What is this bull doing?

[WapitiTalk1]

What's this guy doing, well, besides laughing at my elk calling techniques .?

Smiling Elk.jpg (117.23 KiB) Viewed 4325 times

[Elkduds]

Running for president. But seriously, looks like he is smelling and tasting the air for hot estrous scent.

[timberland]

flehmen (sp) whitetails do it to deposit scent on an organ that is in the roof of the mouth. vomeronasal organ

[WapitiTalk1]

I would agree with running for president by his body language "but" if you look closely, he is not patting any babies on the head (dead giveaway) or making ridicuous promises.. Geesh Elkduds

Yep, when you see a bull curl his upper lip back and seemingly try to smell something in the air, it's an example of the flehmen response (German word, meaning to “curl the upper lip”). The flehmen response is a type of curling of the upper lip in ungulates and other mammals (and even reptiles), which helps to faciliate the transfer of pheromones and other scents into an organ called the vomeronasal organ (also called the "Jacobson’s Organ"). When an elk uses the flehmen response, they draw back upper lip which curls back toward the nostrils. They do this when examining scents left by other animals. The action of curling the upper lip back helps to to expose the vomeronasal organ (Jacobson's organ) and draws scent molecules in and towards the organ. This behavior allows the elk to detect airborne scents, like from urine, of other elk or even the presence of predators. The flehmen response also allows elk, particularly bulls, to determine the presence or absence of estrus.

Now, when (what timeframe) would you most likely see the majority of this activity occur during a calendar year?

[Gselkhunter]

Testing the air for pheromones with his Jacobs organ.

[Rangerz]

He is saying " I can't wait til I get my new ElkNut Chuckler"

[ElkNut1]

Hey, that's what I was going to say! (big grin)

ElkNut1

[Fridaythe13th]

I think he is saying "ouch" from my arrow hitting him. Or the rock I throw at him because I could not hit him with a arrow.

Or he just got his credit card statement in the mail, and seen how much camofire cost him this month.

[TheBuzz]

I would agree with running for president by his body language "but" if you look closely, he is not patting any babies on the head (dead giveaway) or making ridicuous promises.. Geesh Elkduds

Yep, when you see a bull curl his upper lip back and seemingly try to smell something in the air, it's an example of the flehmen response (German word, meaning to “curl the upper lip”). The flehmen response is a type of curling of the upper lip in ungulates and other mammals (and even reptiles), which helps to faciliate the transfer of pheromones and other scents into an organ called the vomeronasal organ (also called the "Jacobson’s Organ"). When an elk uses the flehmen response, they draw back upper lip which curls back toward the nostrils. They do this when examining scents left by other animals. The action of curling the upper lip back helps to to expose the vomeronasal organ (Jacobson's organ) and draws scent molecules in and towards the organ. This behavior allows the elk to detect airborne scents, like from urine, of other elk or even the presence of predators. The flehmen response also allows elk, particularly bulls, to determine the presence or absence of estrus.

Now, when (what timeframe) would you most likely see the majority of this activity occur during a calendar year?

Well...majority I would think would be around the Time of Rut, but hat said, they probably use the " Lip Curl" all the time to check for predators, cause they can be 24/7/365 ?

[insanelupus]

My guess, one would probably see more of this sort of activity in the pre-rut phase as older bulls seek out the first cows coming in to estrus. One would also likely see this in early season while cow calling and the bull comes in down wind but does not really see the cow with the sirene song. But I'm no elk whisperer and have been wrong on many occasions.

[WapitiTalk1]

My guess, one would probably see more of this sort of activity in the pre-rut phase as older bulls seek out the first cows coming in to estrus. One would also likely see this in early season while cow calling and the bull comes in down wind but does not really see the cow with the sirene song. But I'm no elk whisperer and have been wrong on many occasions.

Insanelupus, thanks for bumping this thread back up bud! Just a couple of random thoughts here. During the pre-rut phase, when minimal cows are coming into estrus and the rising testosterone levels in bulls (triggered by the length of the day/sunlight let into their eyeballs) and asociated pre-rut behavior is really just a pre-cursor to the actual rut, do you folks think that bulls are using their Jacobson's organ much? Or, do you think it's employed/used more often say when the cows really start coming into estrus? Just sparking some elky discussion

[Gselkhunter]

My guess, one would probably see more of this sort of activity in the pre-rut phase as older bulls seek out the first cows coming in to estrus. One would also likely see this in early season while cow calling and the bull comes in down wind but does not really see the cow with the sirene song. But I'm no elk whisperer and have been wrong on many occasions.

Insanelupus, thanks for bumping this thread back up bud! Just a couple of random thoughts here. During the pre-rut phase, when minimal cows are coming into estrus and the rising testosterone levels in bulls (triggered by the length of the day/sunlight let into their eyeballs) and asociated pre-rut behavior is really just a pre-cursor to the actual rut, do you folks think that bulls are using their Jacobson's organ much? Or, do you think it's employed/used more often say when the cows really start coming into estrus? Just sparking some elky discussion

You mean Photoperiodism? Remember sense of smell and pheromone detection are different. That is why they have a Jacobson's organ.

[insanelupus]

Lol i have no idea. Sorry didn't realize it was an old thread. Lol

I was under the impression, perhaps wrongly, that this organ was used year round. But, more so when trying to locate cows fixin' to come in to estrus. Once a cow enters estrus it was my impression she is seeking the bull more so than he her. Perhaps i am wrong. I often am when it comes to elk hunting. Lol