Scouting in Sept. for elk in Oct.

[HydeParkHunter]

I'll be hunting in central Idaho when the rifle season opens on Oct. 15. I'm fortunate to only live 2-3 hours away and so I have plenty of opportunity to scout in late July and August. But I'm contemplating how to go about scouting in September. My question is twofold:

1) To what degree can I expect to find bulls in mid-October based on where I'm seeing/hearing them in mid-late September?

2) Does anybody feel there an etiquette issue about walking the woods looking for elk during the bow season? I won't be trying to call them in, or even approach a bugling bull, I just want to be able to drop pins on them. Certainly would not intentionally bugger-up an archer's hunt.

I should add that opener is on a Thursday and I'll have that entire week off to be up there starting the Saturday before. But there seems to be a consensus that walking-around-scouting just before season can backfire as you may spook them out of an area. There is a deer season opening on Oct. 10, but I don't think this part of the unit gets hit hard.

Thoughts?

 

[Moondoondude]

Absolutely not an etiquette issue. Lots of top tier units got groups of guys out there without tags who are looking into hunting the unit in the future or just out for leisure. Unlike you, a lot of times they are bugling their heads off or trying to call elk in and the such.

The older bulls will likely still be with cows or thinking about cows. A little later they may start breaking off a bit but usually they're in pretty similar places as they were a month earlier unless a weather event gets them moving.

 

[brn2hnt]

I would rather scout in August than September. I find that bulls typically come back to where they were (just usually less time in the open) in August after the rut. They move to where cows are in September, so scouting them doesn’t tell me as much except that they are easier to find and get an idea of what kind of quality and quantity is available.


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[Ross]

I have found them in the exact same place as September and with the 2nd estrus they can be all cowed up around the 10th and very rutty...opening day of 2004 idaho this guy was pushing a large harem through a dark slopetelling everyone he was one happy dude I will be using this September to bugle for friends looking for the few I will be after in october

 

[Ucsdryder]

I haven’t come across it, but I would be more than annoyed if some donkey without a tag was running around throwing out elk calls and trying to call in elk while I’m elk hunting.