Water?

[bald9eagle]

I see you guys talk so much about water but how do you define that? Little mountain streams or small ponds/lakes? Do elk even care if it is running water or do they prefer the still ponds?

[Swede]

Elk will drink from streams, springs and ponds. I have watched them at all of these. I find quiet water (no rapids) the best place, and prefer to ambush elk at small isolated spots in cover. Areas with abundant water are challenging as elk have too many options. A hunter has to focus on trails, rubs, and wallows more for additional help deciding where to perch or ground blind for them.

[Lefty]

When I was hunting Idaho desert, elk even came to the dry water tanks.
More often than not elk prefer fresh water often passing those skanky stock tanks.

Some of you have read this short story. I was sitting at a stock tank. 97 degrees and I had a small group of elk just walk right on by. Were they headed to the irrigation pivot 4 miles away early? I think they could hear the pivot running on the beet tops and alfalfa.

[bald9eagle]

I assumed they would drink water wherever it was available. I'm also assuming that they prefer it to be still pools instead of roaring rapids.

I'm not anticipating having to target water. My main target will be the travel corridors from the meadows to the timber. I was just curious to know if my preferred campsite would end up being an interstate.

[Swede]

I sure have had the same experience as Lefty. The elk pass right some great water in a stock tank, where I am waiting to give them a proper greeting, to go to the ranch below about 4 miles away. It is disgusting.

BTW: Baldy don't worry about the campsite becoming an interstate. Things don't become exciting until the road past is an interstate and the meadow up the road is Disney World. Welcome to my hunting unit.

[Gypsumreaper]

Same experiences for me as well if there is good water even a ways away they will go to that over stagnant ponds. Most smaller springs as well that aren't quite big enough most times get turned into wallows in my unit. And then the next year I will come back to this spectacular wallow that is now somewhat of a running stream where they drink and the wallow has moved down a little ways. Doesn't happen every time sometimes they stay wallows depending on the Bulls that were in there the year before. If there is good water in cover that's where they wanna be once they get pressured. I like to put a stick in a wallow if I'm not sure as elk nuts playbook has to see if it is being used. I don't really have the time for trail cams and all that and sometimes even my scouting is non existent. So I have to do on the fly scouting


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[RAMMONT]

Most of the time I see the elk around here prefer running water to still water, even a very small seep seems more popular than larger ponds.

[Swede]

To me "quiet water" is a seep, spring or any other water source where the elk can get a drink without the sound of the water being at a level that interferes with their hearing. I have seen elk at the river, at ponds and seeps or springs. Which they prefer is hard for me to say. I have noticed that cows and calves seem like a pond or larger water hole more than a spring, but I am not positive. I have seen them at a spring many times too. At a pond, they all can get a drink and play in the water at the same time. When they are there they can have a good time. It seems the lone bulls prefer the isolated spring hid out in the forest, but they also go to the river or a pond.