Elk, snow and the rut

[jryoung]

Heading up to Montana on Thursday and there is potential for 3-6 inches of snow to be on the ground by the end of the day. It is suppose to warm over the weekend, but I'm wondering what this does to the elk and the rut. Most often complaints are "it's too hot, the elk aren't calling", have you any experience with a late September snow?

 

[BrowningBLR]

Love it. If they aren't vocal, snow gives you the perfect chance to sneak up on them (quiet and you know exactly where they are going- tracks!) Don't wear boots with plastic soles on snow... elk will hear you deboarding the plane.

 

[putm2sleep]

Its awesome are you kidding? Not sure what you mean by what this does to elk and the rut?
Quiets everything down, and lets you get stealthy! And, doesn't stick around long.
Makes them stand out, easy to see and track.
>>>the only bad thing or experience I learned from and that can happen is : it snows and/or is snowing. You shoot an elk. It stops snowing and gets sunny, goes from 30 degrees to 70 degrees Snow peels off the tress and the melt off covers tracks and blood and makes a recovery difficult if they go far?

 

[jryoung]

I agree, snow is generally a huge plus to hunt in, tracking, seeing, noise etc. etc. all good.

I was more specifically looking to what it does to the rut. Do they quite down for a couple of days, do they get really "busy" for a couple of days? Do they wait it out then get fired up once the sun comes out again? Does it not have an effect?

 

[Dinkshooter]

I'm no expert but I've never seen super nasty weather help the rut. Always seems like even the bulls get busy with eating for a bit.

 

[wingman1]

Snow shuts them down at least for me...

 

[SFC B]

It has snowed a few times up at our camp in 25/26 the last week and I can't wait for 2nd rifle. I am a cold weather and snow junkie. The worse it gets, the better I like it

 

[tjones]

Snow shuts them down at least for me...

yep/\

 

[smalls]

Appropriate conversation as I returned home from Montana on Thursday. The last three days I was out there I ended up in heavy thunderstorms that passed through the area. Every time it started to rain the elk completely stopped talking. On Tuesday we had a great encounter around 9:45 am with three bulls screaming within 150 yards, then the rain came and we didn't hear another bugle until 2:30 pm when it cleared off. For an hour we had two bulls bugling every 2-3 minutes... until the rains returned again. This pattern relived itself for another two days (although on Wednesday we heard very little and the rain never did let up).

I realize the severe anecdotal aspect of my observation, but it really seemed to me that the storms put a halt to a majority of the vocal antics. Is this normal for most when hunting in the rain?

On a side note, I always loved thunderstorms when I lived in Montana because the thunder simply sounds different when at elevation. I do not love thunderstorms when you can't tell where the lightning is because the white flash is so brilliant you can't pinpoint it and you can't get a two-count between flash and bang.

 

[jryoung]

Looks like the weather is going to be nasty Wed/Thur, and clearing over the weekend. Here's to hoping being "shut down" for a couple of days will have them come back strong when it clears.

 

[ismith]

I'd rather have them quiet in snow than quiet in 85 degree weather. Good luck!

 

[tjones]

Hey JR, if you get to Naps on your way through I work in the building just north, swing in for a minute.

 

[jryoung]

We'll try but I think we'll be racing to get on the ground especially if there is weather slowing us....though and eleventy pound burger with bacon from Naps is pretty damn distracting.

One north of the radio/electronic shop?

 

[Dinkshooter]

We'll try but I think we'll be racing to get on the ground especially if there is weather slowing us....though and eleventy pound burger with bacon from Naps is pretty damn distracting.

One north of the radio/electronic shop?

Hmmm a meeting with a known elk killer or making to camp on time. Kind of a no brainer no?

 

[tjones]

We'll try but I think we'll be racing to get on the ground especially if there is weather slowing us....though and eleventy pound burger with bacon from Naps is pretty damn distracting.

One north of the radio/electronic shop?

Yep, it's a short bow shot.

 

[tjones]

Hmmm a meeting with a known elk killer or making to camp on time. Kind of a no brainer no?

Rag horns only.

 

[jryoung]

With just 2.5 days to hunt and three tags, the first elk to come into bow range is going down. I'll get picky when I come back up for general in October.

 

[sbhooper]

A few years back we were hunting elk in Colorado in the first rifle season. It had been fairly warm and dry and we had a front moving in. Ahead of the weather change, the elk were going crazy bugling. We both shot bulls.

That night, it snowed 4+ inches. We went back to the area to finish packing out my elk the next day. On the way in, we saw a herd of elk moving to the flats that consisted of 15 bulls and 20 cows. The trip back into the woods for the meat was absolutely beautiful. It was completely still and quiet. We did not hear one single bugle, although we did run into elk on the long hike in. The snow had completely shut them up, whereas, in advance of the front, they were going crazy.

 

[----]

It's here.

http://rwis.mdt.mt.gov/scanweb/losttrail.shtml

Drive safe.

 

[jryoung]

Yep, should be fun going over the pass tomorrow.