Suggestions for best WY rifle elk window

[bdubb78]

I should finally be drawing in WY in 2019 in the general draw, and I plan to head out there for rifle season. There are 3 windows of time I could make work with time off, but I was hoping that someone who has hunted WY regularly may have some suggestions on which time period is likely to produce the best success based on experience. I know the weather is a huge variable that no one can predict with a high degree of certainty, but any help is better than none. I am leaning toward the first window for my best chance of rut action during the rifle season, but am leery of warm weather complicating things if the situation in WY has been anything like CO the last couple years. Thanks in advance for your help.

Sept. 19-25 ~ Sept. 27-Oct. 3 ~ Oct. 5-12

 

[Deleted member 16014]

If success is a legal elk, it's about a wash in my experience. I'd base it more on the dates for the areas and types of terrain you'd like to hunt, and how you want to time weekend/weekday traffic. It can be pretty warm on any of those, even up high. With thoughtful meat care it's never been a problem for me, and I'm getting everything out on foot. Bambistew had a good thread on meat care in warm weather a while back.