Does anyone have success bugling for bulls during 3rd season?

[GJgo]

I'm wondering what others have experienced when hunting elk in early November. Usually during 3rd season, all the elk we see are dead quiet- unless they're herded up & on the move. We've always just used a cow call to get them to stop if we see them but we've not really had any success calling them in. We're on public land & the elk are very wary.

This year we have a lot of bull tags in camp, it's been harder to get a cow tag the last few years. Kicking around the idea of taking a bugle in, but not sure if it's worthwhile?

 

[CoRoMo]

Never hunted that late, sorry.

I like the 2nd season. Last year's herd was the largest I've ever seen. Several bulls in there and they were bugling like mad, or at least one of them was. The cows were chirping back and forth like crazy too. I only had cow tags so I filled both at 7:30am on opening morning.

...it's been harder to get a cow tag the last few years.

Where?

The units I hunt have leftover cow tags that never completely sell out, ever.



She's the first one I popped. The herd cooled back down and I was able to put another cow in the snow within a minute or two of this one. Yep, hauled them both out whole in that deep snow!

 

[GJgo]

I hunt out of Pagosa. Years ago cow tags were 0-1 preference points. Then it was 1-2 points. The last few years it's been 2-3 points. Everyone I hunt with is there for meat so we all put in for cow every year. Where are these mythical cow-plethora units you speak of?

 

[CoRoMo]

Other end of the state.

If you'll check the leftover list when it comes out near the first of August, you'll see what units have the largest elk populations, or at least the populations that the DoW wants thinned the most (there might be a difference).

If you were to draw a vertical line through Rangley from Wyoming down to I-70, and then another vertical line through Yampa, also from Wyoming down to I-70, you'd have a block of units that carry huge leftover tag numbers every year. Some of those units still have hundreds upon hundreds of leftover cow tags available. Although some of those units' leftover tags have dwindled down and are nearing zero at this point in the season, some won't sell out of their LO tags.

And there are a lot of other places to hunt with great quantities of leftovers always available. Checking the leftover list on the first day it comes available is key, and buying a leftover, or two, every year is infinitely easier than trying to build pref-points and hoping to draw a cow tag.

Build the pref-points for the big bull in the choicest unit. Buy the leftover tags across the Walmart counter for the cow meat.

Good luck this year!

 

[GJgo]

True, I see what you mean. I've hunted up in the Meeker area a couple times but I find myself spending most of my time just trying to find some good public land to hunt on. I don't have time to go scouting these days or else I'm sure more success could be had there.

 

[elkhunterCO]

Every year is different. I have heard elk bugling a lot in third season, other years they are quiet by first season, just depends.
I have called elk in with a bugle when all the bulls are quiet, and also scared all the bulls off with a bugle when they were all bugling like crazy.