Water is Life: Finding Seeps and Springs
In the high desert canyons of Owyhee County, water is the primary driver of elk movement. Learn how to find the hidden sources.
If you find the water, you find the game. In Idaho's high desert units like 40, 41, and 42, water is more than a necessity—it's a magnet that dictates every movement an elk makes during the late summer and early fall.
The 'Green Spot' Search
When e-scouting on Roam Idaho or Google Earth, you isn't just looking for blue lines on the map. In the desert, those blue lines are often bone-dry. Instead, look for chromatic anomalies:
- The Emerald Bench: A bright green patch on an otherwise brown hillside indicates a 'seep'—where groundwater is pushing to the surface.
- Willows and Aspens: These water-loving species cannot survive without a consistent subsurface source. Even if there's no standing water, these are high-probability zones for wallows.
Roam Idaho Pro Tip: The 2-Mile Rule
Don't hunt the water, hunt the route. Elk rarely bed right on top of a water source in high-pressure units. They usually bed in the thickest cover available within a 2-mile radius and travel to water at dusk. Find the trail between the bedding ridge and the seep for the perfect evening ambush.
Reading Cattle Troughs
In many Idaho units, the only water for miles is provided by range improvements for cattle. These 'guzzlers' and troughs are often shared by elk. However, cattle can be incredibly loud and disruptive. If a trough is surrounded by 50 head of cattle, the elk will likely wait until the dead of night to visit or move to a more secluded, natural seep.
Checking the Flow
Always have a Plan B. A spring that flowed in July might be a dry mud hole by the time your September tag opens. Use the Roam Idaho 'Recent Satellite' imagery layer to check if the green spots are holding their color as the season progresses.