How to hunt wallows?

[jack]

I was out last weekend scouting an area for mule deer and elk. I don't have much experience with either and this will be my first season putting in some real effort here in the WK. Normally I hunt whitetail. After going up the side of the mountain for a while I found a meadow about the size of a baseball diamond with 2 big wallows. You could see where the animals had pushed up mud all around the edges. Lots of sign including elk and deer. At 6000 ft I'm assuming they're mulies. The ground looked like a herd of cattle had gone through.

It's been really warm this fall. Are these animals using the wallow to cool off? Are they acting like dogs and have just found a particularly smelly place to roll around? It's obviously a popular spot, will that popularity decline as the season progresses or do they use wallows throughout the spring summer and fall until they get pushed down for the winter. Are they more/less significant during the rut? Any insight would be appreciated.

[bigmuley]

My experience with moose is that the small bulls will push down and away from the wallows do to the bigger bulls pushing them out and the bigger ones will stay longer usually staying closer to the wallow to have that strong scent for the cows...for mulies i dont see them in wallows so much more of spraying or raking there territory or rubs

[gwillim]

I had a trail camera on a local wallow through most of this summer. There was a group of 3-4 bulls that were hanging around pretty reliably. Lately they all seem to have buggered off, maybe chasing cows?

[jack]

Interesting. I saw a moose calf and an elk cow on my way back down the moutain that evening. Both of your responses may have some bearing. Thanks guys.

[bugler]

Probably elk, and they will use them less frequently as the fall progresses. I have had some good luck on a wallow the last couple of seasons, but just in bow season.

[jack]

I'm going back to hunt there for 4 days weekend after next. I'll spend a day on it and then move on to other sites. Next year I'll go back and hit it earlier in the season, particularly if it's as hot as it's been. Thanks guys.

[Elkaholic2010]

Wallows are for sure a great spot to ambush bulls in the early hot season...also a good time to hit them is if the bugs are still really bad. The mud helps keep the flies etc off. Typically, as stated above as the season progresses the bulls move off in search of cows. Good Luck!