If you kill an elk at a water hole or wallow, will other elk use it again? Would it be a waste of time for someone to set up over the same spot the next day
?
- Merle Tinker, Hood River, Oregon
Members Answer:
No, you wouldn’t be wasting your time. Back in 2000, I had the coveted Michigan elk tag. In a small, 5-acre field, there were three wallows and three elk were killed there in one week. A 6x6 and a spike were killed on back-to-back days and less than 10 yards apart.
- Jim Stark, Moscow, Idaho
While I think it is always best to have the scent of a kill gone before hunting over a water hole or spring, the answer varies depending on the circumstances. If water is available elsewhere and elk are nervous for any reason, they will choose to water somewhere else. On the other hand, during bow season, temperatures can get very warm, and elk need water. If other water holes experience serious hunting pressure, elk will again choose the spot that worries them least, and the scent of a kill or dead elk doesn’t worry them as much as the scent or presence of humans. This was abundantly clear to me on an archery hunt in Arizona where I killed an outstanding bull on a water tank that had a dead 5-point bull (apparently gored in a fight) lying in the water. The location was more remote than any other water in the area. Driven away from the other tanks by hunting pressure, the elk were evidently more bothered by live hunters than a dead elk.
- Kevin Huber , Lodi, California
One hunting season, my brother and his friend both had elk down near water holes. We weren’t able to get both packed out by dark and went back early the next morning. While we loaded two packs of meat, a cow and a young bull came walking no more than 30 yards from us. But if my hunting partner and I are going to hunt the same spot and one of us has taken our elk, I like to make sure that the gut pile is a good bit away.
- Jim Hawkins Jr., Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
Several bulls can roll around in one wallow—even cows if it’s really hot. If you harvest an animal right next to the wallow, drag it away from the hole if you can. I’ve seen elk graze right next to a gutpile, but if the wallow gets contaminated with blood and guts, it can spook the elk. They’ll move on to another waterhole.
- Ron Schalla, RB Outfitters and Guide Service, Chama, New Mexico
Next Question: (Answers will appear in the Mar-Apr 2008 Bugle)
Bull elk that are heavily pressured are often “call shy.” What additional tactics can be used to entice them within effective archery shooting range?
- James McPherson, Olney Springs, Colorado
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