Warm weather elk

[Looking_4_Jerky]

Well, got back from our Kootenay elk hunt last Monday. In addition to a 150ish mulie that I passed up because I didn't want to have to pack the animal out and then drive the 1.5hrs to a cooler, we managed to grab a smaller 6pt (6th points were about 1.5-2.5" each side), but I think we were really lucky. In 2.5 days of hunting, the only bugling I heard was at night. The bull we got never made a peep, and my buddy was lucky enough to catch a fir tree shaking after he raked a tree. Lots of sign in the area, but nothing to be heard. The weather, of course, had been hot and dry leading up to our hunt, but I seem to recall it being hot almost every hunt we've done there and the animals still seemed to be vocal. The other factor this year was the we had a clear, full moon. My other hunting experiences (diff species, times, places) has led me to think that days of the full moon tend to be tougher.

My question to you seasoned vets is whether you think the weather plays a bigger factor than the moon, or vice versa, or does it all act together to stack the odds against you?

[835]

Cant say for Elk but Weather and Moon play a huge factor for blacktails.
Hot days and full mood = nocturnal deer. If a black tail can see at night he eats at night.
Wind and rain create noise and that makes them nervous hence getting them to move around.