How's the weather shaping up for beginning elk hunting in Colorado this year?

Last couple years have been extremely hot. Would like to see some cooler weather early in the season.

if it's cool ya want, come later....

Kind of hoping for hot and dry. Have a couple of water holes I plan on working for a bruin in Sept.

So far it's been above average in temps. Forcast shows very little change. Rain has been nonexistenat.We have had two rains all summer where I live. I was down in the Gunnison area ( 54)this week and it was dry down there.It is little better in the high country.

Forcasters claim this drought will last at least until late October.
From all the fires burning in the west at present, smoke is terrible in the mountains as it lays in thevalleys.

It has been hot and dry. My archery area near Colbran, Colorado has still been in the 80's during the day and in the 50's at night. I would like to see much cooler temps come Archery season.

Wet and cool at 12,000ft in my area.

At 8500ft it's so dry you couldn't track an elephant.

The elk can't move up any higher than the mountains they live on. Were we hunt that means about 10K'.

Hopefully the weather will change, though. I don't mind dry nearly as much as hot but a few inches of fresh snow is even better.

I'll stay around 11,000ft-12,000ft this year for the whole hunt.

Too dry and crunchy for still hunting at lower levels.

Spent a 3 day up near Rabbit Ears, greened up fairly well.

Talked to a rancher that was pushing cattle through the area I camped. The rancher mentioned getting 5" of rain all July. 5" is a considerable amount.

One night it did get what I will call cold, frost formed on a cooler-lid. Not that is an accurate indication, still cold. But removed the stupid I felt for bringing a wood stove. A wood stove came in handy, that is the earliest I have ever wanted a fire at night.

Nights are getting cooler on the flat-land as well. Wind from the west off the mountains at night feels real well, I am starting to use a blanket at 6500' , fall will get here!

As I type this, 9:30 am , long sleeves or a light jacket feels good here just above Golden.

huntsman; I guess you hunt when the season is set for what you want to do. I personally want to bow hunt, but must tolerate the hot weather since it begins and ends early.

Sounds like it is overall pretty dry with some variance in temps.

Just have to keep my fingers crossed for some early cool weather. I like it when you can see your breath in the morning and cold ears, then warms to a light jacket by noon...

Get high. I'm in ML season, so you can actually hunt later than me.

Its been real dry on the front range; I'll be heading up around the continental divide next weekend to see if I can find an animal. Overall, the weather has been average temp wise. Maybe a little cooler than the last 3 years.

The Uncompahgre got a good bit of rain the last two days.

Very wet where I hunt in Mid Nov. North Of Kremmling, Was up there toward the end of July. Got dumped on, it looked like spring.

We've been getting a good amount of moisture where I'm at (2 hrs West of Denver). Things have been off and on all summer long moisture wise, with a few total gully washers here and there. Wish I wasn't missing opening archery weekend!

Working my summer job I have lots of time to scout the Sangre de Cristo mtns.
Creeks that normally drain onto the floor of the San Luis Valley are dry. I've got to hike a mile up before I find water in most of those creek beds. I guess about 9500ft or so I start finding water. Depends a lot on how big the creek was to begin with.

Just lately the weather is changing. Frequent rain showers over the last 10 to 14 days and significant rain over the past 24 hours. Cooler temps recently too.

A local bowhunter tells me a similar situation really messed up the rut last year. Drought broke after the rut began and some bulls went back to feeding.

+1. Things were pretty dismal in early summer, but the last few weeks we've got a fair bit of moisture and we made the same comment. It looked like May in early August.

Nights are getting cooler and first slight change of color is happening in the oak brush up high.

August 17-18 and 19 I went with a fellow hunter that drew an archery tag in area 201 ( 17 point to draw that tag ). Conditions were very dry but all of the springs were still running and the retention ponds still had standing water. We did see three nice bulls on Cold Spring Mountain but nothing on Middle or Diamond.
We encountered two archery antelope hunters that were admiring a kill from a blind at a water hole. Archery elk in that area opened yesterday and I hope my friend scores a 380 or better bull.

not likely in 201.......

Yep, I hunted it in rifle seaosn in 2009 after 20 yr wait.The bigger bulls just are not there any more.I had to really work to get one and my measurement showed 343,but it was rough.

Might look in the head of Beaver Creek, west of Middle Mountain.Seemed to be more elk hanging out there, and also the Wiggins Unit right on the Utah line.

Right on Cold Springs Mt would be tough archery wise as it is so open.


If so,concentrate on the north side,BLM land next to private,or east end near Elk Springs.

Southeast of Cold Spring Tank,there is a two track that goes east a little ways, and then down a draw.There is a dirt tank at the end of the two track and a small ridge to the north.The trees on the south side of that ridge afford great cover an I saw some bulls working there. I would not bother with Little Joe Basin area.

That area is checker bordered with BLM, State, and private alnd. If you go to this website,you can get GPS coordinates for all the corners of BLM land.Very helpful.

http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/lsfo/information/coordinates.html

Newsflash, it is still summer. I wish they would kick the opener of archery back a week, and let it run a week later. I have the AC on right now, and it is 11:30 at night.

Any weather updates for the next 10 days out in Colorado?? I am hoping for a "colder" spell out there - my hunt starts on Sept. 7th!!

a dusting up high yesterday in the san juans

It looks like it's cooling off a little over the next week.

It could still jump right back up though.

The last few weeks have made a huge difference in the Sangre de Cristos. Springs have begun to recharge and many areas have greened up. Water and pasture is available in many more areas now.

Which beginning? Archery, ML, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th seasons?

Cool season grasses went away quickly this year, no amount of rain brought them back. A bit warmer than usual even with the rain that (finally) started in July. Late August temps have been more normal in the high country in the southwest part of the state.

Elk will still be generally higher unless we get colder and wetter weather in Sept.

Casey

The beginning would be the first day you can hunt elk, which is always archery, then muzzle loading, etc.etc.etc.

Hopefully everyone can get out this weekend and do some Colorado hunting so we can get some updates on the rut and weather.

In the count down now!!!!!

Ran into a muddy raghorn at 11,500 feet this am, never killed one with a bow and had he come in, I would have sent an arrow. Heading back tomorrow for round two with a friend and my daughter along. No bugling this am when I was out but numerous reports that they are getting with it.

Great time to be in the high country and there was plenty of signs of afternoon showers. Several high springs were actually putting out some water.

I just checked my archery area in 421. Highs of around 80 and lows of around 48 with no rain. I head up next Friday.

Just talked to my son this afternoon.
Some friends of his were hunting somewhere around Pagosa springs and claimed to see 200 Elk.
At 12,000 feet

Elk from 9000ft on up on the west slope of the Sangre's.
The rut is on.

Alamosa, thanks for the info, are they bugling and searching for cows..?

A friend hunting the north area is seeing elk, but no bugling or indications of rut starting.

Had bugling bulls in center part of state at 11,500 today. My buddy kind of harassed them into bugling and they weren't too fired up really. It could get fun any day though. Will say that the full moon hike in and scenery was great. My teenage daughter even tagged along so great day in the hills.

They are bugling it up on Poncha Pass and Marshall Pass.
I'm a little bit south of there at a resort loaded with mule deer.
There is a bowhunting camp in every drainage. For the bowhunters it's sort of a game of waiting for a herd of elk to get pressured into the drainage that you happen to be in - and that happens a lot - lots of movement.
This afternoon I cut fresh tracks of 4 or more that had bombed down a steep slope, through some ponds, and continued north up the opposite slope.

Are the Aspens turning yet up high. We are headed that way next weekend for vacation hoping to show the wife some of the fall beauty up high.

I saw some starting to turn a week ago. It started around 10,000ft

Talked with my friend again and he saw a bull that did a couple half hearted bugles...not really going good yet but the expected cool weather this weekend may get something started...

Any other updates ???

Oak brush is turning, aspens aren't doing much yet. I predict the rut won't really be rocking until the end of the month and into the first week of Oct.

A few gold aspens at 9,000 but most of them are still green. Too warm.

Pops is reporting that the bulls are going off for him around 10k feet.

Im no local but Our meat packer told me they are slowly starting to talk a little around the Crested Butte area. Im ready, Leave Out Friday! Good luck....

34 degrees this morning in Gunnison. Trees are turning early. I'm heading out for muzzleloader after work today.

I'll be hunting ML season too. Just over the hill from you in 481.

We're going to have a cold start Sat. A cold front is rolling through.

I heard them bugling over Labor Day, in SW Colorado.