Is it too HOT for the elk to start rutting...?

[T.S. Allen]

I will be hunting around 9,500 ft so I am hoping for cooler temps. I am also hunting non-motorized so I will be packing anything we get out on my pack frame.

[llp]

The elk are rutting, but head to the timber early on the sunny hot days. We had some rain showers Saturday and Sunday and the elk bugled and rutted late into the day, and early in the evening. It was actually fantastic hunting. Saw a definite slow down as the skies cleared early in the week, but the elk are still bugling in the dark.
llp

[Vanish]

It is completely location dependent. I had the exact opposite experience as llp, with the same exact weather. Rain showers on Sat and Sun but never heard a bugle.

OH, I don't see this cold front in the forecast? Granted, we're about 100 miles north of you.

[labman]

Old Hunter, I am heading SW CO next Friday and heading in Saturday for the week. We are camping at 10,200 and hunting above that what is your opinion on the weather at that time? I am been looking at averages at the closets towns but its not at altitude.

[Old Hunter]

This shows the weather for where I live. It's 8000ft. I expect at least 20degrees cooler where i'll be hunting. Maybe I should have said cool front. It's been so hot lately. This will seem cold. Anytime it gets below freezing it wakes me up. Of course the real cold come later in the rifle seasons when these lows will be the highs.

http://www.weather.com/weather/tenda...+CO+81211:4:US

[Old Hunter]

Well, it got cooler. I think it snowed in a few spots.

[labman]

Is the cold supposed to stay around or is it just for a few days? I live in Oklahoma City we are supposed to see a 20 degree drop tomorrow down to low 80's but back up to early next week.

[ivorytip]

i wish i had that going on here, yesterday it cooled down to 70sh but next week back to 90

[Old Hunter]

Yeah, we'll back up next week. Just a weak cold front blowing through.

[wapiti66]

I was hunting south of Old Hunter this weekend, temps were in the 80s during the days and cooling to only mid 40s at nite. I heard no bugles and saw 6 elk in 2 1/2 days of solid hiking. I saw no fresh rubs and found one small wallow that appeared to be inactive. On sunday evening I had a cow come across the opposite ridge and stopped @ 50 yards so I shot her. Ended my season before it ever started as I had not expected to see much action on this trip, just used it as an excuse to get out town and scout for later on in the season, but I had to take the opportunity when it came. My dad and brother have the same tag so we will be going up after muzzleloaders get done to hunt the last week of archery season. Hopefully the weather has cooled a lot and rutting picks up by then. I may be wrong but it seems the bulls get active up north (wyoming, montana, northern co) much sooner than they do in southern CO, new mexico, and ariz.?? any thoughts on that??