The husband sent me a message Friday while I was headed to Benezette that he had been hearing elk bugles for most of the early evening. Being that it was only the first weekend of August, I didn’t believe him. (There’s a running joke in our family that you only see bears and big foot in the PA Wilds when there’s no one else there to verify. We also keep track of the number of elk we see in a given trip. He who sees the most is the winner. There’s not really a prize. As such, elk bugling now is ridiculous.)
The first time I heard an elk bugle was probably 8 or 9 years ago. The husband’s family has a hunting camp in Driftwood and we were there around the first or second week of September. I didn’t know what it was when I heard it – it was such a bizarre noise. It was coming from far off in the distance, but echoed through the area. My mother-in-law had to tell me what it was. Thusly, in my mind, elk bugle in September.
I guess they’re feeling romantic early this year! Saturday around 6, darn if I didn’t hear some long, high pitched bugles!
In past years, we’ve seen and heard some big bulls in our area. Our first year on Winslow Hill in Benezette we were awakened one morning by a bull bugling right in our front yard! That’s a heck of a way to wake up! This guy hung out with us pretty much the entire rut in 2017.
It seems like we’re going to have an active rut season at In The Sticks Cabins this year. We’ve had two smaller 5-6 year old bulls in the yard already. The big boys should be moving in over the next few weeks!
