Couldn't get it done during archery season, school me on late season rifle.

[Bachto]

My archery season was the epitome of "game of inches" so many close calls and small mistakes over in western Montana. Being from Washington we can't hunt multiple different weapons in one year so I've never hunted late season/rifle season for elk. I've watched tons of Youtube videos of guys hunting the rifle season and I think I have a good idea for strategy/tactics. Feel free to add to or critique my plan:

- I know this season can be very dependent on snow pushing elk out of the high country.
- It seems that glassing is sort of the name of the game
- finding pockets where there is less hunting pressure will be key
- in correlation to this finding natural funnels where elk will get pushed is also key

My overall plan is to find areas where I can do a fair bit of glassing that seem to be areas where elk will be coming out of the higher country. Finding old burns, lower elevation parks and south facing slopes. I plan to just cover as much country as I can trying to find the sanctuaries.

What am I missing?

 

[Matt83]

I’m no help here! Your plan makes sense though. I would think if you don’t get snow or cold weather look high or higher than normal. Good luck!


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[TL406]

If you’re finding cows and not bulls, go higher and find nastier country. The bulls get very shy in late October and they’ll tolerate knee deep snow if it means that people will leave them alone.

 

[nphunter]

Elk will end up in a sanctuary area, sometimes that is back to their summer range in the high country. Sometimes a nasty shithole 1/3 of the way up off a river bottom on a bench. Bulls often will spend their entire day in a very small area, I know of one place I call the nest where bulls will bed on a bench on a very steep hillside, that bench is only about 100' across and has a steep creek/seep next to it. They lay in there all day long and will pop out onto the hillside above the nest just before dark to feed, the spot they feed is about 200' long and 100' wide and very hard to see. They repeat this pretty much each day. Bulls can tolerate more snow than you can so don't count on them getting pushed down by weather.

I agree with TL406, if your finding cows move on, bulls may be in the same general area but look at more rugged areas, typically bulls will hang out either alone or with similar-age bulls, normally old big bulls will be solo.

Bull in the nest.


Same bull in Mid Oct. right outside of the nest.


This bull would be hard to find if you didn’t know that spot and to be watching it.

 

[Bachto]

If you’re finding cows and not bulls, go higher and find nastier country. The bulls get very shy in late October and they’ll tolerate knee deep snow if it means that people will leave them alone.

Elk will end up in a sanctuary area, sometimes that is back to their summer range in the high country. Sometimes a nasty shithole 1/3 of the way up off a river bottom on a bench. Bulls often will spend their entire day in a very small area, I know of one place I call the nest where bulls will bed on a bench on a very steep hillside, that bench is only about 100' across and has a steep creek/seep next to it. They lay in there all day long and will pop out onto the hillside above the nest just before dark to feed, the spot they feed is about 200' long and 100' wide and very hard to see. They repeat this pretty much each day. Bulls can tolerate more snow than you can so don't count on them getting pushed down by weather.

I agree with TL406, if your finding cows move on, bulls may be in the same general area but look at more rugged areas, typically bulls will hang out either alone or with similar-age bulls, normally old big bulls will be solo.

This is the exact information I was looking for! I appreciate this.

 

[joejoe8]

I'm kinda in the same situation, would love to here more late season tactics. The way my schedule is I can only hunt the last week of the season.

 

[swMontanaHunter]

If you’re finding cows and not bulls, go higher and find nastier country. The bulls get very shy in late October and they’ll tolerate knee deep snow if it means that people will leave them alone.

I'd agree with TL406 on his advice.