Wallow experiences?

[Muskeez]

Who has committed to hunting a particular wallow for a few days in a row? What have been your experiences? Besides hours of boredom. What times of the day have been the best and what part of the season?

 

[Southern Elk]

I have a friend who has killed 3 elk and a bear in the last 3 years by sitting wallows/water holes. If I'm not mistaken, 2 of the 3 were on opening day. No real pattern on what time they show up. You have to be prepared to sit all day.

 

[Chucknduck]

I always want to hunt a few I know of but the wind usually messes up a wallow hunt for me. Plus I'm not patient enough

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

It certainly has produced results for a lot of people. For me to commit to a wallow all day it would have to be pretty dry in the area, hot temps, quiet bulls, and little/no rut activity.

However, almost every midday during archery season, I am hunting around water trying to catch a bull sneaking off to grab a drink. If you know where they are bedded, and where the nearest water is, bingo....

 

[schmalts]

I'll do it for a couple hours, but more than that I would not elk hunt if it was that boring.

 

[TimeOnTarget]

I've spent an afternoon or so on one when it was 90+ one day, Didnt see an elk.

 

[sagebrush]

Only if I had pictures of a worthwhile bull from a game camera would I sit a wallow or water. I had one wallow last year with a good bull on it for several days but it went dry just before opening day. I have sat water from sun up to sun down several times. Very few bulls came in during the middle of the day. A few came in during the morning. Bulls came in almost every evening during the last 2 1/2 hours of shooting time from 3:30 to 6PM.

 

[windymtnman]

I set up a trail camera last season on an active wallow. Early September, it reeked, was all muddy, and had fresh tracks around it. The trail cam showed visits by a 6pt. a nice 5 pt. and 4 pt. Bulls. I also had cows and calves visiting it, with one video of the 5 pt. running them off. The videos were very interesting, watching them lay down in the water and thrash their antlers around. They were visiting it from 8:30am to noon, so I was thinking this is great. I set up a tree stand 25 yards away where I had a clear shot.
Not once did an Elk ever come when I was there. I was sitting in that stand at least 5 hours/day, and sometimes hunting it daily or every other day. I was seeing Bulls at dawn while hiking in and hearing them too. Several times while in my stand, I'd hear a very subtle Bull chuckling about 100 yds. away, but I think he was up on a bench getting ready to bed down. Bad luck, or did they know I was around? I dunno. I half expected to see another hunter checking the wallow out too, but not once did I see anyone on the trail cam, which I had tried to camouflage with some branches.

 

[okie archer]

Maybe it's the whitetail hunter in me but I would love to at least once sit on a wallow and have a big unsuspecting bull come into bow range. Having said that I have never killed an elk so killing one about any legal method sounds pretty awesome. Hopefully I'll get a chance to experience it as I drew an Arizona Sept archery tag this year.

 

[Nunyacreek]

I have tried but it seems as though I am always a little late. Usually wallows where I am tend to be unused after about September 5th. I suspect 3 things, I am not actually on good secluded wallows, the elk are primarily nocturnal, and I am messing them up with scent. Probably mostly the latter. I still believe that it has to be the single most effective way to kill elk if you figure it out, I just haven't done that. Randy's most recent elk how-to video certainly reinforces that midday water could work.

 

[Lv2hnt]

Have had bulls hit active (cloudy water) wallows mid-day during early archery season here in Arizona --- they're getting up from their near-by beds then to cool off as much as anything. When it's been warm and dry (ha!) during the hunt, 11 am - 2 pm seems to be a good window. I've got to be in the mood too (and that varies) ...

 

[WapitiBob]

I've seen decent results.

 

[TimeOnTarget]

Is it just me or does that elk have a collar?

 

[ERSS]

I have had some good luck on or near wallows. Got this fella about a week after these photos, ended up arrowing him after a bugle battle as I was walking into the wallow, just a few 100 yards away.

 

[Josh Kuntz]

I have had a few experiences of watching or hearing elk be very cautious as they approach a wallow. It's almost like they know the wallow is an unpredictable attractant (like a busy bar on a Saturday night), so they like to sneak up and take a peak at it from a safe distance before fully approaching. If I see a good game trail leading to/from a wallow, I will often set up an ambush 100 yards or so away from the wallow along the trail. Ideally, still in sight of the wallow. I just get the sense that the elk are less wary when they are traveling the trail.

I also might be WAY overthinking this.

 

[Josh Kuntz]

Last year, I did shoot a cow while sitting 30 yards below a wallow. She then ran 150 yards uphill and died right next to a second wallow.

 

[Rooster52]

The higher in altitude and the more remote the wallow the better chance you have finding an elk during daylight hours.That is what I have found over the years.

 

[Muskeez]

Thanks for all the replies guys! I located a big wallow a couple years ago. It was good sized in a clearing in the trees, almost at the top of the mountain and on a bench. The bench below it had good sign, the flat top of the mountain above it didn't have as much sign. I have had that wallow in my brain for 2 years and not been able to get back there. I am going to this general area in mid Sept. for a archery hunt but we plan to be chasing bugles and not sitting on a wallow. SO, my thought is this, do I drive out solo in early August, 13 hours one way, go in, scout, set up a stand or 2, and cameras? Then come back 3 weeks later, solo, to hunt it for the Aug. 25 opener? Then, whether I shoot one or not I would be back out for a 3rd time with my hunting partner for mid Sept. - It would be 3 trips total, and I'm just kicking it around as to whether or not it is worth that much travel. The only expense would be the fuel. I am excited to shoot my first elk, (we had unsuccessful trips in 2013 and 2014) , but do I dive in this deep? It's a personal decision I have to make but I'm trying to educate myself and weigh the odds of killing a bull over that or another wallow in the first 5 days of the season.

 

[esracerx]

I shot a big 6x7 a couple years ago. He was almost facing me. Rather than take a neck shot I tried to sneak it behind the shoulder. Missed by 4 inches and got him in front of the shoulder. Tracked him for 8 tenths of a mile and found he was going straight to a "tank". We went back, got the ATV and went around the other way to find the tank. It was mismarked by a few hundred yards but found it. Piss and tracks everywhere. It was essentially a 10x10 mud puddle. Set 2 guys up in a ground blind that we made. Had a few cows come in the first night and winded us. Second night had a few cows come in, one guy shot one of the cows. While she runs off you can hear her laboring and a bull is bugling. Keeps getting louder and louder. Bull finally shows up pushing his cows with him. He was last. He got in the tank when the guy shot at 17 yards. 285 6x6. Later on in the week a guy was on a bear tag and was there at the gut pile. This was the guy that was with me when the original bull that led us to that tank had been shot. The original bull which was a 300+ bull showed up, but he didnt have an elk tag. A few days later after I had left, a guy in another group but in our party Shot a decent 5x5.

Went back to that area this year, the second archery instead of the first. Wasn't as productive. the one day we didnt have anyone sitting there a 7x7 shows up at 8:15am. And a 6x6 shows up at 530 pm. After that the state overlapped bear gun and elk archery season. So all the bear guys came in with their dogs and a guy set up camp about a 1/4 mile or so from the tank. Dogs were barking constantly. Hunting on wallows works. But you have to know it's being hit. And you have to stay committed to it if you know it's being hit.

 

[esracerx]

Set a camera up and check it a few days or weeks later. If you havent been back, no telling what it looks like now.