Dry hot summer

[Northidahoarcher]

Hello, new to the forum.

I'm a pretty new elk hunter (one season under my belt). The area we usually hunt is in far North Idaho. Last year we rifle hunted it in mid October and saw cows, heard juvenile bulls bugling and squeaking occasionally. Never saw them. While we hunted we saw a ton of older sign. Tracks, poop, a few rubs and a wallow. (I'm guessing/hoping from Sept.) Plan to hunt it archery this year. Went up to scout it a few weeks ago and it is BONE dry up there. Old wallows we saw the year before are dry, and the creek that runs through the area is down to a tiny trickle, which is abnormal. All other seasonal creeks have already dried up. Also saw almost no fresh sign on the mountain we hunt.

My question is, in your opinion, how should these findings impact my strategy for this area. Up to and including finding a new area. Also was wondering if the early summer we had here in the Northwest would likely cause an earlier rut? Spring Waterfowl migrations were all a month early, spring was a month early, summer was a month early... You get my drift.

This site has proven to be an incredible source of knowledge for a new guy like me. Thanks to everyone who's willing to share their expertise. Cheers

[WapitiTalk1]

First and foremost, welcome to "the" elk forum mister. Glad to have you on board.

I would say there will "probably" be elk in this spot come September from how you've explained it. Mid-October is right at the tail end of the rut (the very last of the cows are coming into their 2nd or even 3rd estrus cycle if they haven't taken yet) and if you saw cows and heard bulls bugling, chances are you will encounter the same during September this year at a more escalated level. Don't pay much attention to the rubs unless you see or hear a bull making them. Wallow spots oftentimes change from year to year so don't get too twisted up on them either; most (but not all) wallowing occurs now through the end of August. You say you didn't see much fresh sign when you scouted the area recently? Oftentimes, the elk's summer patterns are pretty static (feed to bed/bed to feed) and you may have just not been where the little groups of cows are hanging? Rule of thumb is to find the cows where they are hanging.....now and into mid-late August. That's where the bulls will be come early September. The bone dry thing is an issue but may also be a blessing in disguise. If the little creek you spoke about is the only water in a very large area, it may play to your advantage if it's one of only a few water sources in the area. Would recommend you relook at the area not necessarily soley where you hunted last year, but the area as a whole. Water source location, cooler N facing slopes and dark timber for bedding, edges of 4-7 year old clearcuts for sign (elk love clearcuts to snack in, especially if they're off the main roads a bit), benches, saddles, etc.... and, don't forget to sneak back in there the week before season and glass the snot out of the area and listen quiety after dark for elk chatter. Oh, and no the elk rut will not be later or earlier this year because of temperature. It's triggered by the amount of light let into their big old eyeballs (length of the day) and will start around the same time every year (end AUG/early SEP) with the peak of rutting activity occuring sometime around the third week of SEP when the majority of the cows are coming into estrus. Sorry so long winded, best of luck to you this fall!