Watering hole or wallow?

[Ryan Conkle]

This was a very popular location that I found last year in the middle of an open meadow and I was just curious as to what you guys' thought, as far as is this just a water hole that has been eroded away at due to use or is this also being used as a wallow?

[Swede]

Ryan, I do not see any water or sign of wallowing. Is it a place where salt has been buried for elk or set out for cattle? I have never seen a wallow like that and there is no cast off mud. Water collected in the bottom could come from rain. That could be deceiving.

[Indian Summer]

I'm with swede. If there's no water it's neither and just looking at the lay of the land in the pic it looks like a place cattle might pass through. I'd agree a mineral/salt area. Could be natural but most likely placed there. Once they put a salt block somewhere for a season or three the critters will dig in the same spot for generations making a pretty big hole just like the one in the picture even though you won't see any signs of the salt.

[Elkhunttoo]

We found a big hole like this 7 years ago but it was in the timber and in a big Sadle. The next year when we got back up there it was all filled in with the top of a salt block sticking out..... Here in Idaho that's a Big NO NO... Whoever had put it there had moved a bunch of trees so that the game would come in broad side. I drug all of the trees off so they would know someone had found it and disapproved.... The hole is still there, but they haven't put salt back in it since that year.

[Lefty]

It looks too small to be a natural lick,.. but I have found a couple handfulls of them that were "newer" natural licks that are less than 50 feet wide.
Put up a camera!

Most rancher dropped salt blocks are always close to a trail and certainly cattle trails. Is it a location a hunter may want or rancher?

[Swede]

If the spot is where a rancher places salt, then it is a location he can at least drive an ATV to. It is also a spot where they permit cattle to concentrate. Usually that means well back from a stream or other body of water. If the spot is where a hunter places salt, then who knows. It is where they want to shoot a critter.

[Ryan Conkle]

I do not have a picture from the top side of it looking down, although the bottom is full of water and was approximately 2-3 inches' deep. It is a location where water was naturally coming out of the mountain and the reason as to why I am saying this, is because I walked directly down the mountain from this location and encountered 4 or 5 other water/wallow locations' as I walked this drainage down and on each bench directly below this location, the water again resurfaced out of the side of the mountain. The next water/wallow location was located approximately 200 yards' below this location. I had multiple encounters' at this location before killing a 5 point bull over it when I called him in to this location on September 16th. I did have a trail camera set up over this location last year and had quite a few pictures' of elk, although it was a tough location to set-up a trail camera to view the actual water/wallow location due to it being in the middle of a meadow and all trees' being quite some distance away. It is also located fairly high on the mountain and quite some distance away from any horsetrail and I did not encounter any hunters' at this location at all last year...hope that I did not jinx anything for this year by saying that! lol

[Indian Summer]

Now we have a better scenario! Nice spot for sure. I wouldn't be hunting that top hole out in the open. That is more than likely somewhere they visit at night. But the ones below it could pay off as they have. The other thing I would do is start hiking around side hill at the same elevation to find other similar spots. Water will usually surface at similar elevations in a given area. Just remember that animals are wary when they approach areas like that so make sure you have a tree stand or good setup that is with the wind.

[Elkhunttoo]

You don't have a water hole or a wallow... You my friend, have a gold mine Just don't tell anyone where it's at

[Ryan Conkle]

There is a little bit of cover on the lower side of the location for a 45 yard shot and I built a small natural blind as seen in this picture, when the wind was right, I loved this set-up. My partner is pictured here and I was previously set-up in some cover down over a ledge behind him and was doing some calling.

[Indian Summer]

Man that looks close and not much cover. Plus from that position it will require a fair amount of movement to draw your bow. I'd be packing a treestand into that spot or opting for more cover. But it looks even better in that photo.

How far from the truck? Any sign of cattle?

[Ryan Conkle]

The shot was 45 yards' to the water from that set-up, the elk that I had come in to this set-up either approached from 1 or 2 directions', you can not see it in this picture,although their is a ravine leading up from the lower left side of this picture, which led straight up/down the drainage, directly at this location, or their was a very well used game trail, which led directly from the pines' on the left-hand side of the picture, which led directly to the water and then continued on after the water horizontally through the meadow (through the center of the picture). The elk that I encountered in this set-up either approached from 1 of the said ways', my bull funneled directly up the ravine, heading straight at the water and I shot him at 30 yards' and he had no idea that I was in the area. I usually sat on the ground in this set-up, although I realize that my partner is pictured lying down. I felt that I had adequate cover in front of me and to my immediate left and right, which was sufficient when the elk approached from the directions' that they appeared to be doing so regularly, due to the terrain of the area and past evidence. The set-up was open to your backside, although I attempted to use the terrain to my advantage here, as their was a fairly steep ledge, which dropped off 15-20 yards' behind this location and I did not fell that an elk was going to approach this set-up from behind due to this terrain feature and lack of any indicators' indicating the elk had done so previously. I am not stating that I am correct in what I am saying, I am just trying to better explain the terrain of the area and the set-up, as to why I did what I did. The location is 5-6 miles' from camp and I did not encounter and indicators' of cattle or sheep being in the area. I did contemplate packing in a treestand, although as I become increasingly confident in my calling and in handling different situations', I find myself being much more aggressive and being on my feet most of the time, so I did not pack a treestand in because I was not sure that I would be putting sufficient time in sitting in the treestand. I appreciate any and all information, whether positive or constructive, as I am always trying to learn and become a better elk hunter!