Cow Elk Hunting Tactics

[2rocky]

Once a moving herd of elk slows down, or is moving without being pushed (by other hunters, or after spooking) many times will be side by side and you can't see the cow or calf behind her

 

[hank4elk]

Nice country. An aside, I noticed right away the pink flower on the bank is Rocky Mountain Bee Plant, Cleome serrulata. It's nectar rich flowers are used by pollinators like butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds. I go to considerable lengths to collect seed pods in late summer to grow it in my gardens, primarily to attract hummers. In late summer it's particularly useful to attract bees as it keeps them off the hummingbird feeders.

In most years our yard is filled with bee plant which attracts hummingbirds by the thousands. Fortunately, deer, elk and moose don't find it palatable. Other common names for it are stinkweed and stinking clover.

It's one of my favorites here. Called turkey bean here. Homesteaders would collect & hang in turkey & chicken coops for the seed that falls out.

 

[easternarcher]

Any advice for September archery cow elk? Obviously unlikely for there to be significant snow early September in Montana. Habitat, terrain, etc? Thanks!

 

[Pucky Freak]

Thank you. I plan to call a biologist before pulling the trigger on a tag. I want to make sure that whatever zone I put her in for has a good chance of having elk there in huntable numbers on public land during the timeframe that we have to go in.

That data is largely available from the unit descriptions, harvest success rates, and public access summaries on the WG&F hunt unit webpages. The info there is written by the district field bio, or directly from their data and observations. For more fleshed-out info I would consult the WG&F hunt harvest report + the job completion report. Especially pay attention to NR success rates for the tag in question, since that is more relevant data. That should be all the info needed to select a unit to apply for.

The WY cow tags that require points to draw correspond strongly to easier public access and higher success rates. There are several ~2PP type 4-5 tags in the regular draw that are pretty cake. The one I hunted I found two groups of cows in the first 4 hours of the hunt. I found it to be harder than locating doves on dove opener, but easier than finding squirrels in a sea of nut-bearing hardwoods. If I had a week to fill that tag I’m confident I could have filled it several times over.

After you draw your tag I would suggest calling the field bio a couple weeks prior to the opener, and ask specific questions pertaining to your scouting and where you are thinking of going. You might find that the bio will tell you where herds of cows have been hanging out recently. By issuing the cow tags, the goal of the stakeholders is to reduce the elk population, so they want you to fill your tag. Unlike WT, elk temporarily relocate many miles due to water and feed availability, hunting pressure, sanctuaries, and other factors. You might get unlucky and just be there at the wrong time, but in an area with abundant public access that is much less likely.

Feel free to drop me a line if you have additional qs.