Question for Resident Elk Hunters

[Still Hunter]

What time of year do you guys generally see the bull elk start to hit the Wallows? I know rainfall and weather both play a big factor, but just as a rule of thumb. Late August? Early September? Mid September? Peak of the Rut? Would love to get some feed back. I always hunt the end of September when they tend to be more vocal but by then they have been pretty much pushed on to Private.

Edit: I am asking because I am thinking of coming much earlier this year to try to catch them before they get pushed out onto Private and I might be able to catch them on one of the many wallows I have found over the years.

 

[Geewhiz]

As soon as it gets warm. I have trail cam photos of bulls with velvet stubs wallowing in the early summer.

I would say, at least in the areas I hunt, the wallows start to heat up in early august.

 

[neil.hansford]

They'll use them all summer. I get photos of them in June and July laying in wallows.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

 

[Ross]

They tend to start hitting them hard for mock battles late august in this neck of the woodsWith that rutty feeling carrying over to the height of the rut around 9/20….this wallow produced great photos and always had at least one stud bull around until two cows were killed by wolves in the summer an elk never came by that Yr due to the stench and heavy pack traffic

 

[North Idaho Stickbow]

Man, I don’t even know if there will be water in some of my regular wallows this year with his dry it’s been. Hopefully that changes.

 

[Brooks]

Same here in NM its so dry all the springs and wallows I know of are dry and dusty....we need rain bad!

 

[5MilesBack]

A few years ago I found a great wallow deep in the timber the first week of September. I wish I had taken a camera to put up. There were plenty of tracks and evidence of some use, but nothing extreme. I came back on the 12th of September and there was a gray blanket of dried muddy water covering the grass all the way around the wallow to about 15 feet back from it. And there were clumps of muddy grass with roots hanging on tree branches 20 feet up next to it. I REALLY wish I had put a camera on that wallow.

 

[ElkNut1]

#-1 You must find an Active Wallow for your hunt! All wallows are not in use every year, some bulls move on & others can die or be killed off so a last years active wallow can now show no sign of use. Wallows are mostly active by bulls last week of Aug & first 14 days of Sept. The closest to the 14th the less use you will notice as bulls become side tracked by cows coming into heat/estrus so are more concerned with breeding.

Treestands can be deadly in the right location! The ElkNut Mobile App goes into wallow use & when & how to setup at them & when to call & when not to call.

ElkNut

 

[North Idaho Stickbow]

That’s going to be a lot of my strategy this year now that elk season opens 10 days earlier than it used to.

 

[Still Hunter]

Thanks for the responses. I will be planning this years hunt a little differently than the past considering all of your input. Good luck in 2021!

 

[NMRoker]

They tend to start hitting them hard for mock battles late august in this neck of the woodsWith that rutty feeling carrying over to the height of the rut around 9/20….this wallow produced great photos and always had at least one stud bull around until two cows were killed by wolves in the summer an elk never came by that Yr due to the stench and heavy pack traffic

Wow... those are some impressive bulls. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Huntnnw]

as for a bull using a wallow in rutting activity as soon as the velvet comes off

What I am doing this year is sitting on a highly active wallow. My wife and I found it 2 years ago and it has been nothing but amazing for bulls the last 2 years. both shot rifle bulls within 300 yards of it. This year Ill bow hunt it. Wallow is in a high mountain saddle and elk funnel over this almost daily