I' m about to go Elk hunting for the first time in your beautiful state around mid-September. My question to you is, what are the weather conditions that time of year and do you have any suggestions on what to wear and how to pack for full day hunts? Any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks and good hunting!!!
jt

Normal afternoon temps are in the 50' s to 70' s.
Normal morning temps are in the 30' s to 40' s.

Definitely be prepared for temps down to 25 in the morning and up to 80 in the afternoon. Bring the sunscreen and mosquito repellent.
Think layers for clothes. Leave the heavy coats. Be prepared to do some hiking in steep country and shed layers (all in natural tones so you remain camo' d) as you warm up.
Fleece jackets are a good outer garment.

Bring a day pack with you with all your necessary items:
Knife and sharpener, light bone saw, game bags, plastic sacks, light rope,
Extra ammo (if rifle hunting), compass, map of area, camera, 2 lightweight flash lights with extra batteries and bulbs, headlamp. Lightweight spare food, 1 liter water, water filter, binos, small first aid kit, mosquito repellent(lightweight), sunscreen(small tube),
bugle, couple of different cow calls.

Resist the temptation to dress too warm when you leave camp in the morning.
After a few minutes of hiking you will warm right up and you don' t want to have to carry all that extra clothing around with you all day.

Septembers are usually nice, the last few years they have been particularly warm with a couple days here and there of cold weather with a few snowshowers, snow is usually not an issue at that time of year.

Noway pretty much hit the nail on the head, especially in the clothes area, don' t overdress, you' re going to be covering a lot of country. As far as pants go I always wear wool ones regardless of temperature, they are quiet and warm but never to warm even for the hotter days. Many times during the morning, dew is heavy and can soak through normal camo pants, I wear wool to stay warm and dry. I too carry and recommend everything that Noway carries in his daypack, especially the elk bags, my pack weighs about 14lbs, that includes food for the day and then some if necessary. Good Luck. elknut1

I dont know where your hunting, but do yourself a favor, get in shape I cant stress this enough. When I go back in 2004, I plan on running 5 miles a day for at least a month before hand. Last time I was there the alttitude killed me, and the only way to make up for us flat landers is to be in the best shape possible.

Several years ago I spent almost 3 weeks (I drove from Michigan) in the Mountains of Idaho by myself bowhuntng for elk. You can' t be to prepared. It seems like everything is straight up and down there. When I needed a break and wanted to sit down all I had to do was lean back . Very unforgiving, but breathtakingly (in more ways than one ) beautiful country. I did see some big bulls.

There were days when the daytime temps hit 88 degrees and the next night it would be below freezing. My stay was cut short by a blizzard.

You have got some good advice here prepare accordingly.

I want to thank everyone for their input on this thread. Ypu all have caused me to spend a near fortune out of Cabela' s new Hardcover catalog they just sent me (over 1600 pages). Wish me luck and I will continue to check this thread until my departure in Sept. Trust me, I will let you all know how it turned out.

Thanks again and good hunting!!
jt

P.S. Keep your eyes open for invoice in your mailbox LOL!!!

One last reinforcement of what buckshot said. Do get in shape.
I see you are from Tennessee. If you have not hunted out west before you are in for a real treat. Just seeing the country is worth the trip.

If you are not in shape you will not be able to maximize your opportunities.
By day two you will hear a bugle halfway up the next slope and you will not be willing to go down the hill and up the next hill for an hour to go investigate. By day three you won' t even want to look at a hill and by day four you will be driving/walking down the roads bugling, actually probably by day 3. I see it all the time. Assuming you are not going with an outfitter.

I start working out in March to get ready for October hunts. By this time I am in good enough shape to start getting up into the mountains for scouting.
I work out at 2500 feet and when I get up to 8000 or 9000 feet it feels like I have not worked out a day. It is really amazing what the altitude does to your " I am in such great shape conditioning" .

DO find a way to get some weight training in or find a hill to walk with a pack. The only way to get in shape for walking hills is to walk hills especially the killer downhill. Stairs are good but they are different because of your foot angle, there is much more stress on the knee on an actual mountain slope.

If you are not already in very good shape you are behind.
Will you be hunting on your own or with an outfitter?
Either way, being in the best shape possible for your personal physical condition could definitely be the difference between getting a bull or not. All the best equipment in the world doesn' t help if you are sitting in camp with no strength left to go to where the elk are.
In the final analysis that is the key, you have to be in good enough shape to get to the elk, they are not going to come to you.
Good luck, hope you get into a bunch of them!!!