Podcast 25 – Archery and Rifle Elk Tactics with Cliff Gray

WARNING! This episode is jam-packed with helpful tactics and strategies to put to use on your upcoming elk hunt!

Today we are joined by returning guest, Cliff Gray the owner of Flat Tops Wilderness Guides where we discuss various elk hunting strategies for archery and all four rifle seasons in Colorado. We talk about highly debated topics such as the full moon and how it affects movement, what to do during the middle of the day when the action is slow, and what the dry conditions will do to elk concentration in 2018.

For more information on Cliff Gray and his deer, elk, sheep, and goat hunting operation, please visit: flattopswildernessguides.com

Topics Covered In This Episode Include:

• Cliff’s recent adventures in the high country of Colorado, guiding hunters for sheep and goat
• An overview of Flat Tops Wilderness Guides, a deer and elk hunting outfit that Cliff operates in Colorado
• Why elk are so easy to find before hunting season and his theory behind why they change their patterns so quickly after hunting starts
• The full moon and how Cliff believes it affects the movement of elk
• What to do in the middle of the day during archery season when the action is slow and the weather is hot
• Where to spend your time glassing and what to look for while doing it
• Spooking elk and what they do depending on where you blow them out from
• What do when you find fresh elk sign but you’re not immediately seeing animals
• Pre-rut elk strategy and what Cliff does during the first two weeks of September to have success
• How the density of elk play into how vocal elk are with bugles and cow calls
• The main factors and conditions that trigger elk to move more
• Hunting thermals in elk country and how to set up an approach during both mornings and evenings
• The dry conditions in Colorado for 2018 and how the drought will affect the concentration of elk
• The biggest difference in the strategy of finding elk during rifle season compared to archery season
• What Cliff keys in on to find elk during 2nd and 3rd rifle season in Colorado and the biggest factor that causes elk to be in certain spots
• How to find overlooked “honey holes” in elk country
• The biggest weather conditions that affect elk movement in the high country
• How to utilize snowy conditions to track elk and why Cliff likes to get aggressive with this strategy
• The best tactics for elk hunting during warm weather conditions during rifle season
• Navigating 4th season rifle in Colorado and what to do during the late November time period locate bulls