September Snow...love it or hate it?
Elk
Contributors to this thread:
I've hunted out west several times but never once have I had a significant snowfall and accumulation. I have no desire to hunt elk in the snow, to be honest, but I'm sure one of these years I'm going to have to deal with it.
For those with experience, what have you found happens with the elk after a significant snow event? Good or bad? What, if anything, do you do different?
Other than being pretty....
If it does snow, the best thing about is the next day that it is nice.
I have hunted elk for 5 years now. I hunted 16 days last year in September and was in elk everyday until it snowed. I didn't hear one or see on after the snow fell. I'm sure they all moved out of that area.
I cannot speak for others who hunt populations of elk that are not so prone to migration early in the season, but in the Bighorns of Wyoming, any significant snowfall is a curse as the elk almost immediately begin heading for lower elevations, which makes them exceptionally hard to access because they are either on private land or they're tucked into deep and remote canyons on the face.
The flipside of a deep snow, I actually love a couple of inches that melts off immediately because it quiets the woods in ways even a good rain does not. After an early 2-3 inches of snow, I can move nearly soundlessly through the woods.
Snow is very noisy after the first day. Always crunchy under foot. Fresh tracks are easily seen and blood trails a blind man could follow. I seem to trip, slip and slide more with snow on the ground. As far as elk movement 12 - 18" doesn't seem to make much difference. Not really been out with more than that on the ground while hunting.
In our area it usually means swirling wind even worse than normal. But it does quiet the woods after it's over.
If I had my druthers, I'd take bluebird weather for the whole archery season.
things had been hot and sluggish right up to about 3:00 PM on this day. The bulls lit up after this white stuff dumped. Sometimes, a quick change in temps with some snow can really kick things into gear IMO.
I hate it. In the past 30 yrs, it's snowed probably 10 of those, anywhere from an inch or 2 to an 18" blizzard we had one year.
Good action and elk activity before the storms hit, but has completely shut them down for a day or 2 afterwards. The worst part is the noise. As Norseman points out, normally it turns nice not long after the storm, however that creates a problem of it's own. Once it starts warming up and the snow starts melting during the day, it freezes at night. Needless to say, it's impossible to be sneaky until the snow starts softening up again later in the day. It's nice and quiet once the snow is gone, but it can suck up to that point.
Liquid moisture I welcome. Frozen moisture, not so much.
EDIT: elkhunter2 types faster than I do. ;-)
In north Idaho we rarely have snow in Sept but during the late season(mid Dec)we will typically have thigh deep snow and very powdery, so not much noise. I enjoy being in the woods with that much snow and have seen the more animals than when there is no snow.
I like a fresh, light snow where I hunt. It makes it a lot easier to see them when glassing and you know how fresh the tracks are after it snows. It also tends to bunch them up a bit but it takes several inches, sometimes well over a foot to get them moving them out of the area.
Hate it...blows out all the high basins
midwest, I rifle hunted once in west central Wyoming. The elk were 'timbered up" pretty much for the 1st few days. We even heard some bugles and saw some active wallows. Had a 6-8" snow event with cold and things changed. The snow was pretty wet (by western standards)clinging to the vegetation on the north-facing patches we had been concentrating on. Once it warmed up...Boom....the elk were out in the open on clear benches & hillside. Local guys claimed "they don't like having that dipping thing going on from the melting snow covered confers. They can't relax as their senses are compromised." Makes sence that a predators approach would be muffled and undetectable by the constant snow melt covering the sound. I'm hot-blooded and prefer the cold to 80 deg. weather. I think it might turn the bulls on with a cold snap during a September event. Last year it was 100 year floods & tropical rain, this year it could be an early snow...would not suprise me that much.
I hunted in snow for four days straight last year in Montana. No big deal, just made things wet. The elk leave lots of tracks. They bugled just as much as they were before it snowed.
The rains last year were miserable. However on the 11th morning of my CO Moose hunt we awoke late to 10" of fresh snow. On our drive up to our hike in spot we spotted a rutting bull with the only cow I had located in my unit.
The cold snow helped in taking care of my animal as well.
Dig snow. DIY hunts on public land are mostly about finding elk, and snow really helps clarify what is/isn't there. Take a dead hunt and adding some snow is like gettin an early Christmas present IMO. Best glassing in my life was right after a snow - EVERYTHING was out feeding and oh did they pop against that white background. That being said, snow creates its own complications as mentioned above.
Love it! It's Sept. so never around for long here in NM and it seems to always shake things up for the better.
Up higher than I hunt is great as it might push down some elk.
Sometimes the snow really shows just how few elk are in the area where you thought there were more. I hate that!
Yea, makes thing wet but I like the colder weather but then early Sept snows are usually melted away within 3 days.
Had plenty of snow last year.
On the plus side, the lack of tracks confirmed I needed to move. (Seeing a single set of tracks every 3 miles or so isn't my idea of "action")
Minus side, it was heavy wet snow. I was soaking wet by the end of every day as I pushed through the tree. (Even wearing raingear). Nothing sucks more than having snow drop down the back of your neck. (My boonie hat worked well until 60 MPH winds ripped it off my head and into oblivion.)
If you get some freezing/thawing/freezing, forget about spot and stalk. (I was cursed with this on a mule deer hunt, Every deer within 1/4 mile was laughing at me)
if it is just a couple inches I love it. makes tracking and seeing animals easier.
I like warm and blue skies for elk hunting! Have had my best hunts when it's nice out.
I love the look of it... but going down a fairly steep slope blanketed with slippery wet snow while carrying a loaded pack is not as much fun as it sounds.
I have never had much luck the days after a fresh snow. They seem to lay up and wait out the storm. I like others have mentioned like sunny high pressure days in the Mountains. HUNT
Never dealt with more than a dusting, love hunting when it's overcast and the occasional little snow squall comes through but the ground melts it all. You know when it's just cold enough that it snows instead of rains and doesn't accumulate. Third season I hunted, never got into elk all season, but the day it was like I described I got two shots in one day and connected on the second one!
It makes the track job easier.
If it's gonna happen I hope it's early in the hunt. When the wind and the weather finally settle down, it can be a great time to be in the elk woods!
Im in CANADA and it pretty much never snows here in sept! HAHAHA! Snow is good here, gets em all moving. This is prairie land so they don't switch elevation here. Its even better during moose season. I'd rather hunt in a storm than sit in camp. The action can get hot n heavy.
2 - 3", love it. 8-14", hate it.
I can do without.
Frozen boots in the AM.
Frozen pants in the AM.
Frozen rests
No afternoon naps in comfort.
Crunchy and loud.
Hell above timberline as you post hole around.
Last year was pretty bad in Western CO.
Depends on which type of snow. Have seen it shut em down and fire em up. Certainly makes it easier to see em in the big country.
Just adapt. Killed on last year in snow. Had a bugle war with this boy till he could not take it any more.
Over the years a snow stops everything. When you have snow in the trees your bugle don't carry. But the day after it melts has been some of my best days calling.
I prefer snow over rain that is for sure.
The ground is so dry normally before it snows that in a good sunny day it is melted off for the most part.
Seems like after a good snow day that the next day is pretty good and vocal/active.
I can't remember ever being in any 6 or more inches snow storms though-----
Good luck, Robb
HATE IT.
In the areas I hunt, as soon as it snows once....things change. I haven't figured it out yet but the elk leave or just totally shut down. Based on lack of sign.....I assume they leave.
Cazador- My experiences exactly. (Other than the snow was heavy and wet)
In the morning, I had to slip on my boots for an hour before they were even pliable enough to lace up.
It is the only morning that I have ever slept in on an elk hunt. Too many days in a row and I had enough.
Hate it.
September snows will make the elk disappear where I hunt.
I would rather have rain
We loved it! two bulls in one morning in one heard...
Followed fresh bull tracks morning after a snowstorm last Season...just because I couldn't kill something sitting in the tent.
Lost him after about two miles of down/sidehill into a big dark timber bench.
It hated it last year. Collapsed our tents and soaked everything. Only heard one bull bugle after the snow came and even tracks were hard to come by. Ended up switching areas but it wasn't much better there.
Funny that the frozen boots were mentioned. On last years hunt I ended up killing my elk with my backup boots on. Luckily I had brought an extra pair along and I was truck camping at the time. My "primary" boots were frozen solid when I went out in the morning. I feel your pain Z Barebow.
Not a fan of it, but when it's been hot and a cold front moves through it can really flip the rut switch. Cold enough with some moisture = snow. A little that only lasts a day or so not bad. A lot sucks.
Snow is much better than freezing rain though..... might just as well have rolled down the mountain as tried to walk down it....
Depends on where you are hunting. I've been in the Bighorns in Wyo where elk are up fairly high until it snows and generally migrate to lower elevation after a fairly deep snow. I've seen areas in the Bighorns loaded with elk and after a snowstorm totally void of elk for the remainder of the season. I had the opposite happen in South Central Utah a few years ago. It was 80 to 90 degrees for several weeks. It was early season and the bulls hadn't started rutting...once it snowed about 3 to 4" the canyons came alive with bugling bulls. The snow didn't last long because the ground was still warm. After the snow the elk spent a lot less time in the thick trees, were a lot more visible, and rutted hard.
I think it would be safe to say that snow will likely have less affect on elk that don't migrate and have a fairly small summer/winter range. However, if it's the later part of the rut....deep snow and a cold snap may shut down the rut.
I hate it! I have the rest of fall to hunt in snow in Wisconsin!
It's basically a pain. It can be good a day or two after a storm, but not worth the hassle of everything being wet and miserable. I'll take bluebird days for archery hunting anytime.
I like it....it always seems to gets critters moving. Why, I don't know. A pain for us humans though.
In the old days of hunting with the long bow, I cut a "big" track after a fresh snow. Ended up sneaking in to about 45 yards on a 5x5 bull elk....
Mark