24 hours in an elks life

[Billy Goat]

I spend a TON of time staring at my maps, trying to pick the right place to be at a given hour.

I wonder if anyone here has ever seen a simple writeup of what elk are doing in a \"typical\" 24 hour day. is it too inconsistent to speculate?

I was thinking it\'d be handy to have an hour-by-hour writeup written from an elks perspective, stating \"what I\'m probably doing now, and why\".

does that make sense? Something like that might keep us from hunting bedding areas at daybreak, or above treeline at noon?

 

[Deertick]

Well, in part this is why I like bowhunting -- because during September, elk have more of a chance to be elk. What are they doing now, during rifle season? Running, hiding, and trying to grab a bite in between -- if they\'re not already on a sanctuary of private ground.

That said, my hunch is that their days are less predictable than we imagine. My imaginary elk itinerary goes something like this:

Sunrise: Follow a lead cow\'s advice and head for a bedding ground that she picks. How she decides where we\'re going is unknown.

Mid-morning until shortly after noon: Chill. Snooze.

Early afternoon: Snack. Maybe get a drink. Depends on what the lead cow wants to do. If the bugs are bad, we may be moving to a windier spot.

Late afternoon: Chill, again. Until raghorns and younger adults get restless, or the calves get hungry. Then move to grazing areas.