Stick -- thanks for being precise as to where and when. Here in SW CO, elk in mid-Sept are ... where you find them. Yup, a cop-out. But truth is, there are so danged many elk here, they are anywhere and everywhere. Plenty down in the Gambel's oak zone, low as 7000'. But it's hot and not so "mountain pretty" there and way too often, full of moo-cows. Once you've wasted an hour stalking a crunching sound only to meet Betsy the beefcow, it's a turn-off. There are plenty of elk also way up high, at and even above timberline, which averages 12,500' at this latitude. But they're darn hard to get to and it's a hunt only for the really fit. My own preference -- since killing an elk is just one element of what I'm after in a memorable elk hunt -- is the aspen zone, which spans roughly 8000 to 11,000'. I've been doing this a very long time and killed perhaps an unfair share of elk, almost all with trad bow gear, and almost all in the aspen zone 9000 to 10,000'. This is NOT to say you can't find elk lower or higher, but just to say honestly where I've found the most elk, found the most beautiful country, and found the most satisfying hunts ... in the aspens. But in these overcrowded days altitude and other natural considerations, tragically, aren't the most important considerations. With elk in most of the West, the most important thing is to get away from the mobs who would rather ride than walk. Hunting IS walking. Have fun, Dave
Topic: what altitude are elk at in mid sept. (Read 425 times)
