Sitting water

[Vandy321]

Quick scenario, to pick the brains of those who do this often. I have never sat water during sept, I enjoy moving, calling, slow walking timber, etc. However with a fairly dry year and temps in the 70s expected end of next week, if I were to sit a spot with water for a couple days to start off the trip...what's the strategy?

Call, don't call, sit morning, night or both? Afternoons? There is is nice patch of steep dark timber that never sees the sun just above this water, a nice bench that usually has sign the area holds elk depending on pressure. There are multiple watering holes in a field about 100m x 100m. Would you sit crosswind to ambush as they came down from the bench? Sit just on the field side of the cover and be able to move along the edge if they show outside of a comfortable range? Would you find other timber to slow walk in the afternoon and come back to set up again for the evening?

Just some thoughts running through my head and seemingly 100 ways to play it. Having never really sat water exclusively, not sure what the best plan is.

 

[tjihrig]

Quick scenario, to pick the brains of those who do this often. I have never sat water during sept, I enjoy moving, calling, slow walking timber, etc. However with a fairly dry year and temps in the 70s expected end of next week, if I were to sit a spot with water for a couple days to start off the trip...what's the strategy?

Call, don't call, sit morning, night or both? Afternoons? There is is nice patch of steep dark timber that never sees the sun just above this water, a nice bench that usually has sign the area holds elk depending on pressure. There are multiple watering holes in a field about 100m x 100m. Would you sit crosswind to ambush as they came down from the bench? Sit just on the field side of the cover and be able to move along the edge if they show outside of a comfortable range? Would you find other timber to slow walk in the afternoon and come back to set up again for the evening?

Just some thoughts running through my head and seemingly 100 ways to play it. Having never really sat water exclusively, not sure what the best plan is.

With that potential bedding area there, I’d get the wind right and put out some soft cow and calf calls. It’s early and the bull are cruising.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

This is my experience with sitting water for a variety animals in the heat, at least in AZ.

There’s not that much activity during legal shooting light. Also do not expect the same animal(s) to come in on a regular basis.

But folks do sit water and do harvest game so it is an option.

 

[Vandy321]

This is my experience with sitting water for a variety animals in the heat, at least in AZ.

There’s not that much activity during legal shooting light. Also do not expect the same animal(s) to come in on a regular basis.

But folks do sit water and do harvest game so it is an option.

I few folks that's all they do, but literally all they do, so tough to pin down a tactic other than sit for a week. I couldn't do it for a week straight, but may give it tye old college try for the two days with higher temps before it cools off.

 

[Kwa_bena]

This is my experience with sitting water for a variety animals in the heat, at least in AZ.

There’s not that much activity during legal shooting light. Also do not expect the same animal(s) to come in on a regular basis.

But folks do sit water and do harvest game so it is an option.

Say that you would see that on topo on a map and you decided to scout it. about how long of a radius would you put around it if you were to scout it and check for sign? There's tons of reservoirs, rivers, and creeks here in Georgia and I thought about that.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Say that you would see that on topo on a map and you decided to scout it. about how long of a radius would you put around it if you were to scout it and check for sign? There's tons of reservoirs, rivers, and creeks here in Georgia and I thought about that.

If the terrain allows for it, back off a good ways and glass the entire area without focusing solely on the water. Then look to see where the animals are coming from or going to.

If it’s “thick”, see if you can follow a few trails “further up” and look for a major intersection of trails.

 

[PAhunter58]

I've sat water a few times. It does work. Depending on the unit, wherever you are, allot of guys play this game.
The one time I saw it work for a buddy, it was a draw unit and we were way in.

 

[BBob]

Would you find other timber to slow walk in the afternoon and come back to set up again for the evening?

AZ, NM elk with a fair amount of pressure. I don't sit water often but that option is always on the table and I have killed off water multiple times. Depending on the particular setup I'll hunt out of a stand or blind. If it's a blind it's generally a leftover blind someone else built for archery deer. I'd be in my stand or blind by 1PM if not earlier, and would not be walking the area. Morning water has worked but for me it's been very low percentage and never killed. They've usually watered in the dark and are thinking of bedding and safety as the sun comes up.

I often setup below animals bedded high with water below in the afternoon. As they come off the mountain I stay mobile and setup on or near trails I think they'll come down moving as needed laterally to intercept. Knowing the terrain is very helpful for this setup. I generally don't do that cold, I do it if I've bedded them up there earlier in the day or patterned them and know ahead of time they are using that bedding area. This sometimes is the better option when they've been pressured and are coming to water in the dark.

 

[Gman12]

We sit water quite a bit. It can be effective morning and evening but if I had to pick just one it would be evenings. Usually the thermals are pretty consistent so we always sit down wind of the wallow. No calling. You want the bull to just come in naturally and not be looking for more elk before he gets there. If he's made up his mind that he is going to come then just let him come and don't make a sound. Many times the elk will actually come running to the water. I am sure sitting water works better in some areas than others. Where we hunt it is arid country and the closest water source may not be for several miles.

 

[Coveyleader]

There are water sources, and then wallows. At times they can be very distinct and yet can be together. The results are vastly different between the two in my experience.

 

[Kwa_bena]

There are water sources, and then wallows. At times they can be very distinct and yet can be together. The results are vastly different between the two in my experience.

This is my first foray into any kind of hunting so this sounds like a dumb question but I have some benches that hold water on them. Essentially it would be good practice to ground scout them for wallows, rubs, and scrapes leave it undisturbed as possible and maybe sit it for a day or 2 or observe it from a far enough distance that the animals won't see or smell you?

We sit water quite a bit. It can be effective morning and evening but if I had to pick just one it would be evenings. Usually the thermals are pretty consistent so we always sit down wind of the wallow. No calling. You want the bull to just come in naturally and not be looking for more elk before he gets there. If he's made up his mind that he is going to come then just let him come and don't make a sound. Many times the elk will actually come running to the water. I am sure sitting water works better in some areas than others. Where we hunt it is arid country and the closest water source may not be for several miles.

Good to hear! From my read, since I have yet to practice this, seems to go as an underrated practice especially if you are not familiar with the area. It might be something I do for the timbered areas in my state. Has it been an optimal place to start searching for food sources for the animals that you hunt?

 

[danny6172]

I don’t enjoy sitting water because it can be boring at times but it can also be extremely effective when nothing else is working. Another thing to do if the elk aren’t talking is to still hunt around water in the early am and pm as you will often catch them moving to and from water

 

[Gman12]

This is my first foray into any kind of hunting so this sounds like a dumb question but I have some benches that hold water on them. Essentially it would be good practice to ground scout them for wallows, rubs, and scrapes leave it undisturbed as possible and maybe sit it for a day or 2 or observe it from a far enough distance that the animals won't see or smell you?


Good to hear! From my read, since I have yet to practice this, seems to go as an underrated practice especially if you are not familiar with the area. It might be something I do for the timbered areas in my state. Has it been an optimal place to start searching for food sources for the animals that you hunt?

It works well in the early part of the season. Not sure how well it works during the peak of the rut as we hunt the first part of the season. And I'm sure it works best in areas where there are limited water sources available in the area. It seems as most of the time the elk come in specifically to drink or wallow and then move off to feed. It is funny in that they will walk right past crystal clear pristine looking pools of mountain spring water in order to drink from the muddiest, nastiest looking wallow. But if you are not in the right spot, particularly while bow hunting, then you most likely will not have a shot opportunity.

 

[kodiakfisher]

Water in thick spots during the day has shown promise.

 

[Kwa_bena]

It works well in the early part of the season. Not sure how well it works during the peak of the rut as we hunt the first part of the season. And I'm sure it works best in areas where there are limited water sources available in the area. It seems as most of the time the elk come in specifically to drink or wallow and then move off to feed. It is funny in that they will walk right past crystal clear pristine looking pools of mountain spring water in order to drink from the muddiest, nastiest looking wallow. But if you are not in the right spot, particularly while bow hunting, then you most likely will not have a shot opportunity.

So assuming that you can wake up early enough and can see in that low of light about what time would you want to look over it or be at your blind or stand?

For the latter part, it must be something they do to harden their immune systems. But I'll keep an eye for those.

 

[Gman12]

So assuming that you can wake up early enough and can see in that low of light about what time would you want to look over it or be at your blind or stand?

For the latter part, it must be something they do to harden their immune systems. But I'll keep an eye for those.

I get to my spot about 30 minutes before first light and hunt to about 9:30. Most of the time in the mornings I see the most activity about an hour after daylight. In the evenings I usually sit from 4 til dark. From my experience, they come to water a little more consistently in the afternoons.