jjwillie

Hi all-
I was curious...which week of the general rifle season do you guys feel is the best. If you had only one week, which would it be. I know it may vary by region.

For example, we hunt the Sawtooth units and have always hunted the first week. Seems like the elk are still bugling a little and are still in their normal routine (unpressured).

I was looking at the harvest statistics for the last few years and noticed a dramatic increase in the number of hunters in this area last year. That's why we were looking towards the last week this year (1st week of Nov), because I assume most people will be weekend warriors and hunting the first week.

Muliefever

Well it depends on you. I have successfully called elk in during the first few days of rifle hunting. So if that's what you are after then go for it. With a rifle or muzzle loader I like to hunt the later part of the season. Just cut some tracks and start walking! Best time for me is second to third week of Sept!

millagerobert

1st week is best for chance of them still being volcal,and they have not been pressured. The trade off is that there are usually more hunters the first week, and after a day or two the elk scatter and head for cover. If you wait until the end, you will have less competition, and I have noticed the elk starting to come back out of the deep dark holes later in the season. You may get the help of snow later in the season, making tracking easier, and if enough falls the elk may move to lower elevations, concentrating their numbers, but that depends on the area you hunt and the weather.