T.R.'sTips; Elk Communication

[TRMichels]

This is from my Elk Addict's Manual.
 
Elk Communication
Communication in most animals is developed for interaction between individual animals. There are often different communications between; 1. females and young, 2. males and females/young, 3. males and males. In horned and antlered animals communication is a combination of sounds (especially vocalizations), body posture or action, and scents. Sounds are used to communicate from both long and short range. Soft sounds and vocalizations are often used when the animals can see each other. Louder calls or sounds are used when the animals are out of sight of each other. Scents are used primarily for short range communication while other animals are present, often in the form of scent placed on the animal itself, or left on signposts when the animal is not there.
 
Elk use vocalizations for: 1. Alarm/Distress behavior, 2. Agonistic behavior (threat), 3. Submissive behavior, 4. Maternal/Neonatal behavior (cow/calf), 5. Social Contact (between individuals or groups), 6. Advertising (bulls), 7. Mating/Herding (bulls).
Elk use scents: 1. for individual recognition, 2. for tracking, 3. for alarm, 4. to advertise breeding readiness between ***es, 5. to attract and hold members of the opposite *** for breeding, 6. to serve as priming pheromones between the males and females, 7. to provide evidence of the health of the animal leaving the scent, 8. to mark dominance areas.
 
The act of placing scent on its body by an animal is called "self impregnation" and is used for close range communication; while other animals are present. Signpost scents (such as rubs, scrapes and wallows) are left behind in high use and dominance areas for communication when the animal is not present. Elk use scents on their bodies for close range communication, they also urinate on their bellies and neck during the rut. All elk leave scents behind at beds, trails, and at wallows and trees where they may rub their forehead, cheeks and neck.
 
Elk use a number of different body postures and activities to communicate. Like white-tailed deer they use a "head high threat" in which the head is held horizontally. This posture is often used when a dominant bull performs the Threat Rumble as it approaches another bull. Elk also use a "head low threat" in which the neck and head are stretched forward and held horizontally; this posture is often used when one elk chases another.
 
Long and Short Range Communication
Because of the large use areas of elk (sometimes up to thirty square miles) the strategy of bull elk in attracting females is different than species that use far smaller areas. Long range attracting by bulls is accomplished with a loud drawn out Roar, a high pitched Bugle, and a series of grunts often referred to as Chuckle. All of these sounds can be heard for hundreds of yards in open terrain. The Roar, Bugle and Chuckle may be combined into one drawn-out call I refer to as the "Full Bugle Sequence" that is used as a sign of dominance to other bulls, and to attract cows during the rut. Once the cows are nearby the bulls rely on scents, herding behavior and mating/herding calls to keep the cows close by and bring them into estrus.
 
I'll be talking about the sounds and scents elk us to communicate during the next few weeks, stay tuned.
 
If you have questions - fire away.
 
I hope it helped some of you.
 
May God bless you and yours,
 
T.R.

[M. R. Byrd]

A few years ago my son and I were in Colorado on an elk hunt. We had a group of hunters camped on the other side of the forest and they were everywhere moving the elk. We get a very early start the next morning to beat them to a spot where we had seen a lot of sign the day before. These west coast hunters had beat us there and were back in the dark timber calling. We heard some of the most awful calling of every type you had ever heard. Finally, we had enough and backed out, only to find the hunters in another part of the forest. You guessed it, that awful calling was coming from the entire herd of elk right beside us in the dark timber. :o

[JaDub]

Since I drew a late season tag I`m not sure which call would be best.  I do have and have practiced with a cow call.  I`m guessing  a bugling bull call might be an early season call......   or do I have it backwards??   I`m a total novice at this so I`m all ears.

[Nelsdou]

Good stuff.

A number of years ago I was bowhunting mule deer in the Book Cliffs, Utah.  I had slipped into a canyon bottom one morning *****-footing through some thick scrub in which I couldn't see more than a few feet.  Walked right into a herd of elk that were browsing on all sides of me.  Unbelievably noisy squealing, chirping and all the carrying on.  Then it got deathly still; they had caught my scent.  In a split second it was STAMPEDE and elk were flying by me in every direction.  Amazingly I came out unscathed except for some heavy heart beating.  I could have easily caught a hoof in that episode.

Nels

[JaDub]

You sure they didn`t hear your heart beat???  8-)

[Nelsdou]

Could have been!  At the time of that experience I had never been around, or even close to an elk, so the term "exciting" was quite an understatement.

But in regard to the "communication" elk do when they are undisturbed, yes they are quite vocal.  Strikes me as quite similar to the groans and squeals whales make.

Nels

[recoil junky]

It's been my experience that "cow talk" works any time. Doesn't really matter how good you are as long as you can sound sorta liake an elk. I "called" elk from as far as 1/4 mile away sounding like a lost calf or two. I was pretty surprised. I started out just to see if I could turn them but instead they ended up on my "front porch".

Sceery's cow talk is my favorite followed by Hoochie Mama. It's not uncommon for me to have three cow calls around my neck while hunting.

RJ

[Brasco20]

I dont carry my hoochie mama anymore.  I had a situation with a bull where he never responded to the hoochie, but as soon as i used my mouth reed with a little "attitude"  he began to chuckle, and came blazin down the hill.  I like to be able to put a little"im ready to breed right now" on the end of my cow calls.  The hoochie does create a perfect mew if you want to sound like a group of cows.  Might be a good post rut call.  
 JaDub, bugling is good for location during the rut. If a bull answers, no more bugles, wait a few min and begin cow calling.  For late season, bugles will do more harm than good.  Bulls that are done rutting want nothing to do with bugles or estrus cow calls.

Thats what works for me anyway.


Get a bull thats drippin snot and ready to go, you could probly whistle and get him to come in, ha.

Brasco

[JaDub]

" want nothing to do with estrus calls"    
 
            ........ yeah, like they`re all smok`n cigaretts ?   8-))
 
Good advice , all.