Elk salt licks

[grainhog]

I always pack them a couple miles away and throw them off the mountain when I find them.

 

[Axlrod]

Just go ask the cowboys where they put out salt blocks for their cattle on NF lands. They’ll tell ya.

Completely legal

There are salt blocks on the NF where I hunt. In 40 years I don't recall ever seeing any elk tracks in the snow near the salt blocks.

 

[alecvg]

Completely illegal in Montana. Two tickets, one for baiting wildlife, second would be for hunting a baited area (if applicable)

 

[35WhelenAI]

Use livestock salt to hunt wild game, what a workaround...

 

[Backyard]

You can’t say that you’re hunting if you’re baiting. It’s not hunting in the least. Doesn’t matter what species it is. It’s baiting. There is no fair chase factor at all involved.


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[IdahoElk]

If one finds themself sitting over a salt block in September for Elk, it's time to do something else.

 

[35WhelenAI]

You can’t say that you’re hunting if you’re baiting. It’s not hunting in the least. Doesn’t matter what species it is. It’s baiting. There is no fair chase factor at all involved.


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If one finds themself sitting over a salt block in September for Elk, it's time to do something else.

Apparently some folks contemplate that. However, I agree fully with this, L O L.

 

[BRTreedogs]

They pull off salt as soon as hard horned.
So Utah is the only state I see it being even remotely feasible to have a season early enough to shoot an Elk off salt at least for bulls.

 

[ElDiablito]

Guys need to actually read the regs for their state to know what is legal and illegal.

Colorado


Utah

Big game baiting

In early 2021, the Utah Legislature passed a new law that prohibits the baiting of big game for hunting purposes throughout Utah. That law went into effect in May 2021.

wildlife.utah.gov

 

[cnelk]

There are salt blocks on the NF where I hunt. In 40 years I don't recall ever seeing any elk tracks in the snow near the salt blocks.

Elk moose and deer will devour the salt blocks the ranchers put out. Seen it

 

[11boo]

I did not know we could hunt over the ranchers salt. Always tracks around them here.

 

[jtevanMT]

I have run across salt blocks 3 times while hunting the same area during rifle season in MT (3 different years). All were in National Forest Service lands. Not sure if they were illegal baits or leftover from summer cattle grazing leases. Each time the area was completely covered in fresh elk tracks, once there was even a herd of elk at the salt block. Each time I picked up the salt block and threw it over the hill into a deep and brushy draw. I hunt this area a few times each year and did not want to find a bull on the salt block and have an ethics and legal question to shoot or not.

 

[Huntnnw]

hunt is a key word in alot of these laws. If you dump salt for the sake of pics then is it illegal? nope you are not hunting. Its "illegal to hunt over salt in ID" yet there are thousands of salt licks in the mountains. I can find them on google earth. Some so big I can glass them miles across canyons. This isnt cattle country and never has been cattle country its outfitters who do most of it

 

[fwee6]

Agreed.

Agreed.

 

[Stache Attack]

Have no experience with elk mineral but sell a jag of cattle and sheep mineral. I’d find a local feed store or talk to a feed person. They will know common mineral deficiency’s from lack of natural minerals in soil. In MT we lack selenium so payback mineral with a + on it 12-6+ or 12-12+ depending on time of year would be my rec.

I think it’s illegal in MT but I do know FWP has some licks out for goats and sheep pretty high in the mountains and they just use a white salt block.

 

[TheTone]

I’m aware of people being charged with resource damage by the FS for dumping salt for elk. Mainly for the big dead spot it leaves and trees that were killed by the salt

 

[elkhunteralta]

I hunt a fair number of ranching land that has mineral and salt out for the cattle all summer and fall, and would agree they quit using them before september when bow season opens,

 

[GSPHUNTER]

I was pig hunting in central Ca. years back, the rancher had maroon salt licks out for his cattle. My friend had a maroon ford 150 PU.,When we got back to the truck from the morning hunt, the cows were licking his truck top to bottom. Never missed a spot. We assumed it was the color that set them off. We got a real kick out of it.

 

[Pony Soldier]

West of Whitehall in the intrusive areas and the precambrian areas of the west have a selenium deficiency. It causes heart attacks in horses and retained placentas in cows. As you get out by Lewistown there are geologic units (ocean sediments) that have so much selenium that spring water can be poisonous for cows brought in.

As far as I know hunting over salt in Mt is the same as baiting and is illegal. As has been said I have seem very little use by elk or deer on summer salt licks by october.

The trails created by beef cows and elk during the summer to get to the salt licks is amazing.