Spring Scouting

[MountainMan83]

Where I live in Colorado elk are consistently migrating through our area from September-October for the rut, and again in April-May for calving season. Their migration patterns make me think that scouting in May would be a good time to learn where they may also be in October. I plan on scouting in October as well but looking to learn a new area and considering heading out in May this year, and curious if I will see elk in similar locations that they will also be in October. Does applying this logic from what I have learned from local elk patterns also apply to other areas?

 

[Indian Summer]

I’m not too sure about that. May is early. Elk are definitely relocating. In October I find they are where they’ve been for several months and nowhere near early migration routes.

 

[MountainMan83]

I’m not too sure about that. May is early. Elk are definitely relocating. In October I find they are where they’ve been for several months and nowhere near early migration routes.

I understand May is early, but every year hundreds of elk hang out where I live in April/May. They disappear for the most part when they move to summer range and then reappear again in September/October for the rut. I will see them around our house at other times of the year, but there are significantly more elk around during both of these times. Do you think this is just unique to where I live? From my experience, the elk are higher during the months before September but then move into a transition range in September/October before moving to their winter range.

 

[Poser]

If you have a migration corridor nearby, then, yes, it would be worth scouting that time of year. They'll typically migrate up the same way they came down.

 

[Indian Summer]

It’s common for cows to stay low and not migrate to places where bulls and other elk go. They are always spending t in places where the feed is best for their calves, and there are less predators. Once the rat arrives, it’s common for bulls to move down from higher elevations, looking for cows in heat. Otherwise, yes, I find it very unusual for elk to have already migrated back to wintering grounds as early as September or October. In my experience in Montana and Wyoming I have never seen this.

 

[35WhelenAI]

Personally, I'd make the choice to not push through elk grounds in the spring. They are calving, and it makes no correlation with where they will be in the fall. Truly, the only way to know where elk are is to see them standing in a spot around the time hunting season comes around six months later. Otherwise it's chasing hoof prints for exercise when the elk would rather be left alone in the spring.