Hunting Washington Forum
Big Game Hunting => Elk Hunting => Topic started by: deerhunter_98520 on July 28, 2014, 04:48:27 PM
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I found a nice active wallow and put a camera on it 4 weeks ago and will be checking it Saturday while out looking for a bear....I'm thinking of setting up on the wallow opening day of archery and seeing if a bull will come into it...anyone have any success doing this on the westside?
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Yep! But dont plan on seeing much on it until the last week of august or so. I wouldnt make the choice to hunt it or not until right before the season.
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Dont know about the westside but works on the east well. Good spot for a sit down in my opinion. My wallow was getting visited all throughout the day. June through September. I would imagine your camera will show you what you wanna see
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Take in a sack of mineral salt
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Set off a ways . Bulls will come in down wind
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It's true that elk will use wallows, actively, as late as early November but for the most part, they are an August into the early part of September phenomenon. If your wallow is active in the first week of your SEPT hunt, money! I'd check your game cam as close as possible to your hunt and see if anybody is actively using it otherwise, you'll wast some valuable elk hunting time if you sit it. Just my thoughts.
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It's true that elk will use wallows, actively, as late as early November but for the most part, they are an August into the early part of September phenomenon. If your wallow is active in the first week of your SEPT hunt, money! I'd check your game cam as close as possible to your hunt and see if anybody is actively using it otherwise, you'll wast some valuable elk hunting time if you sit it. Just my thoughts.
:yeah: I would add that you need to know your area. Most of my areas have so much water it is pretty hit or miss on any one particular wallow.
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:yeah: x 2. I would also add don't be afraid to call. I have sat many times over a wallow quietly waiting. Nothing showed, then I came to the realization that many bulls were passing me by and not even checking out the wallow, but calling would intrigue them and they would buy it because they expect noise from that area.
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There is a river somewhat close by so there is another water source....but that being said I know its been used recently....there was fresh tracks all over it...I plan on setting up about 50-60 yds from it....if the cows come to it I know there's enough bulls in the area that they will follow....I plan on cow calling there also
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Definitely see what is using it just prior to the season or if there is any pattern on timing over the next two months. My partner and I got a bull just above a wallow last year, he never returned any calls, he was just having a party at the wallow and we heard him splashing and raking then he walked right into us black and wet. There are a number of wallows where we hunt and we have sat on them and only twice had a bull show. These wallows are active now (with snow right next to them) and should be through the season. It is just hit and miss on the timing. We are usually walking the woods bugling because just sitting gets really old really quick. Good luck! Post some pics when you get them!
mike
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Here ya go ...hopefully I'll have an after pic of this guy
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi799.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fyy275%2Fdeerhunter_98520%2FIMG_20140706_091045_928_zpsqlful555.jpg&hash=0640f4e4ec06bec56b2813812949d30deb07003a) (http://s799.photobucket.com/user/deerhunter_98520/media/IMG_20140706_091045_928_zpsqlful555.jpg.html)
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi799.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fyy275%2Fdeerhunter_98520%2FIMG_20140706_064810_491_zpsfv5tsvqh.jpg&hash=1192534f5bec3810afe7d234a8787f7eac7f556b) (http://s799.photobucket.com/user/deerhunter_98520/media/IMG_20140706_064810_491_zpsfv5tsvqh.jpg.html)
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Nice...your bull pic doesn't look like a trail camera...did you just walk up on him? Seems like most of our cameras we put out do get knocked crooked in fairly short order by the elk....they are very curious as to what keeps flashing at them.
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That pic was taken a few days before I put my cam out....I used my phone and binos for the pic....he was a few hundred yds from the wallow :tup:
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this year I'm hunting a new area there is a running creek that once had very active beavers on it they have since been relocated and some pretty good cool down spots for elk and moose have been created ill be setting up a cam on one this Monday,i keep seeing moose and bear on my other cam but no elk yet so looking forward to a new setup this wallows thing is very present in this area and a farmer has seen elk twice in four weeks so things are looking positive in my effort to not go to 364 this year that place has gone nuts !!plenty of elk there but the hit and miss thing is more dependant on peoples actions and all the other insanity up there ,which by the way when do the fires and road closures start,has anybody got there tickets for the Christian rock band that plays at 11;30 pm on sept. 8th at the top of access road 105 ? and has anybody seen the jeep clubs schedule yet,i really believe they are part of fish n feathers protecting there resources :chuckle: :chuckle: :chuckle:best of luck to you guys with the bull tags up there if I had one I would still be part of the insanity but not this year,good luck guys.
