Cow Elk Bugling

tuffcrk14

Lil-Rokslider
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Feb 11, 2015
Messages
134
I was on a scouting trip in NW Montana recently and was half asleep and half awake(I sleep like garbage in a tent in bear country). I woke up instantly to a bugle at 1 AM that reverberated down through the drainage I was sleeping in. It sounded like it was right above me a couple hundred feet on a bench, but it was 100% not a bull bugle due to hearing the sound so clearly. I highly doubt it was even a spike, but it was the first time I had ever heard what I’m confident was a cow elk bugling. The best way I can describe the sound was that it didn’t reach a very high or low pitch. It was kind of a roller coaster type sound wave that was right in the middle of high and low. Curious if many people on here who have hunted in the elk woods have A) Heard a cow bugle and B) Practice and use a cow bugle out hunting to any degree of success for getting elk to respond. I had never heard it before and never considered practicing the sound to use for locating elk. Until this scouting trip, I had only heard of cow elk bugling talked about on podcasts with Chris Roe and The Elk Nut.


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I've watched cows bugle when big herds are feeding in open meadows. I assumed it was mother's policing their calves.
 

ShakeDown

WKR
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Dec 20, 2017
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The Rock
I have multiple cows bugling on camera.

But also after assuming a 340”+ bull was a spike in 2020 and getting caught with my pants down… I don’t assume anything anymore.
 

Geewhiz

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Aug 6, 2020
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SW MT
Elk make lots of different noises, both bulls and cows. I do believe I know what you’re talking about, and though it obviously is an elk vocalization, I don’t believe it can be called a bugle.
 
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tuffcrk14

tuffcrk14

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Feb 11, 2015
Messages
134
You bet Cows Bugle! They can sound just like a bull!

ElkNut

Exactly what I heard. It seems like it would be advantageous to practice this sound and use it in the elk woods rather than just using the typical cow/calf sounds to get an educated elk to respond if they become tight lipped.


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Read1t48

WKR
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May 18, 2017
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Oregon
I think bios call this Histrionic personality disorder (HPD) - a mental health condition marked by unstable emotions, a distorted self-image and an overwhelming desire to be noticed. People with HPD often behave dramatically or inappropriately to get attention

Very common in our society today and was probably transferred from human to animal in Yellowstone Park and it’s spreading. My guess is this cow was kicked off Twitter, lost her password to Instagram, and was tired of the bull getting all the attention. Easy fix. Bugle and BE a bull! 🤣

Good video!
 
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Dec 12, 2019
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Colorado, Montana Native
Not saying this is the case, because who really knows unless you saw it happen. I have seen cows kind of bugle and it seemed it was a call to the calves to get your buts home before the street lights come on. It sounds more shrill and is much shorter in duration than a bull from the couple times I have seen/heard it. I've also heard some weird ass bugles that I had to go look at what was making that racket and seen hunters blowing their guts out a tube putting on the sneaky sneak. The most fun was watching two of them bugle at each other across a ravine not able to see each other......they were like forest ninjas.
 
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