Do you remember the first time you heard an elk bugle? I sure do, and the sound of an elk bugling is, literally, my favorite song. These incredibly majestic animals use their bugling abilities to attract cows, as the females tend to be attracted to the males that bugle more often and that have the loudest call. According to Wikipedia, “Bugling is often associated with an adaptation to open environments such as parklands, meadows, and savannas, where sound can travel great distances.”
If you are on a mission to hear an elk bugle during the rut, your best bet would be to find a herd early in the morning or late in the day and listen. It is said that a bull elk bugle is, ironically, “one of the most distinctive sounds in nature, akin to the howl of the gray wolf.”
Take a look at this awesome video footage of bull elk singing their hearts out at Rocky Mountain National Park…