We had lots of action this past September from tree stands, [including the one above] although no shots were taken it is definitely another way good way to hunt elk.
cnelk, I have place in mind for a treestand, but the wind seems so fickle in the mountains. Approximately how long after shoot time and again prior to quit time, will you be in stand.
My camera at my potential waterhole shows elk at mid-day, when the wind seems to swirling every 10 minutes. Any suggestions? thanks.
I have a good friend in OR (originally from WI like 20+ years ago) He has done the legwork and study, has an area they kill P&Y class bulls every year out of treestands. A really wide 340 a year ago. A 300 class this year. Took a lot of time, several years to get the area dialed in. When he moved to OR they laughed at him hunting them like whitetails. They don't laugh anymore.
Interestingly enough, he doesn't sit water or wallows. He has found some travel routes the elk use the same way year in and year out. Ridge lines, Saddles and funnels, etc. The stands go up in the same trees every year. Pretty cool.
TD: In the book I wrote on the subject, I noted that I started by studying what Whitetail hunters had written on the subject of tree stand hunting. There are things I do differently than deer hunters, but that too was where I started.
bowcrazy, I'm not speaking for cnelk, but too your question, elk can change their times of use according to weather & phase of the rut. Midday is tough sitting areas close to destination areas such as water sources in spots where wind is unpredictable. You are better off not to sit that close to the waterhole & blow everything out of there for your future days to hunt there. If they wind your presence you can run them off for weeks!
Is there any chance you can retreat from the waterhole & set up off a trail they are using on their approach? Elk are coming from a bedding area to this water, can you intercept them in an area where the wind is more stable such as on a sidehill or knoll where wind is favorable for long stretches?
If not I'd wait them out & hunt them first 2-3 hours of daylight & last couple hours before dark. Their pattern will change where they can show early & or late as well as midday as long as they are not blown out! Hunt with predictable wind then back out, the wind will be your demise if you force your stay.
Basically this is what TD's friend is doing with success, he's sitting on a travel route instead of the destination spot, very smart at times! Good luck!
opening morning this calf was fun to watch as it came by several times looking for the 'elk' that was calling. mama was 60yds away and didnt present a shot
RD: I think you would have to talk to some outfitters to find out if they were equipped and have proven locations for tree stands. I talked to an outfitter that guides in New Mexico. He was at the NW Sportsman Show. He was ready and accommodating. After all they can leave you in a stand, and free up a guide to take someone else out calling and running.
Just to add to what can be an extremely effective way to hunt elk.
I roughly guessed I'd been hunting out of a treestand for abut a dozen years, but this thread got me interested so I went back and watched some videos I'd shot. Hard for me to believe, but I've been hunting out of a treestand since 1997, and out of the same tree since 1999. Out of all those years, there's only been 2yrs I couldn't have killed my elk out of my stand, had I chosen to do so. As is, I've killed 6 bulls out of this tree.
To give you a perspective, the photo is towards a convergence of game trails approx. 20yds to the left of my tree. Off to the left, the ridge drops rather quickly approx. 100yds to a small creek. Not necessarily where elk water, but it adds to the lower temp in that area. I'd guess it's approx. 10 degrees cooler on the creek compared to the temp at the top. I've had elk come into my stand from all sides, regardless of wind direction. It sits on the crest of a ridge, so my scent is apparently always above them. I do very little bugling out of my stand, since the last thing I want is to call in other hunters. The overwhelming majority of elk have been called in using nothing more than short series of mews.
BTW, beetle kill has been horrendous in the mountain range I hunt. As a way of returning the favor, I go in and treat my tree 3-4 times a year. It's one of the few living trees within a 20yd radius, so it must be helping. It scratches my back, I'll scratch back. ;-)
Here's a pic of my son sitting in my stand. It only sits 12' or so up, with not much to break up my outline. Even so, I've only had 2 elk look up in all these years.
WYO, very nice write up & explanation! I liked the point that your stand is on top of a small ridge, seems to do well for not allowing your scent to trickle down in your hunting area, nice!
Really, we are not hunting water holes or ridges. We are tree stand hunting elk. The key to getting elk from a stand is to be where elk will show up. In the drier area that I prefer water holes are well used. There are stands in the area on ridges. I know they are there and getting used, but I see no evidence on the ground that their location is especially good. Still it all boils down to placing your stand where you will intercept elk. That may be a ridge, funnel, a particular area of cover leading to a feeding or bedding area, or a water hole. Cnelk is right about not always needing to be up high. I have a few places like that, but commonly in basins, draws and lower down on mountain sides, the thermals will bring your scent to the ground close in, if you do not have some height above the ground. Being up higher will keep your scent from spooking away incoming elk. I hope this help keep things in perspective.
I've shot the last four elk spike, cow and 2 6x6 from the exact tree stand, they were standing within 20 yards of each other. All four were shot within 2 hours of 11:30 AM
I've killed 6 elk from treestands, 3 over wallows, and the other 3 were on well used travel routes between feeding and bedding areas.
Swede's book is a good read, and echoes a lot of the stuff the successful guys have mentioned here. I had it in the stand when I killed my 2014 bull.
As Swede mentions...if I'm in a basin or deep draw or ravine, I get my stand 25 feet up or higher...it's a necessary evil to keep from getting busted, and it still happens sometimes.
I have several ridgetop stands that naturally funnel elk because of the terrain...and those are not near as high. I will cow call softly from those every 10 mins or so, and it works! I've found the real key to those ridgetop stands, is to pick a time when the wind is calm. If it's gusty or swirly, you're probably wasting your time.
Question how heavy are your stands and do you have someone else back at camp who knows where you are? This was my first year to use a stand as I usually hunt solo. Climbing sticks?
John, I prefer the fairly heavy stands. My favorite by far is the Millennium M100. It is comfortable, stable and quiet. If you are going to sit for hours in a stand, it needs to be comfortable. If you plan to shoot something from your stand, it needs to be quiet. Patience and perseverance in a stand is half of what it takes to kill elk there. The other half is location. I can handle about 10 hours in one day in a small stand, but that is all. By that time I am done for the season.
I have no ATV. I set up 4-6 stands each season. In addition, sometimes I move one or two. The stands range in distance from 1/4 mile to over a mile from my truck. I took one in 2.5 miles this year. I carry them on my back. I prepare to hunt the whole 30 day season. It takes me two or three days, before the season opens, to hang all of the stands and a day or two to retrieve them. It just depends on how spread out they are. I could also move one during the day. Depending on the pack, etc. it takes about 1-3 hours. each. Another thing I like about the Millennium stands is that, I carry only a hanger and drop line up the tree with me when I start. After easily attaching the hanger, then I pull up the stand and just set it into the hanger. It is both easy and safe.
Thanks I probably will use them again I think I have been a little leary going solo incase this old guy had a problem and no one around. I usually screw in a step and pull stand up with a rope from ground then use a linemans belt to finish up. Getting older means no more hanging on to tree with legs only! I might have to check out your book can you give me title and best place to find, thanks swede.
John it is real easy to get a book. See cnelk's November 7th supporting link and click on it. The books are being sold by Jeff at Elk mountain Gear. I completely understand you getting old thoughts. I am getting there at age 68 now. I don't want to have any significant falls either. I am very cautious these days.
