Rut times from state to state

[bald9eagle]

Just curious. How different are rut times from state to state? Would the Gila see the same rutting activity as Wyoming? Desert vs high alpine territory?

I've gotten it in my blood now and I'm just counting down the days. I want to hunt the rut again and I know Colorado offers a 100% chance of that. I'm wanting to start putting in for New Mexico and start building up for a Wyoming hunt. With all three states being different in the tags/dates offered I'm trying to sort through the best times to target. From what little I know CO and WY will have pretty much same rutting time. NM?

[saddlesore]

The rut is influenced by the daylight hours getting shorter,not geopgraphic location

[Swede]

I agree with Saddlesore. The proof is that nearly all of the calves are born mid May thru mid June regardless of State. The gestation period is 9 months for elk. A very few cows get bred late, but the general rut time stays the same State to State and year to year. Don't worry about the weather or moon. It is a matter of biology.

[ElkNut1]

Don't be overly concerned with certain stats, hunt from the 10th to the 25th of Sept in any western state & you'll be in peak rut times!

ElkNut1

[Indian Summer]

Exactly what Elknut said. There are a pile of internet threads out there asking about the best dates in every state. If you only had 10 days either side of that 10th to the 25th window would be good.

I've seen guys ask if you had to pick 1 day what would it be. I believe the top 2 answers were the 20th and 21st.

[WapitiTalk1]

Completely agree with what's been said above, but, don't sleep on that first week of September if that's the only time you can get off for elk hunting. Although it's somewhat considered pre-rut, it can be a very productive time. The bulls are starting to feel a strong twinge of "hey, those gals aren't so bad after all and I feel an uncontrollable urge to introduce myself and see what's up" as their testosterone levels start to rise . This initial herding up phase of the rut can be a very exciting, and, a productive time for elk hunters. Yep, the elk are generally not as vocal as they are as the rut evolves into the second-third week of September but, they are nevertheless running around trying to gather some cows. Advertising set-ups can be very fruitful during the early part of September; just be ready for more than a fair share of the bulls coming in quiet as a mouse

[Swede]

Phantom16 is right in what he is saying. Hunting late August is totally different than hunting late September. I would go so far as to say I prefer the early part of the archery elk season, but that is based on my experience in my area. In late August-early September don't over call, and be patient. As RJ says, the bull will most likely come in silent, so if are alone, you need to move a few yards away from your call location prepare for a shot and stay constantly ready. Never call from a location where you are exposed and will be caught unable to draw and shoot.

[>>>---WW---->]

For peak rut, 5 days either side of the 21st. You can take that to the bank!

[bald9eagle]

Why I asked....

I've had experience with turkeys where they start strutting early due to dry, warm February days or strut late due to cold, wet Late March days. They say daylight influences turkey breeding but I've seen weather change when the peak gobbling days start. You also see birds in Florida starting to breed a month before birds in Tennessee.

Second...here in north Alabama we have a WMA that had some Michigan deer released into it in the 70's. The genes of these deer remain and they tend to rut around Thanksgiving versus the deer two hours south that peak around New Years.

Third...this year the bugling was scarce in SWColorado. The temps in late September (peak times) was above average.

Last...would the dry, arid, warm New Mexico climate have a different effect than the colder alpine regions of Wyoming mountains?

[saddlesore]

They do get more vocal on those crisp fall mornings, and warm weather slows them down and I have also found,rain. Many times you will only hear them bugle once or twice,right before dawn, then shut up and seek deep timber to keep cool.

Also,I have seen bulls go nocturnal in the early rut from hunting pressure.
One of the things that has paid off that Elknut taught me was to get up in the middle of the night and do a few locator bugles

[Tigger]

I had always thought, apparently incorrectly, that the rut tended to start a little earlier in the northern climates. This is really evident in whitetails where in MN the rut happens the first week of November and down south it can be as late as January. I understood that the reasoning was the calves/fawns needed more development time to survive the winter.

So, is there any evidence that Montana elk start getting naughty before New Mexico elk or are elk different than whitetails in yet another way?

By the way, in my southern WY spot, the locals say the 18th is the magical day and the best action is either side of that date. That, however, is just based on their opinion with no scientific evidence. Wait, I do have one data point.....I shot my bull on the 18th in '15 and the whole mountain was alive and screaming that day.

[saddlesore]

For years , my wife and I would spend a week in Yellowstone photographing elk.We always made sure we were there between Sept 19 and 26.We never failed to hit the peak rut.
Now we go to Rocky Mtn Nat Park during the same dates, although not a slong. We see the same thing