First year going on elk hunt. I didnt draw a tag but went along with a buddy who is a Wyoming resident and he had a general season area 36 tag. He has killed bulls in 5 of last 6 years, so he at least had experience. He passed early on a couple smaller raghorns, but we didnt see but one herd the rest of week with a good bull but couldnt close the distance. We hiked in each day and were at least 4 miles each day from truck. It was a great week to me, but shifting weather seemed to kill any movement. Just wondering if this is "normal" or were we in wrong areas?
Was this a normal year for elk?
- Thread starter Bruce54
- Start date
WHOCARES
Member
I don't think there is a normal. Each year, each hunt is its own special thing.
D
Deleted member 28227
Guest
All things considered it was pretty par for the course in Colorado, definitely lots of outdoor rec all summer that pushed deer/elk around, but that has been an increasing trend.
Carl 9.3x62
Well-known member
Depends on if you killed one
belshawelk
Well-known member
Last year the rut timing was way off. No elk. This year almost back to normal. We are 3 for 3 on cows. 1 tag left. Elk hunting in my opinion changes every year.
Wildabeest
Well-known member
It’s 2020. Nothing is “normal”!
The elk "Rut", be it elk or any species of animal, has has to breed at a specific time or their offspring will not survive so that doesn't change from year to year. The "procivied" intensity can be altered by weather, pressure from other natural or unnatural activity.
diamond hitch
Well-known member
As many have said, 2020 is weird year. For my area about on par with 2018. What will make the differance is if we have a third big snow winter with a late spring. That seems to set the tone for the next season and where the elk summer.
we need to get people back to work and in school. Having people living on every flat spot all summer and fall certainly changed the dynamics and elk concentration. The benefit of having all the four wheelers cutting out roads was nice though but they were still blown in by hunting season.
For my area, a wet snow followed by a rain and then a freeze was the death knoll for tracking and dense thicket stalking. What elk I saw came in whole in the back of a pickup from a road hunter. The state reports success at about 10% or about normal for the check stations.
we need to get people back to work and in school. Having people living on every flat spot all summer and fall certainly changed the dynamics and elk concentration. The benefit of having all the four wheelers cutting out roads was nice though but they were still blown in by hunting season.
For my area, a wet snow followed by a rain and then a freeze was the death knoll for tracking and dense thicket stalking. What elk I saw came in whole in the back of a pickup from a road hunter. The state reports success at about 10% or about normal for the check stations.
2rocky
Well-known member
To me the measure of a hunt is the "First Shot Opportunity" at the standard of your choice. Usually that is a legal animal. If you get an opportunity at a legal animal in the first 2 days, that is a quality area. More often than not, I've taken that opportunity.
I think there was way more pressure than normal in Region 3 where I hunt. I hunted 8-9 days and hunted about 65-70 miles over three different periods in October/November. There was elk there, but they seemed very nocturnal, like bedding up way before daylight. I missed a bedded cow on day 6 at 70 yards (hit a small unseen branch), dry fired on another (rifle wasn’t loaded), and seen 12-15 cows during those hunts. Cow groups were 2 to 5 animals. I jumped a bunch more that I never seen. I really hope the entire district where I hunt completely burns or they allow mass logging, I prefer logging. There is so much deadfall the elk had the advantage and after the opening weekend the crunchy snow allowed them to hear me coming.
There was probably 75-100 elk within the three or four drainages where I hunt and they are visable throughout the summer, and they stay on public, but you have to get lucky and catch them in a spot where you can get a shot. I had several elk 30-50 yards and couldn’t shoot due to the brush. I don’t know if they were bulls or cows. It’s a any elk district.
I only heard maybe 10 shots all season, I used to hear 20-60 shots opening morning and would see elk running everywhere. The 10 or so dead elk I did see were fully loaded whole by heavy hitters. I only have 7 years as a resident hunter in Montana and 3 years as a nonresident, and I’ve killed 17 elk. Nobody needs 11 weeks to “kill” a elk. We used to kill bulls every year in Colorado/Utah in 3/5 days. Bow hunters don’t need 6 weeks to hunt either, at least on public anyhow. We still had fun, enjoyed Gods beauty, and ate/drank great, and was super thankful to get to hunt again.
There was probably 75-100 elk within the three or four drainages where I hunt and they are visable throughout the summer, and they stay on public, but you have to get lucky and catch them in a spot where you can get a shot. I had several elk 30-50 yards and couldn’t shoot due to the brush. I don’t know if they were bulls or cows. It’s a any elk district.
I only heard maybe 10 shots all season, I used to hear 20-60 shots opening morning and would see elk running everywhere. The 10 or so dead elk I did see were fully loaded whole by heavy hitters. I only have 7 years as a resident hunter in Montana and 3 years as a nonresident, and I’ve killed 17 elk. Nobody needs 11 weeks to “kill” a elk. We used to kill bulls every year in Colorado/Utah in 3/5 days. Bow hunters don’t need 6 weeks to hunt either, at least on public anyhow. We still had fun, enjoyed Gods beauty, and ate/drank great, and was super thankful to get to hunt again.
Dinkshooter
Well-known member
Normal and elk? Ha!
TrumpkinTheDwarf
Well-known member
Beat me to it! Hahaha.
SlownSteady7
Active member
This year was far from normal in Oregon for most I have talked to. Only thing we could come up with was the smoke made them hesitant to bugle. I only had one bugle and it was the one day when the smoke had moved out. Other guys I work with said they had elk bugle on their first day and as soon as the smoke came in, not a sound. I watched a lot of elk so it's not like they weren't there but they just remained radio silent unlike normal.
Duck-Slayer
Well-known member
Is there a thing as normal elk season? To be it’s based off how much you work to find them, than a smidge of luck to seal the deal! Work your azz of than go a little further! I’ve filled 9/11 tags in 10 years, the 2 I didn’t only 1 I didn’t work my azz off, didn’t get an elk either, other tag I didn’t fill I wounded my first and only elk, so put real work in you get real results!
Matt
Matt
Luke_with_a_lab
Well-known member
Definently saw more hunting pressure all around the state, I hope it can be chaulked up to covid cause I sure dont want to see that many people in years to come. Also where I was bowhunting rut was super wierd. In fairness, the area we were had dried up since I was there in august and most the elk moved somewhere else. There were still elk there but they were not very vocal. Last day we did have a bull bugling coming in at 300 yards then some other hunters came out of nowhere and blew him out. This was 6 miles from a road too :/
