Discussion - What is this bull saying?

[cnelk]

Some interesting vocalization on this clip - near the end. [2:30 sec mark]
Another interesting fact is how fast the bull comes once he commits.

[Willie makit]

" I know your there, cause I heard you. Hurry up over here so we can ease outa here, cause I just seen a booger"

To my untrained inexperieced elk hunting self I'd say that was a picture perfect place to set up the only bad thing would have been if wind was blowing directly to the bull.

That trail was 99.9 % going to be the way the bull traveled toward the caller, if he committed. With him coming in that fast he would have had difficulty seeing me draw.

Would you call that a nervous barking bugle?

[Washington Wapiti]

I watched this clip a few years ago! What it seems to me, when he first responds back is, he is letting the "cow" know he's there with a location bugle. He then lets another bugle go with chuckles in an attempt to pull her in. When that doesn't work, he decides, "Well, I'm not going to let this girl get away," so he double-times it over to where he thinks she is at. He get's spooked at the guy calling, and bolts up the hill. But then he seems reluctant to completely bail. He still hasn't given up hope that "cow" is still around. Seems like the last couple calls are agitation and/or excitement because he still isn't seeing or hearing his potential lady.

Edit: Another bull is bugling in the background, I didn't hear that on the first pass. At the end, I'm wondering if the agitation is turned up because he 1.) Can't find the cow, and 2.) is now also having a verbal disagreement with the other bull, thinking he's pulling in the cow he heard in to him.

[Swede]

The only thing I would add to what Washington wrote is that the bull wanted the cow to show herself near the end of the video.

[BrentLaBere]

I am going to have a little different take on this. To me it sounded like he started out demanding the cow to come over with his short scream/growl. Once the other bull in the distance was possibly posing a different threat the bull decided he needed to plead with the cow by "inviting" her over with chuckles......no luck there might as well run over and round her up myself.....very interesting sounds at the end. Sounded to me like he was begging to see the cow that made all that noise.

[jswbga]

Sounded to me like he was begging to see the cow that made all that noise.

in my experience, begging late in the game is not that effective. flowers in advance are a more likely producer.....

[JGH]

Well, my thoughts on elk vocalization (all animals, really) is that they generally communicate emotion, not "thoughts".

The emotion here: frustration.

After "committing" he didn't get what he was after. Now there is someone else wanting "in on it" and a confusing little jerk filming the whole thing. How would you feel?

[JohnFitzgerald]

Anybody else hear the lipbawls in the first bugle? First bugle was to promote his right as a dominant breeder to the cow and an attempt to bring her in.

Second bugle with chuckles. Once again, detect a little lipbawl action. But a definite harder attempt to draw in the unseen cow. A little more impressiveness and assertiveness.

Third and fourth bugle, hard to tell but they did sound like advertising bugles.

Last two were a nervous grunt(s) followed by calling cows bugle/chuckles(Almost a short advertising bugle). The bull wants to know the location of the unseen cow or wants a visual on her. Once again, the bugles and chuckles were an attempt to bring her in.

Just my 2-cents.

jf

[WapitiTalk1]

Agree with John on his play by play assessment (others hit on key components of this encounter as well). Quite the nice satellite bull! You can hear the other bull/bulls a singing back to the hunters far left. I think this guy was following the herd (probably had an encounter or three with the herd bull when trying to call/hook some of his cows in the days leading up to this moment) when the hunter in the VID starting giving him some sweet cow sounds. When the bull in the VID finally committed, he really made the decision in a hurry. I think he was having a hard time deciding if he wanted to interupt his pursuit of the main herd cows but again, when he did, he did it quickly. The hunter said the bull hung around for 30 minutes.. wow, that's incredible. The last few bugles he made are (IMO) a combination of trying to get this unseen cow (hunter) to react, and, perhaps directed towards the main herd bull(s) that were singing off the the left. He was as they say, smitten with indecisiveness Just my .02.. Cool VID.

[JJ Overkill]

at the 2:30ish mark, im thinking he used a popping grunt, (show yourself) followed by a bugle with a chuckle or two, (im here, come here now) personally I think this bull sounded frustrated.

[JohnFitzgerald]

Is he frustrated or expressing urgency to find the missing cow?

I liked what RJ stated about following the herd. So could he be urgently trying to hook the cow before "she" rejoins the others?