EHJ i199 Tips & Tactics: Elk Chess: Post Rut Bulls

EHJ i199 Tips & Tactics: Elk Chess: Post Rut Bulls

By Todd Helms

You can’t hunt what you can’t find. . . 

Hunting trophy class, post-rut bull elk is incredibly difficult for the simple fact that mature bulls virtually disappear at this time of year. Good for the elk, bad for hunters as this is also the time frame when most general or easy-to-draw elk tags/seasons take place. These season dates are set on purpose; imagine holding general rifle elk hunts during the rut or the waning days of the rut… the success rates on mature bulls would skyrocket as even the big boys are vulnerable at this time if you’re rifle hunting. 

Post-rut bulls are a very different animal than they were just a few weeks earlier in September and first week of October, depending on geographic location. In the states of Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming the post-rut runs from the middle of the first week of October through the first weeks of November. Arizona, New Mexico and southern Utah see rut activity wrapping up in mid-October generally. This rule of thumb can change from year to year and the best way to gauge whether or not you’re in the post-rut phase is to see what class of bulls are still hanging with cow/calf groups. 

If you’re only seeing raghorns and young bulls mixed in with the cows then it’s highly likely that you’re in the post-rut phase as the older age class of bulls will have abandoned the chaos of cow/calf herds and retreated into solitary confinement or small bachelor groups that hole up in the nastiest and hardest to reach places they can find. 

Post-rut bulls need two things; security and food with security being a top priority. Guy Eastman equates post-rut bull behavior with recovering from a long stint of “going too hard”. All you really want to do is sleep and maybe eat a little bit but you’re not going to want to travel far from your cozy, dark bedroom, so having some food close at hand is a must. 

Big bulls at this time are generally living as high in elevation as they can get if they’re mountain elk. If they’re lowland elk they’ll find gnarly or thick country with very minimal human presence. They will hole up in small secluded pockets of thick timber very close to small food sources. Don’t expect to find these bulls on wide-open, south-facing slopes; that’ll come when/if the weather gets really cold or snow gets very deep. Never underestimate how tough mature bulls are, they are built for extreme cold and very deep snow. You need to be looking for timber pockets high on the mountain with small parks/meadows and edges where they can slip out and feed close to their security cover.

These bulls will only be visible the last few minutes of legal shooting light or during the first few minutes in the morning. The rest of the day they will be put away in a bedding area, getting up to stretch and feed on what they can find in that bedding zone. This means that you need to live behind your glass from a master vantage point with a commanding view of miles of country. Ideally you’ll be glassing to the east in the evenings and west in the mornings. Using your e-scouting tools like Spartan Forge and onX to find these glassing locations is a pro-tip that has netted a lot of bulls for our crew over the years. 

In most scenarios you’ll be looking for a single bull or small group of bulls; these guys have spent weeks surrounded by other elk and mostly want to be alone before they group up again. Take your time and watch a target bull closely once you find him. His routine will be super tight and your window of opportunity for killing him will be limited to minutes each day. This is a chess match and planning your moves through careful study will determine whether or not you hang your tag on his sweeping main beam.  

Once you’ve established a bull’s patterns, which will likely take at least two evenings of study, it’s time to make a game plan. Your approach must be methodical and patient; a mature bull won’t stand for any intrusion and if he detects you he will vanish, either leaving the area or going completely nocturnal. This is not a scenario where you want to rush or get too close. Your approach needs to be perfect; no swirling winds, as quiet as possible and hidden from view. This is why watching and waiting as much as possible before you move is vital to success – you’ll get one chance. 

Remember you’ve got a rifle in your hands so giving a big bull some cushion is in your favor. I’m not talking long range here, but you’re better off staying a couple hundred yards away from where you expect your bull to step out at last light. This way there’s less chance of him detecting you before you can seal the deal. Be set up and ready for him and take the first good shot opportunity he presents; the longer you wait the greater the chance he has to make a counter-move. I’ve seen this time and again, guys aren’t quite ready or are waiting for the “perfect” shot opportunity, the wind swirls and the bull is gone. These old warrior bulls also seem to have a sixth sense, it’s weird, almost like they can feel your eyes on them. They’ve survived a lot of attempts on their lives and they are incredibly attuned to danger. 

This is where using enough gun and quality bullets is the only right choice. A checkmate move requires a swift, decisive and deadly blow. Your bullet may need to penetrate feet of a big bull’s body. Quartering shot angles need to be accounted for and when it comes to a bull who tips the scales upward of 650 pounds, a well constructed bullet pushed as hard as possible is a must. I’m just going to say it… leave the 6.5 Creedmoor and soft bullets at home. See my sidebar on cartridges and loads for big bodied, tough old bulls. 

Harvesting an old trophy bull during the post-rut is incredibly challenging. They’re wise, secretive and tough. Your opportunities will be limited and making the right moves will require patience and stealth. Remember, the game is chess, not checkers. 

Sidebar: Trophy Bull Cartridges and Bullets
Using the biggest cartridge you can accurately and effectively shoot is the best choice for hunting trophy class elk. You’re going to likely have one crack at a big old bull and your rig has to be able to penetrate deep with lots of wallop to put him down hard. There is no such thing as overkill when it comes to killing mature bulls and with muzzle brakes and suppressors like Silencer Central’s Banish Series, shooting hard hitting rounds is easier than ever. 

I’m sure I’ll get some hate over my choices but these are proven performers. 

Elk Chess Cartridges
Pawns: 6.5 PRC, 6.5 Weatherby RPM, 6.5-300 Weatherby, 270 WSM, 270 Weatherby, 6.8 Western
Bishops/Rooks/Knights: 280 Ackley, 7MM Rem Mag, 7MM PRC, 7MM STW, 7MM RUM, 28 Nosler
Queens: .30-06, 300 Win Mag, 300 Weatherby, 30 Nosler, 300 PRC, 300 RUM, 30-378 Weatherby
Kings: 338 Win Mag, 338 Weatherby RPM, 340 Weatherby, 33 Nosler, 338 RUM, 338 Lapua, 338-378 Weatherby, 35 Whelen, 358 Norma Mag, 375 Ruger, 375 H&H 

Elk Chess Bullets
No ranking here as all of these are wicked game enders. 

• Hornady ELD-X and CX
• Barnes TTSX and LRX
• Nosler AccuBond, Partition and E-Tip
• Federal Premium Terminal Ascent, Trophy Copper and Trophy Bonded Tip
• Hammer Bullets

Todd’s Ultimate Elk Chess Combo
My ultimate trophy elk setup would be a big, fast 33 and a monolithic copper bullet. Something like the 338 RUM, 33 Nosler or 338-378 Weatherby tamed by a dedicated 338 suppressor from Silencer Central and loaded with either the Hornady 225gr. CX or 250gr. Barnes LRX bullet as fast as I could accurately push it.