Why the rut?

[iccyman001]

So I\'ve hunted two seasons now and they were both early season. The majority of it was late summer patterns with a transition into the pre rut phase.

In this time I noticed that I was able to get into certain bulls easier. Basically ones that I had been keeping tabs on all summer.


So it got me wondering why so many people focus on the rut? I\'m my hunting experience I have found that more often than not, the big boys that I may have been keeping tabs on then disappear to go dog cows or does.


So what is your reasoning for hunting the rut?
Thrill of calling in Bulls? Thrill of challanging Bulls? Just the complete craziness that ruts tends to bring in the woods?
Or do you just like the simple fact that animals may slip up more during day light hours while they are chasing?



Thoughts?

 

[Swede]

I hunt the rut because it comes during the archery season. I begin the first day and stay until I kill an elk. I actually prefer the early season, but the rut is good too.

 

[cohunter14]

Gotta remember that not everyone has the time to spend in the woods that you do Dan If I was able to keep tabs on a bull during the summer, then I would definitely want to go after them right away in the season. My guess would be that most people who hunt the rut want to hunt vocal elk. After all, finding the elk is at least half the battle. Much easier to find them when they are giving away their location.

 

[Deertick]

My guess is that Bulls are more VOCAL during the rut.

My guess is that some people see \"vocal\" as synonymous with \"huntable\" based either on histry, hunting style, or some mistaken idea.

As they say, you first have to FIND the elk to HUNT the elk, so I can see the logic, particularly for people traveling to areas they can\'t scout prior to the season.

In other words, I think you answered your own question. You found CERTAIN BULLS easier to find. Which ones? The ones you scouted all summer.

 

[Tdiesel]

John and Derek nailed it. It is the Vocal aspect of it. a lot of people don\'t scout thoughly (stomping or riding around the woods the day before season isn\'t truly scouting) whether they live out of state or laziness it doesn\'t matter. if they can have the elk give away their location from bugling and being vocal, lack of scouting doesn\'t matter you have an instant location of elk. finding elk is a major part of the hunt. For me I personally could care less what season it is I have killed elk from Aug. 25th to Nov.15th and almost any day in between. I do a lot of hiking though and usually have a pretty good Idea of where some elk are hanging around.

 

[cnelk]

To hear bugling where I hunt is a real treat. Rut or no rut.
I have \'patterned\' the elk enough to know when they are over there, or over here at most given times of September.

I drank the \'WT rut Kool-aid\' this fall.
I had a couple great spots and didnt take them very serious \'early\' because I was waiting for the magical rut.
Looking back, I will now probably hunt WT more seriously BEFORE the rut.

 

[WW]

Dan: Let me sum it up in two words. PURE EXCITEMENT !!!!!!

 

[JohnFitzgerald]

I hunt the rut because for those few days the instinct to breed can outweigh the survival instinct. One more tool in my bag of tricks.

 

[Guest]

Im gonna give my reasons for not preferring the rut instead.
1. There is one thing in the woods that is more vocal than elk in the rut, and that is other hunters. In the early season most hunters seem to just use their bugles occasionally to see if they can locate a bull. During the rut I think some hunters over do it and IMO can do more harm than good. I got a buddy that kept calling in other hunters during the rut.
2. Hunter saturation in an area. In my state the early season is 14 days, and the second hunt is 7 days. Both hunts give out the same amount of tags. It seems to me in 14 day hunt the pressure gets spread out a little more.

 

[Deertick]

Im gonna give my reasons for not preferring the rut instead.
1. There is one thing in the woods that is more vocal than elk in the rut, and that is other hunters. In the early season most hunters seem to just use their bugles occasionally to see if they can locate a bull. During the rut I think some hunters over do it and IMO can do more harm than good. I got a buddy that kept calling in other hunters during the rut.
2. Hunter saturation in an area. In my state the early season is 14 days, and the second hunt is 7 days. Both hunts give out the same amount of tags. It seems to me in 14 day hunt the pressure gets spread out a little more.

Makes sense to me.

 

[otcWill]

X2 to what Swede said. I hunt because the season is open. If I had to pick a window to kill a big bull, I\'d plan my trip prior to the 20th of Sept. I feel that from about Sept.5-12 (give or take) is when the real big boys are most vulnerable to their own curiosity. If I had to pick dates to kill any elk I\'d hunt after the 15th because they are usually bugling better. That said, the best days for bugling in my OTC area this year were Sept. 4 and 5. We heard over 100 bugles that day. Absolutely nothing set in stone in terms of \"rules of elk huntn\". There are only guidelines and the versatile/adaptive elk hunter is a successful one

 

[Guest]

I\'m with Bill on this one !!

The thrill of having that bull come screaming into your calls. Eyes rolled back in his head and slobber dripping profusely from his mouth and nostrils !! Standing mere feet bellowing out a challenge lipbawl !!!!

whhhheeewww I\'m fired up just talking about it !! Everything else fails in comparison !

Trav

 

[elky McElkerson]

just like prom night..the rut turns the bulls stupid?

first time a bull looked in my direction and screamed..i about leaked into my shorts. it was truly addicting.

 

[Bowfreak]

There is something about hunting the rut for any species that makes it exciting. That being said....I would hunt elk in Juvember if it was legal and I could kill one then.

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

 

[elky McElkerson]

There is something about hunting the rut for any species that makes it exciting. That being said....I would hunt elk in Juvember if it was legal and I could kill one then.

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

perfect point!!

what is it about a strutting turkey that turns me to goo? i see turkeys everyday and i\'m fine. that \"bloonge\" sound and the puffed out plummage. ..wow. i get all googly eyed.

 

[Bowfreak]

There is something about hunting the rut for any species that makes it exciting. That being said....I would hunt elk in Juvember if it was legal and I could kill one then.

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

perfect point!!

what is it about a strutting turkey that turns me to goo? i see turkeys everyday and i\'m fine. that \"bloonge\" sound and the puffed out plummage. ..wow. i get all googly eyed.

I normally shoot hens in the fall with my bow when deer hunting. I don\'t really have a desire to shoot a gobbler in the fall. The thought of shooting one that won\'t be around in the spring always keeps me from doing it. There is nothing like pledging an oath to your decoys to defend them from all attackers. :mg:

 

[Zpd307]

Im gonna give my reasons for not preferring the rut instead.
1. There is one thing in the woods that is more vocal than elk in the rut, and that is other hunters. In the early season most hunters seem to just use their bugles occasionally to see if they can locate a bull. During the rut I think some hunters over do it and IMO can do more harm than good. I got a buddy that kept calling in other hunters during the rut.
2. Hunter saturation in an area. In my state the early season is 14 days, and the second hunt is 7 days. Both hunts give out the same amount of tags. It seems to me in 14 day hunt the pressure gets spread out a little more.

aaron, you nailed it! the rut holds no favors after this year..... :downthumb:

 

[JohnFitzgerald]

I think that terrain, hunting pressure, and behavior of the elk determine why hunters like/dislike the rut.

Example, for the area Swede hunts, the rut has no additional value. Trust me, I\'ve tried! :lol:

Flip side, many camps around me eat tag soup because the hunters don\'t take advantage of the bugling bulls. Which I\'m ever so happy to slip in after them and punch a tag.

Brad on the other hand kills big bulls with simple cold calling tactics. We take immature bulls this way, but rarely get the big boys to bit.

So I say hunt your honey holes with tactics that produce the best results. Time of year as a hard set rule.....meh!

 

[iccyman001]

I normally shoot hens in the fall with my bow when deer hunting. I don\'t really have a desire to shoot a gobbler in the fall. The thought of shooting one that won\'t be around in the spring always keeps me from doing it. There is nothing like pledging an oath to your decoys to defend them from all attackers. :mg:

\"There is nothing like pledging an oath to your decoys to defend them from all attackers.\"


haha this is gold!