What are These CO October Bulls Eatin?

[Gotcha_]

Hey everyone —

I’ve got a first rifle elk tag this year here in Colorado and have been diving deep into what fuels elk during mid-October. I know by that time most of the high-protein summer forbs are dried out, and elk start shifting their diet. From what I’ve researched, it sounds like elk sedge stays green late and is a big player in dark timber understory. I’ve also seen that asters, yarrow, and fleabane can hold on late into the season, especially in shaded or wetter spots. And then there’s bitterbrush, which seems to be a valuable browse source as the grasses cure off — though I imagine that’s more of a factor at lower elevation or during a cold snap.

I’m really trying to get a handle on what elk are actually eating out in the field during first rifle (Oct 15-19 this year). My hunt is in the high country central CO, and I’m focused on understanding where the best forage is at that time so I can glass smarter and read sign better.

So I’d love to hear from folks who’ve hunted that week before:

What do you see elk feeding on in mid-October? Are they still grazing mostly dry grasses and sedge, or have you seen them shift to shrubs, mushrooms, or even bark by that point?

Any field observations, trail cam pics, or even gut pile contents would be hugely appreciated. Just trying to close the gap between the textbook and the timber.

Thanks and good luck this season!

— Mitch

 

[Nickofthewoods]

Elk are primarily grazers and almost all of my memories from 1st rifle seasons are of the elk out grazing grasses. The exception being one year it snowed several feet but then we were focused on tracking and glassing not really what they might be eating.

 

[justinspicher]

Where I’m at most of the elk are traveling to private to eat the lush grass/alfalfa that’s done being cut, then moving back up into the higher elevations.

 

[Rigo]

Following

 

[Chris in TN]

Tagged. The only elk I've killed were all mid to late October on private land but all three of them were eating in pastures with native grasses. One was likely feeding at night in some alfalfa a mile away but when I shot him he was in a native grass pasture and while I don't know what kind of grass it was, the predominant species in the photo is definitely a grass. One was on the eastern plains and grass was its only real option. One was coming downhill off a little mesa into a canyon where it probably intended to bed for the day. The mesa was a cattle pasture.

I went to college to be a biologist (but do not work in that field) and have always enjoyed knowing trees and forbs here in the east and how they relate to deer. I'd love to know more about western elk habitat ecology and key species but watching a video every now and then isn't enough. Stuff sort of runs together after a while. Having said that, it seems like in good habitat there's food everywhere. Here in the east we'll find a few white oak trees or maybe a persimmon or a grove of domestic fruit trees, and of course food plots and crop fields, that deer will key in on. It seems like that's much less of a thing in elk habitat or the west in general and animals tend to feed across pretty vast areas without a lot of small 'hot spots' of feeding activities unless there's a big alfalfa field nearby.