September’s first week is an excellent time to run carbon through the lungs of a bull elk. Follow these four tips and punch your archery elk tag early in the month.
by Jace Bauserman
Elk hunters live for September. The month offers 30 days of elk magic; a time of year when testosterone levels of bulls peak and they roam the Rockies in search of love. It’s an amazing month for archery elk hunters to roam the mountains.
Of September’s four weeks, week one is the least popular with archery elk hunters.
Why?
Temperatures are usually warm, and while the rut is starting, it’s not running at full tilt. Bugling activity is typically sparse—a few in the morning and one or two during the evening. I’ve seen younger bulls still running in bachelor groups during the first week of September.
Still, the first seven days of September are an excellent time to notch your archery elk tag. Follow the four tips to increase your chances of an encounter with an early-season bull.
#1 – Don’t Bow Hike
I spend more time glassing from high ridges in early September than I do walking around the woods with my bow. If I’m on elk early in the morning, I hunt them. If I’m not on elk, I continue to glass and listen.
One of the biggest mistakes bowhunters make during the first week of September is lurking around the woods aimlessly. Unless you’re actively stalking a bull, intercepting a bull’s path of travel, or moving in to call a bull that you know is there, you do more harm than good slipping through the woods thinking you’re going to see elk before they see you.
Elk are on point, and because bulls and cows aren’t in the heat of the rut, their defense senses are ultra-keen. One of the quickest ways to blow elk out of an area is to go bow hiking. Bow hiking is taking your bow and wandering around the woods, hoping to stumble into elk. If you walk long enough and far enough, you’ll do just that.
However, less than 5 percent of the time does the bow-hiking elk hunter send an arrow. More often than not, elk will see or smell you long before you see them. The only way you’ll know they are there is from the sound of timber breaking as they run in the opposite direction.
Rather than hiking through the woods hoping to stumble into elk, pin several vantage points on your HuntStand app where you can glass elk from a distance. It’s also common when you’re utilizing a higher-up glassing point to hear elk bugle. Knowing where elk are before you make a move is critical during the first week of September.
#2 – Sit A Wallow or Water
Early September can be hot in the high country. Elk are big animals and drink up to four gallons of water per day. Bulls, as testosterone builds, want to wallow as well as drink. Wallowing is a rut ritual where bulls paw at the moist earth until water seeps in. Then, they roll and urinate in the mud. Bulls will rake the wallow and sling bits of muddy, chewed earth all around their newly created puddle of love.
Bulls will also wallow in established water sources like ponds, springs, and mountain seeps. I’ve watched bulls wallow while cows drink on several occasions. If you find an active wallow, don’t be afraid to use a saddle system and get up a pine tree. Manufactured ground blinds and natural hides also work well. Active wallows will usually be murky, and the intoxicating scent of elk urine will sting the nostrils. If you find a wallow with stained water and elk stink, figure out a way to hunt it.
The same is true for active water sources. If you find a pond, spring, or mountain seeps dotted with elk tracks, don’t be afraid to spend some time around it. While elk will water and wallow any time during the day or night, I’ve had my best luck over water and wallows during the evening hours.
#3 – Call Longer
Calling elk during the early part of archery elk season can be challenging. However, this first week is an excellent time to call in a larger bull. While some bulls will already have a harem of cows, others will just be starting to look. If you know that you’re around elk, set up in front of the cover and make sure your location has plenty of shooting lanes.
To Read More About Calls For Elk, CLICK HERE!
Have a buddy drop back between 100 and 150 yards and start making lots of cow and calf talk. Don’t get too whiny with your estrous calls. Instead, stick to simple mews and chirps. You can throw in a bugle as well, but try not to get overly aggressive with it. You’re trying to simulate a content herd by making some natural chatter.
If a big bull is nearby, he will likely come and investigate. The problem is that the bull, whether he’s a herd bull or a younger satellite bull, may never bugle or make a sound. Instead, they will move slowly and cautiously, slip in close and observe from a distance.
Too many times, I’ve given up on an early-season calling sequence after 15 minutes, stood up, and spooked a bull that I didn’t see. Keep your eyes and ears open and keep up the calling for 45 minutes. Just because a bull isn’t responding doesn’t mean one isn’t coming toward you.
If you’re archery hunting for elk solo, I highly recommend a bow-mounted cow elk decoy like those from Ultimate Predator Gear. A cautious early-season bull will come in to where he knows he should see an elk. When he doesn’t, he will leave. A bow-mounted decoy gives him a visual and will often bring him the rest of the way in.
#4 – Hunt At Night
No, I’m not suggesting you break the law. I am suggesting that you leave your bow in camp and use your legs, horse, UTV, etc., to cover ground once it’s dark. Throughout September, bulls and cows are active at night. If you can locate a couple of bulls at night, you’ll have an excellent jumping-off place when dawn breaks. Often, I move with elk during the night and set up my camp close, but not too close to the elk. During September’s first week, you must get on bulls right as shooting light breaks. Bulls won’t be active for long. You want to be on them and get them fired up and thinking about coming in as early as possible.
Final Thoughts
Archery elk hunting during the first week of September has its challenges, but it’s also an excellent time to kill a bull elk. The woods won’t be as crowded with hunters as they will be in a few weeks, and if you can get around elk and make the right moves, you have an excellent chance of harvesting a bull elk with archery tackle during the first seven days of September.
