- November 5, 2018
- Hunting
- Maria Egorova
Elk is a large animal that prefers to live in aspen thickets or willow forests. To track down and successfully hunt an elk, the hunter must know a lot about the habits of the animal, its habitats, and be able to read tracks and lure. The best bait for moose is salt lick. We will try to understand what this is in this article.
Habits of eagles
Elk is the largest artiodactyl of the deer family, capable of weighing half a ton. This animal usually lives where there is water and food: in willow, aspen, swamps, near lakes and small rivers. Unlike deer, moose do not gather in herds, but prefer to live as hermits. The only exception is the spring period. Only females can gather 3-5 animals for the winter to make it easier to feed themselves and survive the cold. Elk have an excellent sense of smell, but their hearing is not very well developed. Many people do not realize that in addition to their ears, elk recognize sounds with the help of their antlers. Since he discards them for the winter, by spring he is left without an additional “locator”.
Why do moose need salt?
Hunting in salt licks is productive due to the weakened state of the animal. After a long winter, moose are exhausted, so they need to stock up on minerals. Especially females, as they need to prepare for the April calving. And males need minerals to grow strong horns so that they can defend themselves against rivals. Hungry moose wander through the forest in search of salt licks and food. Solonetz is the name given to soil that is covered with salt crystals due to water going deeper into the soil. It is this hopeless situation that hunters take advantage of to shoot elk, making all kinds of bait. Salt licks are very important for elk, because only a strong male can survive, defeat his opponent and give good offspring. Salt is important for the female so that the pregnancy proceeds well, and the elk calf stores up on minerals.
Where is the best place to set it up?
Elks walk a lot, trampling down paths that are very visible to the hunter's eye. The hunter can only walk along such a trail, find fresh traces of elk on it (in the form of droppings and beds) and place a salt lick nearby. It will not be difficult for moose to detect it, thanks to its keen sense of smell and special love for salt. A good place for installing a salt lick should be located near a body of water. This way you will be sure that the moose will come here. It can be either a river or a small clear puddle located in the bottom of the forest.
The place for the trap should be open so that the wind can carry the smell of salt far. If elk trails pass through thicket, then you can make a clearing yourself. To do this, simply cut down some of the bushes and thickets. This should not be done only if moose come to this place very often. The animal has excellent memory, so sudden changes in the environment may not go unnoticed and alert, even scare off the moose. For solonetz, it is important to choose an area with a deficiency of salt sources. This way you will be sure that the elk will definitely come to your bait.
When is the best time to hunt elk, and what do you need?
Salt licks are special structures created by humans for feeding and luring animals. These designs are feeders of various shapes that contain the most common salt. The fact is that during the winter period the elk loses the supply of minerals it needs and in early spring replenishes it by eating. That is why it is best to hunt elk immediately after winter, since at this time it is very active in visiting the salt licks. These animals usually sleep from early morning until lunch. Therefore, you should expect them near the salt only in the afternoon and the rest of the time until dusk falls. It is best to use a special storage shed for tracking elk. How to build it and the salt lick itself can be seen in a video on the Internet. The storage shed should be located at a sufficient distance from the location of the salt licks. Since elk have a very good sense of smell, the hunter needs to be careful and it is advisable not to consume alcohol or tobacco a few days before the hunt. Such a smell can scare away the beast. To prevent distance from becoming a hindrance, you should use an optical sight with your gun. Price/quality compromise solutions are:
- Leupold;
- Schmidt&Bender.
It is very convenient to use special night vision devices that allow you to distinguish animals in the dark. But such devices are quite expensive and require state registration. Using them for hunting is not always possible.
What salt to use
Hunters often argue about the “correct” salt that should be used when organizing a salt lick. Someone praises the so-called “lollipops” - salt pressed into a cube shape weighing up to four kilograms. Someone praises the usual one. But practice shows that moose don’t care what kind of salt. The main thing is its presence. If they like the place, they will return there, perhaps even setting up a rookery nearby. The only condition is that the salt should not fall off the salt lick and be washed away by rain, otherwise all efforts will be in vain.
Correct salt lick
Moose hunting will be successful if the hunter calculates everything accurately. Making a bait is quite simple. You need to find an aspen tree with intact bark and cut it down. If there is a trail next to it within a kilometer radius along which moose move, then they will definitely find your place. You need to cut out several cup-shaped holes in the trunk and pour salt into it. When arranging bait, it is very important to remember that salt is loved not only by moose, but also by wild boars, bears, hares, and even wolves. In this regard, you need to think about the height of your salt lick for moose. It should be such that it would be inconvenient for other animals to get the mineral for themselves. Some hunters make a cut on a tree trunk higher than 50 centimeters from the ground, but do not cut it all the way so that the salt lick is slightly downhill. At such a height, small animals may not be able to smell the treat.
To ensure the safety of the bait, so that the rain does not wash away the delicacy, some hunters build a canopy over the salt lick. It should be made from natural materials and not emit any chemical odors. Once a moose smells a foreign odor, such as chipboard, you won't see it again. The best option to protect the salt lick for elk is to make a canopy out of poles, on top of which lay spruce paws or just branches. All that remains is to watch your salt lick, waiting for the moment when the bowls begin to empty. As soon as the bark and salt on your tree begin to decrease, you can set up a “shooting point.”
Salt licks for moose
Hunting tactics
Hunting for elk on salt licks should be done using slightly different salt than for hunting other animals. Salt licks for moose are best made from solid rock salt. It is somewhat difficult to buy it, since it is not sold in regular stores. Ideally, you should agree with the supplier of the product to purchase just such salt from him. This salt looks like a large cobblestone, which can weigh up to 40 kg and has a greenish-gray tint.
Hunting for elk on the salt lick should take place in the most remote places from people’s routes.
How to make a salt lick for an elk? Sometimes it’s easier to make a salt lick for elk with your own hands, since it’s not always possible to agree on supplies.
In order to get a huge piece of salt, you need to fill some metal or wooden container with a lid with table or crushed salt and fill it with water, and give it time to brew and turn into stone. So if you can’t find salt briquettes on sale, then you shouldn’t despair, since you can make salt licks for elk yourself.
Weapon Selection
This is a very important point, since these animals naturally have thick skins, great endurance and fast running. So when choosing a tool for elk hunting, you need to take into account not only the greater power of the weapon, but also the number of shots. It is best to choose a weapon that can fire two or three shots in a row.
Camera traps
The use of these modern devices can greatly increase a hunter's chances of catching game. A camera trap is a photo-video recorder that has an infrared motion sensor and the ability to record video and photos. The device turns on automatically when a heat source approaches.
Some expensive types of this equipment can even transmit instant MMS messages to the owner that the animal has arrived at the trap site.
Option with salt varnish
If the hunter does not have the skills of a woodcutter or does not want to tinker with a canopy and an aspen trunk, there is an alternative bait option - salt varnish. Its only drawback is that you will not be able to track at what time the elk visited the salt lick. Such bait can be organized in two ways: disposable or reusable.
A one-time solution is to prepare a strong saline solution at the rate of one part water and four parts salt. Add salt to boiling water and stir until completely dissolved. After preparation, the salt water is poured into a place suitable for complementary feeding. The hot brine will saturate the ground to a depth of more than 20 centimeters.
The reusable method is more difficult to implement, but can last for several years. The idea is to make a feeder from wood, the walls of which are impregnated with salt varnish, prepared in the same ratio of components. Even when the salt water runs out, the walls of the feeder will be salty. Moose will lick them for a long time.
Where and how should salt licks be made for moose?
It is not so difficult to make a solonetz; it is much more difficult to find a suitable place for it. The need for a storehouse nearby should be taken into account. You will also need to install a camera trap (for shooting video). First of all, you need to pay attention to the following important points:
- direction of air flow;
- availability of places for shelter;
- review.
Elk is a very cautious and timid animal. Therefore, you should take into account the direction of the air flow, since a foreign smell can scare away the animal. It is advisable to choose a place for the salt lick so that the storage shed is located downwind from it - this way the smell of a person will not reach the animal.
The salt lick itself can be visited not only by moose, but also by other, more dangerous animals - for example, bears. Therefore, it is best to place a storage shed on trees, placing boards between individual branches. This will make it possible to avoid contact with dangerous representatives of the local fauna. At the same time, the hunter’s bed must be carefully covered, but the salt lick itself must be clearly visible. This is especially important if the gun does not have an optical sight. When hunting, it is best to use a special camouflage robe or other special clothing. You should avoid using equipment in bright, flashy colors. The salt lick itself for moose hunting can be made in two ways:
- disposable - by preparing a special brine and pouring it onto the ground;
- reusable - by assembling a special design.
In the first case, you need to pour regular table salt into boiling water - 250 g per 1 liter of water. After cooling, you need to pour this liquid onto the ground. This salt lick requires minimal time to make, but it will last until the first rain - after which the salt will be washed away. A reusable salt lick is a canopy under which there is a container full of salt. You can use regular, ground, or whole, if available. An important advantage of the latter is that untreated and unground salt is not washed off by rain. Its stones can easily be left without a canopy, just on the ground or in an ordinary basin. It is advisable to install a camera trap directly opposite the salt lick to record video.
Ambush Site
When the hunter feeds the elk, all that remains is to arrange a place for an ambush. From this point the entire flat area around the bait should be visible. The hunter must know the approximate time when the elk goes to the salt lick in order to be prepared for the meeting. Most often, hunters make their shelter in the form of a hut, using branches, twigs and bushes. The main condition is free space for the movement of a person with a weapon. Such a place has the only, but huge, drawback, which is that instead of an elk, a wild boar or a bear may come to the salt lick. Then the hunter may have problems.
Deer hunting on salt licks
Deer enjoy salt in spring and summer. The whole point is that during the winter the supply of mineral substances in the body of these animals almost completely depletes. Therefore, at this time of year, deer visit salt licks with great pleasure. These visits are not only an opportunity for them to diversify the menu; at one time, an adult deer eats several kilograms of mineral salt. Deer visit both artificial and natural salt licks. Artificial salt licks are created by employees of hunting farms to feed animals. Artificial salt licks are often placed in clays and peat bogs, which deer eat. The salt in these rocks retains its properties for decades, which means that if the salt marsh is created by humans, it will serve animals for a long time. Hunting on salt licks
Hunting for the forest beauty is very limited and is practiced only after the issuance of a special permit. In the recent past, deer hunting was used to obtain reindeer antlers (antlers), which are valuable medicinal raw materials. For this purpose, they hunt from June 1 to July 10. The time is chosen when the antlers “ripe”, around June 15th. At this time, deer are very careful and it is almost impossible to get them any other way.
On the leeward side, not far from the salt licks, the hunters set up an ambush. For this purpose, it is best to build a storage shed in a tree; it gives hunters a better chance of remaining invisible to deer. Deer usually come to the salt licks late at night or in the evening, so the hunter should be prepared to stay up at night. Two hours before sunset, he takes his place in the storage shed. You need to immediately get comfortable, load the gun, attach a flashlight or special lighting devices to it, the light that comes from them and does not allow you to miss when shooting in complete darkness. You will have to sit very quietly, do not smoke, do not make sudden movements, do not talk.
The female comes first to the salt licks, and if the hunter is going to hunt for antlers, there is no need to shoot the deer. The deer approaches the salt licks carefully and for a long time. He is never in a hurry, listens, stops often, and is ready to retreat at the slightest threat. If at this moment the hunter spooks the deer, then on that day not a single animal will approach this place again.
You can shoot a deer when, having calmed down, it begins to lick the salt and will present an excellent target for the hunter. It is better to shoot in the neck or shoulder blades; such a shot can be fatal for a deer. And it’s better to shoot at him again, because it will be impossible to catch up with a wounded deer that goes into the taiga without dogs. If the deer is shot, the hunter pulls the deer carcass aside and then begins to butcher it. This must be done so that the salt licks do not deteriorate; if blood is spilled on the salt licks, then no other animal will come to this place.
Labaz is the best way
Now you know how to make salt lick for elk. It's time to learn how to make the best place for an ambush - a storage shed. It is a small platform located on a tree. The optimal height from the ground is 3.5 meters. It needs to be installed on a large tree with a developed crown that can cover you from the animal. The shape and size of the site depend on the number and size of people who will sit in ambush. This option is the safest for humans and the most cunning. The trick is that at such a height the scent of a person cannot be detected by an animal such as a moose. But to be on the safe side, you need to take into account the direction of the wind. It should be from the salt lick for the elk towards the person. Another advantage: from a height a person will notice the animal faster. This will give you the opportunity to take good aim and make an accurate shot.
Making a shelter
Often, not only moose, but also dangerous animals - wild boar, bear - go to the established salt lick. Therefore, a hunter who sits in ambush will need shelter. A storage shed is built on trees using planks. It is recommended to wait there so as not to encounter animals that can harm humans, and also for the convenience of detecting an elk.
The storage area should be located on the side where the wind blows. The size must allow a person to be inside. It is better if the shelter is raised 4 meters above the soil, well camouflaged with branches and twigs. Hunters call storage sheds, located in the form of small areas in the trees, an ideal ambush option. There should be strong trees nearby that you can climb. The sides of the site are closed or left open. You also need to build a stand for the weapon, from which it is convenient to shoot.
Features of hunting
During an ambush, the hunter must follow several rules that are mandatory for the successful completion of the hunt:
- Consider the direction of the wind. It should blow towards the hunter, not away from him.
- The right time for an ambush is the evening before sunset.
- It is important to remain quiet while waiting. Remember that you are in the forest.
- The hunter should not emit foreign odors: mosquito repellent, cologne, cigarettes. Remember the elk's sensitive sense of smell.
- You need to approach the ambush from the opposite side of the path so that the animal does not smell it or collide with you on the way to the feeder.
By following these recommendations, you can get good results.
