What is your favorite "rut" phase to hunt?

[iccyman001]

Pre rut?
Rut?
Post rut?



We have a lot of different hunting styles on here, so what is your favorite \"rut\" to hunt?
Why is that?




My favorite is whatever one I draw

This season will be pre rut with a few days of the rut kicking off. :upthumb:

 

[mtnmutt]

Pre-rut: Opening week. Why? Elk are spread out more. I have more elk encounters this week than others.

Rut may become a close 2nd. This is the first season when I am looking forward to the rut after Muzzleloader ends: last week of season. Why? Last season, I discovered I can hear a bull bugle from a distance due to better right ear hearing and I found a honey hole. If I can hear the bulls, I may now be able to find elk during the rut.

 

[iccyman001]

Pre-rut: Opening week. Why? Elk are spread out more. I have more elk encounters this week than others.

Rut may become a close 2nd. This is the first season when I am looking forward to the rut after Muzzleloader ends: last week of season. Why? Last season, I discovered I can hear a bull bugle from a distance due to better right ear hearing and I found a honey hole. If I can hear the bulls, I may now be able to find elk during the rut.

I like the idea of pre rut too because I could either catch them on their summer patterns or I can pick on bulls who are getting agitated and waiting for the rut to kick off.

 

[JohnFitzgerald]

Pre + rut.

Pre: Play off an elks curiosity or a bulls need to gather cows for breeding.
Rut: Play off an elks curiosity, a bulls need to gather cows for for breeding, or a bulls instinct to keep cows they own.

 

[Swede]

Pre-rut. I have killed most of my elk then.

 

[Zpd307]

I don\'t have a fav yet. I haven\'t hunted or seen the true rut yet...... it always feels like prerut for me.

 

[mainebrdr]

Gary, sounds like you\'re getting home and hunting mixed up! :lol:

 

[Zpd307]

:lol: tim, I have to keep this clean..... so I wont comment :lol: but I am only talking about elk hunting

 

[Jason Balazs]

I have hunted all four weeks and find that the second week of season (Pre) is good, but you can\'t pass that last week (Rut) off. That is my favorite time, for the aspens are changing and the chill has the bulls screaming.

 

[cnelk]

Pre-rut for me.
Where I hunt the weather can have too much of an impact the last week [rut] and I dont like to chance it