Oct 1st, to call or not to call....

[Bobbyboe]

This fall I'll be going on my first elk hunt. The season opens October 1st in a LQ unit with 100 rifle tags. The hunt will be in NW Wyoming in grizzly country. I've been in this unit before for mule deer, but not elk, so the area and terrain is familiar. I haven't hunted it in early October before though. If you had the tag, would you pack calls? What type of rutting and vocal activity should be expected in the beginning of October in northern WY?

Appreciate it guys!

 

[wytx]

Cow call and bear spray.

 

[Bobbyboe]

Cow call and bear spray.

Yup, bear spray will be coming along!

 

[Gapmaster]

I can’t speak for NW Wyoming. I’m a bow hunter generally but have made a few early Rifle hunts In first week of October and the bulls were still bugling fairly well. I wouldn’t go on any elk hunt without my calls personally.

 

[Ucsdryder]

There’s one way to find out if it’ll work! Reality is you’ll probably have a good chance of calling in both. Using that logic you have to decide if it’s worth it.

 

[Bobbyboe]

Up

 

[Huntnnw]

I have seen some of the most unreal rut activity in first week of October. On 4 occasions where I had seen and heard bulls going ballistic in first week more than any September hunt I have been on. Just last year in ID on Oct 13 we had bulls screaming non stop

 

[txhunter581]

I don’t think there is any question that week would be a great time to use calls. Unless hot weather shuts them down, they should definitely still be talking. As stated, the question is should you preemptively call in grizzly country. I think I would do more searching and call once I knew there were elk in the area. And less cold calling.

 

[5MilesBack]

I don’t think there is any question that week would be a great time to use calls. Unless hot weather shuts them down, they should definitely still be talking.

I find the opposite to be true........those cold fronts seem to shut them down hard from my experience. I like it when it's hot and dry.

 

[Ross]

Could be very very good calling back in the 80s Idaho otc opened 10/1 as I recall many bulls died this day