I was Elk hunting in Nevada the first of this Oct and found a valley that held a ton of Elk. They would mostly show up at or after dark, but there were anywhwere from 4 to 10 bulls in the valley at night (most with 3 to 8 cows with them)...lots of elk. The bulls were buglingall night and all through the day except maybe the few hours right around noon. My question for you all is to try and help me understand why none of the cows were calling at all. We were in the region for 3 or 4 days, heard thousands of bugles (and several fights) but only 1 or 2 cows made any noise at all, what gives? Most of the research I have done on calling indicates that cows and calves are supposed to talk all throughout the year, with the bulls bugling the most around the rut. I believe the rut was either at its peak or just past as all the cows were in some bull's harem. Any ideas?

My question to you would be how close did you get to the herds? Cows and calves are vocal but nothing like a bull bugling. They will call between each other, probably the loudest being when the herd cow barks at danger.

Bear Claw, setter77 has a very good question and has hit the nail on the head.Most of the time to be able to hear a cow call/talk you have to be under 100 yards.To hear all of the elk talk including the soft mews, whines, huffs and gruntsthat cows and bulls both make you have to be under 50 yards. Of course they can also make loude whines, barks and the well known and easily heard bugles. I have learned that when people say they are close to elk it can be anywhere from 10 yards out to 200 yards. For me getting in close means under 20yards. I did not kill the bull I was after this past archery season but I did bring him in close, just had the wrong shot angle. No blood on my hands but boy was my blood in myheart was a pumping! Thats the beauty of elk hunting in the rut, and I wouldn't trade it for anything!

Makes a lot of sense to me. We did get within 100 yds a few times but usually in the dark, and at times we were busted but didn't know who was barking cows or bulls. For the most part we were in open country and were hiding 300 yds to 1/2 mile away.

Iappreciate your help. Thank ya kindly.

My experience is that you've got to be under 50yds to hear ANY cow vocalizing other than the afore mentioned warning bark(if you heard the bark it was probably cows. I've never heard a bull bark, not to say they dont). bulls have ALOT of short whistles and short bugles that you need to be close to hear also. If they are in the timber you hear even less. Where were you at, my son was also hunting elk Oct 1st in NV.

Well, I have never heard Mature Bulls Bark. I have heard small rag horn bulls bark. I agree the other guys, I just don't think you got close enough to really hear the ladies talk.

Mulie fever - glad to hear I'm not the only one. I doubt that the bulls bark, but wont rule it out just because I've never heard it. If they do its rare in comparison to the cows, who bark every time they get spooked. I had a buddy one time in the days before videos and DVD who was trying to cow call for bulls. We split up he went down the bottom I went down the top. I heard him jump some cows (he had bull tag I had cow) by the bark. I didnt see any of them come my way and moved on down the ridge 1/2 mile and the same thing..some cow barking then nothing.I didnt see any elk come out either side of the canyon. This goes on all morning. He was jumping them, but we weren't seeing them. We finally caught up w/ each other around noon and thats when I realized the truth[].....my buddy had was imitateing the only cow noise he'd ever heard.....THE ALARM BARK[:@][:@].

I agree that Bear Claw was probably a little out of earshot to hear the cows well. With that much commotion going on (bugling)one would bound to hear very active cow chatter!

On the other hand just to clarify the "barking" thing, both bulls & cows make a nervous or popping grunt sound in singular fashion sounding to many like a bark, in reality it is not a bark, at least not the mountain side clearing event type! <grin>

This sound or "bark" is something bulls & cows alike use to greet one another at times or if not sure of who's in their surroundings they'll issue this grunt-bark out asking the intruder or noise-maker to identify oneself. They want to make sure you're not a possible threat!

A good example when you as a hunter may hear this sound is if you're working a bull with either a cow call or by bugles & he hangs-up just out of bowrange because he expects this real elk to be somewhere close he'll give this "popping grunt" which sounds like a bark asking you to show yourself. You'll notice once this sound is heard by you that the bull or cow is still standing there not running off at all. This is because he or she iswaiting for an elky or positive response, if he or she doesn't get a satisfactory response within 30sec they then walk away.

So yes, all elk make both barks & popping type grunts, you just need to know when you hear them which one they're using!! <grin> ElkNut1