Hunting elk in a drought.

[Dakota79]

I was fortunate enough to draw a Montana cow elk license in 705 and will be hunting from a wheelchair on private land I have permission on.

It has been so dry in this area that the hay fields that the landowner thought I would be able to sit on and have a chance at an elk are brown and dying already. With no rain in the forecast and the next whole month forecasted to be in the 90s I doubt there is going to be any green.

In your experience will they still be visiting these hay fields anyway or are they going to pack up and try to head to different pastures and leave his property?

Should I start focusing more on water sources or stick to the hay fields?

 

[Muley_Stalker]

Elk will travel pretty far to get water. I'd be more concerned that they have food and shelter.

Can someone do some scouting for you close to the hunt?

 

[Dakota79]

Elk will travel pretty far to get water. I'd be more concerned that they have food and shelter.

Can someone do some scouting for you close to the hunt?

This particular piece of land has Ponderosa Pine and some nice draws for shelter and he does not graze it to death so they should still be around. The problem is I can't really get to those areas to hunt.

Both the landowner and I will be able to watch before season to try to get a hold of what they're doing but I was just planning ahead and trying to think of other options if they weren't coming to the hay fields.

The dams are all dry but there are a couple of springs that are developed that will hopefully still be running water for another option that I should be able to get to.

Do elk preferred to drink at certain times of the day more than others?

 

[Moz]

I'd be curious to know the answer to your question. We're having the same thing here in the Salmon Idaho area as well. I'll be watching and waiting

 

[SAJ-99]

I was fortunate enough to draw a Montana cow elk license in 705 and will be hunting from a wheelchair on private land I have permission on.

It has been so dry in this area that the hay fields that the landowner thought I would be able to sit on and have a chance at an elk are brown and dying already. With no rain in the forecast and the next whole month forecasted to be in the 90s I doubt there is going to be any green.

In your experience will they still be visiting these hay fields anyway or are they going to pack up and try to head to different pastures and leave his property?

Should I start focusing more on water sources or stick to the hay fields?

Ask the landowner. This isn’t the first drought for eastern Mt, so he should have some idea. It is super nice that he can watch all summer and let you know. Drought changes elk behavior, but hard to know how it changes those specific elk. it’s not like drought isn’t broad and hay fields can regreen, etc. it is really hard to say for sure. If there are hay fields with pivots, they may prefer those.

 

[Dakota79]

Ask the landowner. This isn’t the first drought for eastern Mt, so he should have some idea. It is super nice that he can watch all summer and let you know. Drought changes elk behavior, but hard to know how it changes those specific elk. it’s not like drought isn’t broad and hay fields can regreen, etc. it is really hard to say for sure. If there are hay fields with pivots, they may prefer those.

No pivots. This is all dryland hay fields. These hay fields are also planted in grain so there will be no regrowth unless it is weeds or something wild.In years past he leaves a little standing for the wildlife so that was our plan.

I was just curious what others experienced a similar situations and opinions.

Either way it'll be a good time.

 

[Muley_Stalker]

This particular piece of land has Ponderosa Pine and some nice draws for shelter and he does not graze it to death so they should still be around. The problem is I can't really get to those areas to hunt.

Both the landowner and I will be able to watch before season to try to get a hold of what they're doing but I was just planning ahead and trying to think of other options if they weren't coming to the hay fields.

The dams are all dry but there are a couple of springs that are developed that will hopefully still be running water for another option that I should be able to get to.

Do elk preferred to drink at certain times of the day more than others?

That's a tough question. Elk can water any time of the day. Sometimes twice if it's hot enough.
Any chance the owner can make a water hole?

 

[Dakota79]

That's a tough question. Elk can water any time of the day. Sometimes twice if it's hot enough.
Any chance the owner can make a water hole?

I'm not sure if we could make a waterhole but I don't see any reason why the elk wouldn't drink out of the cattle water tank. I'm just guessing they would. There wouldn't be any cattle in these pastures that time of year so we probably should have the tanks running all year so the elk know it's there.

The bottom flats are hay fields and they run up to where the hill starts to climb and then you meet the Ponderosa Pine where the elk bed. The other hilly parts of the pasture are grazed after he's done haying.

 

[Muley_Stalker]

That should work.

Good luck getting an elk.

 

[Dakota79]

That should work.

Good luck getting an elk.

Much appreciated.

 

[timmy]

Go high, find the green up high.

 

[EYJONAS!]

No pivots. This is all dryland hay fields. These hay fields are also planted in grain so there will be no regrowth unless it is weeds or something wild.In years past he leaves a little standing for the wildlife so that was our plan.

I was just curious what others experienced a similar situations and opinions.

Either way it'll be a good time.

Last year I had an elk tag in a drought area. Really dry, this year isn't any better unfortunately. Summer scouting seemed to turn a couple bunches up here and there. Then once the rut kicked in everything sucked into major water sources, irrigated areas or would hit tanks at night. This continued into October, the area I was did get a couple decent shots of moisture early October which helped. Then I saw elk start to somewhat move back to summer areas and break up. If the place your hunting has some "resident" cows around chances are your have an opportunity to bump into them in rifle. That country your speaking of it seems near impossible to find bunches of cows.

I bet if you knock on a couple doors where elk are going to be frequenting some irrigated areas the ranchers might let a guy on....

Good luck

 

[Mtnhunter1]

The summer has a while to go so hope for a weather change with some decent moisture before your hunt. If the elk usually travel through or hangout in or around the landowners property, they won't be far away. Some good early fall moisture will have those hay fields greening up before the snow starts to fall.

Good luck with your hunt. I hope that you are successful in filling that tag.

I'll add that @EYJONAS gave some good insight above.

 

[Dakota79]

Last year I had an elk tag in a drought area. Really dry, this year isn't any better unfortunately. Summer scouting seemed to turn a couple bunches up here and there. Then once the rut kicked in everything sucked into major water sources, irrigated areas or would hit tanks at night. This continued into October, the area I was did get a couple decent shots of moisture early October which helped. Then I saw elk start to somewhat move back to summer areas and break up. If the place your hunting has some "resident" cows around chances are your have an opportunity to bump into them in rifle. That country your speaking of it seems near impossible to find bunches of cows.

I bet if you knock on a couple doors where elk are going to be frequenting some irrigated areas the ranchers might let a guy on....

Good luck

There is not much for irrigated fields in this area but there is a resident heard of elk. It's just a matter of me being able to get to where they are. Lots of time between now and then so things could change for sure.

 

[Dakota79]

The summer has a while to go so hope for a weather change with some decent moisture before your hunt. If the elk usually travel through or hangout in or around the landowners property, they won't be far away. Some good early fall moisture will have those hay fields greening up before the snow starts to fall.

Good luck with your hunt. I hope that you are successful in filling that tag.

I'll add that @EYJONAS gave some good insight above.

Much appreciated.

 

[SAJ-99]

No pivots. This is all dryland hay fields. These hay fields are also planted in grain so there will be no regrowth unless it is weeds or something wild.In years past he leaves a little standing for the wildlife so that was our plan.

I was just curious what others experienced a similar situations and opinions.

Either way it'll be a good time.

705 doesn’t have a lot of elk because it doesn’t have a lot of territory elk like. I think you will be fine. Those elk won’t go far. Good luck.

 

[Muley_Stalker]

Go high, find the green up high.

He's in a wheelchair knucklehead.

 

[timmy]

He's in a wheelchair knucklehead.

My apologies I skimmed over that.

 

[SAJ-99]

Go high, find the green up high.

Don't mean to pile on, but in 705 the max elevation change is probably 1000ft. People who hunt elk in the mountains like to talk elevation and migration down due to weather push, but a lot of elk live in areas where those are not factors. Elk surprise me in their adaptability to different conditions.

 

[Dakota79]

705 doesn’t have a lot of elk because it doesn’t have a lot of territory elk like. I think you will be fine. Those elk won’t go far. Good luck.

There's not a huge heard of elk on this property but enough to give it a shot. I believe you're right they should still be around it's just a matter of finding them in the right spot.