Looking wet for the opener.......
Contributors to this thread:Elk
From: jordanathome
17-Aug-17
At least in my areas the forecasts (which can change lot in 8 days) are calling between 60-80% chance of rain and thunderstorms the first 4 days of the opener that I have blocked off to hunt. Mainly afternoons. At least it is not going to be freezing cold.
Weatherman keeps saying this pattern is supposed to switch to warmer and dryer conditions soon. I dunno. I have noticed this persistent wetter pattern has really reduced the late afternoon/early evening elk activity when glassing from afar into open spots....plus the lightening tends to persuade me to get the heck outta there sooner than I'd like.
How is the weather looking in your huntin' grounds?
From: 3dirtdevils
17-Aug-17
Rained here this morning. It was 77º at 1pm......and this is E. TX. where it's usually dry as a bone and 107º this time of year. Looks like an early fall.
From: fubar racin
17-Aug-17
Its been chilly from what i understand jaq would know better i think he lives near where ill be hunting this year. One odd thing iv noticed is im seeing more animals mid day than what id consider normal like more animals from 9am-1pm than from sun up to 9am.
From: Rickm
17-Aug-17
Dry, really really dry. Montana.
From: Charlie Rehor
17-Aug-17
Weather will be fine! GL
From: LKH
17-Aug-17
The term they use is "Exceptional Drought".
From: Aspen Ghost
17-Aug-17
It will be great elk hunting weather. Regardless of what it does.
From: cnelk
17-Aug-17
Cloudy weather is like a woman's leg.... You always want to see it clear up :)
From: oldgoat
18-Aug-17
Not always cnelk! Not always!
From: Jaquomo
18-Aug-17
Aspen Ghost, not necessarily... In NoCo mountains it's been wet and chilly for three weeks straight with this split jet stream. The constant wet mini-fronts have resulted in unstable wind all day. Thermals aren't setting up consistently and the wind direction changes all the time, even early and late. I'll take warm high pressure over this. The other morning while out on my training hike I kept thinking, "I wouldn't be able to hunt today - again.."
From: oldgoat
18-Aug-17
I'm not big on constant wet!
From: jordanathome
18-Aug-17
Amen to that Lou although the moisture is a welcome change for awhile to mitigate some of the early fire danger in late summer......
From: sticksender
18-Aug-17
Hope you Colorado guys don't have a repeat of 2013's "damp" elk season.
From: Lark Bunting
18-Aug-17
Deer weather for the opener
Deer weather for the opener
This is where I would have been elk hunting for the opener. Hot, Hot, and more Hot...
This is where I would have been elk hunting for the opener. Hot, Hot, and more Hot...
I'll be hunting deer opening weekend and the weather looks decent.
The weather for where I'd be hunting elk if I were hunting elk on the opener would hotter than hell.
From: BullCrazy
18-Aug-17
If only we could have just a little of that up here in Montana. I can't even remember the last time I saw rain it's been so long.
From: SBH
18-Aug-17
Agreed BullCrazy. The fires are terrible up here. Wet would be a good thing.
From: jordanathome
18-Aug-17
Wish we could send rain your way.....extended fall forecast for that far west is not looking great temp and rain wise...........
From: LaGriz
18-Aug-17
I agree with sticksender, Don't want a repeat of the 2013 season. We were going to tent camp road side, only to have rented a cabin at the "Sportsmen Campground" instead. Turned out to be a total blessing that we a cabin. Was shut down one day completely, with thunderstorms that seemed biblical at times. The rain was unrelenting, and I saw the fewest number of elk on this trip than any other before or since. We even left a day early as the monsoon only got worse the last couple of days of the hunt. Once home I, saw the report on the weather channel and learned our unit (San Juan's) was not in the hardest hit section of the state. these storms tracks shattered 50 and 100 year old records!
LaGriz
From: jordanathome
18-Aug-17
I have been in those cabins....wouldn't call it a blessing. LOL That is some interesting hunting ground up there but with the fire its damn sure scary as hell to be back in many areas now...particularly along and around the Sand.
From: jordanathome
22-Aug-17
Oh boy.....glad I'm not hunting today. 2 of my spots are in the direct path of a nasty red/orange blob and about to get a major pummeling by a storm. At least it should be damp and quiet in the woods vs. snap crackle pop underfoot.
From: HDE
22-Aug-17
Can't worry about wind changing and swirling in NM. It always does, all the time...
