# Wasatch - where's the rut?



## royalaxation (Aug 2, 2013)

A buddy and I got out Saturday and Sunday. Yeah, Saturday, in the soaking wet morning. We hunted pretty hard that day in the Wasatch. Both of us figured the rut would be in full swing this weekend. My buddy was out two weekends ago and heard 'em talking a bunch, but this weekend we didn't hear a single peep and saw maybe one set of elk prints. Three hours of glassing at dusk last night got us one hear-and-gone-again glimpse of a single, silent immature bull.

Two other guys we ran into who hiked a long [email protected] way, covering lots of prime elk country, said they didn't hear or see anything!

So, what's the consensus? Is the rut over? Is it on and we're missing it? Or has it not started yet?


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## bowhunt3r4l1f3 (Jan 12, 2011)

Nature is nature, those elk will rut no matter what. Prime of the rut is always right along the fall equinox which happened about a week ago. They will continue rutting for the next few weeks. Younger cows generally don't come into heat till later still. The problem lies with the area, not the elk. Those elk are constantly pressured. Sometimes they do call. But overall they are pretty silent in there. Mother nature continues it's course with or without calling.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

You might hear them talking and then again you might not. 

I know of areas in Colorado that hold a lot of elk and you will never hear them bugle and if you do odds are it is another hunter. They have been conditioned to stay quiet.


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## royalaxation (Aug 2, 2013)

Yeah, I hear what you guys are saying, but the thing is: elk in these areas WERE making lots of noise the last couple weeks. Now--nothing. So, whether or not these are pressured elk, they were making noise then, by all accounts, stopped doing so after the recent full moon.


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## middlefork (Nov 2, 2008)

I wasn't on the Wasatch this weekend but not far away and they were still talking pretty good. Watched a nice 6 point with about 20 cows chase off a little rag horn Saturday night.
He looked like he still had the urge


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## TimJ (May 17, 2012)

Perhaps the elk have been educated by Carlton's and Primos? Also, inconsistent wind thermals (last weekend's storm) can cause elk to be quiet. There are many factors that can cause them to move or stop talking, but bowhunt3r4l1f3 is right, the elk are going to continue to rut whether they are calling or not.


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