Timing the rut right is what separates a good elk season from a frustrating one. Rocky Mountain and Roosevelt elk typically peak from mid-September into early October, while California’s Tule elk start earlier, in August. On the calving side, cows drop a single calf in late spring after roughly an eight-and-a-half-month gestation — twins are extremely rare, so don’t expect …

Elk season is in full swing right now, and before you ever step foot in the woods, you need to know exactly what you’re hunting. Not every elk is built the same, and knowing the difference has saved me from misjudging more than one bull over the years. Out across the West — Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming, Nevada — we’re hunting …