October News

October

October is rifle-hunting season across most western states. Elk will change their patterns most likely during this time. Archery season (usually most of September) doesn’t have too much of a changing affect on elk patterns. But when elk hear the shot of a rifle they will react.

Elk are different than deer. You can spook a deer and it will run off a little ways to seek cover or look back. If you spook an elk it will run for 7 miles before it stops. You hear sayings like that from people who have experience with elk. I’ve even heard if you spook an elk they’ll relocate into the next county. It seems to be very true.

So how will you locate elk in October or times when humans pressure them? Well one way depends on the mating season. Cow elk come in to estrus around mid September (bow season) and again around mid October (1^st combined rifle season here in Colorado). The catch is to know the elk in your area. If the cow population is good then there will surely be cows in heat around mid October. However, there is a chance that all the cows were in heat in September, but that is probably very rare. You should still hear some bugling in October. Maybe not from the big elk but most likely from smaller elk who have claimed a harem previously occupied by a larger bull. Elk will still react to convincing cow calls during October. They may even still want to fight you if you bugle at them. You can use this to your advantage when looking for elk in October. Remember you can set up and call an elk in once but you can rarely fool them twice. Be creative, move around and use different calls to make different cow sounds.

What happened to us this year is the big bulls (6x6s and larger) were very active in mid September until the first week in October when we had a little bit of snow. Then they just turned everything off. The weather turned very nice too. We heard one very light bugle from a 5x5 above 11,000 feet as a bull was chasing his cows. It wouldn’t have been heard from the valley below. The big elk and eventually all the elk just disappeared. That’s why they are sometimes called ghosts. You’ll see them in a relatively small area during September and then poof, they are gone. We saw elk the first two days of rifle season then nothing afterwards. We know there were lots of elk in the area too. It was like they all left and took the deer with them.

Where do big elk (or elk in general) go when the pressure is on? I suspect one of two places. First it’s really hard to know exactly where they go unless there is some snow on the ground and you have lots of time on your hands. I suspect elk will retreat to their safe havens. Places where the forest is old, dark and very difficult to walk through. Because they are dark places we can expect them to be on North facing slopes or areas so thick with trees that the sun can’t get through. That’s if they stay in the area. If they run off like most people say, then you’ll need to relocate your camp. They’ve gone to places where humans don’t go or won’t go. Usually remote areas (where there are no roads or hiking trails) and private property. But elk still need to eat and drink. So you might mark terrain on your GPS where the forage is good and there is a water source. Be very careful, quiet and keep the wind in your face in these remote areas. Why? Because if you spook them again you might as well give up. They’ve gone further away the second time. Elk can traverse mountains, canyons and forests in complete silence and at speeds that will amaze you. And they make it look easy. Remember they live in the woods and they know the best hiding spots. Unless you have the time to explore these areas you won’t really know where elk go when they are pressured.