JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) — Bull elk can bugle at any time of year but the shrill noise is typically associated with fall breeding season, also known as the rut. The season usually lasts from mid-September to mid-October.

Biologist Eric Cole at the National Elk Refuge says bugling in Jackson Hole usually peaks in late September.

The Jackson Hole News & Guide reports that while bugling itself isn’t a competition, it can play a role in preventing or starting skirmishes for the right to breed with a group of females, called a harem. Bulls that are equally matched will sometimes resort to combat.

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