newby first rifle season

[kyelkguy]

Went with my brother out to steamboat (Oak Creek area) during last of bow season. Lots of encounters, no elk got within bow range. Wind was terrible, ( 20-30mph) hunting bowls that went east to west. Wind primarly out of west all week, it would catch end of bowls and take the scent right up to the elk..
I have a rifle tag 1st season. Will bulls still respond to cow calls? buggling? decoy"? How and when? We are on 3000 acres of private land.
Drove 22 hours from Kentucky heard my 1st bull bugle. I'm hooked. I'm only sorry I waited 55 years to do this.

We have a Elk herd of 10,000 in Eastern Kentucky. Haven't been lucky enough to draw a tag yet.

[Indian Summer]

In a nutshell.... no. I know places where bulls bugle pretty late but calling them in gun isn't very productive. If they are calling I'd keep quiet and move in. Plan A then is glassing/spot and stalk or still hunting with eyes and ears wide open.

That Kentucky tag is a dream tag! Good luck.

[under H2O hunter]

In a nutshell.... no. I know places where bulls bugle pretty late but calling them in gun isn't very productive. If they are calling I'd keep quiet and move in. Plan A then is glassing/spot and stalk or still hunting with eyes and ears wide open.

That Kentucky tag is a dream tag! Good luck.

Don't take this personal. But you couldn't be any more from the truth... I personally hunt unit 14 both during archery season and 1st rifle season. I have called just as many bulls in during 1st rifle season there as I do during bow season.. The unit usually has a late rut as the weather in past years has been hot and dry. But even when its not you most certainly can call both bulls and cows in close enough to shoot with a gun. Will you get them to come into bow range during gun season well that depends on your ability to call and the elks willingness to check you out. Last year (2012) I called 9 elk into me. Putting a 6x6 down at 40 yards. In (2011) I called a whole herd in and my ex-girlfriend dropped a small bull and my son got a few shots off at the herd bull but missed.(2010 didn't need to call) (Don't remember 2009-2006) In (2005) I called a 6x6 in that my dad missed when his bullet didn't discharge cause he didn't seat the bullet. 20min later I called a rag horn 4x4 into the exact same spot and my dad dropped it. So I think calling elk in during 1st rifle season is very effective.

If you call the DOW they will tell you that the reason there is a two week lay off between the bow season and the 1st rifle season is because that's the peak of the rut. And they don't want elk disturbed during that period. So if that's the case it would only make sense that elk will respond to calls after the peak just like they respond to them before the peak. Yes the amount of elk you can call in after the peak will start to tail off as bulls get tired or just exhausted from rutting all month. But it's more possible then you are giving credit for. Cow elk talk all year long and they are a herd animal so they will come and investigate your calls even if they don't make a sound when coming to check.

[ElkNut1]

Doug, be prepared for any & all situations! Can you expect bulls to be talking? Hard to say, a lot depends on the pressure in your area previous to your getting there as well as present pressure by other hunters. Getting away from pressure by hunters or hunting hidey holes known to few will up your odds to hear bulls bugling in Oct. Yes, rutting can & most likely will occur during your hunt, find those areas with little pressure & your odds will increase in finding bugling bulls.

Being prepared means ready to use your glassing skills & calling skills to locate elk. During rifle seasons I use sounds to locate elk not call them to me no more than I try to call them to me with binos! (grin) If you locate a direction where elk are through calling then shut down the calling & get over to them pronto, your odds are good as you head into the wind to get within range of the herd or single bull, use your binos as you get closer to see them before they see you. Good luck!

ElkNut1