Migrating Elk Behavior

[WyoKimber]

I will be hunting migrating elk at the end of the month in western Wyoming. The herd I am hunting migrates upwards of 130 miles in an average of 27 days (per wyfg data). With that much ground to cover, does their behavior during the day change significantly? Will they still bed during the day, or will they keep moving during daylight hours? Will they spend much time feeding at all? Looking for input from people with experience hunting elk during a migration.

 

[Ucsdryder]

You sure they’ll be migrating at the end of the month? IME elk migrate when they’re forced by snow. Sometimes that’s October…sometimes it’s December.

 

[mntnguide]

Unless we get a drastic change in the weather, there will be a pretty minimal or no migration prior to general seasons closing. Unless you have a draw tag, it takes a lot of snow and very cold, to get the park elk moving, and it's currently 70° with no change in the forecast for a long time... usually by now we have had a big storm and colder weather, I was just up over 11k' and it felt like summer chasing elk up there.

In regards to behavior, they are still elk during migration. They will bed and hold during the days, and move at night. Unless we get a 4ft dump of snow, that might keep them moving all day, but otherwise a few feet of snow, doesn't push them all that fast. The migration is challenging to hunt, and rarely does it really happen prior to seasons closing anymore. And this is the warmest October I can remember so far.

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[Indian Summer]

Just like always, they cover ground at night in bed down during the day. The nice thing is that a spot that had no elk today could be loaded with them in the morning.