KaibabHunter Report post Posted September 13, 2010 Seein elk and a couple good bulls - all through the binos mostly. Chased 3 buglin bulls opening morning. I've heard 2 since. Seen bulls nosin cows a little but the rut seems farther off in my unit than hoped. Based on some other posts seems like the rut is red hot in some areas but dead where I'm at. Anybody else seeing this? (posting from camp) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coach Report post Posted September 13, 2010 Don't know what unit you are in, but in Unit 1 the rut is starting off pretty strong. Lots of bugling in the early morning. Not much mid day or evenings. Best of luck to you. It will get better. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KaibabHunter Report post Posted September 13, 2010 Sorry 6A South. I sure hope it gets better. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chompy Report post Posted September 13, 2010 4a is kinda of slow as well first 30 minutes and last thirty minutes are the only times to here them have passed 8 bulls on water hole in 3 days Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KaibabHunter Report post Posted September 13, 2010 Well I'll try to give a play by play of my hunt from here out: still no bugles but I did glass up 7 bulls feeding towards bed about 1.5 miles. Spikes, rags, sm 5 pt and sm 6 pt. 10 minutes later glassed up my big bull with his 3 cows and put them to bed. Guess him in the 330-340 class - biggest bull on this spot. 30 minutes later something spooks em and the start our way kinda from almost2 miles out. Lose em and pick em up again 3/4 mile out. Looks like their gonna push across the backside of the next ridge over. So I take off runnin to cut em off leaving my dad on the hill to watch em and give hand signals. Get in the general area in about 15-20 minutes. Wind is wrong but could work depending on where they're at. Still hunt through the pontine and set up a couple times given out some lost cow calls hoping I can entice em in. No luck. Couldn't glass my pops up on the hill and he lost memos the hand signals didn't work. Made my way back nice and slow. Pops said they calmed down and he thinks they bedded within a couple hundred yards of where I saw them when I took off but we can't glass em up. From the looks of it I was probably 2-300 yards from em and they didn't spook. There's a tank they hit after dark 2 days ago and after pushin his cows at a trot 1.5 milsnwe figure they may get thirsty today. We'll b near they tAnk hoping for him or the other bulls to come by. Slowly but surely starting to put a game plan together. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bohunr Report post Posted September 13, 2010 4B is doing better than normal. Bugling from night through about 9 or 10 AM. Chased some heards and called in a few raghorns but nothing so far. New job and I'm only able to hunt 2-3 day weekends for my bull. Still lots of feed and water everywhere, there should be some awesome bulls taken this year. I'll be hurting the next couple of days trying to recooperate from all the hiking and chasing. It's amazing how much country a fat and out of shape guy can cover with those bulls screaming at each other as your chasing them. LOL Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ultramag Report post Posted September 13, 2010 it will be hit and miss from day to day. Last year there were days in 6a south where the rut seemed to be going strong, next day there would be nothing. I found if you locate bulls, they will stay in the same area, just for some reason they will be silent one day or maybe a couple days in a row, then one morning you will wake up and they will be all around you bugling like crazy, pushin cows, etc. Then the next day they will be silent again. Good luck to you... I had the same thing happen a few years ago. I think a hot cow came in heat the bulls could smell her and got all fired up, then she got bread then we waited for another cow to come into heat then the bulls would got nuts again. I don't know how long the cows stay in heat but that was the only way I could make any sense of it. The weather was about the same nothing really changed but the bulls would be hit or miss on the rutting activity. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KaibabHunter Report post Posted September 14, 2010 Evening Sep 13th: well it got a little better tonight! Even though there hasn't been much if any sign on the tanks Chompy inspired me to give it a try. we decided to sit a tank in the middle of a 3 spot triangle where we've been glassin bulls with the hope they'd come in or at least b nearby to make a move on. Around 6 my dad was gettin ansy and wanted to still hunt - he's not used to sittin without movin for hours. I told him well move out at 6:30. At 6:15 I said screw it let's go. As I'm putting on my pack I freeze cause there's a wicked double beamed non typical standing at the gate 66 yards awAy- we were busted. So we set back up and here a couple bugles not far away. The 7 bulls we glassed this morning showed up. 3 spikes and a rag cross the fence and water - I pass. I think my dad is tellin me there's a big bull at water that came in from the other side. I sneak up the berm and it's just the little guys. 150 yards out with light fading fast and exposed on the berm I see the 2 bigger bulls of the group comin in. I have them At 52 yards but pass on the shot cause I wouldn't see where my arrow hit. I back off the berm and we wait 30 minutes to let them clear out. On the way back near camp a new bull is buglin and still is now. Maybe we can actually start chasin bugles in the morning! U can bet we'll b sittin that tank again too. My big bull still needs to take his cows to water. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kaibabkiller Report post Posted September 14, 2010 The area in 4a Im helping my buddy hunt the bulls are kickin off from well after dark until around 9 am. We're just bugling to locate the bulls, there not coming to bugles or cow calls. We have actually spooked off nice bulls trying to close the distance with calls. It has taken a few days to dial it in. Good Luck. P.S. I cant stand lazy hunters. I've seen hunters on quads/rhinos road hunting on roads that have been closed for 20+ years! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
justinspe25 Report post Posted September 14, 2010 Thanks for the update Ryan. I was looking forward to hearing how it went this evening. Good luck tomorrow. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KaibabHunter Report post Posted September 14, 2010 Even though I'm tempted to sit the tank 1st thing I think we'll glass cause it sounds like some new elk may b coming into the area --- or better yet chase bugles hopefully! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bonecollector Report post Posted September 14, 2010 Good luck and thanks for the updates on your hunt! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
elkhunter Report post Posted September 14, 2010 thats what hunting is all about, getting closer and closer each day! Sounds like you got a good thing running now, be patient and your time will turn! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CouesWhitetail Report post Posted September 14, 2010 Thanks for the updates KaibabHunter! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tjhunt2 Report post Posted September 14, 2010 Evening Sep 13th: well it got a little better tonight! Even though there hasn't been much if any sign on the tanks Chompy inspired me to give it a try. we decided to sit a tank in the middle of a 3 spot triangle where we've been glassin bulls with the hope they'd come in or at least b nearby to make a move on. Around 6 my dad was gettin ansy and wanted to still hunt - he's not used to sittin without movin for hours. I told him well move out at 6:30. At 6:15 I said screw it let's go. As I'm putting on my pack I freeze cause there's a wicked double beamed non typical standing at the gate 66 yards awAy- we were busted. So we set back up and here a couple bugles not far away. The 7 bulls we glassed this morning showed up. 3 spikes and a rag cross the fence and water - I pass. I think my dad is tellin me there's a big bull at water that came in from the other side. I sneak up the berm and it's just the little guys. 150 yards out with light fading fast and exposed on the berm I see the 2 bigger bulls of the group comin in. I have them At 52 yards but pass on the shot cause I wouldn't see where my arrow hit. I back off the berm and we wait 30 minutes to let them clear out. On the way back near camp a new bull is buglin and still is now. Maybe we can actually start chasin bugles in the morning! U can bet we'll b sittin that tank again too. My big bull still needs to take his cows to water. After many years of sitting water on my hunts and helping others with their first hunts I can tell you thru experience, getting out of your stand with a little shooting light left isn't the right thing to do. I've gone thru your situation many times before I learned my lesson. Patience is the key and most of the hunters that have shared my camp can tell you the last few minutes have been the most successful time over the years. If you try and get out with a little light left you probably won't have enough time to complete a stalk not mentioning disturbing what they think is a save period of the day for watering. If they come in and you don't have enough shooting light then sit there and be quiet. Let them drink. If you have to sit there for an hour after dark then be it. If they continue to stay much longer I usually rub the tree lightly or make a bird call from the blind to get their attention but not before an hour or so. The longer you sit quietly the better your changes will be the next night for success. Good luck and continue keeping us posted how it's going. TJ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
