What is the general message?

J

JohnFitzgerald

New member
Mar 31, 2014
1,108
My last post was about advanced elk calling tactics. BUT....I think the elk language is very simple. Advanced tactics does not mean the elk language is a complicated. So what do you the general message this bull is expressing?

Dominance, announcement, challenging?

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Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe he is getting ready for the rut or it has started without him. The chuckle at the end of the one bugle is for gathering cows.
 
\"Swede\" said:
Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe he is getting ready for the rut or it has started without him. The chuckle at the end of the one bugle is for gathering cows.
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I\'ve heard two theories on chuckles:

1) They are an invitation to join.
2) An expression of dominance.

I think both have very legitimate claims. What do others think?
 
Tough to say ... I\'ve interpreted chuckles as adding emotional intensity to whatever else was going on prior to them.

And by \"whatever else\" I don\'t mean only bugles, but also non-verbal communication, so chuckles sometimes come on their own.

When I hear chuckles, I think \"This is an elk who is ready to do something.\" We hope it means he\'s ready to come to our set-up, but it could also mean that he\'s ready to move out, or to breed, or to fight. He\'s not ready to just lounge around in his bed or graze. He\'s got past the point where he is comfortable with non-verbal communication, and he\'s getting close to the point of taking some sort of action.
 
Advertising bugle. He wants to find some ladies. Blow a few cow calls at this guy and I bet he would come in on a string.
 
I have had a bull just chuckle to me when I was slowly walking and giving off cow calls every couple of minutes. I was sure he was trying to get me to come to him. That was late morning in mid September.
 
\"Swede\" said:
I have had a bull just chuckle to me when I was slowly walking and giving off cow calls every couple of minutes. I was sure he was trying to get me to come to him. That was late morning in mid September.
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Same for the area I hunt, rarely do bulls come in on just cow calls. They will bugle and scream at your cow calls all day but will not come in! Best bet, get the bull interested in the new cow then give the impression she\'s not able to come(ie hooked by another bull).
 
Swede wrote:
I have had a bull just chuckle to me when I was slowly walking and giving off cow calls every couple of minutes. I was sure he was trying to get me to come to him. That was late morning in mid September.


Same for the area I hunt, rarely do bulls come in on just cow calls. They will bugle and scream at your cow calls all day but will not come in! Best bet, get the bull interested in the new cow then give the impression she\'s not able to come(ie hooked by another bull).
Click to expand...

It depends on the bull and the area. If I\'m not mistaken, this video is around Rocky Mountain National Park. Believe it or not, this may be a satellite bull or one that is becoming a herd bull competitor. We will never know until we call to him but if I saw this scenario while hunting, I would bet this bull wants cows, not a fight. I think he would come into cow call, but if you blew anything more than a spike squeal he would stay back, talk big and try to intimidate the other bull (you) into leaving your cows.
 
Andy, You see the situation the same as I do. The things I pick up on are the dried out vegetation, hardened antlers, no cows in sight. He just looks like a satellite looking for cows, but I doubt he wants one at the expense of a good thrashing by a bigger bull.
 
\"AndyJ\" said:
Swede wrote:
I have had a bull just chuckle to me when I was slowly walking and giving off cow calls every couple of minutes. I was sure he was trying to get me to come to him. That was late morning in mid September.


Same for the area I hunt, rarely do bulls come in on just cow calls. They will bugle and scream at your cow calls all day but will not come in! Best bet, get the bull interested in the new cow then give the impression she\'s not able to come(ie hooked by another bull).
Click to expand...

It depends on the bull and the area. If I\'m not mistaken, this video is around Rocky Mountain National Park. Believe it or not, this may be a satellite bull or one that is becoming a herd bull competitor. We will never know until we call to him but if I saw this scenario while hunting, I would bet this bull wants cows, not a fight. I think he would come into cow call, but if you blew anything more than a spike squeal he would stay back, talk big and try to intimidate the other bull (you) into leaving your cows.
Click to expand...

I\'d think you could get away with sounding like a smaller bull. But one phrase always sticks out in my mind and that is \"Some bulls are lovers and not fighters.\" Jeff - Elk Mountain Gear.
 
I may be off on this but in the beginning it sounds like he is just advertising until he here\'s the other bugle when he is looking down the hill then he gets more challenging with chuckling and his posture.
 
I may be off on this but in the beginning it sounds like he is just advertising until he here\'s the other bugle when he is looking down the hill then he gets more challenging with chuckling and his posture.
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I think he is the one making that groan. I looked at that for a while too. Watch his head and antlers kick back a little like he is bugling when you hear what sounds like another bull.
 
\"AndyJ\" said:
I may be off on this but in the beginning it sounds like he is just advertising until he here\'s the other bugle when he is looking down the hill then he gets more challenging with chuckling and his posture.
Click to expand...

I think he is the one making that groan. I looked at that for a while too. Watch his head and antlers kick back a little like he is bugling when you hear what sounds like another bull.
Click to expand...

What is your thoughts on what a groans means?
 
What is your thoughts on what a groans means?
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Honestly John I have always been at a bit of a loss as to what a groan means. Typically I just think of it as a lazy bugle. I have heard a few bulls that only groan though. We could identify them in the timber because they always had the same groan and they never let out a bugle. Every one of these bulls has been 320 or better and they never left dark timber during daylight.
 
The past few year we\'ve hunted a bull that we labeled \"The Growler\". All he would do is groan and growl at us and he is very large(got a quick glimpse). I\'ve experienced similar with other large bulls

I have thought, but it\'s just an opinion.

A growl is a warning but a groan is the bull expressing is anger that \"you\" are too close. I usually hear groans after casting out a bugle close to the bull. When do you usually hear them?
 
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