Elk Rut in Ruidoso: When to Hear the Bugling and Where to Look

The elk rut in Ruidoso runs through September, with bulls bugling from late August into October. Elk live in and around the village year-round, so you do not need to drive to a national park to see them. In fall, the bulls get loud, and the calls echo through the canyons, especially at dawn and dusk.

When is the elk rut?

The rut is the elk mating season. Bull elk gather groups of cows, bugle to attract them and warn off other bulls, and spar with rivals.

• Peak: mid to late September in most of the West. A Ruidoso lodge that tracks its local herd reports the rut usually happens in September, with dates recorded as early as August 24 and as late as November 5.
• Start: New Mexico's wildlife department describes bugling as starting "when the leaves of the aspens start to turn into gold." In Ruidoso that usually lines up with the fall colors on Ski Apache Road.
• End: activity drops off through October.

If you are planning a trip around the rut, the second half of September is the safest bet. A late September trip also overlaps the start of fall color, covered in our Ruidoso fall colors guide.

What time of day to go

Elk are most active in the first hour or two after sunrise and the last couple of hours before sunset. They bed down in the middle of the day. The bugling is loudest early and late too, and you will often hear a bull well before you see one.

Where to see elk around Ruidoso

Elk come right into town here. A few places they show up:

• Neighborhoods and Midtown. Visitors regularly film herds of 30 or more elk walking through Midtown Ruidoso. Quiet residential streets near forest edges are where most guests see them.
• Golf courses. Elk graze the fairways at The Links at Sierra Blanca and near Inn of the Mountain Gods, mostly early and late in the day. Watch from the road or a parking area, not the course.
• Mountain roads at dawn and dusk. Drive slowly. Elk cross roads without warning, and hitting one can end your trip.
• Trails in Lincoln National Forest. Meadow edges, where open grass meets trees, are the classic spot. Bugling carries a long way in the canyons.

The Mescalero Apache Reservation, just south and west of town, holds a large elk herd, but it is tribal land with its own rules. Do not wander onto it looking for elk.

At 2nd Street Retreat, elk and deer pass through the neighborhood regularly. One guest wrote: "lots of wild animals: horse, deer, elk and so on." The photo at the top of this page is a cow and calf in the pines beside the cabin.

How close is too close?

Bulls in the rut are aggressive and unpredictable. They have charged and injured people who got too close.

• Stay at least 100 yards back. That is the distance the National Park Service asks for at Valles Caldera, home to one of New Mexico's largest elk herds. Use binoculars or a zoom lens.
• Never get between two bulls, or between a bull and his cows.
• Watch for warning signs: a bull grinding his teeth, laying his ears back or walking toward you. Back away slowly.
• Do not bugle back or use elk calls to bring a bull in.
• Keep dogs leashed and close. Elk treat dogs as predators. See our dog-friendly Ruidoso guide for leash rules.
• Do not feed elk. It is dangerous for the elk and for you.

If you are watching from a car, stay in the car. Pull fully off the road so you do not block traffic.

Where to stay for the rut

2nd Street Retreat is a cabin about 5 minutes from Midtown, in a neighborhood elk walk through. It has a private fenced hot tub for after an early morning out, and a back deck where guests often see deer and elk. See the cabin or book your dates.

Sources: NM Department of Wildlife, National Park Service, Valles Caldera wildlife viewing, The Sanctuary at Ruidoso, Discover Ruidoso.