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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

OVERHEARD

Are elk getting more wary of human imitations?

By Rich Landers Outdoors editor

Love is in the air this week wherever Rocky Mountain elk roam.

This is the peak of the mating seasons — the rut — and bulls are whipping their longings to a libidinous pitch.

Few sounds in nature can raise the goose bumps on a hunter’s neck like a bull elk’s windy bugle as it ranges from deep base through the octaves to a squeal before falling into deep-throated grunts.

Hunters, in turn, have learned to raise the hackles on bull elk by imitating the various calls of bulls and cows.

But the ultimate thrill of calling a big bull elk into shooting range appears to be getting harder to score.

With so many humans out there talking like an elk, some of the elk seem to have stopped talking.

“I don’t have any scientific basis for this, but I seem to be seeing a change in elk behavior,” said Pat Fowler, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife veteran wildlife biologist for the Blue Mountains.

“Last fall, I saw hunters and guides calling and I also saw non-hunters camping and walking down ridges to call just for recreation. We have big bulls down here and calling has become a sport of its own to some people.

“I’ve sat from a distance and watched how the elk responded. More and more, they get tense and walk away. They seem to be getting call shy and antsy about answering a call.

“Some of that is normal. Sometimes it’s just a bull who hears another bull and thinks it’s better to round up his cows and get out of there.

“But I can tell you that virtually every backpacker, ATVer, archer and hunter down in the Blue Mountains during the month of September and well into October is bugling bulls. We shouldn’t be surprised if elk start making an association.”

In Montana, hunters have been commenting for several years about changes in elk behavior.

“It’s not uncommon to hear hunters saying that bulls seem less responsive, especially in areas with significant pressure, like the Missouri Breaks,” said Ron Aasheim, state Fish Wildlife and Parks Department spokesman in Helena.

“We get complaints about people using cow calls as they try to sneak up on elk — sometimes out in the open — and basically advertising to the elk that they are humans who are trying to sound like an elk.

“It’s safe to assume this could be having an effect, in the same way that we hear that late-season waterfowl become call-shy.”

Glen Berry of Berry Game Calls in Medical Lake, said he’s not convinced that elk are changing their calling habits.

“I’ve been doing this for over 25 years and it’s never been real easy to call an elk,” he said. “It’s all about timing, the situation — and luck.

“A big bull is more receptive to calling when a bull of equal size is competing for cows. When smaller bulls are the only competition, there’s no threat and the big bull may not respond to a call.”

Berry also acknowledged that many hunters overuse calls: “They can get annoyed by somebody who talks too much, just like us.

“Sometimes the situation requires a hunter to be more patient; call less; let the bull become more curious.

“But the fact is, archers who know what they’re doing are still calling in elk during the rut and taking record-book bulls year after year.”

In Idaho’s Salmon River country, hunters say the comeback of wolves may be the most significant influence on the changing talking habits of elk.

“I get that question a lot from hunters, and I don’t have a good answer,” said Tom Keegan, Idaho Fish and Game Department regional wildlife manager in Salmon.

“If you go into Yellowstone Park, where wolves have been working on elk for years, the bull elk still seem to bugle their guts out in September.

“On the other hand, the bulls in our most heavily pressured archery areas had a reputation for being call-shy even before wolves were re-introduced.”

In hunting areas, a decrease in bull talk may be related simply to the increase in disturbance as more hunters begin moving through the woods, Keegan said.

Incidentally, in Yellowstone Park it’s illegal to use an elk bugle or any other animal call.

“It has to do with minimizing human impact,” said Al Nash, park spokesman. “We try to provide people an opportunity to enjoy wildlife with minimum impact on the animals. The use of calls doesn’t fit with our effort to protect nature at work.

“Besides, if you want to look at elk in Yellowstone during fall, I guarantee you don’t need an elk bugle.”