Elk and Snow

[Rob Allen]

So this is my first year wintering in Bozeman and my first year Elk hunting.. I am not sure what constitutes a lot of snow to an elk but i look at the mountains and don't see much green making me think that the elk will be headed down into private lands, and that makes me wonder when i get to start hunting will there be any elk left in the mountains? Do rifle hunters ever get completely hosed out of elk hunting by weather pushing them down into private???

 

[vanish]

It takes a couple of feet of snow to push the bulls down.

 

[RobG]

This "early" snow happens most years and usually most of the snow is gone by the opener. Or not. But either way there will be a lot of elk in the backcountry. The main problem is that what's left of yesterday's snow will be thawed/frozen in two weeks and very noisy. Hope for a decent dump of quiet tracking snow right before the opener to quiet it down.

 

[antlerradar]

Probability take more snow to push them down than your are going to want to walk up in. Vanish is likely right unless the snow gets a hard crust. Might come down with less if the snow is crusted. I would be more worried about hunting pressure moving elk to private and don't get me started on mule deer.

 

[.280 Remington]

Probability take more snow to push them down than your are going to want to walk up in. Vanish is likely right unless the snow gets a hard crust. Might come down with less if the snow is crusted. I would be more worried about hunting pressure moving elk to private and don't get me started on mule deer.

+1

By the time it pushed them all out of the mountains, you won't even be able to get a vehicle up to many of the NF access points.

 

[sbhooper]

It depends on hunting pressure, too. I have seen them bail from an area after several inches of snow, added to lots of hunter pressure.

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

During most years, hunter pressure probably has a lot more to do with their habits than snow. I like a decent amount of snow, because it keeps most hunters out....

 

[RobG]

It depends on the area - I know one that the elk bug out when temps dip below zero even if only a foot of snow falls.

But, we found elk this day and I could barely believe it. They had access to wind swept slopes for food, but bedded in the deep snow.


This was on the last hour of the last day of the 2010 season about 3 miles into the Madison range. There were huge herds of elk attracting slob hunters on the flats, but still many elk were still up high.

 

[Rob Allen]

thanks for the input I feel better now, not only that but the snow all melted i guess i just get discouraged easy because the odds seem stacked against hunters let alone a new hunter who knows next to nothing

 

[Rooster52]

I hate snow. Early season elk is my favorite hunt.

 

[Madman]

I hate snow. Early season elk is my favorite hunt.

Sure helps dragging! I prefer snow, but ask 50 hunters, and they all have some varying form of answer!

 

[Deleted member 28227]

Last year I shot a bull in rifle season in November in 2 feet of snow that I had found in June. He was right near timberline and was bedding in the trees and eating grass uncovered by the wind.