Best Week to Elk Hunt?
 

Just curious on everyone's thoughts about the best week for hunting Elk in the rut. Ignore the calendar (i.e picking your week based on M-F) and pick your favorite dates and why. Personally we have always tried to center the 20th-23rd in our week, so I'd say. The 18th-25th is my favorite week. I read once peak bugling (averaging out the years and years of data) is the 23rd. I realize each year is different and each area, but if you had to block off 7 days and nothing else the entire year, when would it be?

RE: Best Week to Elk Hunt?
 

I like to take my hunting vacation from Sept.!0-24, i have had real good success from this time period. Early on,generally the bigger bulls are looking for cows and are more apt to come in too calls, once they have there harem it gets tough to try and break the big bulls from there harem, --good luck!!!

RE: Best Week to Elk Hunt?
 

Hunt,

I would have to agree, your dates are almost exactly what I was thinking as I read your topic. I like the 17th through the 27th give or take a day or two on either side depending on the year and weather conditions.

RE: Best Week to Elk Hunt?
 

I would have to say that my favorite dates this year are sept. 9 -17th. Thats when I'm going anyway.:D Generally speaking somewhere around the 15th is my favorite.

RE: Best Week to Elk Hunt?
 

I always hunt the 15th-25th.

RE: Best Week to Elk Hunt?
 

I would like to be out around the 14-21st of sept,but this year I have to settle for the 21st-28 th of Sept.I normaly hear the peak rut is around the 23rd give of take few days.
BBJ

RE: Best Week to Elk Hunt?
 

Just to throw my 2 cents in,keep in mind this year is my first elk hunt, but I do know a lot about hunting whitetails during the peak of the rut and one thing I think screws up your plans is the full moon. This year Sept. 18 is the full moon and I'm willing to bet that elk will be more nocturnal during the full moon phase just like whitetails. Some of you elk hunters may know better but it just seems this would be the case. Any opinions on this hypothesis?

RE: Best Week to Elk Hunt?
 

Hunter - IMO the moon doesn't play a big role when the rut is on. Bulls are so worried about cows, the bugling goes all night sometimes no matter what the phase of the moon. Bulls are either protecting the ones they have, seeking out more or trying to swipe one from a bull who does. I'm not saying the moon doesn't mess things up, just that they are already nocturnal during the rut.I'm sure other will second that wehave sat in camp on a cloudy night, hardly any moon and heard them bugle allllll night. Enjoy your first elk hunt, oh, and try to sleep while that's going on!

RE: Best Week to Elk Hunt?
 

I like the 3rd week of Sept.

RE: Best Week to Elk Hunt?
 

Well, don't hate me for this guys, but I'm taking all of September off, and maybe the first week of October. I'm moving the camper up to the high country tomarrow with the kids for the weekend, wife is joining in Sunday and Monday, gonna start looking around for those bulls. I really like the evening hunts the first week of September, bulls are on the move looking for that stray cow. Usaully, September is dedicated for a big trophy bull, October I start getting a little less picky, by the end of October rifle seasons kicks in and I get even less picky, by the end of Novemeber I'll take a cow, after the season closes for the year I curse myself for not arrowing the respectable bull back in September, the rest of the year I will come on here and bable about this and that, then About the fourth of July weekend I'll start getting elky again. By August I'm nearly to a fevered pitch and when September rolls around well...................see above.

RE: Best Week to Elk Hunt?
 

im taking most of september off too.....elk hunting in two COUNTRIES will do that to ya:)

i really like the first couple weeks of september the best. seems like elk are everywhere. i will say though that a lot of the biggest bulls seem to come out to play later, at least where i hunt. dont know why, just the way it seems. but i see more elk earlier, and usually i see some big ones then too, so.........

RE: Best Week to Elk Hunt?
 

I like the first week the best. At this time there are less cows in heat, and the bulls are ready. Use the right tactics and the bulls seem to be very responsive to calling, espescially the bigger ones. I have found that as the season rolls on, the bigger bulls are a little more difficult to pull from cows in estreous, even though it can still be done. I sure that all would agree though, that anyday you get into the woods chasing elk, is in fact the best day!!!!!

RE: Best Week to Elk Hunt?
 

I usually muzzleloade the week of the 11th. This year will be my first bow hunt.But I do alot of scouting at the end of Aug. and ( IMO) the first week of archery season is when the Elk are at there most relaxed. Last year I hiked up the week b-4 the bow opener and found a group of three REAL NICE Bulls that were at 30 yrds and didn't mind me a bit.I see that alot.That is until the first shots are fired.

RE: Best Week to Elk Hunt?
 

I like to hunt the first 2 weeks there calm and it seems like you can pattern them and the last weeks of the first 2it seems like you see a lot of bulls wondering with out cows . And you dont have to compete with other hunters .


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RE: Best Week to Elk Hunt?
 

I agree pretty much right on the money with your dates. When I plan my vacation each year, my gotta-have dates are 18 through 24 Sep. This year I'm off 17Sep through 2 Oct. That's a little later than I'd prefer fora two-week but that's the way the weekends fall this year. I didn't like the 10-25 Sep slot, who wants to come out of the woods on 25 Sep? I've been generally disappointed with the first half of Sep.

For the moon guy, I'll categorically state that the moon has squat to do with elk movement or whitetail movement, either. To date, no scientific study I know of has shown any connection between moon phases and game movement. (The Drury morons don't count as scientists. I probably shouldn't say morons, it'll probably get me in trouble, but I'm feeling a little feisty today. Guess it's 'cause I saw 9 bulls this weekend - one herd of six with 3 bulls of 4 1/2 y.o. or older, the biggest will definitely go over 300 (15+" brow tines).)

RE: Best Week to Elk Hunt?
 

Dirt--
Where did you see the bulls at?



I know;) ...........
--no tellum crik...........just messin with ya...Looks like you have a real honey hole, ...Good Luck this season, RobinHood36>>>=============<>

RE: Best Week to Elk Hunt?
 

I am an out of state hunter and like most, I hunt public land. I shoot for the first week to get a chance before they are spooked. I am not sure if this is the best option of if I should wait until they begin to bugle. When is the rush of hunting pressure on public land? Is it opening day or is it the rut?

RE: Best Week to Elk Hunt?
 

Moon Phases:

I will say this, that I kill less game when the moon is full. I catch more fish when the moon is dark. Ideally I would prefer to hunt when the rut is really going and the moon is dark. The problem is that the elk don't wait. I look at dates first and foremost and the moon stages secondary.

To the guy who says that the moon has zero to do with movement. I say that you know not of what you speak. You say that there has been no sientific studies done....wrong. There has been. There was a scientific study preformed in the south by a university (can't recall which one)on there farm.There definately where more game taken on dark of the moon days. They said that statistically that there wasn't enough of a difference from the mean to be a standard deviation but there was more game taken. They said that it needed to be researched over several years to get enough data to be reliable. I believe that it is generally accepted that fishing is greatly effected by the moon.

So my conclusion would be to say that a full moon isn't enough to deter me from hunting. I do know that they will be less active during the day. It stands to reason that if they are out all night running by the light of the moon that they will need to rest somtime. So I would concentrate on glassing bedding areas.

PS. it seems to me that the smart we get the less we want to believe the ole timers ways. Yet science has proven the old timers right more often than not. So before you dismiss something as rediculous you should think for a minute because there may be some base to it.

RE: Best Week to Elk Hunt?
 

The last 2 years I went colorado around the 10th-20th of sept. When we arrived there was little rutting sign. By the 20th both years the wallows were ripped up & bulgling was more consistant during the daylight hours. IMO 18th thru as loooong as you can afford to stay would be the best. I have a muzzeloader tag this year and season ends on the 18th I believe. A little early IMO.



The way that ya wander is the way that you choose!!!

RE: Best Week to Elk Hunt?
 

I like to go around Sept. 17 to Sept. 26. I have found that the bulls seem to be most responsive to calling during this time. I have had my most success at calling them into bow range like this.