Hunting Washington Forum
Big Game Hunting => Elk Hunting => Topic started by: SeatoSummit88 on November 04, 2021, 10:13:07 AM
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I'd like to get some of your thoughts/opinions/theories on heavy storm systems and Elk. I have talked to a few friends and they all have objecting theories...This will be the first opening weekend I will be hunting Elk when its expected to thunder/lightning all day with 1/2"-1" of rain, 20-30 mph winds and no moon. Do you believe that Elk will still feed out onto cuts/roads in the first hour or so of light with there being next to no Moon, even though its going to be blowing sideways, downpouring and with thunder/lightning storms? Or do you think that they will stick to old growth deep dark timber bottoms, where they can escape the heavy rain and winds, however be left without saplings, grasses, etc to feed on (and it being dark under cover)? One of my friends said he believes that Elk do not like to be in the timber when its blowing especially, as they cannot hear predators with the howling wind rolling through the trees...and that they don't care about being wet. My other friend says that yes, Elk probably don't care about being wet, but they will more than likely be under cover in their beds or near, in the timber, when a heavy storm like this is around... Should I still stick out an hour or two or bino/scope glassing at first light, and then move to hiking down for timber stalking afterwards all day... Or do I just jump in right away, find a trail, and stalk from first light and on...
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I've always found elk where I found them.
If you have clearcuts in proximity to old-growth, I would start in the clearcut for the first hour of daylight. If for no other reason then if it's stormy, you won't be able to see anything in the old-growth until 45 minutes after legal shooting light, anyway. Even on dark dreary days, elk have a way of standing out in a clearcut.
I have heard both of those schools of thought, but I am not sure what the threshold would be for when it is "too windy" for them to want to be in the old growth. I have for sure noticed that both deer and elk will be tucked into the leeward side of the hill (either open or timbered) when the wind is howling. It can be very windy, and somewhere there is still a sanctuary from the wind where it's surprisingly calm and quiet.
As to the heavy rains- I think it's the best time to kill elk. I don't believe it moves them around like it moves deer. However, you have a lot better chance of sneaking in on them with your scent getting knocked down, things not being crunchy and the rain providing a bunch of cover noise for your movement.
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:yeah: for the most part. Rain or storm or nice day elk still get hungry so they will gravitate to the best feed.
I prefer a nice day for the sake of tracking but you take what you are given.
Check out the clearcuts in the morning and hit the timber when it is good and light.
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Elk hunting on the coast in inclement weather???
@humptulips
He's the Yoda.
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Thanks Dark and Hump for the replies. I made it down around 3pm today to start glassing and checking sign at some previous season spotted locations...at 430 I caught 4 Elk about 950 yards away, I was able to see them with the blind eye, just for how bright their butts and sides stick out on a dark cut...threw up the spotting scope and was just barely able to make out the details of their heads...1 was about 30 feet up top of them and the other 3 were below and together..I believe the bottom three were 2 cows and a calf..The top one had some blackish/dirty blemish to it's coat...It looked big bodied and I want to say it was a bull, but it was feeding away from me and into the fog, couldn't make points or not... I think I'll go back to a spot that's closer to where I saw them in the AM and throw up some glass... Have a few other places to glass in the AM as well... Lots of timber to hike down into. Here we go
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It's always nice to find elk where you find them
