Wallows and Rubs

[WapitiTalk1]

Gotta love em both, right! Let's see some pictures of some of the wallows and rubs you've encountered while in the elk woods. Here's one of each to start off the thread. Sorry about the pic quality of my first wallow offering, it's an old one taken with one of those old school disposable cameras

[ElkNut1]

Rory, nice! The top sandy part looks like the elk pawed it up & were liking it, it must have minerals/salt in it!

Here's a nice wallow that I've not sat but should! (grin)

ElkNut1

[six]

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[WapitiTalk1]

Gorgeous picture six! I just set it at my desktop (hope that's OK)... RJ

[WapitiTalk1]

Rory, nice! The top sandy part looks like the elk pawed it up & were liking it, it must have minerals/salt in it!

Here's a nice wallow that I've not sat but should! (grin)

ElkNut1

That's a muddy mess Paul... looks quite active to me!

[Backyard]

A few years ago.

[Rangerz]

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Nevada.

[otcWill]

Here's a few wallows

[otcWill]

I could smell this one from 100 yards away

[otcWill]

Wallow locations don't get prettier than this

[otcWill]

I'm 6'3". This tree was missing branches 9' up!

[CurlyTail]

I have been somewhat disappointed in wallows as a spot to hunt. I am not sure if my experience is typical. Although I have discovered several wallows that look fresh and active, when I put the trail camera on them, the activity was fairly infrequent and often at night. Compared to the traffic seen on trails and saddles, I have opted to not spend much time hunting them. Fun to see what is using them however!

I have also seen a bunch of "dry" wallows in my area. In these areas the Elk have obviously rubbed the ground and peed on the dust, then rolled in it but not a drop of water near. Anybody else seen this? They don't seem to be in the same spot every year.

[Rangerz]

I have found dry wallows in Nevada. They almost remind me of a Whitetail scrape. Not sure if they serve the same function.

[wawhitey]

I found this string of small wallows surrounded by rubs in 2014 i think. This may i set a tcam up in there and havent been back since. Retrieving the cam is pretty high on my to do list, but with the drought we had this year im guessing it was all dried up, so im not too hopeful about what will be on the cam.

[Bullseye]

Ahhh ... the site of a good "active" mud puddle in the middle of the mountains certainly gets the heart pumping! Here's one of many pics I got on my trail cams over a few wallows I found over the last few years.

[Bullseye]

Now let me try to attach the picture. Still new to this.

[WapitiTalk1]

Now let me try to attach the picture. Still new to this.

Bullseye, that one looks pretty fresh to me, LOL. Did you get to see that guy during season?

[Bullseye]

Unfortunately, I never even saw a bull that year (2013). That's the cool thing about trail cams ... they confirm there are elk around even when you don't see them.

[ElkNut1]

Bullseye, when were the trail cam photos taken & then when did you actually go & hunt the area?

Octwill, great photo overlooking a panoramic view! Sweet!

ElkNut1

[saddlesore]

I think most rubs are done in mid August when the velvet starts to come off,. A bull will certainly get into a tree and break branches etc. during the rut,but those heavy rubs are done earlier.I have come across a lot of wallows, that seem fresh,but have never actually seen an elk using one in muzzle loader season when the peak rut is just firing up. Like others,I think it is a nocturnal thing and it is a good indication that there is a bull or bulls in the vacinity.

The best tell tale sign to me is coming on elk trails where the dirt is really dug up or finding bedding areas of a bull that has been using it for quite a while.If you mess around in those bedding areas though , the elk most likely won't be around long. Post rut in later seasons though when a bull gets int those hidey holes to recoup after rut, I find that as long as I am careful, I can hunt that bull for several days without driving it out.

[Bullseye]

Elknut1 - I had that camera out from mid September until mid October. I had ALOT of pictures on it through September then the activity significantly slowed down just prior to rifle season in October. I didn't actually hunt around the wallow in rifle season. Instead I hunted about 1 mile away between some meadows and dark timber. This area has proved great in the last 2 years. I think the wallow areas would be great once I get into archery hunting. That's next on my "to do" list. Just gotta justify the equipment costs to the wife!

[ElkNut1]

Thanks! Yes wallow use dies down by 75% after mid Sept or so. They will hit them periodically after that but are a real crap shoot.

As Saddlesore mentions, trails from feeding to bedding areas are ones better bets to consider over wallows. All elk use game trails, this is especially so as the rut picks up. (hot cows) When this occurs bulls of all ages will travel them scent checking for possible hot cows! They don't do this at wallows! (grin) Good Luck!

ElkNut1

[WapitiTalk1]

A little one.

[WapitiTalk1]

Took this pic in mid September in WA. Betcha it was a happening place a few weeks earlier.

[Swede]

RJ, your wallow on post 23 is getting no use, and I see no recent elk sign around there either. It doesn't look like a place I would have much interest in. Use at the water/wallow in post 24 looks like it is two weeks in the past with nothing new being added. Spots like this are good to inventory, and place a camera at next July or August. They may be good real early in the season. The fresher wallow in post 24 might look like a spot to set up at, and you could get lucky there, but I would not be surprised to see a hunter removing his stand and nothing to show for his efforts beyond frustration. I could probably catch up on my reading.

[WapitiTalk1]

Good eye Swede, I agree. The WA wallow was well past two weeks of being used "but" the archery elk season in my pathetic home state (WA) doesn't open till well after the normal (AUG thru earlyish SEP as a general rule) wallow usage time has came and gone. The little wallow in the previous post is in one of the ID areas I hunt and it's one of many in a certain creek drainage. The pic was taken the same day (19 SEP) that I shot a bull above it on a side hill, less than 75 yards away. I paused to look at the old wallow, decided to take a quick pic, mark it on my GPS, and then decided to set up and call... it was a bit after 0900 in the morning. They may not be using most of the wallows come mid to late SEP but there certainly may be wapiti around. Yes, there was elk sign around the general area even though the wallows were not getting much use (they're fickle creatures). Falls into the "you never know, let's set up and call" category This is kind of why I normally don't place trail cams at wallows unless there are other factors that I like about the area/spot. Wallow use drops significantly after the early/mid SEP phase (again, as a general rule), and I won't be sitting them come time I hunt there as they are not elk magnets like they were earlier in the season.

[ishy]

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This is what has me trying the tree stand. It is used for a wallow and water hole. It has several wallows strung together.

[wawhitey]

I found this string of small wallows surrounded by rubs in 2014 i think. This may i set a tcam up in there and havent been back since. Retrieving the cam is pretty high on my to do list, but with the drought we had this year im guessing it was all dried up, so im not too hopeful about what will be on the cam.

Well, turns out it was wet and getting hit by elk during season. And i was hunting 2.5 miles from it. Damn. Anyway, i dont have any of the during elk season pics on my phone, but heres a few from the soak anyway.

[wawhitey]

And this guy i already posted in my coug thread.

Not shown... 3 more bull elk, couple bull moose, another lion, a raccoon, a bobcat, and about a dozen other bears.