Dry or Dirt Wallows

[WapitiTalk1]

On the wallow subject, how often do you folks run into these where you hunt? I think I might have some photos; will check later. I run into them every year and will go back to their location if they appear recently used. Oftentimes, they'll be full of fresh urine spots/clumps and indents in the soft dirt where the bull(s) have rolled around. Many times, there are fresh rubs close to these dry wallow areas.

[Swede]

It is interesting that you find them every year. It must be something about the area you hunt. I can remember only seeing one total. Is there some reason why they are not staying with wet spots where you are?

[WapitiTalk1]

Not sure Swede. I see them in a very wet state (WA) yearly and for the past two years in WA and MT.

Edit: Some have more recent activity than others (pee, roll marks) but they're all places that the bulls seem to frequent. Mostly, these dry wallows or yarding areas as we used to call them in MT, seem to be a ways away from wet wallows but not always. Just looking for some comments from others who have experienced these dry elk hang outs.

[Swede]

Now you have me wondering if you are on lands grazed by cattle?

[WapitiTalk1]

Now you have me wondering if you are on lands grazed by cattle?

No sir.. No moo moos where I hunt. Really? Nobody else sees dry wallows/yarding areas where they hunt?

[Swede]

Phantom16 it looks like we have a private conversation going. I tried to do some internet research or this to see if there is anything out there. About all I could read was posted by Elknut and another character named Michaels. Anyway no one seems to find them frequently. Like you, I would like to see what some others have seen.

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

I have found only two dry wallows in all the years I have hunted. I found them both the same year in the same general hunting area probably about 1/4 mile apart. That was several years ago and I have never found one either before or since.

[CrazyElkHunter]

I've never seen one, but it sounds like something might be in the soil that attracts them like sulfur and they want to roll in it like a dog.

[WapitiTalk1]

Hmm.. Interesting. I don't encounter numerous dry wallows each year but always seem to come across some in the three states I've mainly hunted. A wallow in, I guess the classic sense, normally indicates a muddy hole either existing or dug out on a seeping slope or in a draw where elk roll around in to cool off, display, and leave their scent... I know of many, many of these and frequent them if the time of year dictates (or elk are calling me to them.. ..). The dry wallows, or yarding areas as I call them, are medium to large area that oftentimes are dug into the ground, very dry, and stink to high heaven of elk pee. Here's a crappy picture I found of one I spent some time close to last year in ID. Sorry about the quality, my hunting partner was tasked to bring his digital which he forgot.. I ended up grabbing an old school disposable cam for some pics before we hit the woods.. Didn't even know they made those things anymore. Good thing in a way that I didn't put an elk's nose in the dirt last year as the pics would have stunk.. . This spot is 12 miles from a main road and stunk to high heaven of elk whizz. There were 4 or 5 old clear "roll" marks with accompanying antler slashes in the dirt signifying that a bull or bulls had rolled around there. Perhaps it's a measure to keep the bugs off... not sure. There were no less than 20 or 30 quality rut rubs within 75 yards. We got into several bulls in this area over the course of our two week hunt. This particular spot was within a few hundred yards of a wet wallow that had been thrashed weeks earlier.. When I was there, the last few weeks in SEPT, the elk were drinking from the wet wallow area but not rolling in it. Things that make you go hmm.. Anyway, has anybody else had experience with dry/dirt wallowing areas? Thanks to those who have chimed in.. Just trying to get to the bottom of this wapiti phenomenon RJ

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[Z Barebow]

I ran across some dry wallows in NM when I hunted there in 1998. These were in an area of oak brush and it was a south facing hillside. I was young and dumb (It was my first elk hunt). I could smell elk from the trail, but I figured it was south facing so the elk likely weren't in there during the day, so I didn't explore the area. On my last day, I had bulls bugling from camp, so I humped it toward them. (To the oak brush area). As I got in there, I kicked myself as to ignoring it. It was all tore up and it reeked from urine. I camp across a spot that looked like a whitetail scrape, but much bigger. It was probably 8' in diameter and the grass was all tore up. But not like a WT would paw, but thrown everywhere. And it was "bowled" out in the center. Long story short, I screwed up a chance at an NM bull just up the hillside from this area. (I don't have a pic from this spot)

In 2004 in northern NM, I watched a raghorn come into a valley with a dry creek bed. He went into a depression and rolled acround and flung dirt up in the air with his antlers. (There was a wet wallow within 100 yards of this spot) See pic of creek bed where he did the deed.

[Swede]

Z barebow we have spots like you show in the picture. They are mineral licks. Many have been developed where ranchers have salted. Just like the spots you describe, they stink from use. Mineral licks vary for area to area as available minerals vary a lot.

[2Tangled2]

I harvested my first bull on my first archery trip in Montana in 2006 that I had bugled/cow called in from about a half mile. The next day I thought I would investigate the approximate area he initially had called from to see why he was hanging out in this particular river bottom. At first I thought I'd find a wallow somewhere close, but all I found was this dried, torn up, piss smelling area. I surmised that he had probably been using the river to cool off, and had come back here to dry off with a little rolling around in the dirt. The only other place that had that much good smelling aroma was a grassey bench in a overgrown slide I found last year in Idaho. All the tall grasses were laid over, but there wasn't any torn up areas, so I guessed it was a place where the elk were using in the nightime to relax, and chew their cuds.

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