Eerie Shrieking that Prevents a Fight

Elk bugling, 2013 (photo by Paul Staniszewski) 27 September 2026 In September and October elk (Cervus canadensis) are in the rut in Pennsylvania. The dominant bulls follow groups of cows and warn other males away. Males try to intimidate rivals by vocalizing and displaying with their antlers. If neither bull backs down, they engage in antler wrestling, sometimes sustaining serious injuries. — Wikipedia: Elk Behavior and Ecology The sounds are haunting and surprisingly complex. Julia Plummer recorded them on the night of September 18-19 at State Gamelands 34 in Elk County. The vocalizations are called “bugling” because they vaguely resemble a human bugle. Compare this to Julia’s elk recording below. video embedded from History Symposium on YouTube Human bugles don’t have a wide frequency range. The elk’s bugle are as low as 150Hz and as high as 7,500Hz (maybe higher?). Notice the patterns on the sonogram. Lots of it is outside my range of hearing. To make these sounds the bull uses his…

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