Preferred Hunting Time

[Swede]

What is your preferred time to hunt elk? If you have had success, what time has been most productive?
I choose the warm dry days of the early general archery season. The late afternoon and evenings have been the most productive part of the day. Second to that is the late archery general season after the rut begins. In the later part of the general archery season, the mornings have been good to me, but also the evenings are productive.
I like both the early and late periods, but the early season is my first choice.

 

[elky McElkerson]

i like it when the weather is cooler..archery.

time of day? mornings. not fun butchering in the dark..or tracking the animal.

 

[bowhunter]

I prefer the cool mornings to hunt. However I have arrowed both of my elk in the evening. It is nice packing in the dark, much cooler.

 

[F M]

I have had success in both evenings and mornings. I\'m like Terry about the cool mornings. Pretty warm where we hunt so I prefer packing at night.

I mostly hunt the early season. Never have hunted the rut to see them really fired up.

 

[Stringunner]

2014 and 2013 I have shot elk within the first hour of hunting light from my stand. And I do prefer mornings over evening hunts, I don\'t like to work in the dark. I shot my 2012 elk right at last legal shooting light and had to break it down in the dark solo and it was much more difficult.

I like first week of the season when I believe the elk have been less disturbed and are still in their routine. In the area Swede and I hunt, it has been my experience that once the first week is past, it gets exponentially harder as the majority of the elk run to the nearby ranch and only venture off occasionally for the remainder of the season.

 

[StartMyHunt]

Definitely mornings for our group. We have shot probably 95% of our elk before 9:00 AM. From 9:00 until about 5:00, we have only bumped elk out of their bedding areas. However, the biggest bull we ever got was right before sundown after six days of hard hunting. Took three of us close to four hours to pack him out in the dark. Memorable experience, but not sure if I would do it again. I prefer having the entire day to get an animal out and then relax by the campfire.

Mike

 

[WontQuit]

I love the 9 to 11 am time period. Most of my luck then although I did arrow a 4x4 at last light and had to break him down solo with a 6 inch mag lite in my mouth. I had fat lips the next morning and bought a headlamp right when I got home from the trip!

 

[cnelk]

I used to be a great morning success guy, but now after switching up tactics, I have equal opportunities in the evening too.