California Treestand Hunting Advice Needed

Joined
Jul 4, 2020
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56
Hey guys,

Finally invested in cams this year and got a couple decent bucks on them. I'm thinking I'm going to try and tree stand hunt them but never have before. Anyone hunt California D zones in tree stands that would be willing to offer me up some advice on deciding where to locate the stand?
IMG_3993.jpgIMG_3989.jpglake front.jpgLake back.jpg
 

JNDEER

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May 2, 2012
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Never tried for D but have for B.

if you are not running a lot of cams in the area and know 100% the buck or bucks frequent the area routinely then I would look for either right spots near bedding or spots between their morning feed to bedding.
If only a few cams you have better be getting pics of bucks Atleast every other day. If it is spread more then 2-3 days IMO it’s not worth it and you could hang a stand and never see a deer for a couple days.

for me stand hunting only happeneds when the amount of deer sign is off the charts ... or.. I am hoping to cross the path of a big buck that I believe is in the area .
 

Rob5589

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We don't but we run into a couple of guys that treestand almost exclusively during archery season. They shoot bucks about every year out of them. They also set up several cams in various locales. D3 for reference.
 
OP
fuelthehunt
Joined
Jul 4, 2020
Messages
56
Never tried for D but have for B.

if you are not running a lot of cams in the area and know 100% the buck or bucks frequent the area routinely then I would look for either right spots near bedding or spots between their morning feed to bedding.
If only a few cams you have better be getting pics of bucks Atleast every other day. If it is spread more then 2-3 days IMO it’s not worth it and you could hang a stand and never see a deer for a couple days.

for me stand hunting only happeneds when the amount of deer sign is off the charts ... or.. I am hoping to cross the path of a big buck that I believe is in the area .


Gotcha! Ya I only got the 4x4 on cam one time but do believe that he is the same buck I saw on this hill last year during rifle season. When pulling the card I accidentally jumped a buck from just down the hill from my cam and he left some big tracks so thinking it was this same guy.

Thats kind of what I was worried about was setting the stand and never having anything come through. Over 11 days of being out had the 4x4, 3 does and 2 bears come through.

The forky came through that same spot twice 4 days apart at almost the exact same time of day.
 
OP
fuelthehunt
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Jul 4, 2020
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We don't but we run into a couple of guys that treestand almost exclusively during archery season. They shoot bucks about every year out of them. They also set up several cams in various locales. D3 for reference.

Thanks for sharing. I'm thinking of setting up a couple more cameras in the area and see if I can catch him moving more frequently in the area. Pretty sure the 4x4 is the same buck I saw last year during rifle season on the same hill.
 

Rich M

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I do a lot of tree stand hunting and want pics every day to feel confident. Every 2 or 3 days is a big maybe. We get 3-5 day seasons.

Anyway, set up downwind and down thermal from deer.

Face where deer come from.

Sit 12-15 ft up w some back cover if possible. Take your time.

Last deer I shot was 20 feet away. Be still and trust yourself.
 
OP
fuelthehunt
Joined
Jul 4, 2020
Messages
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I do a lot of tree stand hunting and want pics every day to feel confident. Every 2 or 3 days is a big maybe. We get 3-5 day seasons.

Anyway, set up downwind and down thermal from deer.

Face where deer come from.

Sit 12-15 ft up w some back cover if possible. Take your time.

Last deer I shot was 20 feet away. Be still and trust yourself.

Thanks for the tips. Unfortunately not having activity close to that. 4x4 was only on cam once but pretty sure he is the same buck I saw on this hill last year. Might be my cam location because I'm pretty sure he's staying on this hill.

Forky got him twice on that cam 4 days apart same time of day.

Nice. That would be crazy fun to have that type of opportunity.

Do you think it is to late already to go set more cams?
 

Rich M

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Never too late.

Just remember that deer can smell where you've been days after you've been there - don't start laying down trails that they will avoid for the rest of the year.

You can also use trail cams to teach deer to stay off trails - say the trail forks, put the cams on the one that's hardest to hunt and the deer should use the other one. That's a given with whitetails, not so sure how touchy mule deer are.
 

SDHNTR

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Done it quite a bit. I like to find trail intersections. Look around enough and you’ll find spots where 3-4 trails all come together. You’ll dramatically increase your chances on a spot like that versus just setting up off one trail.
 

Badseed

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I primarily hunt the D zones because I have access to some good land but like others have said, tree stand hunting is really designed for you to be in position at a location where you know the bucks will be coming through. Another thing to mention is that the muleys usually change their routine and trails at least monthly. Just because you are getting photos now doesn’t mean they will be there in a month. For California D zone hunting I would argue that you will have improved odds with spot and stalk unless you have consistent buck activity leading into the season. Best of luck to you!


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87TT

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I wouldn’t use a tree stand for mulies. They don’t generally follow a pattern as say white tails. And I can guarantee they won’t be where you see them in velvet later during hunting season. The closer you get to the last part of October into November, they will be covering lots of country checking on the does.
 
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fuelthehunt
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Messages
56
Never too late.

Just remember that deer can smell where you've been days after you've been there - don't start laying down trails that they will avoid for the rest of the year.

You can also use trail cams to teach deer to stay off trails - say the trail forks, put the cams on the one that's hardest to hunt and the deer should use the other one. That's a given with whitetails, not so sure how touchy mule deer are.


Thanks for the input! Good things to remember for sure.
 
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fuelthehunt
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Done it quite a bit. I like to find trail intersections. Look around enough and you’ll find spots where 3-4 trails all come together. You’ll dramatically increase your chances on a spot like that versus just setting up off one trail.

Ok cool! I seep hearing mixed stuff from different guys haha. Some are like don't try and hunt mulies from a tree and others who do it every year. There are a lot of trails on this particular hill with the 4x4. The spot where the pic was taken he bedded there two times the same day. Came and went from the same direction. There are also multiple beds just out of sight on the down hill where he came from that looked fresh as well.
 
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fuelthehunt
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I wouldn’t use a tree stand for mulies. They don’t generally follow a pattern as say white tails. And I can guarantee they won’t be where you see them in velvet later during hunting season. The closer you get to the last part of October into November, they will be covering lots of country checking on the does.

This would be for archery in mid August. Pretty sure this is the same buck I saw last year on this hill in mid Sept. It's to thick to glass much in this area.
 
OP
fuelthehunt
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I primarily hunt the D zones because I have access to some good land but like others have said, tree stand hunting is really designed for you to be in position at a location where you know the bucks will be coming through. Another thing to mention is that the muleys usually change their routine and trails at least monthly. Just because you are getting photos now doesn’t mean they will be there in a month. For California D zone hunting I would argue that you will have improved odds with spot and stalk unless you have consistent buck activity leading into the season. Best of luck to you!


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Gotcha. I'm pretty sure this is his hill and I that I saw him last year in sept on this hill as well. Getting so much mixed advice haha.
 

Badseed

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The area I hunt is thick brush with a few open areas so glassing has never been an option. I usually deploy cameras around the first of august for archery and spend a few days walking the area to look for trails and fresh sign. If I can find a trail I move my cameras to track the pattern. If I cant find a trail I check my cameras each week to see if they are showing anything. If not, they get moved to areas I think are promising. Every year I see bucks on the property but rarely are they ever in the exact same spot. One week they might be in the same area as before then they will disappear for a weeks. If you think that you have a good location for a stand and camera evidence, go for it. There is no “best” way to get your buck especially during archery season. If you do plan to use a stand make sure to practice shooting out of it before hand. Best of luck!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
OP
fuelthehunt
Joined
Jul 4, 2020
Messages
56
The area I hunt is thick brush with a few open areas so glassing has never been an option. I usually deploy cameras around the first of august for archery and spend a few days walking the area to look for trails and fresh sign. If I can find a trail I move my cameras to track the pattern. If I cant find a trail I check my cameras each week to see if they are showing anything. If not, they get moved to areas I think are promising. Every year I see bucks on the property but rarely are they ever in the exact same spot. One week they might be in the same area as before then they will disappear for a weeks. If you think that you have a good location for a stand and camera evidence, go for it. There is no “best” way to get your buck especially during archery season. If you do plan to use a stand make sure to practice shooting out of it before hand. Best of luck!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thanks man! Great advice...I think I'll start with putting additional cameras out in the area and see what I get from there.
 

87TT

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Location
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The area I hunt is thick brush with a few open areas so glassing has never been an option. I usually deploy cameras around the first of august for archery and spend a few days walking the area to look for trails and fresh sign. If I can find a trail I move my cameras to track the pattern. If I cant find a trail I check my cameras each week to see if they are showing anything. If not, they get moved to areas I think are promising. Every year I see bucks on the property but rarely are they ever in the exact same spot. One week they might be in the same area as before then they will disappear for a weeks. If you think that you have a good location for a stand and camera evidence, go for it. There is no “best” way to get your buck especially during archery season. If you do plan to use a stand make sure to practice shooting out of it before hand. Best of luck!


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Good idea to practice shooting out of one. I shot the Northwest Mountain Challenge and they had a tree stand and a ground blind. What an eye opener! Never shot out of either. Missed a turkey (target) at 50 yards out of the ground blind but hit the mt lion out of the tree stand.
 

Block

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My first ever buck was a trail cam/ground blind D8 buck... came into 11 yards...Read and listen to as much blacktail and whitetail articles/podcasts as you can.. they will relate more to stand hunting even if you are after Mule deer/hybrids
 

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fuelthehunt
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My first ever buck was a trail cam/ground blind D8 buck... came into 11 yards...Read and listen to as much blacktail and whitetail articles/podcasts as you can.. they will relate more to stand hunting even if you are after Mule deer/hybrids

Thanks man!! That's a very nice buck you got. Went and checked cams and the 4x4 came back again and bedded in the same spot exactly a week later.
 
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