How cold before elk start seeking warmth?

[Ready2Rut]

With cold conditions coming in across most of the west, I am curious about how elk behavior might be affected. I know that elk retreating from the mountains to their winter range is primarily dictated by snow, not just cold temperatures. However, I have heard from many sources that elk will change their behavior, such as by seeking out sunny bedding areas or bedding areas where trees are trapping heat, within the areas that they already are when the temps drop.

My question is, how cold does it have to get for elk to start doing this? 40°F? 10°F? I know these animals are extremely cold-resistant, so I wouldn't be surprised if it took some truly brutal temps to get them to change their behavior.

 

[BuckSmasher]

With cold conditions coming in across most of the west, I am curious about how elk behavior might be affected. I know that elk retreating from the mountains to their winter range is primarily dictated by snow, not just cold temperatures. However, I have heard from many sources that elk will change their behavior, such as by seeking out sunny bedding areas or bedding areas where trees are trapping heat, within the areas that they already are when the temps drop.

My question is, how cold does it have to get for elk to start doing this? 40°F? 10°F? I know these animals are extremely cold-resistant, so I wouldn't be surprised if it took some truly brutal temps to get them to change their behavior.

Not sure. VERY VERY cold. Definitely not 40. Probably single digits or colder if I was to guess.

How does an elk stay warm in winter?

In winter, elk may experience temperatures down to 40 below zero. They cope with the plunging temps by shedding their summer coat and replacing it with a thick, woolly parka that is five times warmer. The winter coat consists of two layers: thick, long guard hairs and a dense undercoat. On the...

www.rmef.org

 

[nphunter]

They change patterns for all kinds of weather. Even a cloudy day might allow them to bed on an open slope all day long. Those same elk will move to cover if it’s a sunny day.

I’ve already seen deer laying out soaking up the sun this year. I’m sure elk are doing the same.

 

[coyoteman]

I believe there was a guest on Eastmans elevated podcast years ago who was a very dedicated late season elk hunter. He mentioned that his magic temp for seeing bulls bedding out in the open more consistently, was when the temp was around 7 degrees for a high.

From what we've seen, I wouldn't argue with him.

 

[Loggerdude]

They just move to unmanaged forest fires

 

[justin davis]

Got to be close to 0 degrees for elk to want to be warming up in the sun

 

[mt terry d]

I kicked a big bull out of a dark timbered north facing canyon where it had to be minus 30 or worse at night.
He'd obviously been hanging there for at least a few days. A small spring was there as well as a nice patch of grass he'd pawed up through a couple feet of snow.

On the other end of the spectrum I saw a bunch of cows laying in the sun on an open south
slope in near 90 degree temperature, mid day, late august.
Shade and water in a cool draw was a mere couple hundred yards away.

Not sure if cold temp affects them much. I think food availability/accessibility and human activity/hunting pressure is more of a factor for where they'll be when the temps drop

 

[Sundodger]

Most of my experience is with Rosie's, but I think elk are always working on temperature regulation or "comfort" more in general. Summer, winter, shoulder seasons, all the time. It seems to me they are always working to stay comfortable with the ambient temp, wind, precipitation, security, rest, food, water, bugs, and prob a few more that I am forgetting at the moment.

 

[Beendare]

If you are using that as a hunt strategy....Don't bother. The primary factor in Elk hunting seasons is hunt pressure.

 

[mtnbound]

Elk expend more energy keeping cool than warm. Like most mammals, they will sun themselves, but it has little to do with regulating body temperature.

 

[TaperPin]

When giving a new elk hunter some timber hunting education I like to carry a laser thermometer and show the difference in temps between day and night, and different bedding areas as we walk through them kicking up elk. They can’t take their fur coat off so they adjust for comfort daily. If you could be cooler or warmer by moving a short distance it’s easy to adjust so why wouldn’t they. On the hottest days they are in pockets of the coolest damp dark timber, but cold days might just be 100 yards away out of the pocket and it’s not as cool. Cooler yet and they may bed another 100 yards away, or a bench at the same elevation on a different slope.

If the normal daily temp differential is a lot, they will be in the coolest beds during the day, but if it’s cold everywhere day and night it makes sense they will adjust and nothing is warmer than being in the sun.

My favorite teaching spot is two north-south ridges with a little creek between them, some benches, some wallows, some mixed open areas up top and some thick timber down low. Any given weather condition will move their bedding areas rather predictably within this one mile square microcosm. One area in particular has protected grassy wallows with a dry bench above it 25 yards away - the difference in ground temps is insane. Most questions about why elk bed in different spots are answered with the thermometer and daily temperature swings.

 

[3forks]

Elk are ruminants, and because of that, they generate a lot of internal heat and are nearly impervious to the cold.