Follow cow sightings or bull sign?

C

CP

New member
Aug 23, 2017
4
Hello Elk101 community! First off, I'd just like to say thanks to everyone who posts on this forum for creating a really incredible resource for new elk hunters like myself. This is my first year putting real effort into elk hunting, and I find myself perusing these forums almost daily trying to up my game.


My question for y'all comes from the outcomes of my scouting and opening weekend hunting trip. I have seen small groups of cows and calves at high elevation, but have not yet seen any bulls with those groups. This past weekend I went a 1000 or so feet lower in elevation and finally found some bull sign, mainly rubs and a smallish wallow. I have not heard any bugling start up in my area yet. My next trip out will be a short, 3 day weekend trip from September 15-18, and I am wondering if I should go all the way up where I have been seeing cows, or stay a little lower where I found bull sign? Do the bulls generally go find the cows or do the cows move into a bulls territory? these areas are only a couple miles apart, but the dramatic topography makes them feel like different worlds. Any thoughts on what area to prioritize? 

Thanks for the info, and good luck out there!   
 
Welcome to the forum CP! I would plan on heading where the cows are. Typically the bulls head to the cows, not the other way around. There is a chance the cows will have moved from where they currently are, but I would start there first. During those dates if you find the cows, you will find the bulls!
 
Nothing is 100% for sure when it comes to elk hunting. But 9 times out of 10 where you find cows in August is where the bulls will be in September
 
Thanks for the replies everyone. Makes sense to me to follow the cows. In a broader sense then, would it generally be safe to say that the cows will dictate when the majority of a herd begins to make its seasonal movements down in elevation? I can imagine a situation where most mature cows have been bred and they begin to take their calves 'down the hill' toward winter range while the bulls are still frantically chasing the remaining unbred cows.
 
I didn't manage to get any shot attempts this year, but the bulls had definitely moved up to the area that I had been seeing cows in the early season. The rut still wasnt fully kicked in I don't think, but I had a couple close encounters and thrilled with how things played out and the amount I learned this year. Can't wait until next year, I'll definitely be budgeting my time off for a longer hunt!
 
CP said:
I didn't manage to get any shot attempts this year, but the bulls had definitely moved up to the area that I had been seeing cows in the early season. The rut still wasnt fully kicked in I don't think, but I had a couple close encounters and thrilled with how things played out and the amount I learned this year. Can't wait until next year, I'll definitely be budgeting my time off for a longer hunt!
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Right on.👍 Sounds Like a fun hunt
 
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