How do you guys successfully hunt wallows

[11boo]

I used to sit on them often, never worked. Probably due to the sheer numbers of wallows in a small area.

 

[moewells100]

Tree stand/blind and be mindful of both wind and shadows. If likely hunting evenings, put tree stand so you are in shadow when sun sets.

Also, it can be difficult, but control your movement! Checking phone, getting water, etc just move your body extremely slowly to avoid getting picked off

 

[Jqualls]

How effective is using a saddle at minimizing the wind problems. I ran into a wind problem on this particular wallow from the original post. In the future I will probably only go in after winds have shifted up hill. The uphill side of the wallow is really steep and it looked like everything entered from the downhill side of the wallow on my camera. All the activity on my camera was during daylight hours between 8:30am and 6pm.

I tried to change my spots from early morning to afternoon when thermals shifted but I think the morning thermals ruined this wallow for now. There were elk coming in nearly everyday but not a single elk on the 2 full days I sat it.

I did get into a bull and a few cows on the bench just uphill from the wallow yesterday just couldnt get him to come in.

 

[HighUintas]

How effective is using a saddle at minimizing the wind problems. I ran into a wind problem on this particular wallow from the original post. In the future I will probably only go in after winds have shifted up hill. The uphill side of the wallow is really steep and it looked like everything entered from the downhill side of the wallow on my camera. All the activity on my camera was during daylight hours between 8:30am and 6pm.

I tried to change my spots from early morning to afternoon when thermals shifted but I think the morning thermals ruined this wallow for now. There were elk coming in nearly everyday but not a single elk on the 2 full days I sat it.

I did get into a bull and a few cows on the bench just uphill from the wallow yesterday just couldnt get him to come in.

It sounds like one of those "unhuntable" wallows due to wind.

In the area I've hunted wallows, it seems that the water holes and spots where there could be wallows that would be easier to sit without being detected just aren't used by the elk. The elk use the ones where the wind swirls constantly, or it's nearly impossible to get into without the wind ruining due to elk location, wind direction, and access.

When I have tried to hunt these wallows, I see far less elk then what I would get on the camera. And, after several years of attempting to hunt those wallows and at least a couple other people hunting them, there is far less elk in that general area, likely due to hunting pressure.

Be careful with that spot!! Wind the is most important consideration for both accessing and leaving the area as well as sitting it.

 

[Scoot]

My group has hunted a wallow many times where the thing is completely unhuntable until the thermals take control, sometime late in the AM. It's good from that time (usually around 10 AM) until the thermals swap around in the evening- anywhere from 5-7 PM usually. Or, until a storm comes through and makes the wind all goofy. But typically, from 10-6 it's a money spot! Hunting it when the wind is wrong though, is a just a waste of time.