What time of year to archery elk hunt?
 

Assuming you only had 10 days to hunt, ie non-resident. Best time of year in your opinion to be successful and harvest a trophy bull elk during the archery season?

Though it doesn't matter directly this is referring to the MT archery season in the Missouri breaks region.

If you base your timing on another method, ie temps? or moon phases etc...please suggest...

Season opener? I assume this is the period with the highest pressure, hottest temps, and the most elk still alive. Can be 90-100degrees.

Rut? Most vocal, less elk, still high pressure though I assume 2-3weeks into season has less pressure than opener? Can still be hot, or may have cooled some.

Later in season/Post-Rut, cooler temps for sure, less human pressure? less elk roaming/alive.

salukipv1: I would suggest emailing or phoning some of the outfitters in the area you are thinking of hunting. Make sure and let them know you are a bowhunter. If they have good archery guides, I'm sure they would be helpful even if there company is already booked for the season. The reason I mention "good archery guides" are these people know that one has to sneak in very quiet and be a lot closer to the animal than a rifle hunter. In hot weather, animals tend to move around less. This also applies to the "rut". If the weather turns cooler, then this helps. Setting up near a water source especially in hot weather would be benificial. Harvesting any animal in hot weather creates problems: one has to get it field dressed and moved to a cooler pretty quickly so the meat won't spoil.

I prefer to hunt the first week of the season.
The best time to plan a 10-day hunt in the "Breaks"? When the sky is blue with no chance of rain for the next 10-days.
Rain in the breaks will leave you stuck in the mud, that "gumbo mud" is nasty. Bring "Heavy Duty" tire chains.

I prefer the week or two before the rut. The bulls are more vocal, they respond to calling better, they aren't with the cows yet so there aren't as many eyes to hide from.

Once the bulls get a harems of cows it is quite a bit harder to pull them away from the heard.

I like the earlier part of the season. I have my vacation set for Sept 5th-12th. Not quite the opening week but early in the month. This is the week I seen the most activity last year out of three different trips thru-out the month of Sept.

Ya this year MT opens on the 1st Saturday which is the 4th of Sept. I believe.

I personally like the rut. Even if you have a hard time calling in a bull because he's cowed up they will be very vocal and easier to locate and stalk. Besides if you get close enough and threaten a bull he'll come lookin for a fight.

Saluki - I'll be in the same area the last week of September.