Elk Wallows 101

As the rut draws near and bulls start feeling their oats, elk wallows start popping up. They can be found by mountain springs, wetland marshes, or even stock tanks, but wherever you find them, they can give you clues about how to fill your tag. Spend a few minutes taking this crash course in elk wallows and improve your chances of tagging a big bull this fall.

What Are Elk Wallows?

A wallow is a spot where a bull gearing up for the rut, or in the middle of the rut, urinates on already moist ground. After depositing this scent, he rolls in the muck until he’s covered, letting every cow in scenting distance know that he’s here and he’s ready to play. The behavior is similar to a whitetail making and urinating in a scrape, except that a wallowing bull takes the scrape with him wherever he goes. In the pre-rut and peak rut periods, a bull will typically wallow every day to refresh his olfactory advertisement.

Where to Find Elk Wallows

Elk wallows are typically found near water. However, any place with soft, moist soil is a possible wallowing location for a rutting bull. Maps and satellite images can help you locate water sources or marshy areas likely to hold elk wallows, then it’s just a matter of wearing out some boot leather to find the hottest sign. Locating a fresh wallow inside security cover can be a recipe for success. Mark such locations on a map or GPS and use them as starting points for future hunts.

How Do Elk Wallows Help a Hunter?

Elk wallows can help you succeed in a number of ways. First, finding elk wallows lets you know that there are indeed elk in the area. Confidence in your hunting location will help you stick it out when bulls are silent or hot weather has activity shut down. Second, most elk wallows have a defined trail leading to and from them. Studying the direction of such a trail can clue you in to where the elk are bedding, feeding, and breeding, then you can use that information to plan your hunting strategy. Finally, setting up an ambush near an elk wallow can help you fill your tag. As mentioned, elk typically wallow daily, sometimes more than once a day, if you find a favored wallowing site, setting up on the downwind side could put you in range of the bull that made it.

Not All Elk Wallows Are Created Equal

So you found a fresh wallow and are considering setting up an ambush location nearby. First, ask yourself a few questions. Is the wallow located near a road or trail? If so, it’s likely that elk will only visit it at night. Elk wallows located in security cover such as quaking aspens or near secluded side-hill seeps are more likely to see daytime use. How fresh is the wallow? Elk are transient critters and what was a prime spot a week ago could be an elk ghost town today. Seeking out elk wallows that have been used in the last 24 hours will offer the best chance of success.

Your crash course in elk wallows is complete. Now get out there and apply the knowledge you’ve gained and wrap your tag around a big wallowing bull.