Tree Stand Hunting Elk

[Jason Stafford]

Ryan that is one heck of a nice bull. You cannot argue with success.

 

[ElkNut1]

Ryan, very nice!! I've done both styles of hunting elk, both have satisfaction, but I love running & gunning best! (grin) As I get older I enjoy stand hunting evenings & save those legs for the long morning short afternoon hunts! All in all, treestanding elk is a killer way to be consistent!!

ElkNut1

 

[justin davis]

I prefer to be on the move for elk. I don't like being tied down to one spot. Like to go make things happen

 

[BigSurArcher]

I love sitting in the treestand over a hot water hole. Here's a NM treestand bull my buddy killed while I was in the tree with him filming.

 

[Swede]

Elk can be shot from a tree stand any time of day. I have taken them in the morning, afternoon and evening, but the most I have killed from my stand were harvested during the last two hours of hunting light. Elknut's practice of "running & gunning in the morning and early afternoon is not just a way for old coots to get a break. Sorry Paul, I couldn't resist. That strategy gives you the very best of both hunting techniques.

 

[sk1]

Swede, you preset hang on stands or take a climber? I'm wondering if my lone wolf climber is going to slip bad if i end up in an aspen tree lol....i would think ill have issues but i haven't used the stand much so im not sure.....i have used older climbers in the midwest on poplar trees and hang on you're gonna go for a ride in those slick trees

presetting stands is not in the cards for me this year, no time to scout but im already familiar with where im hunting

 

[dreamingbig]

I have sat in a treestand a ton with no success while my hunting partners have done so and have taken many elk out of them. The closest I came to being successful was sitting in my stand and listen to a bull push his cows up the ridge about a couple hundred yards to my left. I couldn't take it any longer so I got out of my stand, stalked in on the herd and let out a few cow calls. A cow came down to investigate and I was able to kill her. It was an anterless or spike only hunt.

Treestands work but they take patience. When you only have 7 days to hunt it takes a lot of faith to spend every minute in one stand.

 

[Swede]

I prefer a prehung stand. It normally takes me about an hour to set one up. Tree stands are good to go as soon as you are done hanging them. I have had elk and bears come in while I was still working away.

Dreaming big, I hear ya. I have been in your shoes so to speak, but now I can say, I would go to my stand if I had only one hour left to hunt. Tree stand hunting is not a last resort, but where I go to kill elk. I go there because it increases my opportunity at taking down a critter. I do not know why you are not succeeding from a stand. There are many possibilities and probably the least likely culprit is old Fickle Luck. Like the devil, Old F.L. gets a lot of blame that that he does not deserve. Look over your placement and stand set up, then consider what you are doing in the stand. I sat my son in law in my best stand some years ago. After about 5 days of absolutely no action, I was concerned. I always have some opportunity there in that amount of time. Just out of the blue so to speak, I asked him if he was calling from his stand. He said he was regularly bugling. Though I have called in different elk from my stand, I have learned that is usually a mistake. I told him he should stay as silent as possible. He did and his luck changed right away. That is just a guess. Maybe you too would get some good from the Tree Stand Hunting Rocky Mountain Book. I tried to cover everything a hunter would need to know to be successful, with some explanation of why. Never trust Fickle Luck for your hunting success. He is just not trust worthy. Maybe like the devil, he will give you a taste of success, only to head you down the wrong path.

 

[Rick Seymour]

Elk have to come get water every day sooner or later...obvious. Here in Colorado you might be tree stand hunting while you are actually on the ground. I have traipsed through area's found a water hole and sit for 1-3 hours mid-day and I was 20' above the water but I was "on the ground". Back east you would have to be in a tree to do that 9 out of 10 times. Its terminology

 

[les welch]

Swede, you preset hang on stands or take a climber? I'm wondering if my lone wolf climber is going to slip bad if i end up in an aspen tree lol....i would think ill have issues but i haven't used the stand much so im not sure.....i have used older climbers in the midwest on poplar trees and hang on you're gonna go for a ride in those slick trees

presetting stands is not in the cards for me this year, no time to scout but im already familiar with where im hunting

No it will work just fine in any aspen tree.

 

[dreamingbig]

Swede, I think treestanding is a very effective. I don't call while sitting in the tree. I should have mentioned that my partners have killed elk out of the same trees I have sat in so I chalk it up to bad timing rather than bad location/tactics. I plan to try it again this year!

 

[cody covey]

How many of you set up on wallows with your stand. It is pretty dry in colorado this year so far so i wonder how that might work if the area the wallow is in is still wet. Any thoughts?

 

[Swede]

Cody: I do not set up on a spot because it has a wallow. I set up where there is strong evidence of recurring elk use. I prefer a water hole that is getting hammered. A muddy stinking water hole is a delight. I want a place where the trails leading to the water hole are getting active use. I need to see that the traffic is not just from one herd that recently passed through the area. Fresh and old rubs in the vicinity are encouraging. A wallow is just a bonus to me. It adds to the attractiveness of a site. Look at the whole picture, but don't hold out for the perfect. I rarely see that situation, and when I do it never lasts very long.

 

[sk1]

No it will work just fine in any aspen tree.

well i guess maybe i wont sell this stand then....i bought it when i was stationed in north dakota at the end of the season, but got out of the military and moved out west....maybe ill give it a go this year

 

[Evan Williams]

I personally will be utilizing both tree stands and ground blinds this year!!! I am hunting a new area with a buddy and his grandson. We have 3 elk tags and a deer tag. We have some wallows picked out and are going to be hunting there early in the season then change things up later in the season. I also know that my boss shot his biggest elk 380+" in New Mexico. He found a crossing hiked a stand in sat it two days and that big bull walked up...17 yards.

Use whatever tactics you can to fill your tag

If you have a good wallow location or travel corridor and its early in the season that is when I think a stand or a blind can best be utilized.

 

[Ross]

I like to move around too much to sit in a tree stand...it is all running and gunning for me.....even sitting at a wallow can be difficult, as i am always thinking there are bulls bugling somewhere so let's go find them!

 

[RUTTIN]

Here in Utah the hunt is so early that the bulls don't start talking until the last of the hunt, and it is so hot that tree stand hunting is really productive at the start of the hunt. I like to set wallows that are as high on the mountain as you can find. The bulls are more apt to wallow in the day. But when the bulls start to talk, I like to chase em and call, if I need a rest for the legs, I can always go sit in my stand for the night.

 

[Maxhunter]

Here in Utah are season usually starts the middle or so in August. The elk aren't talking and the woods are very noisy. Treestands are very effective this time of the season IMO. The key is to find a good travel route, water source, or feeding area and you'll get an opportunity. I've lived out west all my life and most hunters don't have the patience's to sit in a stand. It's a very effective way to fill the freezer!

 

[Titaniumman]

I have always thought that hunting elk from a tree stand is a good idea. I have done it a couple of times now. The first time I was fighting back issues and snowy September weather (Montana, go figure) so I didn't make much use of it. Last year I set one up closer to home. I only sat in it one day, opening morning, but nothing came by. It was a pretty sweet morning though. The next time I was heading up to it with my son when we jumped a few cows and calves 50 yards from the stand. No shots but it did affirm that I had picked up a decent location. The next time out I was almost half way to the stand when we called in a bull I was able to take. It is about a mile and a half to my stand. Getting it in there takes a bit of doing but I think it will be worth it in the long run.

 

[abovealpine]

yes it can work wonders ,but its not just about a kill for me, Im all about chasing them through the mountains , training for a hunt , sitting on my arse is Boring to say the least for me !

Whatever works for u is great but i will say this if u get a herd bull on the ground within bow range , no treestand hunt can compare to that !!