year old bulls in OTC units never exiting the timber. Man it's tough, but I really wanna get better at it. Kaitum and Greenhorn are beasts.

What's been your experience with killing or locating big bulls after they leave the cows?

 

[Muley_Stalker]

Find the nastiest, crappy terrain and still hunt it. The older bulls don't want to be bothered and are resting up from the rut.

 

[mtmuley]

Ask greenhorn. mtmuley

 

[squirrel]

First you have to hunt a unit that actually has those bulls, in today's otc many do not, (depends on what state or unit you call home) no matter how smart they may be they just cannot remain that lucky that long. Spend serious amounts of time on the winter range to find out. In many dau's in CO you may be after literally one of 0-10 bulls total for many square miles of unit. In many you are after one of none, a tough job, even for a mighty nimrod.

Since you specify post rut...

Hunt late, hunt deep. The back country empties out when it is -10 and 30" deep and you need both. Hunt above (behind) the girls and you are generally looking for 1-3 elk max and they don't like daylight. It will test you to be where you need to be at the time you have to be there under the conditions that make it work. When that sun goes down and it drops 30 degrees in 30 minutes it is REALLY easy to start back towards the tent.

In reality you need to start searching for the "free meat" in other states/units but if you want what you state you want this is your best bet.

 

[Duck-Slayer]

Solid advice Squirrel!
Matt

 

[ida homer]

First you have to hunt a unit that actually has those bulls, in today's otc many do not, (depends on what state or unit you call home) no matter how smart they may be they just cannot remain that lucky that long. Spend serious amounts of time on the winter range to find out. In many dau's in CO you may be after literally one of 0-10 bulls total for many square miles of unit. In many you are after one of none, a tough job, even for a mighty nimrod.

Good point. Idaho is probably similar, although I'd guess a little better age class than CO, but not by much.
That's a serious needle in a haystack.

Do any of you think that these bulls are all the way back up to the summer range in November? That rocky, cliffy, nasty stuff at the top.
Do they risk that 2-3 feet of snow vs. the orange army in the lower to mid elevations?

 

[Kaitum]

Then couple that with 5+ year old bulls in OTC units never exiting the timber. Man it's tough, but I really wanna get better at it. Kaitum and Greenhorn are beasts.

Greenhorn knows what he's doing. I just got lucky. However, as squirrel pointed out, I think there is something to hunting 'above the girls' at times. I killed my bull in an area where there are lots of cows (and bulls) down low. They're very visible and get lots of attention during the season by guys hunting the edges of the private / public border. I found my bull a couple miles above the big herds, up in the high elevation stuff you have to work a lot harder to access.

 

[squirrel]

Do any of you think that these bulls are all the way back up to the summer range in November? That rocky, cliffy, nasty stuff at the top.
Do they risk that 2-3 feet of snow vs. the orange army in the lower to mid elevations?
[/QUOTE]


Generally not snow does not lie, no tracks = no elk. But if they have "line of sight " to where they are going to end up I have found it to be possible, up to around 20-24". There seems to be a point at around that level which gets their attention.

-20 and 30" is ideal -- of the two I've found the 30" to be more important. Digging and eating just plain takes more time than just eating alone, forcing daytime movement.

Of course you could just learn to value a nice 'big bodied" rag! After 30-40 you are able to tell yourself that's all the bigger elk get.

When I was a kid in PA it was common to hear "its an older buck going downhill, look at how huge his body is" What this actually meant was "this deer may be 100# dressed weight and a 1-1/2 yrs old and he was headed to the creek for a drink... Not technically a lie but "spin".

 

[Muley_Stalker]

No tracks mean you haven't found the bull yet. Deep dark timber doesn't get the deep snow that more open areas get. The mature bulls are the last to come down to the winter area.

If you want any bull. Even the youngsters. They can be anywhere and usually come down with the cows.

The old saying........"Elk are where you find them". That will always be true. I may not know where all the elk are but I know where some of them are all the time.

 

[squirrel]

As an un-solicited PS if you do this, and I recommend you do, keep in mind the primary goal. The safe return of you and your animals to fight another day, that -20 degree stuff can really go badly in a hurry when solo way back in, and the bitter taste of frozen to death stock is a stout comeuppance to the sweet moment of getting that big one at darkthirty. voice of experience there...

Of course if very foolish or unlucky you could be doing the "hatchet Jack" impersonation from "Jerimiah Johnson" but if so you will not care who gets your rifle.

It is more of a "quest" or religious experience and should be pursued as such, never to "keep up with the Jones'"

 

[Muley_Stalker]

Which is why I only hunt the muzzleloader season now. Old farts don't do well in deep snow.

 

[Nick_CO]

At a Colorado Ski Area I used to work at I was always amazed when I saw big lone Elk tracks coming out of the backcountry as late as early January, but usually early to mid December depending on snow accumulation each year. There were particular gladed areas on the mountain that needed about 20-30 inches minimum to open to the public and that is usually about when I would see those tracks. These Elk would have been at 10,800 + ft prior to moving down through the ski area. I'm fairly certain these were the bigger bulls in the unit but never did actually see one so its just my theory.

 

[Muley_Stalker]

Old bulls are like old men. We all like solitude.

 

[squirrel]

At a Colorado Ski Area I used to work at I was always amazed when I saw big lone Elk tracks coming out of the backcountry as late as early January, but usually early to mid December depending on snow accumulation each year. There were particular gladed areas on the mountain that needed about 20-30 inches minimum to open to the public and that is usually about when I would see those tracks. These Elk would have been at 10,800 + ft prior to moving down through the ski area. I'm fairly certain these were the bigger bulls in the unit but never did actually see one so its just my theory.

I've seen that same thing on snowmobile trails in early winter. Nothing but a single huge track coming off a south slope hitting that hard packed trail and 3000 ft up and 10 Miles over the divide in a single march, all nocturnal and down the other side to the winter range out of our special use permit area. Never saw one either, of course we were riding the equivalent of a chainsaw. Late bulls are like early bucks, hard yet rewarding if you can pull it off.

 

[ida homer]

There is definitely something to the snow thing.

We've hunted some late bull tags in late November when it was -10F with no snow. We glassed up a few elk, but not a ton.
Without snow I don't see them bed out in the open near as much.

The same tag with 8" of snow and 20F has them out feeding on every other sage hillside and bedded in the open.

 

[Dinkshooter]

I definitely don't know where to find them, but it is always a pleasing thought, on a snowy January day, to think about where some of those big, civilization hating pricks are eking out a living even right now. Love them suckers, even if only in daydreams.

 

[88man]

Old bulls are like old men. We all like solitude.

and old whitetails

 

[Muley_Stalker]

and old whitetails

Muley's too.

 

[huntin24/7]

So for you guys that do a lot of post rut rifle elk hunting: I’ve noticed on go hunt and a lot of other sites when researching units for WY and AZ so far that about 90% of the comments about every unit is pretty much how each unit sucks. My elk hunting is limited to bow and cow hunting the breaks so kind of different hunting. Is this mostly because guys aren’t willing to go far enough off the roads? I have a hard time thinking all these units are as terrible as most comments online are about them.

 

[ida homer]

So for you guys that do a lot of post rut rifle elk hunting: I’ve noticed on go hunt and a lot of other sites when researching units for WY and AZ so far that about 90% of the comments about every unit is pretty much how each unit sucks.

It's because mature bulls are a hell of a lot harder to even get a glimpse of in November and because the conditions can be downright brutal, as mentioned above.

It is sooooooooo much easier to have encounters with big bulls during the rut (still very difficult to kill them) when it's a lot more fun to be out there in 55 degree weather.