Quote:
Originally Posted by BigRackLover
holy crap! Wowzers. so the second rut is for real, eh?
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The second rut is as real as the first..and at times more intence...as can be the third heat...which is usually just young calf cows, not much breeding is done... but still sends bulls into a fury....
What I learned about prarire elk is that the first rut early in late Augest / early September has the bull bugleing and carring on as normal but in smaller herds of anywhere from one/two to 12 cows and the bull being very protective...
The second heat, the cows that didnt take come into heat early mid October...it isnt as long and can end as fast as it started...but it can be more intence than the first...
The second heat seems to bunch the elk into much bigger herds and its chaos..
The third I have seen can run into November and bulls still can be called ..but the bulls are starting to go solo and may be by themselves or following a herd way back...
Problem with the rut stages is location...the first rut happens where the daily life goes on and in an area they may be there daily or in three day cycles....the second rut is hard as there are where they are and in big numbers one day and nothing the next for longer cycles like a week or more...the third is heavily near feeding areas...but is hard as most happens in the dark then.
JMHO
Neil