I've hunted private land in 64 with a guide for the past three years, with rifle. Hunted first rifle the first two years, and second rifle this past year. If you are going for elk with rifle on public, I'd go first or third. Several reasons: combo tags are given for second and fourth season, so you'll have that many more hunters in the woods looking for anything to shoot at. It puts the elk off and even if you spot one one, it is much harder to predict where to intercept them. Second reason is that there is a break between second and third seasons, but none between first and second or between third and fourth. That, too, let's them settle down. The weather there is always variable, but archery up through first season You are likely to have dry, warm weather. The elk won't be very active in daylight when it's warm, but if you can find temperature sinks and know where they feed and water, you'll have less ground to cover. Those are just some thoughts. Feel free to PM me if you want to discuss gear, patterns we observed, etc.
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