Set Up on The Mountain

[Swede]

This question relates directly to tree stand hunting, but has a broader implication.
We have all read that elk bed about 2/3 of the way up a mountain side, and that is where to set up over a water hole or wallow. How reliable is this rule of thumb, and what on the ground things do you look for when considering waylaying an elk?

 

[Deertick]

I laugh at such advice because it assumes that there is such a thing as \"a\" mountain. What mountain are you talking about? They are all different ... different orientation to the sun, different height, different elevation, different slope ... where I hunt, often the elk feed up top, then bed further down ... other places see elk bed high and eat down low.

North-facing, south-facing, up-top, down in the valley ... it\'s all local factors that affect this stuff.

All politics is local, as they say ... and so are elk.

 

[elkmtngear]

Swede,
In general, it seems you are talking about waterholes/ wallows that are close to bedding areas.

There are \"evening wallows\" and \"morning wallows\" as well that are closer to feeding areas (lower down on the mountain); if they have major trails heading into them, they can be very reliable at producing elk opportunities.

Figuring out where elk are travelling in the course of their day is one of my primary objectives during the time I\'m hunting. Waterholes and wallows around those travel routes can help to concentrate elk, and that\'s where I want to be waiting for them.