Late season Montana Rifle Hunt

[bjsiillinois]

A question for all you guys who hunt the late season for elk. I know at first light, and right before dark is the prime times to catch a late season bull in the open. Was wanting to get some opinions if you guys spend the rest of the day glassing for bulls to get up in the middle of the day to stretch, and feed. I know as the weather gets colder, and snow forces forces them to feed to stay warm.
Me and a buddy leaving this Sunday for Southwest Montana to hunt for a couple weeks on the contenental divide. Hoping to score on a late season bull. We are wanting to maximize our time glassing to find elk, and was wondering how often you see elk in the middle of the day feeding once the temperature starts dropping.
Thanks Billy

 

[Capt RB]

Check your solunar tables for best times to see them feeding during the day as well.

 

[Caveman0101]

We've killed several late season elk on up in the day I'd say till 11 if it's cold, then early afternoon about 2:30 or so. If it is cold they won't actually lay down for very long but they will go into there bedding area and just mill around an feed for hours. They usually linger out in the open until the sun hits them for a while if no one is shooting at them. Lots of times you can find small groups of bulls together. Year before last I saved my tag till the final morning because we had already filled 4 tags. I really had no intentions of shooting an elk, but walking down a drainage I passed 6 good bulls, then the 7th my buddy talked me into taking was a huge bull 330". To tell the truth, it didn't take much arm twisting, but I would not have shot him had I been alone. I was really only looking to shoot a calf but everywhere we looked,.. more bulls. O' well that's just hunting I guess

 

[laker]

We glass them till they head to bed then we make a move for the afternoon.

 

[bjsiillinois]

Thanks all, I saw the forecast to be right around freezing up in the day, but down in the teens, will that be cold enough for the bulls to feed during the day?

 

[aebhunter]

Thanks all, I saw the forecast to be right around freezing up in the day, but down in the teens, will that be cold enough for the bulls to feed during the day?

Anythings possible, but I wouldn't bank on it. I usually don't see elk change their normal routines unless it gets REAL cold. The highs around 0 and lows below that. Seems like the switch hits when it gets around 0 or below where they feel the need to feed more and bed less. You are more likely to see them moving from being pressured by other hunters or predators than by the weather if it is in the teens and twenties.

 

[26Reload]

Southeast idaho is getting colder....below freezing in the valley....betcha it's danged cold on that hillside....

 

[goinghunting]

Following this thread. Not to hijack but me and 2 buddies are coming out from MN next week to try and fill some leftover tags form no luck on the archery opener in the Little Belts and Castle Mountains.

Plan to head to Dillon area and hunt either the Pioneer or Blacktails, maybe try to get closer to The Park if the conditions allow.

Killed a couple cows and a mulie down by the Lima Resevoir a few years ago.

Anyone from or been down that country lately? How are the conditions currently?

Thanks!

Shaun

 

[RockyMtnMT]

No snow and elk are in the highest farthest reaches. No migration going on. Without snow to force them to move it is pretty tough. May be able to get to them If you pack in ten to twenty miles with horses and hunt from there.

No sign of snow before season ends.

Steve

 

[aebhunter]

No snow and elk are in the highest farthest reaches. No migration going on. Without snow to force them to move it is pretty tough. May be able to get to them If you pack in ten to twenty miles with horses and hunt from there.

No sign of snow before season ends.

Steve

Yep. 10 day forecast looks pretty tame. I must be losing my urge to shoot stuff. The older I get, the more I appreciate bowhunting for the weather it provides vs the really cold late season stuff. I also am not the biggest fan of FWPs relentless attempts to try and provide the longest elk season in the lower 48 states...I can understand a "shoulder season" concept to a point, but taking the season into mid February seems excessive to me. More often than not, the elk are in 100% survival mode then and their reserves are pretty darn low. Some years we get the snow and cold during the season, some years we don't. Just not sure how sustainable a season that runs into February is. Or starting one in August before Archery season. Seems a little ridiculous.

 

[MtPockets]

Hey Caveman, do you need a new hunting partner? Dang, I wish I had 1/2 of your luck!

 

[Caveman0101]

Hey Caveman, do you need a new hunting partner? Dang, I wish I had 1/2 of your luck!

We actually could have used an extra hand this year. I broke mine 1st season when me and a horse had a disagreement. So while my sons and I did have opportunities to take bulls on several occasion over the past five days, they where all smallish and not worth the hassle of getting them out of where we found them. So it turns out most "luck" is the willingness to do what it takes to kill one and get it back to camp. Good or bad I've come to rely on the youth late season hunts to fill the freezer, as we usually find a cow or calf close to the truck. Back on subject, the elk were coming out to feed just at last shooting light in the evenings, but in the mornings they were lingering until 8:30 or so, or untill hunters found them and started shooting at them. We were also deer hunting and must have past on 40 bucks nothing over 160 inches. I have to say there were more hunters than I have ever seen during late season draw hunt. I think CO has gone crazy, I don't know what is limited draw about having over 100 hunters on one mountain.

 

[26Reload]

All about the Benjamin's.........
Was just passing thru Nebraska....and figured I might buy a deer tag and try my luck a couple days.......$600 for a deer tag......need more than two days to make it worth that.....
Still have a nonres idaho tag(second tag)....trying to decide whether to drive up north for a last chance weekend Thanksgiving....my boy won't hunt with me....so it is kind of dishearted hunting not to share.....he also has a tag...
That's the way it goes for me this year.....