Salt or bait for elk

[yotebuster]

I've put out a number of salts for my sept archery hunt this year. I've gotten tons of pics, just using crushed rock salt with deer cocaine liquid, a little black magic powder and whatever else is on sale. I have one site in particular where they ate 40 pounds of salt in 2 months! It was literally all gone last time I checked it so I had to replenish it. Anyhow, I have 3 real nice bulls for my unit hitting it very regularly, regular enough to where if the season opened tomorrow I could kill one of the three the first night. Some of them aren't coming in that frequently, in fact a majority of them are only swinging by every week or so. I realize when the velvet falls they move off from their bachelor groups, and move to their rutting areas, so I know some of the bulls won't be around the same area by the time my hunt opens. My question is, will they continue to hit the salt that frequently into september or does that die off when they are done growing their antlers and it cools off outside. I'm assuming the reason they need so much salt this time of year is from the antler growth and the fact that they are sweating off their electrolytes due to the heat.

 

Also, anyone ever use oats? I put some oats, corn, and salt out at one, the salt seemed to be the prefered, but the elk really seemed to like the oats covered in molasses. The turkeys ate all the corn, and the elk didn't seem to care about it that much.

[youngbuck]

In my experience the cows will come to it. The bulls will follow the cows early in the rut. There is no way of telling how far the bulls will move unless you have experience in the area. The bulls I have hitting salt in July, usualy shed their velvet and arent seen again on my cams. It can be a good back up, but I couldn't stand sitting when I could hear bugles. Best tactic is to pack light and prepare to walk a lot. Blocks usually last longer in the summer with lots of elk, most of the time. I had elk go through 2 50lb blocks in a month. I couldn't haul enough salt to keep up. I gave up on salt 2 weeks before the hunt. I was trying to figure daily patterns and what bulls were chasing what cows. Best of luck!

[.270]

i prefer salt and pepper over it and biscuits and gravy next to it. ellk are too much fun to chase around to sit and wait on em. Lark.

[KaibabHunter]

I found someones salt (trophy rock) last year on my archery bull hunt and it was getting hammered. At least 4 trails coming into it. I decided to sit it after chasing bugles in the morning and spooked a nice 6pt that was comin in at the same time at about noon (wind was swirlin). Later had a cow hit it and feed to 10 yards of me (around last light). Like Lark says they're too fun to chase and once they're buglin you mine as well chase em but its an option for midday, the rut is slow, or if your just wore out.

 

I got up for my first trip last week and checked it. The rock is gone but a good amount of relatively fresh sign in the area so I put my own trophy rock in the same place. I don't have a tag this year but its part of the backup plan for my boy's jr cow hunt.

[azstroops]