I'm a failry well seasonsed elk hunter, I'll answer your questions best I can
So if it does happen and they said September, what are the bulls doing that time of year, (rutting?)
big difference between Sept 1-7 and Sept 20-27
early season will have undisturbed elk, not a lot of response to calling, few herded up bulls with cows, warmer weather etc. Last week of season most animals will be herded, they've been hunted, big bulls are hard to get away from their cows, bulls responding to calls much better, worse weather possible
are tags bought over the counter or is it a draw, what is the weather temps like in Sept in Colarado?
OTC in some areas, draw in others - where you going is what you need to know. Weather temps are highly variable depending on the "where" - if you're very south Colorado in 6,000 pinions ? Thats going to be in the 70's in the daytime but if you're at 11,000 feet in dark timber it might only be in the 50's or 40's - it varies a lot on any given year.
what kind of foilage would i be dealing with? lace up boots or rubber, or both?
again, varies greatly. I hunt 10-11 K feet and dark timber. Wear boots that fit you, and make sure your feet are conditioned to your boots before your hunt. Blisters will end your elk hunt quicker than anything.
Best way to deal with the meat, cape after a kill if that happens?
debone your animal, pepper or vinegar to keep the flies away, game bags, pack it out as soon as you can
What calls are needed?? I have most of the equipment needed, but not all. I have a grasp on the fitness thing so thats not an issue.
fitness is almost everyones downfall when it comes to elk hunting. after 15 years in the mtns I've been there, seen that and can't emphasize it enough. Your cardio needs to be there, your legs need to be there, your feet need to be there ..... most say they're "ready" but few are
This what you're after ?
I killed this bull in ..... geesh, 1995 I think ? I shot him at about 8-10 steps after calling him in. I drew 3 times on this bull as he was rubbing a tree, on the 3rd draw drilling him. I killed4 bulls in my first5 years of elk hunting, the 1 year I didn't kill I passed on bulls looking for a big one.
A) get in shape. if you can run 4-5 miles at a 8 minute pace, you're in shape. If you can't ? You maybe aren't in as good a shape as you should be. Your feet need to be conditioned to your boots BEFORE your hunt
B) hunt away from ATV's, however you can escape them, do it
C) I think more and more bugling hurts your hunt more than it helps. the bulls are hammered so much with bugles .... c'mon they know a real one from a fake one most of the time
D) be prepared, don't take anything for granted. The older I get, the more altitude affects my body. I almost died in Colorado because of dehydration and hypoglycemia one year, it snuck up on my bigtime and I was in the best shape I'd been in in a long time. One year I helped a young couple on a very cold, rainy night. They had a tent, 1 sleeping bag, no fire, jeans and tennis shoes 4 miles from the road at dark and it howling wind, spitting snow and rain. Could have been a VERY bad situation for them. I've went to sleep and woke up the next morning with 10" of snow caving in my tent. One year it rained cold rain for 4 days straight. 2 years ago it starting snowing and didn't end for 3 days.
be prepared
Elk hunting is an adventure. It was tax you physically and mentally if you go hard at it. You'll see amazing country, and majestic elk, mule deer and maybe even bear. Bugling elk is amazing. I'm drawing a muzzlelader tag this year ( 2 PP should get me a tag ) and myself and my buddy are hiking 5-6 miles into a wilderness are for our hunt. This will be Sept 10-19th, almost bivy style hunting. My camp will consist of a 4 pound REI tent, one Jet Boil burner/fuel, Mtn House meals, bare essentials for hunting and camping and hopefully under 35 pound pack.
You could rent llamas, I have a great contact for rentals in Colorado Sprint, very good prices and they make elk hunting a LOT easier
