Wallow Or Waterhole! Fresh Or Old?

[ElkNut1]

As the Topic asks, is this a waterhole or wallow, is it fresh or old & not worth sitting? Short answers please! (grin)

ElkNut1

[Buglemaster]

Prolly use it for both & if ya set it for a week, you will be packing meat.I'd like to see it in a couple weeks as it looks like it's just getting going.

[wapitibowman]

Wallow, fresh (same part of day)

[WapitiTalk1]

Probably a wallow. Looks fresh from the pic but pics can be deceiving..I see nothing splattered on the plants craning for sunlight.. I'd say it's not that fresh (pehaps in the past few days as the shade of this area will hold image/illusion of freshness) but is certainly worth of a mark on my map for periodic reference.Just my opinion with the pic provided.

[Swede]

It looks like a relatively fresh wallow to me. Note green leaf at the edge of the water and the dried mud on the leaves around the area. It looks like the upper portion of the area has been used since the lower portion. The mud appears fresher, but that could be a lighting problem with the photo. The lone track does not look new, but the bull may have not stepped in the lower part of the wallow. If a look around the area shows significant active elk use of the area, I'm interested. If this is late August or early September, I'm even more interested in waiting here.

[FemoralArchery]

Short answer: Looks like a fresh wallow, I'd stay in the area.

[Da White Shoe]

Looks pretty promising as a wallow... but, It would be nice to have smello-vision to know for sure!
It's been used recently... there would normally be an inch or two of clear water on the surface if it hadn't been.
I'd probably judge it's sit-worthiness depending on what type of cover it was located in.

[Indian Summer]

Wallow, fairly fresh. To wait? I suppose but that depends on if there are 20 others around just like it.

Places in the Bitterroot have so much water and wallows that many times a really hot wallw is barely revisited if at all. Drives me nuts!

0bviously I'm in the vicinity of elk but in a world of wallows I may not have the location of tonight's happy hour pinpointed. In the Root many a hunter has had a lonely sit on smoking hot wallows. Good place to start but I'd keep my ears open and be ready to abandon it given a reason.

If it was Arizona I'd consider it a gold mine, put up a stand, and sit there all week.

[Curvebow]

Fresh wallow. SIt a while, listen and observe...

>>>>---------->

[foxvalley]

I would say both,water hole and wallow. Looks like a bull rolled on one side,you can just see where his body was,and some of the grass is matted,but starting to spring back up,and the "hairprints" are gone, indicating that it is fairly old. Looking at the vegitation,looks to be late Aug.or the first part of sept. Two elk have come in to take a drink, looks like within a day or two at the very latest.

[otcWill]

Looks kinda like what I'd term an "opportunity wallow" meaning a bull has wallowed in it relatively recently but it doesn't appear to have been a well used wallow, no real heavy sign at all. I might keep moving. I've had cameras on these types of spots and seen little to no activity. That said, no doubt there was an elk there recently!

[BrentLaBere]

I would say wallow and freshly used. I have only came across two in my one year of hunting tho...

[elkmtngear]

Fresh wallow....hunt that thang!

[cnelk]

Before I answer....

When was the spot discovered? Mid-August? Late August? September? When?

Was it low on the mountain? High on the mountain?

This information will help determine what it is, and when, how and if I will hunt it...

[ElkNut1]

Cnelk (Brad) you sound like a lawyer!! (grin)

It was in mid Sept. Yes it has seen use within the last couple of days & is a wallow. An elk can drink out of one but it is not a primary water source for all elk in the area. Is this worth hunting? As swede mentions look for additional sign in the area for frequent use, this is a great start & sign for regular elk activity. This particular wallow is a 1/4 - 1/2 mile or so of a bedding area so is a great one to consider come evenings regarding the thermals. This wallow is way back in so is void of hunters!

ElkNut1

[Bowhunter]

Give me the GPS cords and I will let you know how the activity at the wallow is.

[>>>---WW---->]

Wallow! Looks like it was maybe used the evening pryor to when the photo was taken. Was there a rubbing post near by?

[ElkNut1]

WW, good question! The nearest trees were 40yds away in this instant but there was low brush next to the wallow, it appeared that this brush took the brunt of the raking/thrashing. It's a nice find but there was no smell of elk there. Still one to be considered but as a runner & gunner I moved on.

ElkNut1

[Swede]

I would most likely move on too, but for a totally different reason than Paul did. Many hunters would consider the distance to the wallow of little significance, but for me the 40 yard shot is my maximum, and never the ideal. I hate risking wounding an animal. For me to take a 40 yard shot, everything must be perfect. I would probably look for a better location to set up.

[Herb]

My hunts a usually wandering from wallow, to wallow, to wallow...............If it's time for a break, I may setup on a wallow for awhile, but I usually keep moving on.

[Swede]

As a tree stand hunter I really don't focus on wallows. They are just a small part of the equation, kind of like a muffin is to dinner. As in the dinner analogy where there are several components, the same is true with a good tree stand opportunity. Too many wallows get hit two times or less in a season for me to focus on them. If I am looking at a wallow, like the one above, it is often too late to do me any good. Of coarse if it is along a well used trail or where several trails come together, and there are rubs, fresh fesces and tracks and a good water source close, I'm excited. That is when I say, "go ahead and do your calling or spot and stalk thing. I'm setting up my tree stand." When I find the right situation while scouting, it is usually just a matter of time before I am filling my freezer with elk meat. The key is to try and make sure there will be contining elk use at your tree stand location.