Scenarios for rifle seasons

[oldnovice]

Hey, how about some scenarios for rifle seasons AFTER the rut is over. I am not a bow hunter although I have thought about the muzzle loader seasons. I am interested in hearing about how the successful people go about it.

[ElkNut1]

Simple! Glass, glass & glass some more!

I like finding fairly open areas with scattered pine pockets or burns & glass from elevated areas such as looking into this basin here! This spot is an hour walk fro nearest road so not bad at all.

ElkNut1

[Kentrek]

Still use calls to your advantage, find the cows and see if there's not a bull with them

If no bull hunt around them focusing on food sources..he's really hungry

[Charina]

200 miles directly west of CO, I find bulls are still very interested in cow calls through mid Oct. So first rifle in CO still is a valid calling season. Not sure about second rifle as I haven't hunted elk that late, but I suspect they will still have interest. You may not be hearing much in the way of bugles in a pressured area that late in the season, but it would be disadvantageous to assume the bulls have no interest in a cow any longer.

If you believe bulls are not wanting cows, then ask yourself what they are wanting, and key in on that. (e.g. food, water, and rest in seclusion)

[Lefty]

I just attended the ISE show in Salt Lake
Guy Eastman commented that Montana's 3rd week of October opener is the worst week to hunt, The ruts over, bulls go hide so they can recover and eat.

Where I was hunting moose this year elk bulls were very vocal the first week of October

Late or very late hunts snow can drive elk lower and glassing mountain sides can make elk easy to find

[oldnovice]

I just attended the ISE show in Salt Lake
Guy Eastman commented that Montana's 3rd week of October opener is the worst week to hunt, The ruts over, bulls go hide so they can recover and eat.

Where I was hunting moose this year elk bulls were very vocal the first week of October

Late or very late hunts snow can drive elk lower and glassing mountain sides can make elk easy to find

That's what I am hoping for this year. I put in for 4th Rifle season (3rd week in November). Last year there was no snow and it was in the 60s during second rifle.

[Indian Summer]

There are 3 scenarios the way I see it. On the opener I'm not worried about getting far from the road. The element of surprise is in your favor because the elk haven't been hunted yet. In Montana that would be around October 25th and there are still bulls bugling a little. I don't try to interact so much as I use calling to locate them and then I go to them. Once a few days of hunting takes place they shut up too and it's back to spot and stalking and still hunting mid day. In Wyoming the elk where I hunt are more vocal. Partly because of the earlier start which is October 15th. I also hunt other units with gun openers as early as September 26th and in that case calling is a legitimate option.

The other thing about the opening week that is huge is that if I have been bow hunting I have an idea of what's been going on and so I'm picking up where I left off.

The mid season hunting, or second week in Wyoming is different than the first. The bulls are still bugling some but now I'm a little further from the road. I'm glued to my binoculars for hours in the morning. The elk there can stay out feeding for awhile which is great. The more area I can see the better and eventually I will see elk. I'm also set up to see some far away spots in the am so I also have the spotting scope set up. I also glass in the evening but by then I'm usually in a spot where I can't see as much country but I could also shoot an elk from my glassing spot. I'm at the edge where the feed starts and looking down a long ridge or an adjacent finger.

Mid day I cover a little ground still hunting. Never too fast! There's a big difference if I know the lay of the land really good or if I'm somewhere with just a general knowledge of it. But either way I'm making my way from vantage point to vantage point glassing from each one. I'm both looking for elk and also getting to know the place better all the time. In my mind I'm always thinking about how I might hunt it differently next time. Especially if I get busted right! Higher, lower, whatever. I'm also thinking about where I want to end up before dark. That together with how far I have to go dictates my route options. I never want to be in a hurry.

In Wyoming many of the seasons are only 2 weeks long so there is no big change in the weather. No what I would consider late season hunting. But in Montana the season is open until the Sunday after Thanksgiving. That means elk are at least thinking about moving down even if it hasn't dumped boat loads of snow yet. So they are on the move. They'll set up in a spot with some sun, feed, and cover for a few days if undisturbed before moving on a little. Then new elk move into the same area as they stage up for the big downward drop to winter grounds. There's definitely some snow so I can glass into cover better. But the cover up there isn't as open so I don't carry a spotting scope and I'm not glassing as far or looking at as big of an area.

Mid day still hunting during late season is awesome! I love it. One of the biggest accomplishments ever is to spot a bedded bull and move in to take him right where he lays completely unaware. Sometimes you see them at a bit of a distance and have to plan a route. But other time times holy smokes he's right there! The snow is a big advantage. You can spot tracks from a distance which is nice. But what's even better is you don't have to actually see elk to know they are there. Also how recently they were there. Smoking hot beds or really fresh yellow snow means slow down and go on full alert. Predator mode. I'm also thinking about where I want to end up before dark which comes really fast at that time of year. If it's really cold out I'll play it safe and be hunting closer to camp or the truck.

The last thing that's a big part of rifle season is while I'm out there glassing or still hunting.... what do I do when I do spot elk.

Have you ever heard the story of the young bull and the herd bull standing on a ridge? They spot a herd of cows below them and the young bull says look at all those cows brotato chip!!! Let's run down there and have our way with one of them. The old bull replies... no man, let's just walk on down there and have our way with all of them. The moral of the story is what's the hurry???

When I spot elk I don't move. I lock on and look for references around them. That way if I lose them in the binos or spotter at a long distance I can find them again. Also I'm starting to think about what things are going to look like once I've made my move and am over there. Then I go back to watching the elk paying close attention to what they are doing. Are any bedded or all standing? If they are moving how fast and are they gaining elevation side hilling or dropping at all? Then I look ahead of them and see if there is anything that stands out as to where they might be heading. Is there a saddle ahead that they could roll through to the other slope where there is timber? The north slope for example. If it's a really open area is there a big patch of timber ahead right at the head of the draw or down in the hole where they might be bedding for the day. And also where can I move to and still be able to relocate them while closing the distance. All of that comes together to be the plan on how to stalk in for a shot OR whether this might be a situation where I move over to a spot where I'll wait for them to move back out the way they came from in the evening to feed again. If I can do that I definitely will because there is way less of a chance of getting busted and to set up a nice rest for the perfect shot. If it's a cow I'm trying to kill I am more likely to decide to move in and make it happen hoping I'll get it done sooner and have more daylight to work with when quartering and packing.

Either way once I see a bull or cow that I want to kill my legs don't hurt anymore and there is nothing stopping me. I'm totally focused on closing the distance very carefully and killing that elk!

That's my season long story and I'm stickin' to it.

[oldnovice]

Thanks, Indian Summer! That is all good stuff to remember.