Arizona Hunting Club & Outdoor Adventure Group

What to Scout for Around
Watering Holes, Stock Tanks and Springs

I begin my scouting process each year by scouting 20-50 stock tanks or water sources in the hunt unit where I get drawn to hunt. When I visit these stock tanks during June and July, here are things that I scout for:

1. What kind of fresh animal tracks are in the mud?
2. What type of animals are using this stock tank?
3. How many game trails are carrying animals to this water source?
4. What does the water look like? Clear, muddy or stagnant?
5. Are there any elk wallows in the mud where bulls are urinating and rolling?
6. Is there green grass or other food sources nearby? Has it been grazed?
7. Is there a lot of fresh (green and squishy) deer and elk droppings?
8. How many ground blinds are there? How many tree stands?
9. Is there a hill nearby where animals can bed down and keep a watch on hunter traffic?
10. Are there any salt licks, hay bales or other bait visible?
11. Are there any game cameras noticeable?
12. How close is the tank to the road?
13. What is located within the 1/4 mile perimeter of the tank?
14. Are there any rubs or scrape lines leading to the tank?
15. What direction is the wind usually coming from?
16. How long will it take hunters to find this tank by driving the roads on opening day?

Like most hunters, the first thing that I look for are the number and type of animal tracks that are recorded in the mud. I also look to see how many different types of animals have selected this tank such as deer, elk and turkey. If there are numerous types of animals using the tank, it it usually means that there is plenty of food nearby and the animals have plenty of shelter to hide in. If there are cattle in the area, a lot of times wildlife will go somewhere else where more food will be available to each. Try analyze how many animals it would take to make that many tracks if they were visiting every single day. If there are no fresh tracks, but there is sign everywhere. Remember that at night in the mountains it freezes. If so, no new tracks will be made.

Unlike hunters, animals don't walk around and around looking for a good spot to drink. Elk normally approach from the same path every day. Mule deer are somewhat predictable. White tails are more like ghost that magically appear and disappear when the wind blows. If you walk the burm or the area outside the tank, you will generally see one or more game trails. It is wise to walk down each trail for a quarter mile to see where it goes. It is best not to walk directly on the game trail, but 10 feet off to the side so that your scent isn't left directly on the game trail.

The water can also offer you clues about what is going on at a stock tank. If the water clear has vegetation growing in it, nature is working well. If the water is stagnant and fowl smelling, water may not be potable even for wildlife. If there is algae growing in the tank, can you see where animals have made a trail out into the center of the tank? A lot of times the whole elk herd will go right in the middle and lay down. If so, the elk will probably do this on a daily basis until hunting season starts.

Another thing to look for are oval shaped wallows near the water's edge. Bull elk like to pee in the mud then roll in it. This gives them the tuff elk smell that Bulls love to put on for the women. Wallows are great to hunt over if you have bull tag.

Take look at the grass growing around the edge of the tank. As the water recedes, it leave lush green vegetation that the animals love. If cattle have been in the area, the banks may have been seeded with grass. If you see grass that looks like it has been mowed with a lawnmower, this is a great sign that the animals are feeding there. If they are feeding there should also be a lot of animal droppings too. You might decide to put up a game camera to see how many, their size and what time they are currently coming in to water. Just make sure the camera is hidden so that other hunters won't mess it up.

The number of ground blinds built and the number of trees that have been pruned in order to put up a tree stand can tell you what other hunters think about this tank. But if you put up a tree stand, don't be surprised or upset on opening morning when the sun comes up to see one guy smoking a cigarette in his blind and his buddy is humming along to the music playing on his iPod. It is wrong and will drive you nuts, so always have a plan b ready.

Due to hunting pressure and guys who drink beer and drive the roads, I usually don't hunt on top of stock tanks anyway. Much better to use topo map to find an elevated bench overlooking the stock tank, preferably with a lush carpet of green grass. Animals love to watch their favorite tank to see who else is stopping into get a drink. They usually gather on top these hills or other grassy areas near stock tanks to get the local gossip about whose harem has the most cows, eat lots of green grass and wait together at these staging spots until it gets dark. Then they all go into at 9:00pm to get a drink and roll in the mud.

A simple way to find these spots is visit these spots in the evening and listen for the bulls who will be bugling regardless of whether the rut is on or not. I would not recommend calling unless you are very good at it. With that said, a hoochie mama elk push call and a cow elk decoy can be a lot of fun. Only problem is that once the elk come, they sometimes stay for hours after dark. I find these staging areas and put down natural salt mineral blocks that look like rocks, not white squares, and a bag or two of alfafa pellets. Sometimes I will also put out sweet fruit like apples or bananas. This is tricky if they are not used to the smell, but once they get used to it, bananas are great attractors. They are so sweet and their smell drifts a long way. If you get bored, try it and see what happens.

The other way to find staging spots is to walk in a zig zagging pattern as you walk a circle around the stock tank. Look for heavy clumps of tree that usually are concentrated near small drainages. These areas have more moisture which keeps the air cooler and make the trees, forage and the grass much greener than other areas. Look for fresh green droppings and heavily grazed plants and grass. Rubs and scrape will also be noticeable in these areas.

As you walk the woods, also pay attention to the tree canopy. An even tree line at the top of the canopy prevents wind from blowing down in between the trees. This keeps the hot air out during the summer and the cold wind out during the winter. If you happen to be in the woods during April and May, or whenever the fruit trees are blooming. GPS these spots immediately.

Many pioneers built cabins and planted many types of fruit trees like peach trees, apple trees, plum trees. Though the cabins are long gone, sometimes the fruit trees survive. Walking through the woods in early spring, the white blooms are very easy to see. In the fall, Sept. - Nov., this fruit will be falling at the feet of hungry bucks who love fruit and will fight for the right to eat it. Perhaps you should plant a pioneer garden or a orchard, then invite the animals to join you for Thanksgiving. :o)

When combined, our seasoned hunting club members can account for more than 2,000 years of hunting knowledge and experience that we would be more than happy to pass onto to you.

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In the hunting world, there is no such thing as a dumb question.