It’s that time of year again…elk rut season. The elk rut is one of nature’s most unforgettable spectacles. This is the elk’s mating season, when the big bulls take center stage. They roam the hills and meadows, sniffing the rear ends of cows to test if they’re in estrus. That’s when you’ll see the “flehmen response”, the bull curls back his upper lip, pulls air across a special organ in the roof of his mouth, and essentially “reads” the cow’s chemistry. With that, he can figure out if she’s read

The elk mating season (rut) generally occurs from early September to mid-October. Bull elk bugle to announce their availability to females (cows) and to warn other bulls. When answered, bulls move toward one another and sometimes engage in battle where they crash their antlers together and wrestle for dominance. It is a dangerous time as bull elk will consider people and cars threats and charge. Always keep your distance and, if charged, retreat to shelter in a building or vehicle as quickly as