Rocky Mountain elk are a difficult animal to hunt, never mind bowhunt. They’re smart, they have superhero senses and they travel in herds—defences that are hard to beat. But there is a short window of time before the fall rut when big bulls can be tricked. This is a great time for bowhunters to fill their tags.
Elk breed in the fall, just like other deer species. The rut is at its strongest from September 15 to September 25. During the first half of September, before the rut, bulls can’t stand being around their summer friends anymore, so they roam around looking for food, shelter, and cows to breed with when the rut starts.
Bulls are often easier to call into range in this state than at any other time except during the peak of the rut, when they throw caution to the wind and chase hot cows. This makes it a great time for bowhunters. It also presents some unique hunting challenges, requiring patience and altered tactics.
Finding new sign, which lets you know they’re nearby, is the first thing you need to do to arrow a pre-rut bull. Once you find the animals, you can sneak up on them, use a spot-and-stalk method, call them, or do a mix of all three. Here’s how.
Elk live in a lot of different types of land in Western Canada, from the flat prairie grasslands to the rough Rocky Mountain south-facing grassy slopes, and pretty much everywhere in between. They often travel every day to and from good places to eat, and they’ll look for new places if the food isn’t good enough or if they feel threatened. That means hunters must be in prime physical condition to follow the herds.
Hunting where the sign isn’t fresh is pointless. And don’t hunt where elk have been or where you think they may return—hunt where they are. When I first went after elk, I didn’t do this because I thought they behaved like moose, which was a mistake. They don’t.
Elk are social and vocal animals that travel in herds and move often (above). If you aren’t hearing them or finding plenty of fresh scat, keep hiking until you do. Like all game animals, elk require food, cover and water, and during the pre-rut this doesn’t change. Look for food sources such as standing crops, grasslands and other green shrubs.
The best sign that a bull elk is nearby is fresh rubs on saplings and poplar trees (below). Bulls also create wallows to decorate themselves with mud and urine to lure in the ladies. Found in wet, flat areas at various elevations, wallows can make for awesome pre-rut hunting locations.
Multiple beds close together usually meant that cows were nearby, especially if you find a calf bed. And if cows are in the area, bulls will be, too. It can be dangerous to look for bedding areas in the summer and early fall because you might scare your prey. But because elk have so many places to sleep and move around so much, you probably won’t hit any if you hunt slowly and on the move. The best places to find beds are near food sources and watering holes. Bedding areas also come with an abundance of trails, which the elk will use year after year.
Once you find fresh sign or actually spot some elk, you know you’re hunting in the right area. Now you just need a plan to get within bow range of a bull.
It’s possible to get good shots from a treestand, but it’s hard to find the right spot because elk move along so many paths. One productive location is over watering holes or wallows (above). Be quiet as you move in and stay still once you’re set up. Do your work at dusk, dawn, and noon. Because elk herds travel such vast distances, patience is the key to a successful ambush.
You can be more active if you look for elk that are feeding at dusk or dawn and then hide on a trail that leads to where they sleep. This only works if you really know the area the elk are using, but it works great when they decide to take a break and wander your way. Also seek out trails that funnel into watering holes, or change elevation slightly in either direction.
Early in September, I was close to a young bull but not quite there to get a clean shot. He saw me before I saw him, which was bad, because he wouldn’t get any closer after seeing me move. The reason that happened was that I was moving too quickly to catch the herd as it went up the mountain.
So remember, when stalking elk, there’s no such thing as going too slow. And you should never make any noise that doesn’t sound natural, like zippers or metal pieces clanging together. If you happen to snap a twig or make other natural noises, you should be fine. Just be patient and wait a few minutes to show any elk nearby that you are not a threat.
If you plan on stalking elk in their beds, meanwhile, be aware that it’s a one-shot deal. Once spooked from their beds, elk won’t rest in the same spot again for a long time.
The toughest part about stalking elk is that you usually don’t know exactly where they are. As you carefully move into shooting position, you might think you can see them all. But then you might be surprised by animals you hadn’t seen before. I’ve often been following one or two elk and thought that was the whole group, only to see another 15 or 20 show up in the same area out of the blue.
There is no better way to get a good shot when bowhunting than to let the animal come to you. Calling is a good way to get them to come closer. Calling, on the other hand, lets animals know where you are and takes away the element of surprise, so they tend to enter cautiously.
Before beginning a calling sequence, make sure you’re set up and ready to shoot with limited movement (above). Cover up, but not so much that it gets in the way of your shots. You want just enough to let the elk see you while it looks for you. There are many ways for elk to come in during the pre-rut. They can do it quickly, slowly, quietly, loudly, and with or without caution. The point is, you must be prepared for any eventuality.
After calling, be patient and don’t move. If you don’t hear anything, you can assume that the elk are coming in very slowly because they are looking for another elk. If they feel any kind of movement, they will stop until they are sure that the movement is coming from another animal. Never take your eyes or ears off your downwind side. And if you’re confident elk are nearby, stay put for at least an hour or two.
Elk before the rut make a lot of different sounds, such as mews, whines of estrus, warning barks, growls, and different kinds of bugles. Each sound means something different, so you must respond or initiate the calling accordingly. Also, remember that elk talk is like human language in that it changes from place to place and from elk to elk.
Making the right sound at the right time is more important than making the perfect sound when calling elk. Sheep-like sounds like mews and chirps are used all year, so they’re a safe choice during the pre-rut. The cows and calves stay together while the bulls look for cows. If you make a few chirps and mews, the bulls will probably come and check you out.
Location bugles are also a fantastic pre-rut call for finding bulls. I love bugling in the dark to find elk, either the night before the hunt or a half hour or so before dawn. I’ll bugle and wait five minutes for a response. If there isn’t one, I move on, looking for bulls that are in the mood to talk.
I move as close as I can to a bull when I hear it bugle. I wait until first light and then set up a cow decoy and make some light cow calls. That’s it. From then on, I let the bull do the moving.
It’s hard to bowhunt when you’re by yourself, so it’s best to hunt with a partner. The shooter should be in front of the caller, between them and the elk. The caller’s job is to get the bull to go past the shooter, and the shooter’s most important job is to stay hidden. This set-up is superb, and a favourite among experienced bowhunters.
But if you have to hunt by yourself, make a noise first, then move quickly and quietly 20 or 30 meters closer to the side of your bull that faces away from you, and get ready. With patience, skill and a little luck, you can fill your tag days before rifle season even opens.
Elk rutting season in Saskatchewan is an exciting time for hunters and wildlife enthusiasts. The rut, which is the mating season for elk, takes place every fall between September and November. During this time, elk behavior changes dramatically as the males become obsessed with mating. Understanding when exactly the rut occurs in Saskatchewan and what behaviors to expect can help hunters have a more successful season.
What is the Rut?
The rut refers to elk mating season. In Saskatchewan, it takes place in the fall every year between September and November. During the rut, elk reproduction is the number one priority and drives all behaviors. Several changes happen in preparation:
- Bull elk shed the velvet from their antlers to reveal hardened bone for sparring matches.
- Elk calls become more frequent as bulls bugle to attract cows and warn off competitors.
- Bulls form harems of females they try to monopolize for breeding. They herd groups of females together and mate with as many as possible.
- Fights break out between competing bulls over territories and females. The big dominant bulls tend to emerge victorious.
- Both bulls and cows are so preoccupied with mating they become much less vigilant to threats like lurking predators.
Overall, elk become aggressive, fired-up, and single-minded in pursuit of mating during the rut Their guard is down, which can work to a hunter’s advantage
When is the Peak Rut in Saskatchewan?
In Saskatchewan the peak of elk rutting season happens in the later part of September through October. The exact weeks when rutting behavior will be at its height can vary slightly each year but generally it is
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Early September Pre-rut stage gets underway as bulls shed velvet and start bugling more Elk gather in bachelor groups
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Mid-September: Sparring matches begin between bulls. Bugling reaches its peak. Bulls begin seeking females but rut is not in full swing yet.
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Late September – October: The peak of breeding happens during these weeks in Saskatchewan. Intense fighting among bulls, nonstop bugling, and harem formation take place as males compete heavily for females. Mating reaches its climax.
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Early November: The post-rut stage begins as mating winds down. Bulls are exhausted and return to bachelor groups. Bugling and fighting decrease sharply.
So for those who want to maximize their chances at spotting rutting behavior, late September through October is the prime time. The bugling calls of bull elk echo most prominently through the woods of Saskatchewan during the peak.
Rutting Locations in Saskatchewan
Certain locations in Saskatchewan tend to be hotspots for elk activity during the rut each year:
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Cypress Hills: This is a top spot with a sizable elk population. The rolling hills of land offer great vantage points for spotting massive bulls locking antlers.
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Duck Mountain Provincial Park: The park’s mix of meadows, forests, and wetlands is ideal terrain for elk. Visitors routinely hear bugling echoing from the reserve each autumn.
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Moose Mountain Provincial Park: The park’s aspen forests interspersed with meadows make it another rutting hotspot. Both the north and south sides see elk action.
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Porcupine Hills: Near the Alberta border, this higher elevation area is a well-known gathering place for elk come September/October.
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Saskatoon Area: Bull elk magnetized to the River Valley habitat below Saskatoon get fired up each rutting season. Palliser Regional Park is one good public land spot.
Basically any area with plentiful meadows, forests, water sources, and hilly terrain could attract elk for the rut. Scouting different public lands or getting access to private ranches that fit the bill is key.
Hunting Elk During the Rut in Saskatchewan
The rut offers a prime opportunity for hunters who want to harvest an elk in Saskatchewan. Here are some tips for capitalizing on elk behaviors:
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Use bugling calls: Imitating bull bugles when elk are most responsive to them between September and October can draw in more elk to your location. Bring rutting call devices and practice your own bugling.
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Focus on wallows: Bulls create and frequent wallows during the rut. They drench themselves in urine to scent up for females. Stake out fresh muddy wallows.
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Follow rutting sounds: If you hear intense bugling, fighting, or other rut noises nearby, stealthily follow the sound and set up downwind.
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Still hunt water sources: Elk need to stay hydrated during the rut’s intense activity. Quietly still hunt springs, seeps, creeks, and other water sources.
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Watch meadow fringes: Bulls like to stage just behind treelines overlooking meadows where they can spot approaching cows. Sit tucked along meadow edges.
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Scent control: Be hyper vigilant about minimizing human scent during the rut as elk noses are on high alert. Use cover scent sprays, play the wind right, don’t over-pursue.
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Pay attention late: Bulls tend to still be cruising and bugling even late into shooting hours seeking last minute cows. Stay focused until the end.
With the right strategies, the rut gives hunters a leg up for scoring a trophy elk in Saskatchewan. Just be prepared for intense competition if hunting public lands during the peak weeks.
For trophy elk hunters and wildlife lovers alike, the rut is an amazing time to be out in Saskatchewan’s wilderness. Understanding typical rutting behaviors, timing the peak weeks properly from late September through October, and hunting smart can lead to rewarding encounters. With bulls distracted by all things mating during the rut, your odds of success are at their highest. listening to bugling echoing across a meadow, witnessing two massive 6×6 bulls battling it out, or spotting a herd of elk with a harem of cows are memories of a lifetime made possible by hunting the rut.
Giant Saskatchewan bull elk!
FAQ
What month do elk go into rut?
What triggers the elk rut?
Are elk aggressive during rut?
How long is the elk rut in Alberta?
When is elk rut season?
The elk rut season is from late August through October, with some breeding activity continuing into November. Male elk, or elk bulls, are much more aggressive during this time. The peak of the elk rut season is when the most elk breeding activity occurs. During the elk rut season, there is lots of bugling, cow elk communication, and elk movement.
When is the best time to hunt elk in the fall?
But there’s a brief window of opportunity before the fall rut when big bulls can be fooled, making it an excellent time for bowhunters to fill their tags. Like other members of the deer family, elk breed in the fall, with the rut peaking between September 15 and 25.
Do elk mate during a rut?
Female elk, or cows, come into estrus (heat) during the rut. This is the period when they are receptive to mating. Bulls actively seek out cows to mate, and competition among bulls for mating opportunities can be intense. Bull elk produce bugles, which are loud, high-pitched vocalizations that serve multiple purposes during the rut.
Are elk bulls active during a rut?
A Magnificent Elk Bull being very active during the Rut in the Canadian Rockies. This Elk rut video is part 2 of 2 of this Bull and his harem as aggression and herding instincts are very high. This is the First Elk Bull in the beginning of the Elk Rut that we have witnessed showing true “Elk Rut” behavior.