A quick read based on the data we collate in Glassline.

The forecast

• Wed–Fri: a wet system, rain at hunting elevations. Heaviest in the San Juans (2-4″), moderate in the Central mountains, light everywhere else.
• Fri: cold front west of the Divide, with the week’s strongest wind (gusts 40–60 mph on ridges). The front hits the Front Range early Saturday.
• Opening weekend: cold and mostly clear. Lows in the 20s at 10,000 ft. No snow on the ground anywhere that matters, and nothing coming that will change that.

What it means on the ground

• No snow, so nothing is pushing elk down. The research says pressure moves them more than weather in rifle season until large storms arrive. Roughly a mile from a drivable road inside a big block of timber is where elk have been shown to hold. So plan around roads, not snow.
• Friday is the wind day. Lee slopes and timber are the sheltered ground. Ridgetop glassing in those gusts is going to be miserable and probably not worth it.
• Saturday morning: frost, quiet wet ground, and first sun on east and south faces. Easy walking, good tracking.
• If you’re hunting the San Juans: expect mud on dirt roads by Friday and running creeks after a summer of dry ones.

Roads: some Forest Service roads close for the season on a set date each fall. In the Central mountains, 25 of them (11 road-miles) close Saturday, opening day. Check the dates on your MVUM for the road you’re counting on.

Drought: much better in the southwest and south-central since mid-September after the September rains, better in the northwest and Central, no change in the northern mountains around Grand County, slightly worse on the Front Range.

So: in the south and west, water is less of a draw for elk than it was in September; up north it still is.

Sources: NRCS SNOTEL (Oct 19 readings), NWS forecasts and discussions BOU/GJT/PUB (Oct 20), US Drought Monitor (Oct 13), USFS MVUM 2025.

I've hunted with numerous outfitters from Maine to Mexico to Alaska, and my experience with Cameron Outfitters was deeply disappointing.

During my Wilderness Camp elk hunt from September 14th-21st, 2026, I was involved in a serious mule accident that resulted in significant injuries.

On Monday September 21st, as we rode a narrow trail along a steep embankment, we came upon ground hornets.  The guides were very much aware of the hornets being in this location, as they had mentioned on our ride out to the Wilderness Camp on Monday September 14^th that they had previously come across the hornets in this exact location. As we approached the hornets the mule that I was riding turned and started running down the steep embankment. I grabbed a small pine tree in an attempt to get off the mule, but while my left foot came free, my right foot remained caught in the stirrup. The mule dragged me approximately 80-100 feet down the mountainside over fallen trees and rocks before my foot finally came free and I rolled into a tree, stopping my descent.

When the owner, Gary Cameron, arrived, his first question was, "How's the mule?" He then stated that he knew the hornets had been stirred up because he had ridden through the area with the pack team earlier that day. He instructed his son to get spray for the hornets and then asked about my condition. Given the seriousness of the accident and the injuries I sustained, I personally found the response disappointing.

The incident raised concerns for me about safety and mule management during the hunt. The mule I was riding had presented challenges during the week, and my hunting partner had been bucked off his mule twice in two days, including about an hour before my accident. Based on my experience, I felt there were safety concerns that deserved greater attention.

The hunting experience was also disappointing. My guide was in his fourth season guiding elk hunters and told me he had no experience quartering an elk. He appeared to spend a significant amount of time using his inReach device and was reluctant to bugle, even after being encouraged to do so multiple times by the owner. I did not see a single elk during the entire trip.

I fully understand and accept that success is never guaranteed when hunting, and I do not judge an outfitter solely based on whether I harvest an animal. My concerns relate to the overall experience, including the guiding, the safety issues I encountered, and the lack of follow-up after the accident. Other hunters from Basecamp appeared to have success during the same week. Based on my experience alone, I would be hesitant to book another Wilderness Camp hunt unless I had a clear understanding of which guide I would be paired with.

Another detail that I believe prospective hunters should understand is the amount of travel involved with the Wilderness Camp hunt. The mule rides to and from camp took approximately 6-7 hours each way, rather than the 4 hours I expected based on pre-trip discussions. We also did not hunt on the travel days. As a result, the Wilderness Camp hunt provided less hunting time than I anticipated, while hunters staying at Basecamp appeared to have more available hunting time.

Perhaps most disappointing has been the lack of communication following the accident. I contacted Gary Cameron multiple times by phone and text after returning home and did not receive a response. Given the seriousness of the incident, I had expected some form of follow-up.

I hope Cameron Outfitters reviews these concerns and considers improvements to safety practices, guide oversight, and communication following serious incidents.

Based solely on my personal experience, I cannot recommend Cameron Outfitters' Wilderness Camp hunt. My concerns extend beyond hunting success and center primarily on the safety issues I experienced, the response to the accident, and the lack of communication afterward.

My 13-year-old daughter is hunting elk for the first time this year, I want to give her some hunting advice (beyond what I've taught her), something I had very little of. What do you wish someone had told you before your first hunt?

As a teen on my first elk hunt, I kept glassing a herd at a water source I knew they used, and I thought I had it figured out. I sneaked over the ridge without properly planning my stalk, considering thermals, and knowing the terrain well enough. I only caught the tail end of the last cow as the whole herd ran off. I learned a lot about thermals in the years following this lesson!

Drop the one thing you learned the hard way.

Edit: adjusted post body so it didn't imply that 'success' meant an elk on the ground.

She didn’t go but 10 yards but laid down for about 5 minutes before passing, after cleaning the wound channel was massive and seemed like double lung. Maybe a little low but just wondering, maybe I’m just overthinking because my bull 2 years ago dropped and didn’t move an inch

Last night my buddy dropped this bull way down in a steep drainage in unit 75 public land. I have a tag too so we hunted till dark then made our way down to him and got to work. We were almost done deboning and bagging it up around 11pm when up on the drainage wall very close to us like 30 yards away we hear a cow mew. We thought curious cow or lost calf or something. We shine our light up the hill and don’t see anything when it lets out a quick succession of ~8 more mews higher pitch like a calf but while moving silently and extremely quickly horizontally on the hill. We are from Maryland and unfamiliar with many of the sounds out here so we thought maybe we spooked some bird that’s a good mimic. Back home I’ve heard starlings mimic sika deer.

We finish up, pack up the head, backstraps, loins, and a hindquarter, then hang up the rest we will go retrieve shortly. After a miserable hike ~800 feet over 1100 yards up to camp we hang the meat, start a fire to dry our boots and get tents up. After the chores and dinner we are in our tents around 130-2am. A few minutes after lights out we hear the exact same thing. One loud clear mew followed by some quicker higher mews….

We plan to continue hunting this area for the next few days. Please tell me there’s some kind of bird or something and we weren’t stalked by a lion…

Hey where da elk at? Definitely not around Lone Cone.

Hey guys,

Here's everything I brought on my September archery cow elk hunt, with weights: https://kairn.us/s/pU4rS0dbdCvxgdM2aBKkUA

It opens in a browser, no app or signup. Some context so the numbers make sense: we ran base camp off the truck, so the 171 lb total is mostly water jugs, a cooler, bow, etc. 19.9 lb base weight for the pack (no consumables).

Thing that surprised me the most were the Hoka Kaha 3 boots. If you have not tried these out you absolutely should. They are Goretex so great for the September afternoon showers, but so damn comfortable. They are very flexible so if you like a stiff boot or you're doing some very steep high country backpacking, also probably not the boot for that. For September archery they were 10/10.

I also highly recommend the GoHunt Lightweight Pants. I'll be buying another pair of those, and probably one of their heavier pants they are coming out with soon.

One thing I've already upgraded - my rain gear. The Marmot set I had soaked through pretty immediately in some heavy rain. I bought the GoHunt rain set and excited to try those out. I was also extremely impressed with the PEAX Stormcastle gaiters for navigating through the rain and keeping my pants try. Any questions on my gear choices, would love to talk gear!

Any feedback or criticism let me know. I'm getting ready for a late rifle hunt in Idaho in a couple of weeks and would rather hear it from you than learn it on the mountain. Any must haves for a Late October Idaho hunt?

The list is built in Kairn, the gear and readiness app I've posted about here before. It's on the App Store now. You put your gear in once with real weights, build each hunt from it, and it checks that trip for what's missing before you leave: the forecast and fire activity for your area, and a safety plan you can text to whoever is staying home. Then you can share the list like this one.

The core app is free: gear, trips, checklists, import and export, conditions, and the safety plan. Pro is $39.99 a year for the deeper planning: detailed readiness checks, stove fuel worked out from your actual meals, departure checklists, and hosting crew trips. Safety features never go behind it. If you signed up from one of my earlier posts, you're a founding member and Pro is yours for life.

iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6792984169?pt=129199637&ct=reddit_elk&mt=8

Web/Android: https://kairn.us/?utm_source=reddit&utm_campaign=ios_launch_elk

My buddies drew a New Mexico tag and I was able to come a long and film it! 4 days in the woods, countless hours, but got it done!

Hey all! A few weeks ago I posted an Idaho only free hunting map with hundreds of thousands of animal sightings, roadkill data, private land info, all of it. Hundreds of you reached out and it got me thinking I owe this community something better, so that's what I've been working on. It's national now.

http://theidaholocal.com

Go check it out and give me real feedback. If your state looks terrible, ping me and I'll fix it. Lines look weird, I'm on it. Want more features…I’ll do my best.

Forever free, I'll keep building it. No self promotion here because honestly it's just costing me time and money, but I want to do good. I also can't stand paying hundreds of dollars for maps that just repackage public data our tax dollars already paid for.

Any tips for a brand new hunter going solo? I’m in southeast Idaho. I’m 38. Fit. Doing both bow and rifle. Have backpacked for several years and gone hunting twice already this season during bow hunting season in September.

Unfortunately, after having a friend bail out me this season, I have no option but to go out solo. I’ve asked several people and they either have their hunting friends or family they’ve hunted with since they were young or just don’t have time.

I’m prepared to come empty handed this season but not without trying and learning as much as I can. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

My friend and I have some bull tags 4th rifle. I have 5 plans in place from e scouting , I would be happy to send them to anyone who is familiar with the area to discuss . I have hunted southwest co but never this area. Any info about access , road closures … would be helpful. If you wanna tell me where you tied a bull to a tree waiting for me even better but really just wanna have a conversation about the area .. any info is appreciated.

I got an invite to Elk camp next weekend and this will be my first year going out. Hunting in Eastern Washington. Looking for the best boots to wear out there.

Any suggestions are helpful!

Thanks

Like i stated in the title il like to get into elk hunting ik there is a lot of pre work before one even goes out and a big one is being physically fit so I was wondering if anyone had any advice on where to start for constructioning to get ready

Wednesday is opening day next week, this is only my 4th year hunting and I’ve never been drenched in rain, how does it affect the elk, and is it positive with how little moisture there’s been in CO this year? Thanks! ✝️🫎