Elevations

[live2farm]

Just curious what some of your thoughts are, how high of elevation will elk hang out towards the end of October and beginning of November? If there is no weather will some hang out high? 7-8 thousand feet? Any stories or thoughts would be good.

 

[shelbys]

Totally depends on which part of the state and which areas you are talking about. A few years ago we were hunting elk in unit 58 in November at 10,000. There are lots of other area's that have elk year round under 5,000 ft.

 

[live2farm]

The highest elevation in the area is around 8000 ft. I am wondering if the bigger bulls will try to hang out in the higher elevations after the rut is all over.

 

[NickM]

If there is food, water and little to no snow I would bet they would.

 

[dreaminbouthuntin]

Our base camp for elk is 8500ft. So ya, essentially they will hang where the pressure is low, they have cover, and food/water. Elevation is no factor if they have all those things.

 

[Tank]

Expect them high, in the holes away from pressure. Once the guns start going off the bigger bulls will become nocturnal. You have to find out where they are spending their day, and be prepared to stake it out until shooting light is over.

 

[ID_Paul]

I agree with what others have said. Last year I found elk between 7200-7500 feet in mid-October. At the same time in the previous year, they were on the same ridge at just over 8000.

A few years ago, we were hunting in a different unit that we had scouted all summer. The elk had been at the top consistently, but on the early October opener, there wasn't one to be found (I'm sure the folks driving up closed roads didn't help). After our elk season closed we were hunting deer in the same unit much lower, and found elk. Maybe they had been pushed there earlier. I think it had been a fairly mild autumn.