Would You Hunt This Spot?

[ElkNut1]

Well, what would you do & why if you located this spot well away from other hunters? Just a short answer would be fine! Thanks!

ElkNut1

[Swede]

It appears to be getting a lot of use. I think I would.

[stringunner]

I would set up a game cam, check out the surrounding area and go from there

[sockeye]

Pretty fresh looking would probably keep close look for other signs.

[The Doc]

no, but i would be pretty interested in the north slope , timbered area near there

[six]

No.

[WapitiTalk1]

Possibly if the surrounding area has fresh sign and/or vocal elk.. This wallow doesn't actually look that active to me (only one or two sets of tracks through it and not dug very deep, and, not a ton of water).

[Nelsonv]

Wouldn't hunt at the moment. Set a trail cam up and let it scout for me. Doesn't really look very active.

[eltaco]

I'm not much for sitting on wallows... need to learn some patience, I guess.

For me, depends on the region. This wallow doesn't show a ton of use, but more importantly, it's almost completely dry. My hunting area has a ton of water, and a TON of fresh wallows during first week of season. If this were in my region, I wouldn't get very excited about it.

Really need to know more, what other sign is in the region. Is this the extent of the wallow? Based on what the picture alone shows me and what I normally see during September, I wouldn't hunt it nor would I be placing a trail cam here.

[N5J]

No..I don't see an active wallow...just fresh tracks.

N5J

James

[Elktracker]

I dont see much use there as far as I can tell but it could get good, I would definatelly watch it.

Josh

[Buglemaster]

I'm with elktracker. I'd keep an eye on it, but there's really not much going on there....yet....

[slim9300]

Nope. Looks like a marginal wallow (in terms of use and location) compared to what I am used to in MT. Plus, I feel like wallows in the open like that are much less productive than the ones you can find mid or 3/4 slope and surrounded by thick timber on a north or east facing slope. Those kind of wallows always seem be used during the night where as the other ones I mentioned seem to have 90% of their use during the 10am to 4pm time frame.

[Buckriser]

No, looks like it has been used but not recently.

[ElkNut1]

Great comments so far guys!! You all have interesting points, thanks! I did take the photo so know what the area looks like, but mainly was wondering what others thought of the spot? Good stuff!

ElkNut1

[Elktracker]

Well what r ur thoughts Paul!!????

[HurricaneHuge]

Well said Elktracker. As a first time elk hunter this fall and Midwest resident, I had no clue what thoughts were on that. My initial impression was, "You tell me Elknut, should I hunt that spot?" I'm gonna get my butt handed to me this fall, no doubts about it.

[Swede]

I have seen no more that anyone else can see, but these things are apparent: There is water there and it apears dirty. I can't say how much, but it doesn't take a lot. I love dirty stinking water. There are old and newer tracks that indicate continued use. I want Paul to show me where I can hang my stand. I need more than that mangled grass.

[stringunner]

I agree with Swede, though I do not see a lot of water, very little actually, I do see what looks like elk to be laying down and rolling in the mud. The ground around the smoothed out part looks fairly churned up from what may be tracks from continued use. From experience I believe this to be what a dry wallow may look like if there was no water present, though from the ones I have seen, it would all be dust and little mud. If I only had to go off of what is pictured, I would continue to check the spot, surrounding areas for trails coming into and leaving and put up a game cam.

[ElkNut1]

No I would not hunt this spot! In other words I would not put a camera on it or a stand of any sort. If anything this wallow (rarely used) has seen its best days, it's on the decline & that's why the sign is all old, Those tracks & churned mud are drying up quick & appears to be around a week old. Look at the bit of water to the left of photo, not a track in it or around it in many days! If elk were using it that would not look that way, there'd be tracks all around it!

Yes, at one time even a week prior to the photo it held much more water therefore it saw use, but as warmer weather approached it pretty much is drying up & in 3-4 days more there won't be anything left moisture wise! Like wise, elk use is drying up there too! (grin) I would move on & see what other water sources they are now focused on if I was interested in a stand site!

For any wondering about the knocked down grass still being green, I attribute that to the moisture that is still left to nourish it, knocked down or not!

ElkNut1

[westaner]

I had a spot like that were grass grew well, but drys up later. Found a spot up wind of a good tree for treestand, and started digging. 2 hours later and six feet deep I hit water! It was boiling up! An hour later it was 3 feet from the top! I was scared the Forest service was gonna have to make new river on the map!
Luckily it didn't get any higher, but I'm always fixing wallows and water holes with a shovel and throwing logs into new ones elk are trying to start. The deep water wallows seem to attract all elk.

[Swede]

Thanks Paul for giving us the rest of the story as Paul Harvey used to say. I thought some of the tracks were fresh and that the mud around the water was washed up from elk wallowing. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but sometimes a few words can redefine a picture.

[ElkNut1]

Swede, LOL! I agree, pictures are deceiving at times! You really see it when guys show photos of there bulls, in some it's hard to tell if it's a 290" bull or a 390" bull!!! (grin)

westaner, yes doctoring up wallows can be a good thing especially in the right area & there are no others to choose from! In the area of that photo there are tons of them throughout the country, it wouldn't take a guy long to find another there. It's too far to be packing a shovel too! (grin)

ElkNut1