Mature and immature bulls alike regroup after the rut. The big boys usually bring up the rear, though, so be patient if you spy a bachelor herd. (Shutterstock photo)
December 05, 2025
By Mark Kayser
The snag of boulders felt like home. Sure, the jagged, craggy surface did not resemble a La-Z-Boy recliner, but over the years it had become a base to begin and end several memorable hunts. It rests below a steep slope that post-rut bulls use as a last grazing opportunity before ducking into dark timber for the day.
As I nestled my rifle into my pack for stability, motion in the upper center portion of the slope grabbed my attention. A young bull stepped out, followed by another and then another. By the end of the parade, seven young bulls fed across the top as they moved toward cover. My binocular was busy as I scanned from the front of the line to the back, waiting for a mature bull hanging in the background to show himself.
Very few times have I seen a group of post-rut bulls without at least one patriarch shuffling along at a senior citizen’s pace. As the youngsters slowly disappeared into dark timber, I made a move to look below me into a smaller opening. Maybe a geezer bull was making its way up to the hipsters from a different route? After a while, I looked back over my shoulder and up the slope. A splash of tan in the timber between me and the young bulls screamed “mature bull!”
POST-RUT BEHAVIOR By November, most cow elk have been bred. The main breeding takes place in mid-September, and any unbred cows cycle into estrus again approximately a month later. You may see the occasional November breeding flurry, but don’t count on it.
Advertisement
As October transitions into November, the winter pattern of elk establishes. Harems of cows once led by a mature bull begin to group together to create large herds. Some young bulls stay with the harem (mommy issues maybe?) but more likely they’ll seize the opportunity to act in dominance within an environment devoid of mature bulls.
Focus hunting efforts on grazing areas near thick timber at this stage of the season, and try and catch a bull heading for cover after feeding. (Mark Kayser photo) Vocalizations ring out in these large herds as cows communicate among themselves and the occasional rowdy young male bugles a response. Often, if the herd feels safe, it may remain on wide-open mesas to partake of good grazing. The vast number of eyes in open settings boosts their confidence that predators cannot sneak close.
Bulls that once thought they wore the pants in a herd begin filtering away from groups of cows and slip away to form bands of brothers. These bull groups rarely are large, with maybe a dozen hanging together at most, though more likely six to 10 forming a security relationship. I’ll watch your back and you watch mine. Again, if the bulls feel secure, you may locate them in the open. In remote basins that have difficult access or on private land, you could come across a bull out and about midday, but don’t bet on it during hunting season. Instead, these bulls tend to feed nocturnally and only provide glimpses at dawn and dusk. Sometimes you don’t even get a glimpse, unless a weather event or dumb luck turns things in your favor.
Advertisement
Over several decades of post-rut hunting, I have been lucky in shooting bulls from the middle of enormous herds. I have also shot several that traveled in the company of just one or two bulls. Bull character varies, and that, combined with the habitat, leads to differences in what to expect on a post-rut elk hunt.
POST-RUT HABITAT Like whitetails and mule deer, the rut exhausts bull elk. Weeks of laborious corralling and chasing burns off 100 or more pounds during breeding season, depending on overall body weight. Cows, although not burning nearly as many calories as a herd bull, are amid a weight-loss program as well. When the rut sees the checkered flag, everyone goes into survival mode, and that means eating. Primarily grazers, elk seek out the best grasses available. Think open country, but do not overlook certain habitats that also provide grazing opportunities under canopy cover. Aspen groves and Gambel oak stands are two habitats where elk can graze in cover. In some areas elk may browse in a limited fashion, especially if drought hinders grass production or snow begins piling up. I see elk moving into mountain mahogany communities throughout the post-rut and winter months in Wyoming.
As important as refueling is after the rut, so is refuge. Since late August, elk have felt the pressure of you and your hunting brethren. That experience either drove them to a sanctuary where they have taken up a long-term lease or taught them the moves to evade you. When available, elk move onto private ranches with limited hunting pressure. You see that particularly with large herds. Bulls will follow, but they also have a penchant for retreating to remote, rugged and markedly vertical terrain. A private ranch bodes well for them, but if they must share it with hundreds of females, they have no reservations about moving back into inaccessible public terrain.
As snow piles up, elk are forced to spend more time feeding during the day in order to regain weight that was lost during the rigors of the rut. (Shutterstock photo) Over the years, I’ve discovered that even in the most rugged country around, bulls still swap between hideouts. They may be on one steep slope and travel to an adjacent canyon for the next day’s safe house. Despite this randomness, stay confident. What I have also experienced is that they return after several days. Perhaps try a new hideout, but return every few days to check for occupants. I have even planted myself in the same bull-preferred location for up to five days, awaiting their return. It’s worked more than once.
WEATHER IMPACTS Nobody likes to hear this, but bad weather is better than good weather when hunting post-rut, pressured elk. I’ve caught large herds moving about in good weather on ample occasions, and I’ve even watched a few bachelor bulls feeding on open hillsides as a brilliant sunset lit up the world around them. The latter is a rare occasion. Often, the large herds were either in areas too broad for a good stalk or, more likely, resting on a private ranch. Bulls lounge on private spreads on sunny days, but when I have caught them on public lands with a splash of sunlight on their back, they are in country too far and too rugged to access.
Bad weather, snow, cold and wind forces elk to graze longer in the hunt for calories. These conditions, when combined with rut-worn bodies, require elk to feed aggressively. Although many still feed nocturnally, the stop-and-go feeding schedule of elk requires cud chewing. To get one last gut fill-up before bedding, many push their feeding into shooting light. Conversely, they might begin munching 30 minutes earlier before shooting light ends. Take advantage of these windows as weather nears, plays out or moves out of an area. I’ve shot several bulls in the hours before a storm, and have had especially good luck as storms blew out of an area. Climbing through deep snow in the dark of night to reach suspected elk areas as a storm finishes has been a smart use of energy for me.
Keeping tabs on the weather not only aids you in planning when and where to hunt, it can keep you safe. November storms throughout much of elk country can be lethal. Getting a vehicle stuck or just staying in a high-elevation camp hoping the storm doesn’t deliver its worst is a dicey gamble. One fall, my best friend camped solo at approximately 10,000 feet with a storm rolling in. By morning, his wall tent had nearly collapsed and his Polaris Ranger barely spun its way back to the trailhead for extraction before the storm really gained traction. Heed warnings!
THE GAME PLAN Although the days of bugles ringing from canyon to canyon have passed, elk calls can still play a significant role in your post-rut hunt. At a minimum, carry a cow call. This lightweight device has the power to initiate a response from both bulls and cows, although the latter is more likely. Sneaking into areas open or timbered and mewing a “where are you?” message could get a response from a boss cow.
A cow call could also give you several precious seconds to get off a shot. One morning I walked right into a band of bulls feeding heavily mere minutes into shooting light. Several of the bulls saw me while a couple continued to feed. To make them question the movement they witnessed, I cow-called. They paused and it gave me extra seconds to settle my reticle on a bull still feeding and unalarmed.
Still-hunting should play an important role in your post-rut hunts. A good objective is to attempt to reach a suspected feeding area by daylight, survey it and then move through country with the stealth of a mountain lion. Weave through timber slowly and glass. Inspect all edges and openings for fresh tracks and droppings. And listen. A moving herd often communicates and gives up its location. It could hold a young bull and certainly options for filling the freezer with its plethora of cows.
The author dropped this post-rut bull as it traversed a steep slope above his position on its way to bedding cover after a night of feeding. (Mark Kayser photo) If your still-hunting analysis reveals a location that appears to show consistent visitation by elk, plan your ambush. I’ve taken plenty of elk by locating an area they seem to frequent and then waiting within rifle range. Some areas may be too large to cover from one sniper perch, but study the terrain for hidden routes to cut the distance if needed. Get to your ambush location at least 30 minutes before shooting light. Stay downwind and monitor the thermals. Always be prepared to shoot within seconds, as elk have a way of appearing and disappearing in the blink of an eye.
ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL The quick appearance of the assumed bull above my position on that boulder-strewn perch put me in shock, as I was standing and not in a shooting position. A quick glance with my binocular confirmed antlers as the bull moved behind a tree less than 300 yards away. With his head hidden, I scrambled up a rocky ledge and lay prone over a boulder. The bull was in a tiny opening and I could only see his shoulder and paunch. With no time to hesitate, I put the crosshairs on his shoulder and shot. Twenty minutes later I made the ascent to where he had stood, and found him a few feet away It was a post-rut hunting celebration at its very best.
CONVERSATION STARTERS
Be ready to chat up elk, even after the rut, with these quality calls. Photos courtesy of Rocky Mountain Hunting Calls You should always carry a cow call, regardless of the stage of elk season. This simple sound can lure, calm and coax elk. Keep it around your neck or in a pocket in your bino chest rig, but keep it within reach for immediate use, especially if you stumble into elk and they go on alert.
My go-to is the Rocky Mountain Hunting Calls Lil Flirt ($24.99; rockymountainhuntingcalls.com). It’s a small, open-reed call with big volume and the ability to make a wide variety of cow/calf calls.
For bugling, particularly focused toward young bulls running with large herds of cows, I prefer a lightweight bugle. Rocky Mountain Hunting Calls offers two. Consider the larger Carbon Assassin tube ($284.99), weighing just 4.9 ounces, or the smaller aluminum Little Big Mouth ($74.99) at just 9 ounces. Both use a unique spring system in the throat of the call for true tones and resonating sound. Team either with a simple-to-use diaphragm, like the Black Magic GTP ($13.99), and you’re off to the races.
This article was featured in the November 2025 issue of Game & Fish magazine. Click to subscribe .
