Bulls Bugling in Wyoming

[WyomingMan]

Was out on my girlfriends ranch this past weekend south of Rawlins and the bulls were bugling, midday no less. Saw a huge 6x6 that was herding 6 cows. Saw this bull push the cows down one side of the canyon and back up the other side, all while bugling at 2:00pm in the afternoon. Man what a sight. Less than two days until the opener. I think the cool and wet weather the past week kick started the rut, but the weatherman is predicting 80's all week, so I would suspect the early rutting to taper off.

Also, my cousin from Illinois drew a cow tag for area 14 in South Central Wyoming, around the Encmapment area. Anyone have aby information or previous experience with this unit. I've rode snowmobiles in the area, but never hunted it. There is alot of BLM land that surrounds the forest with Aspen draws etc, and was thinking that would be a good place to start. All the land in the national forests seems to be very heavily forested and would be hard to hunt. Also two wilderness areas(Huston and Encampment River) in area 14 that look good. Anyone ever hunt this area?

 

[bigmuley]

WyomingMan:

rawlins is my hometown, at least until about 11 months ago before i moved up to jackson hole. if you don't mind me asking, who is your girlfriend! i pretty much know just about everyone in that town, as i have spent the last 25 years there going to school and such. Is her name Stephanie H. that doesn't surprise me around rawlins, the elk get so much pressure that i have seen the elk rutting this early many times. they will rut just like you saw this weekend, and then by the time hunting season rolls around they won't make a sound, not to say they are not rutting they just see so many jack*&^es with there want to be bugling tactics and they shut up. someone needs to do a bugling course for the folks in rawlins! they would be alot more successful. anyways they all want to do long drawn out super aggresive call and they tend to scare more elk then they attract. but who am i to judge. anyways what ranch were you on, i am assuming it is the previously mentioned name because i can't think of anyone else in southern wyoming with a daughter that has a ranch south of r town.
depending on whos ranch you were on, if it was the philmore, the elk will rut alittle more aggressively there than the bulls in the forest.

anyways, i went to school at the university of wyoming for three years and did do alittle hunting in area 14, never for myself as i never applied for that area, but a buddy of mine did and drew out, he killed a pretty good 6 point. good luck, as there is definetly plenty of public ground in this unit. finding elk should not be difficult. let me know if there is anything in particular you want to know about this area.