Wallows?

[timmy_ar]

Im new to this whole elk hunting game. We planned this trip last July and have been buying and researching since then. I recently bought the Elk101 hunting course. Man do I wish that came out sooner. I would have probably been done searching last year. LOL Was looking at our area we decided on on google earth. Looking at bedding cover, water and food sources. Then I noticed something. I zoomed in on what appears to be a small wallow close to a good cover area. Was wondering if this is the fact, will they revisit this season to season. Didn't know if this would be last year pic and they got tons of pressure they would completely leave or revisit after seasons let up.

 

[theleo91386]

It may be that the wallow sees use year after year, some do and some don't. If it's in between cover and feed I'd bet that it does see it's fair share of use though. I've never known elk to return to using a wallow if they've had enough pressure to be spooked off of it within the same season. My personal experience is that the wallows will get used earlier in the season and less once the rut heats up. By October I treat them as a watering hole where elk will pass through but bulls won't be visiting regularly. Early in the season you can pattern what bulls are visiting specific wallows and when. Once the rut hits those patterns are out the window.

 

[timmy_ar]

Gotcha. I traced a path and it is a long trek unless u have horses. So hopefully it's not to busted up. Just dunno if it is resonance to hike into it. Thanks

 

[Ross]

As noted above use the wallow early season for best results....some will get hit each year others not...I have one nice six pt on camera about the same day each of the last three years which is the first week of September...then he disappears. Most of my wallow pics are busiest through the first week of sept.

 

[theleo91386]

You wont know if it's worth the trek until you've done it a few times. Another thing to consider is how are the elk entering the wallow? Of wallows that I'll hunt the one that sees the most use isn't the one I've been most successful at. The one that I've seen the most elk come into is really close to bedding areas but that creates issues for me as I've had elk come into it from 5 different directions. The one I've been most successful at will get hit as elk are traveling between their beds and feeding. Sometimes they hit the wallow and often they'll hit a little spring further up draw about 150 yards up the draw and then go feed. When they do decide they want to play in the mud though they're coming down the draw and not up from the bottom. With steady thermals blowing downhill it's pretty easy to just wait for them to come in. At this point I will give you a word of caution though, if you decide to try hunting your wallow and a bull does come in don't shoot him while he is in the wallow. I did that on my first archery bull and he never made it out of the wallow. An elk is a chore to gut and skin by yourself and a really miserable chore when you do it with one leg always in mud over the tops of your boots.
These are topos of my most productive wallows to hunt. Green is timber, yellow is feeding areas and the red lines are how t\I've seen the elk enter them. They should show you what I mean about figuring out how elk enter them.

 

[timmy_ar]

Thanks guys that is great info. Goin from this though I don't know how much they will be using them when we go. We are going the last 10 days of archery season in Colorado. Thanks again for the info.