pick a week. Sept. 12th-19th or 19th-26th

[westbound]

If you had to pick a week in SW Montana which would you pick for this year?  The week of Sept. 12th-19th or the 19th-26th?  The first week is out for me this year.

 

[montanaelk31]

Rather be late than early. 19th on is my .02

 

[jamesctaylor17@gmail.com]

I'd probabaly go with the earlier one. I like to hunt on the new moon to see more game activity during the daylight. New moon is the 12th with the full moon on the 28th. That's just my opinion though. On the other hand hunting early also has a greater chance of hot weather or the rut not really being in full swing yet. Pros and cons to both. Either week I think will be great.

 

[NickAmN]

I'm putting all my marbles on the new moon, therefore i'm in early. Sept 13th to 19th.

 

[Arrows4Elk]

My preference would be the later dates.

 

[buglelk]

Dirk Durham has a new article hitting next Monday on Elk101.com that talks about what phases of the moon to hunt, as well as the Fall Equinox and related rut activity. It's a great read, so watch for it next week. I also prefer to hunt the season dates leading up to the Fall Equinox, ESPECIALLY if the dates align with the moon phase going from New Moon to First Quarter or Third Quarter to New Moon. This year, the New Moon is on the 13th and the Fall Equinox is on the 23rd, so if I had to pick a Saturday to Saturday week to hunt, it would be the 12-19th. The following week won't be a bad week, but the bulls will be more herded up and harder to pull away from the cows as the estrus cycle is kicking in. The nice thing is that the full moon won't affect either of those weeks this year!

 

[billsansom]

I've killed 6 bulls in Montana.  All in the last week of Sept.  Very dry here, this year, kind of wondering if we'll even get in the brush early in season.  Big Bulls are getting pretty "cowed up" by late Sept., and harder to call in the herd bulls - you have better chance at satelite raghorns.  Come when you can....stay as long as you can...hunt hard every day..good luck.

 

[westbound]

Thanks for all the advice.  Hunting the 12th-the 19th so I'll let yinz know how it goes.  I read that article about hunting the moon phases.  Good read.  I was out there 2 years ago this same week but it was the full moon.  The mid-day madness was also. 

 

[Jeremiah Johnson]

The week the woods are open as the fires are out!

 

[Arrows4Elk]

The week the woods are open as the fires are out!

Seriously, all you guys with fires in your states, be safe and good luck!

 

[IDHUNTER]

I'm hunting the 12-21st to take advantage of the new moon and my experience has been peak rut activity is usually somewhere around the 16th in the area that i hunt.

 

[MTbowhunter1984]

Have always gone early so switching up and hunting later this year.