September elk; which week and why

[Rsully661]

Ok so I’m going to Idaho for a September elk hunt, initially planning for 14th-24th. Reason for is the equinox and supposedly the preceding week supposed to be the best time, this is only what I’ve read, mind you this is my first elk hunt. But the herd bulls are with cows by then and harder to kill????? The other theory is before they get harems and easier to call in so I was considering going the 7th-16th.
So what are you guys planning on doing and what’s your reasoning behind it?
For alittle preface I’m being told my unit is more open than most as compared to cover, spending more time in the open sage areas as I believe to be more defensible to wolves/ predation.


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[FlyGuy]

Pretty hard to call in bulls in open sage country. There is no right time. Just go when you can go and work with what you find once you get there. They should be bugling on any of those dates you listed. I do think there is more and more hunting pressure as September wears on. Less pressure, less rut activity. More pressure, more rut activity. Pick your poison. There is no right answer.

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[Rsully661]

Pretty hard to call in bulls in open sage country. There is no right time. Just go when you can go and work with what you find once you get there. They should be bugling on any of those dates you listed. I do think there is more and more hunting pressure as September wears on. Less pressure, less rut activity. More pressure, more rut activity. Pick your poison. There is no right answer.

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Wouldn’t less pressure equal more rut activity?



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[idahohikker]

There's a million threads on this. Two main schools of thought: around the equinox for peak rut or Sept 10-15ish before big bulls are all hardened up.

 

[Ross]

Later in the month tends to equate to more intense bugling and bugling that can go on at all times of the day. This added bugling helps to find bulls but can also foster rutting activity to help in calling in a rutted up bull or satellite that is hot to trot the elk will breed about the same time each year for the region regardless of what we think may happen and bugling can be great or weak no matter what we do. Have several options with the more open terrain providing the option of glassing and calling may not be needed or the best option depending on competition and bugling activity. Have plenty of days afield stay positive, have options and always be ready ....good luck and have fun For me I like to focus on the days around the 20th and later for the bulls to give away their location but I hunt timber.

 

[Riles1050]

14-24 sounds like a good time to me. Best of both worlds. Later in the rut more bulls are bugling, however it’s harder to call bulls away from cows. Pre-rut bulls are easier to call in in my opinion but talk less and will often come in silent. Remember moon phase does not effect when the rut takes place but might increase the rut activity at night which would decrease it during the day. Spend a few nights out at the bottom of drainages (3-5 in the morning) location bugling. Once they respond quit calling a move on. Make an educated decision on which bull you want to go after based off their bugle and be in position before light.

 

[FlyGuy]

No. (I don't want to come off sounding like an expert. Many here know far more than me, but this is my opinion).

The rut dates are determined by the amount of sunlight, like you mentioned in your post, regardless of pressure. But, it may be more quiet rut activity due to pressure. Or more nocturnal.

Everyone has read that late September is peak rut, so that's when everyone wants to go. But, if there are a ton of hunters running around it can be pretty dang quiet for peak rut, and that can make it pretty dang hard to kill a bull. Conversely, Early season typically has fewer hunter numbers and while the elk are not as spooky yet and still in their normal patterns, they aren't torching off on their own yet so it makes it pretty dang hard to kill a bull.

What I'm saying is that there is no right answer. (Other than drawing a LE tag) There is no "best" week. They all have their advantages and their challenges and you have to work with what your given when you get there. It's no different than choosing an OTC unit. No right answer. Some have 1500 hunters in archery season and you are bumping into hunters 3x per day, while other units only have 100 archers and you probably won't see another sole your entire trip . The one with 1500 has that many for good reason, there are a lot of elk in there. And the one with 100 has so few for good reason too, because there aren't a lot of elk in there. It's equally as hard to put a bull on the ground in either unit, just for different reasons. There is no right answer. Most aren't that extreme, but the point is there are elk in every unit, your hunt is not going to be "make or break" over picking the right one. Just pick the unit, or the week, that appeals to you the most and go with it. And when you get up there and things just arent going as well as you had hoped - b/c that is going to happen i promise you - Don't slip into thinking that it would have been better if only you had chosen to go the other week. Your brain will and tell you that. Don't listen. If you do you'll start believing that this is pointless and impossible and the next thing you know you will be back in your truck and headed home 4 days early.

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[Rsully661]

No. (I don't want to come off sounding like an expert. Many here know far more than me, but this is my opinion).

The rut dates are determined by the amount of sunlight, like you mentioned in your post, regardless of pressure. But, it may be more quiet rut activity due to pressure. Or more nocturnal.

Everyone has read that late September is peak rut, so that's when everyone wants to go. But, if there are a ton of hunters running around it can be pretty dang quiet for peak rut, and that can make it pretty dang hard to kill a bull. Conversely, Early season typically has fewer hunter numbers and while the elk are not as spooky yet and still in their normal patterns, they aren't torching off on their own yet so it makes it pretty dang hard to kill a bull.

What I'm saying is that there is no right answer. (Other than drawing a LE tag) There is no "best" week. They all have their advantages and their challenges and you have to work with what your given when you get there. It's no different than choosing an OTC unit. No right answer. Some have 1500 hunters in archery season and you are bumping into hunters 3x per day, while other units only have 100 archers and you probably won't see another sole your entire trip . The one with 1500 has that many for good reason, there are a lot of elk in there. And the one with 100 has so few for good reason too, because there aren't a lot of elk in there. It's equally as hard to put a bull on the ground in either unit, just for different reasons. There is no right answer. Most aren't that extreme, but the point is there are elk in every unit, your hunt is not going to be "make or break" over picking the right one. Just pick the unit, or the week, that appeals to you the most and go with it. And when you get up there and things just arent going as well as you had hoped - b/c that is going to happen i promise you - Don't slip into thinking that it would have been better if only you had chosen to go the other week. Your brain will and tell you that. Don't listen. If you do you'll start believing that this is pointless and impossible and the next thing you know you will be back in your truck and headed home 4 days early.

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I was just trying to better understand the schools of thought, take peoples opinion and make a informed decision. Hunter pressure will not be an issue due to my unit being LE and only 10 total archery tags. So I greatly appreciate your passion and opinion, just wanted to hear both sides of the story. This will be my first elk hunt so would like to gather as much information. Definitely won’t be heading back to the truck early unless tagged out.



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[FlyGuy]

I was just trying to better understand the schools of thought, take peoples opinion and make a informed decision. Hunter pressure will not be an issue due to my unit being LE and only 10 total archery tags. So I greatly appreciate your passion and opinion, just wanted to hear both sides of the story. This will be my first elk hunt so would like to gather as much information. Definitely won’t be heading back to the truck early unless tagged out.



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Ah.. I must have missed the part about the LE tag. I was assuming it was OTC. Hope I didn't come off as bossy. Judging from your response it sounds like I did and If so it wasn't my intent. I was just making the point that there are plusses and minuses to each week. Trade odds. Generally speaking, I kinda like the 10th thru 20th on any given year. Some early/pre-rut time, some time while it's more likely to be heated up. More pressure towards the second half of the hunt, but hopefully I'm into elk by then and can still figure out how and where to find them when they get quiet.

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[David Gough]

With a LE tag like that you may be able to still pull herd bulls away from cows. Depends on the bull to cow ratio, etc. What state?

 

[Rsully661]

With a LE tag like that you may be able to still pull herd bulls away from cows. Depends on the bull to cow ratio, etc. What state?

Idaho, unit 44


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