When Bulls Meet Cows

[Swede]

We all know bulls run in bachelor bunches in the summer. They seem to get along fine, until their antlers are hard and they rub off the velvety fur on their head gear. When do these bachelor groups break up and when to they meet up with the cows? Also, what are some special tactics, or locations you go to when they are still doing their bachelor thing?

 

[Deertick]

I haven\'t seen groups of bulls together after August. I suspect that they break up earlier than we suspect, but I have no factual basis for that statement, so I\'m looking forward to hearing the others\' answers.

 

[Zpd307]

same here!

 

[JohnFitzgerald]

When I find elk in July-August, they are in small bachelor herds(2-5), extremely large herds(100-300) that contain both cows and bulls, small herds of cows with an occasional first year bull, or lone cows with calf(s). Late August through end of September is a mix of every type of herd possible. There\'s no pattern, So I\'m with Tick on wondering what others have seen?

I\'ve seen, heard, and have taken large bulls in the early season before rut has really kicked off. Some stories usually starts with a simple cow call and the bull just came running in. My theory behind this is the bull has left his bachelor herd and has gone back to the same place he herded the previous year, looking for the same cows he had. These encounters usually lead to a stereotype that all bulls will come running in with simple cow calls. But in reality, just very lucky to have intercepted a bull before he found his previous years herd.

Just my 2-cents.

 

[Stringunner]

I have trail cam picks for several years in a row of bulls rubbing off mid August, this past year the 17th of August was the golden day of hard horned bulls for the most part. I have bachelor groups appearing on camera this year all the way till September 1. This is not uncommon for the area I hunt as I have several years of pictures showing this. I some some groups in 2-3 and others 5-6.

 

[otcWill]

In my areas the big bulls are always solo when the season starts in late Aug. Lil bulls are usually running the show, jumping around kicking and hooking cows, acting like idiots and bugling softly in the early morning. Right around the 10th of Sept. (give or take some days) the big bulls seems to come out of the woodwork to gather up some cows. This transition time has proven very lethal for us on big bulls. I\'ve used advertising bugles mostly to call in the big boys during this time. Early season, I can\'t say I\'ve got much to offer as I never see anything worth shooting until at least Labor day. We rarely even get any nice bulls on cam until after that. I suspect that they are hanging on private ranches being lazy and getting fat until cows heat up but thats just a guess. In terms of where, I hunt the same areas throughout the season. Elk are always there. The big bulls just don\'t show until early-mid Sept.

 

[cnelk]

Im sure everyone has heard the old saying:
\'Two bulls are standing on a hill looking down at a bunch of cows....the young one says....
\"Lets run down there and get a cow!\"
The old bull says \"Lets walk down there and get them all\"

There is a lot of truth to this.
The young bulls are eager and ambitious, but the old bulls really know when the time is right.

That why you will find raghorns with the cows first, then the big boys come in and show them who is the boss.

Find the cows, stay with the cows, and the bull you want to shoot will show up