Murphy's Law at best

[gloszz]

Went out to 523 last week for my late season antlerless hunt, hoping I could see the elk I did when I was scouting and hunt the area for deer. So as luck would have it, we drive up from Edmonton and start to see plenty of deer. I would think very good day to hunt. Cold as heck, wildlife is moving. So we get into our areas by High Prairie and see no elk. NONE! Drove around all day, got stuck a few times in the wind packed snow and decided to just sight in our guns on the crown land and try to get some grouse. No luck.

I counted about 12 buck and 28 doe out on crown land and farmer land. When the season was on for deer, not a single one was visible. But when elk season was not on yet, saw huge herds just roaming around.

WHAT GIVES!? haha

Anyone else have this happen?

[Nyksta]

Deer live and remain in a rather small area and you will see the same deer all the time where you hunt.... elk roam a much larger area. If theres elk sign where you hunt, they will come back, they are currently on a different part of their tour. Takes about two to three weeks for them to complete. Set up a trail cam on their trail. You will see they have a pattern. You can predict what date they will be back once you get the trail cam up long enough. Or you can sit there every day with the hopes that today is the day they are passing through. If youve missed them, it will be a few weeks before that herd is back again, sometimes your season will only get one chance.

[Grizzly Adams]

I counted about 12 buck and 28 doe out on crown land and farmer land.

Deer yard up in large herds this time of year, specially in severe weather, it's a survival tactic.

Grizz

[The moose]

I counted over 100 mulee's on a single property on Saturday.

[gloszz]

Originally Posted by Grizzly Adams

I counted about 12 buck and 28 doe out on crown land and farmer land.

Deer yard up in large herds this time of year, specially in severe weather, it's a survival tactic.

Grizz

No they were in pairs, a few of the buck were in a group of 4. What I am saying is I barely saw any deer in many zones when I went hunting during the season, but after the season they show up like mushrooms after the rain. and vise versa with elk, none during the season, tons before.

[wildwoods]

Originally Posted by Nyksta

Deer live and remain in a rather small area and you will see the same deer all the time where you hunt.... elk roam a much larger area. If theres elk sign where you hunt, they will come back, they are currently on a different part of their tour. Takes about two to three weeks for them to complete. Set up a trail cam on their trail. You will see they have a pattern. You can predict what date they will be back once you get the trail cam up long enough. Or you can sit there every day with the hopes that today is the day they are passing through. If youve missed them, it will be a few weeks before that herd is back again, sometimes your season will only get one chance.

While I agree wholeheartedly with your suggestions, it's been my experience that those cycles are much closer together. I am in a zone close to the OP's and "my" elk usually cycle between 3-7 days, sometimes staying in an area on a pattern for a couple-3 days at a time. They do put on miles though!

[Okotokian]

Originally Posted by Nyksta

Deer live and remain in a rather small area and you will see the same deer all the time where you hunt.... elk roam a much larger area. .

This. That's why you often have to drive a lot to find a herd, or at least tracks, or have people on the ground that can call you when a herd shows up. Herd could be many miles away from where you shot one last year or saw them two weeks ago.. If an area holds deer it usually always has some around... maybe bedded down, etc., but around.

[.257Weatherby]

The deer read the Hunting Regs too is my thoughts...
Rob