Windy Days

[Sinkinglizard]

looked up windy days topics on the thread history but not really finding the info I am looking for...

Do elk change their behavior on windy days? I'm talking 20+mph winds all day.

For instance, if they routinely hit an open meadow on a hillside, will the wind affect whether or not they decide to come out into "the open"? Do they typically stay out of open areas during strong wind days? I was once told elks ears are very sensitive and if they cannot hear well they will stay hunkered down in an area they deem as safe.

 

[Next Ridge]

I haven’t seen it with my own eyes but on really windy days my trail cameras catch them going out into the open, acting confused and kind of walking in circles. If it’s really windy I think they lose confidence in their nose and want to be out where they can see things coming. Who knows though

 

[snowymtnwolf]

Great topic. I’m making popcorn and grabbing a seat because now my curiosity has been piqued.

I’ve always heard “they want to get out of the wind” but counter points have been brought up that make sense.

Wonder what the final conclusion will be?


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[LongWayAround]

I don't know about the elk, but I change my habits. There's so much beetle kill around here that I can't feel safe knowing that trees are falling around me. Multiple times I have watched trees go down that I could not hear. For me, it's not worth it. I'll hunt some open country or burn the day and sleep in or whatever.

 

[ahlgringo]

IMO they most definitely change their behavior that makes em tougher to get on. Tend to stay out of open areas and get to defensive bedding areas quicker in the am and stay til after dark. It makes sense, if they lose their most important defense- they rely on the others more.

It does make sneaking through the timber much more muffled, I have to be careful as it makes me want to move a bit faster thinking I am "silent", but the eyes are always out there watching for your movement.

 

[Jaquomo]

In my experience, they lay low in timber and don't move much. Two of their three senses are badly compromised. So they tend to browse around their bedding area and use their eyes for defense. Seems like the only time they move much is when somebody busts them. Too many eyes watching gaps in the timber.

Like longwayaround, I have had very close calls with falling beetle kill so I stay out of timber on those days and maybe make a run to town, look for tracks crossing roads, check wallows and waterholes on the edges of meadows for recent activity, etc.

 

[cnelk]

Same as Jaquomo^^^

Or even take some time to rest up.

 

[spike camp]

For elk that are used to very windy areas, such as 11,500’ on the divide, the wind does not impact their movement one bit.

 

[11boo]

I killed my first elk on a very windy morning . He was tucked in a small draw and I walked right up on him at 25 yards. Watched him feed for a minute and he seemed a little nervous.

 

[Deadfall]

Tough to compare area's. High wind definitely effects behavior. Definitely high wind is the tough part. Also time of year plays into this as well. Some parts of the country 20 mph wind is fairly common. Animals adjust to thier environment.

The area's I hunt these days I don't really see a significant change until win gets up around 50.

Late in fall if it's wet/cold they will be moving around alot more looking for calories and blood flow.

Early fall when it's hot, they tend to just hunker down in area's out of wind.

Abnormally windy days make stalking fantastic. If know where they are. In places where elk like to hang on those days. They put most emphasis on eyes.

The will do exactly like an old whitetail buck. Which is get flat out trying to become one with the ground. Wont bust until very last second even if the wind isn't perfect and they catch a bit of scent. Tend not to trust thier nose.

Same tactic them old bulls use when guys go bugling by during archery. There's been lots of times that I've been watching a bedded bull through spotter waiting for him to move and caught hunters move through at danger close horn tooting. It's impressive how flat they can get.

I personally love hunting extreme wind days. Adds an extra element of excitement.

 

[Sinkinglizard]

Great nuggets in here. It just got me thinking last year when I was up high... I hated going over saddles or large meadows where the wind was howling. If I didn't like it, I could only assume the elk would also dislike it with their #1 defense mechanism being neutralized.

 

[Sinkinglizard]

How does rain affect affect their behavior? The one rainy day observation I have made so far is that they didn't bugle like the morning before, and they went into their bedding areas sooner. Do elk also hunker down during rainy days?

 

[mpb21]

I think the wind certainly curtails movement as does rain to some extent. In my experience some of the best hunting is right after a heavy rain, snow or wind event. If you know where they’re at you’ve got a serious advantage for spot and stalk in wind and rain.

 

[Marble]

For most weather events, I notice a decrease in activity. For rain and snow, they will only hunker down to a point. And that point varies. The day after the storm breaks it seem animals are really busy catching up on lost calories.

For elk, I have noticed they are more vocal when the weather gets cooler. They also tend to hang out in the sun mid day when the temps are pretty cool.

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[StevensonRanch]

I think its too easy to assign behavioral patterns to animals during weather, when just as easily there could be a situation that causes them to deviate from it. Interesting stuff though

 

[Pdzoller]

Pure speculation here.
I wonder if in areas with high predation they would choose the open and the opposite in areas with little predation.

I have seen elk hunkered down in the Cascades during wind storms but have seen the total opposite in the Blues.

Not much elk hunting experience here but I do see a ton of them while hunting spring and fall bear.