Elk: The Herd Bull

Knowing his habits during your hunt.
Steve Chappell

Hello fellow elk fanatics! At the time of this writing, the Arizona archery and early bull hunts have just ended and oh what fun they were. Despite some unpredictable weather and high winds, we still managed to have a fantastic season here in Arizona.

As is the case each year, I am always reminded how challenging hunting elk can be - especially when you are hunting the herd bull. Since tagging the monarch controlling the herd is rarely easy, let’s explore his habits and tendencies during the rut and also during the late-season to try and put the odds in our favor.

As August comes to a close each year, mature bulls have already shed their velvet two to three weeks prior. With a new set of polished, hard antlers and testosterone levels rising each day, bulls become obsessed with establishing dominance and joining up with cow/calf groups. During the first couple of weeks of September, a bull will spend lots of time rubbing trees to darken his antlers and also to mark his area with scent. Due to heightened hormones and traveling activity in search of cows, a herd bull will also frequent water daily to drink and wallow. Most often this will occur during the late evening and night hours, although bulls will also sometimes hit water in the morning before bedding. In areas of dense timber, a bull may also hit a wallow during mid-day if he does not have to travel far and he’s got good cover so that he feels secure to do so.
Rut Hunts

If you are hunting during the first two weeks of September, the bugling activity can be very hit and miss. There is no doubt that a big bull is much more vulnerable when he is aggressive enough to be looking for cows but is not yet with them. Good calling can result in a great bull during this time if done properly. During this period cow calling can work well. Also, bugling and cow calling to simulate a herd that has moved into a bull’s area can peak his interest. The more authentic you sound on the calls, the better your success will be.

Once the middle of September arrives, the big bulls are usually getting pretty “cowed up.” As most of you know, this presents a huge challenge because now the bull has full-time guards on the lookout for him. Other than rare days of absolute rutting insanity, I haven’t seen many cows that will overlook much. The bull seems to realize this and relies heavily on his cows to keep him out of harm’s way. You can use this to your advantage if you are stealthy enough to get close to the herd. Realize that a herd bull’s number one goal is to keep and breed his cows. This causes him to be very possessive and also constantly distracted due to other bulls pestering him in an attempt to steal his cows. Understand that a herd bull’s focus is on jealously guarding what he’s already got. As a result, he will naturally stay very close to his cows. He understands that anytime he leaves them he leaves himself open to another bull cutting in and stealing his cows. My rule of thumb with a herd bull is to not expect him to separate more than 100 yards maximum from his cows and sometimes less in thicker vegetation.

If you are able to position yourself within 75 to 100 yards of a herd bull you dramatically increase your odds of success. Why? Because many times a herd bull will simply make a mistake while moving around to keep his cows rounded up or moving to the outskirts of his herd to bugle at nearby satellite bulls or to rake a tree. Although I love to call and have had great success in calling in many bulls each year, many times in a situation where you are able to sneak in close to a herd your best option is to not call at all. This allows Mr. Big to make a mistake and give you a shot opportunity. If you do call, you’ve still got to be within this 75 to 100-yard “zone” in order for the bull to either want to come check you out as a sexy cow or as a threat if you use bull sounds. If you are too far away and out of “the zone” when you call to a herd bull, he will simply bugle at you but not budge and then eventually the herd will become uneasy and move away from you.

Throughout late September and into October, the scenario will typically remain the same. The big herd bulls will still be herded up and aggressively defending their harems from other bulls. When cows come into estrus, pure rutting insanity is the order of the day. This is what we live for as elk hunters. Usually when this occurs there will be several bulls right in amongst the cows and the bugling will be out of control. During the last two years in Arizona the hardest rutting days that I encountered were October 1st in 2006 and October 3rd of this year. I’m sure this was strictly due to cows being in heat. These hard rutting days will most often occur anytime starting about the 18th of September and continuing into early October. Most of the cows will come into heat and be bred during this ten to fifteen-day window.

When the elk are rutting and out of their mind and you find yourself hunting in a scenario like this, you can never be too aggressive. Be stealthy, but aggressively get in there and infiltrate the herd. Again, calling can work at this time, but it will usually just bring in the younger bulls. This is also a rare time when the cows are typically not as edgy and observant. With all of the noise and movements that they are making, the cows will usually overlook you as well. With cows in heat the satellite bulls get bolder and really put the pressure on the herd bull. He again is vulnerable because he is not only trying to stay with a hot cow, but he is also bugling often and making runs at other bulls in an attempt to ward them off. Use the rutting insanity and herd bull’s jealousy to your advantage. Now is the time to get in there and fill your tag!

Late Hunts

If you have a post-rut hunt, there are some key points to keep in mind to help you succeed. Number one is that the herd bull’s urge to breed has been replaced by an urge to survive and avoid danger. Most big bulls have lost over 100 pounds of body weight due to the rigors of the rut. In order to survive the winter a bull must replenish his body by feeding heavily and not moving a lot since running around burns precious energy.

Big bulls don’t get to be six years and older by standing out in open meadows next to roads during hunting season. Rather, they are usually going to be away from the roads and the hunting pressure where they feel secure to feed and rest. At this time of the season, bulls don’t move much at all unless pressured. This can be a positive or a negative depending on how you see it. If you are able to locate a bull by glassing, he is going to stay very close to where you find him which will allow you to make a stalk into shooting range which plays to your advantage. However, if you are having trouble finding elk this works against you since the big bulls are not running around covering country and potentially bumping into you like they do during the rut.

Basically it boils down to this. On late hunts, you must work hard and hike into areas that most people won’t go. Big bulls are usually going to be a mile or more from the road and on the backsides of mountains, down in canyons or in thick cover (if it’s flat juniper country). Bust your hump to get into areas where the big boys will likely be and then use your optics to find them. The bulls will be feeding several hours during the day and not moving much. Use this to your advantage.

If you are seeing cows and young bulls, move on. Very rarely will a large bull be hanging out with the cows and small bulls during the post-rut. Those same cows that protected the herd bull during the rut are no longer his ally. He knows instinctively to stay away from them in order to survive.

By contrast, the bulls that were the herd bull’s enemies and rivals during the rut are now his friends again. Although bulls don’t always hang out together, it’s not uncommon to see two or more bulls together during the November and December seasons. Many times on late hunts, if you see one mature bull, others will be nearby. I must admit something that happened to me a couple of years ago on a late November hunt. My hunter and I were fortunate enough to hunt hard and kill a 330-inch bull. But, once the shooting ended, an incredible 380 to 390-inch 7×7 materialized. All we could do was watch and admire him. The big 7×7 had actually come from the other side of the ridge when he heard us shooting so I don’t know that we could have done anything differently. Anyway, hindsight is always 20/20!

Well, if you hunted during the rut, I hope that you are now reveling in the memories of the season and already planning for what next year will bring. If you are preparing for your upcoming late-season hunt I wish you the best of luck. Do the things that 90% of the other hunters won’t do and you’ll increase your odds dramatically. Be in shape and as always make your first shot count! Whether you hunt during the rut or the late-season my wish is that these tips will help you succeed on your next elk hunt. See you on the mountain!

Tags: elk, HI33, Steve Chappell

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