Rough Season Concluded

[Two Bear]

Well we had a down year on the mountain this season. We got clients on bulls, killed some, missed some, and unfortunately wounded some. The bugling activity was minimal all year. In August when I first rode across the meadow into camp I noted the lush green grass wasn\'t so lush. Normally the meadow is reasonably wet but not this year, grass in several areas that was normally green and up past my knees was brown and maybe mid shin high. We had tough dry conditions all summer and forage just wasn\'t available like years past. The elk kept on the move and dispersing spending more time feeding and less time bugling. I suspect we will have a solid rifle season with the elk on the move as much as they have been, but not so advantageous in archery. The elk were in smaller groups, moving a lot, and at lower elevations this year. The typical intense rut we normally experience just didn\'t manifest itself. Anyway, that is our archery season.

 

[Swede]

I do not know where you hunt, but it sounds like the area I go to. With different conditions, it seems the hunting is getting harder to predict. The places that were so reliable in the past, are going from bad to worse these last few years. I hope you have much success in the rifle seasons. Thanks for keeping us posted.

 

[Deertick]

What state were you in? Sounds like our experience here, too ... many around here saying that the rut was seemingly not intense this year.

 

[Two Bear]

We are hunting western Montana. I\'m not a biologist but it seemed to me with minimal forage this year, the elk broke off into some smaller groups and stayed highly mobile. We had a reasonably good wallow season, with wallow activity diminishing around mid September. It appeared the elk were much more interested in feeding then breeding. I believe most of the breeding occurs from sept 20-23, there was some decent bugling activity in those days. With the elk breaking off into smaller groups, I think the competition for the right to breed was compromised. I believe they were in smaller groups to maximize forage use. In many of our areas where we always see elk and have good production, there was little elk to be seen. Most of our time was spent trying to locate them due to the smaller groups and highly mobile nature of the rut this year. Typically, getting on a bull in the morning and staying with him results in some terrific afternoon hunting. However, if you don\'t get on him or can\'t find him in the morning, you spend all day locating and less time hunting. Added to the above dynamics, they were not very vocal at all. That\'s elk hunting every year is different. If it were easy it wouldn\'t be much fun Just curious what everybody else encountered. What we experienced seems to be the norm for the season here in western Montana.