elk migration?

[ElkHero]

I can glass the edge of 900,000 acres of national forest/mountains. I glass for critters several times per week, year round. It gives me an idea of what elevation elk and deer are holding at. That way when I head into public land with tags, I know what elevation to start at.
Based on what I see, it's two fold.
#1 Elk in natural undisturbed state. Temperature, Snow, wind, and water determine what time of day, and where they go.
#2 People, Wolves, and other disturbances.
Wolves have changed the patterning of hunting. I've glassed big herds for weeks waiting for the big bulls to come around so I can get a shot at one. Then one morning hundreds of elk were simply GONE. And I saw six wolves, having a wrestling contest where the elk were bedded the day before.
How elk behave in a protected environment, like private or a national park will not match public land elk.
Migration is not based on the calendar or clock. It's based on need.
My determination is, there are too many factors to consider to know what a wild animal will do. Only details to increase your chances of finding them.
I watch elk year round. And It still seems random.

I agree, Dave. Random to a point and predictable to a sense.

 

[Plinker147]

I can only speak for NM but we don't have what I would consider a true migration except for maybe the Chama area. When snow falls they leave the higher country in Unit 4 to the high plains/Flats near San Antonio peak in unit 52. It's driven by snow and time of year. I don't think snow depth alone moves them, it's that coupled with seasonal habits that gets them going. Big snow depths seems to make it happen all at once instead of gradual migration.

The deer in that same country move from day length they start moving same times ever year regardless of snow fall. The rest of NM the elk will just move from high mountain to the lower parts/ south slopes of the same mountain. Some bulls refuse to follow the pattern and just stay in deep snow on high, cold mountains just to be left alone.

 

[Hespco]

I live at 7630 " elevation in SW Colorado. Elk migrate thru my land every year. This year no different. Water sources long frozen clear back into mid Oct., my area. This year like every year in the past elk showed up when I had 6 to 7" of snow on the ground. You could watch them paw thru the snow to get to the grass. They may move right on thru or sometimes linger a day or two . Different herds have different matriarchs leading them that move at different speeds. They then continue there trek to lower elevations. Snow absolutely the prime mover here.

 

[RevJim]

First snow "flake" and it seems every mule deer/elk leaves the North Slope ( Uintahs) for Wyoming, ha! It is very, very weather "specific". the North slope doesn't have "benches" anyhow, and those puppies could be anywhere, just to start out. Add snow and its "post-nuclear" empty, ha.