Current Conditions for Elk in NW CO

[MtnMike2]

Did a campout / scouting trip over the long weekend checking on the elk where I'll hunt in Oct. The area I hunt is west of Steamboat Lake SP. The weather has been hot and the elk are up high so far. It's been wet in my area and the weeds are high. However, leafy vegetation that the elk were munching on last year has been untouched as the elk are up in the cool dark timber / aspen mix. There was no bugling and the elk didn't seem to be moving much. Places lower on the mountain where they were in July last year have no sign except a few individual tracks.
I did a long hike up the mountain and jumped quite a few - so they're still in my area! The ones I jumped and saw were all cows - maybe the mature bulls are in the high deep dark timber? But seems to me that maybe they haven't started herding the cows for rut. The elk were in small groups.
This could all change in the coming weeks as the weather changes, but that's how it was over the weekend.

Mike