will the elk still be there?

[whitingja]

So I went scouting this weekend, and saw various bulls. Oddly enough, the biggest was right outside my camper in the early morning. Now this is where hunters camp come season. I have heard that when you spot elk from June on, this is where they will be hunting season. Is this accurate? I can see the bulls I spotted 2 miles off the main road being there, but this big bull by camp? Is there a chance he lives in the forest right by the camping area?

[stringunner]

More important than seeing elk while scouting is seeing "sign" of rutting activity. rubs, old poo, trail systems, etc.

Seeing the actual animal during scouting June/July/August may or may not mean they will still be in the area come hunting season. There are tons of variables that can occur during these months which impact the animal and their "hang out" spots. Availability of food sources, ample water sources, summer camping/hiking pressure, and then hunting pressure come August/September.

The area we hunt, animals generally reside all year long, we see animals in May in the same spots we hunt them in September. But I think this is not normal for most places.

Bulls particularly will move to where the cows are come September. If the area you are scouting now has cows present come late august and through September, there is a really good chance the bulls will be there as well as that is the time the bulls are seeking out the cows.

Generally though, look for sign new and old and more particularly rut type activity sign and go from there....

[Trophyhill]

The bulls will be where the cows are. Right now I would guess that the cows are in calving areas and won't be very far from there when Sept rolls around

[whitingja]

Good sign in the backcountry, as expected. Placed trail cams over wallows. Didnt check for sign around camp though. Maybe this is why the big bull is still alive, he lives where no one expects him to be...right by the hunters. Thanks

[POk3s]

It's great to find elk in June and they're fun to look at, but in my area I don't give it a ton of thought. Snow is still melting on the peaks here (and depending where you are) and those elk can move a long ways from now until September 1. I don't really start seriously scouting until August and even then, early August still doesn't tell me a whole bunch. He may have found a home, or he may not have. Tough for a bunch of guys on a computer to tell you if he will be there or not

[Trophyhill]

It's great to find elk in June and they're fun to look at, but in my area I don't give it a ton of thought. Snow is still melting on the peaks here (and depending where you are) and those elk can move a long ways from now until September 1. I don't really start seriously scouting until August and even then, early August still doesn't tell me a whole bunch. He may have found a home, or he may not have. Tough for a bunch of guys on a computer to tell you if he will be there or not

Good point. Follow the snowline in areas like that

[Pop-r]

Elk cover LOTS of ground! I have seen a big area littered with elk sign at the first of the season & i believe that same area at that time to be pretty much void of elk but days before (last week of August) there were LOTS of elk around. Bulls & cows. They move at the first lil bit of pressure from my experience. Gone! Not to mention they just move! Smbdy on here posted not long ago ab getting bulls on camera 15 miles apart several times over the summer. I believe this!

[cnelk]

Colorado has a neat website that you can filter data for animal species, summer range, winter range, NF/ BLM /Pvt boundaries.
With a bit of research, a person can use the data to their advantage, like looking transition areas first.

Im not sure what state you were scouting, but here is the link for Colorado.

http://ndismaps.nrel.colostate.edu/huntingatlas/