Weird year

[Pony Soldier]

Yesterday was the last day of one of the worst hunting seasons I have experienced. I say a lot of it was caused by the chronic high pressure that sat over us giving warmer temperatures than we experienced a lot of the summer.

For some reason the elk avoided all the higher elevation habitat for nearly all of the season staying closer to the wintering grounds. With no snow it made it very difficult to impossible to find them.

The last few days we started to see a mass migration out of the valley bottoms (ranch land) back to the normal range. On top of that they seemed very spooky and took off running and traveled two to three drainages running. Almost like when you have heavy predator volumes.

I did have on a long scan where I cut a wolf track at my beginning and A mtn lion track in the middle with no elk or deer tracks in 4-5 miles.

The only other change I saw was an endless amount of rzr/ quad traffic in places I had never see them before. It was like an effort to turn the national forest into a dirt bike track with severe amounts of destroyed creek crossings and wetland destruction.

Granted the severe lack of snow, I never saw a blood trail Or sign of anyone killing anything and hardly any gunshots. Tough year for 28 days in the field on horseback.

 

[Steve300xcw]

Suppose thats why they call it hunting? Seems some years are better than others.

Also sxs's ruin everything.

 

[Beendare]

No big revelation here but Elk avoid pressure especially from Motorcycles, Quads and Side by Sides.

2 guys on motorcycles traveling across country- no trail in a non motorized area screwed up my Archery elk hunt in Idaho this year. I suppose if I wanted to wait a week the elk may have come back- maybe.

 

[jmez]

No big revelation here but Elk avoid pressure especially from Motorcycles, Quads and Side by Sides.

2 guys on motorcycles traveling across country- no trail in a non motorized area screwed up my Archery elk hunt in Idaho this year. I suppose if I wanted to wait a week the elk may have come back- maybe.

Depends on the area. If elk avoided ATV pressure they wouldn't live in the BigHorns.

 

[Flatgo]

Makes sure to comment prior to the commission meeting on december 4th. This amendment could have a big impact on helping with pressure on public land elk. https://fwp.mt.gov/binaries/content...antlerless-elk-fwp-response_revised-11.25.pdf

 

[firewood]

I hear you. I'm in NW MT and work for the hwy dept. I haven't even lowered my blade yet to the ground to plow and it's Dec 1st. I had a cow tag for unit 217. Spent 4 days over there sleeping in the camper shell. Only elk I found was a nice bull on the block management I was at. Was told told there where some elk on a certain ridge but there was always a few rigs parked there so I never went out there. Seen some mule deer, some small bucks, shot a 3x3 on last day and came home. Would have liked to have gone back and tried one more time but it didn't work out. Didn't even see much sign on the FS land or BMA I hunted. Probably won't put in for that area again.

 

[def90]

Have seen plenty of elk on hillsides that look down on heavily travelled SxS/ATV trails in Colorado. The reality is that those people never enter the woods so the elk just see them zoom by one way or the other and don't see them as much of a threat vs a person that is hiking through the woods and enters their bedding area.

 

[ReaptheHeat]

What state Pony?

 

[Pony Soldier]

Montana - 300 districts

 

[KurtR]

Depends on the area. If elk avoided ATV pressure they wouldn't live in the BigHorns.

or the Hills

 

[huntsman22]

wierd/weird.... spelling is a thing.

 

[willfrye027]

Montana - 300 districts

Was a weird but good hunt for us this year in the 300s. More elk on public and way less elk herded up on the private. Also less pressure where we usually hunt. Usually it is more of a grind.. but due to luck or weather or what have you we all killed bulls on our first day of hunting. Talked to a local who said it was the worst he’s seen in 30 years for that area

 

[Pacific_Fork]

I hunted 40 plus days and killed a rag horn and young WT buck. It shouldn’t have been that difficult to get meat on the table. Never saw anything of a deer rut in N Idaho, like not a single buck chasing does. Neither muley or white tail. And I know how and where to hunt. Only saw 1 week of elk rut activity. So yea, weird year for me too.

Ditto on the sxs comment. I’m amazed at how many goobers are out there in 30-50K toys. Good thing I never see sh*t in the beds of those things.

 

[Pony Soldier]

Interesting! I covered 336 miles on horseback, and probably another 59-60 on ft and never saw a bull and only 10 cows. Darn slim pickings.

 

[Pacific_Fork]

Interesting! I covered 336 miles on horseback, and probably another 59-60 on ft and never saw a bull and only 10 cows. Darn slim pickings.

That’s crazy. I’ve never not found multiple bulls down there in November within 3-7 days on foot.

 

[Pacific_Fork]

Was a weird but good hunt for us this year in the 300s. More elk on public and way less elk herded up on the private. Also less pressure where we usually hunt. Usually it is more of a grind.. but due to luck or weather or what have you we all killed bulls on our first day of hunting. Talked to a local who said it was the worst he’s seen in 30 years for that area

Goes to show the elk are where you find them. So nomadic and unpredictable some years.

 

[Pony Soldier]

Me either.

 

[Ryan Avery]

I hunted 40 plus days and killed a rag horn and young WT buck. It shouldn’t have been that difficult to get meat on the table. Never saw anything of a deer rut in N Idaho, like not a single buck chasing does. Neither muley or white tail. And I know how and where to hunt. Only saw 1 week of elk rut activity. So yea, weird year for me too.

Ditto on the sxs comment. I’m amazed at how many goobers are out there in 30-50K toys. Good thing I never see sh*t in the beds of those things.

I saw deer rutting activity almost every day from the 15th on in N Idaho, passed up 14 bucks before I shot one on public land.

 

[Pacific_Fork]

I saw deer rutting activity almost every day from the 15th on in N Idaho, passed up 14 bucks before I shot one on public land.

I hunt deer in low density and visibility areas close to the boarder in both mountain ranges All the does were alone for all of November and this morning. It was weird. I’m sure if I would have gone south where everyone goes with more deer I would have seen rut activity being able to glass more.

 

[willfrye027]

Goes to show the elk are where you find them. So nomadic and unpredictable some years.

One of the many reasons elk are stupid and mule deer are king