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I'm alone in this ordeal, and don't really know anyone personally who has any valuable perspective. I'd be greatly appreciative of any insight related to the following questions:

1) The wallow has lots of fresh tracks around it, and had lots of fresh scat the first time I was there. However, I cannot tell if a bull is actually wallowing in it. Some of the mud seems disturbed, but some of the water is clearer than I would expect it to be. Is it just that it is too early for real wallowing? Or is it likely that this bull's actual wallow is elsewhere in the drainage? And does it matter, now that I know there are elk in the area? Won't he probably visit with increasing frequency now?

2) I hung a stand 20'+ in a spruce next to the wallow. I'm worried it's too close/steep. I've shot my Mathews Heli-m for four years and am very comfortable with it, but have not shot from an elevated position. If an elk is standing on the far side of the wallow, it is less than 15 yards from me (horizontal distance) and over 45 degrees in angle. Does anyone have suggestions for how/where to practice in Missoula? I have limited time, and don't know where I can go. I'm pretty close to climbing up on my garage and shooting into my cube in the backyard, but am worried the neighbors are going to call the cops. My biggest concern at this point is that when it's go-time, and he's broadside or quartering away, I'm not going to be able to get adequate arrow placement.

3) I made my own static line/Prusik safety system which hangs all the way to the ground. The only climbing line I could find for sale by the foot in town was fairly bright red. Does it matter? Will he care it's readily visible during the times I'm not there? I've since ordered black rope. I also didn't wash it, which I'm feeling dumb for. I'm going to wash the new one before I pack it in. In the meantime, should the smell of the current rope be a major concern? Would he abandon the area over something like that?

4) I can go into details about the relationship of the wallow to the surrounding topography and my thoughts about the wind implications if anyone is interested. I really don't know what I'm doing, but want to maximize the potential to get a crack at this bull and to capitalize on it. I don't know if I'm controlling my scent effectively enough, and I don't have much good camo clothing.

My plan is to get up there between 0800-1000 hrs two days a week, hike in on contour above the fairly steep drainage to avoid disturbing them (I think they might be in the bottom all day/night because there's water, cover and food--if they're not, I simply don't know what their daily habits/movements are at all), and sit the stand until there's just enough light to hike back out. It's a 3 hour drive, however, so hopefully I can seal the deal before too long.

Any guidance/suggestions/criticisms would genuinely be appreciated.

Have you checked the wind currents there during the day? Typically wallows have wind that arent favorable for hunters, only for the elk.

My tree stands for elk are only 10-12 ft high. Elk rarely look up.

Bottom line is you found what looks like a good spot. Hunt it

I wouldn't worry about the stand angle too much. If you can shoot deer close at 20 feet you can shoot elk close at 20 feet. They often times come into the water and hang around. I think you're over-thinking the stand height - you'll probably have multiple shots from multiple distances.

If you bend at the waist, and maintain proper form (i.e., the T of your top half), the difference in arrow impact from the height is so negligible as to be discounted entirely at that range.

Good luck! Post his picture to the meat pole when you get him!

Bake

Sounds like you never hunt from a stand. See if you can find someone with a climber to borrow. Go out to your local forest, climb a tree and practice. You will be surprised at how far you have to bend your waist to maintain properr form.

Yes, bend at the waist when shooting. I think your concerns about the shot angle are valid. It's important to get an exit wound (IMO) for a better blood trail. If the shot is properly placed, he likely won't get 100 yards away and you may hear him fall. Since your stand is set and it may be the "best" tree in that setup, then hunt it. Be aware that hunting wallows can ba lonely deal; you may be there long hours without activity. But, they also pay rewards!

The wind may be thermals heading downhill in early morning and late evening. They will reverse and head uphill once the sun heats things up. This all depends on how shaded the spot is, cloud cover, etc. Strong weather systems can also produce wind directions that are not thermal related.

>>>>----Good luck!----->

Although I do not have much experience tree stand hunting elk, I hunt WT from a tree and I hunt elk from the ground.

I prefer to use milkweed from the stand and watch where it goes. If it isn't consistent or it blow's to where you expect elk to come in, it is a no go.

I would pay attention to Brad's and swedes comments regarding treestand for elk.

Thanks everyone for your input. Really appreciate it. P.S., I pulled the number 280 out of thin air--I don't even know how scoring really works. But I hope his 380 uncle is still holed up and starting to stir!

The closer they get with the steep angle, the smaller the kill zone. The backbone and scapula cover more of the vitals

Wind, wind, wind, and wind midday is tricky. That's probably part of the reason why the elk are hitting the wallow then, they know the wind swirls and they will be tipped off to any predator in the vicinity. Then again, at 20 feet up they may not get enough of a whiff to spook out of there (good luck with that).

Smack the first legal one you can.

I think this has turned out NOT to be a wallow, or at least not one being actively used for wallowing by a bull. I think it is more of a marshy bedding area with nearby cover and lots of springs. It is getting colder, and the rut is advancing in intensity. As I sit there hour after hour and no elk walk by, I wonder whether:

1) they're visiting/traveling this route less frequently because their habits have changed due to the rut.

2) It's been nearly full moon phase the last couple weekends, and they're not feeling the need to get up during the day and stroll through their system of grassy spots and water/mud holes in the afternoon, as they appeared to be doing in the game cam pictures.

3) I spooked them out of the area permanently by too much walking through the bedding areas and areas adjacent to the water trying to get a closer look at the tracks/scat/other sign.

4) That even though I think I'm controlling my scent, they actually have me scented form a mile away and are never going to travel this route/visit this area again until I'm gone.

So, last Saturday, September 16, I got tired of sitting and silently and bugled at around 4:30 pm. Before my bugle was even complete, I got a response. For the remainder of the afternoon, we exchanged bugles, as he chuckled, wheezed, and bugled at every one of my bugles. He would not, however, respond to cow calls. He was clearly holding in the thick, steep timber up the side of the canyon from my stand. I like to think it is the bull in the picture above. He came closer and closer, but stopped at probably 80+ yards, and I never saw him. It got dark and I had to slip out of the stand and back down the draw to my camp.

Sunday, I bugled around the same time, and from the same place, he immediately responded again. So, I said screw it, and went up after him. Over the course of an hour, I would bugle, get a response, check the wind, and then head closer toward him. 55%+ slopes and thick spruce, blow-down, and false huckleberry, basically the least convenient walking you can imagine. The closest I made it was probably less than 20 yards, but never even saw him. Again, he wouldn't respond to cow calls (maybe because mine suck), only my "Mac Daddy Qwik Bugle". Eventually his responses got further and further away, and then he was gone. As far as I could tell, though, he thought I was another elk the whole time. Once he was gone, I walked a 6 mile horseshoe through another couple drainages and got responses from two more bulls, but never got anywhere near either of them, as I was pissed off and disappointed and basically just

Do I need to get into my stand earlier, before daylight? Is there any hope he'll come all the way down to my stand? Is there any likelihood at all another bull will stumble through my setup? Is this more or less likely the further into, and then away from, the rut we get as September and then October progress? Finally, is four days far too small a sample size for determination of whether one is likely to walk by? Or would you be confident enough that the stand approach wasn't happening, abandon it, and just try to hunt from the ground? My problem is mainly that I am so lacking in confidence hunting them from the ground that I want to just commit to the stand, but am also losing confidence in the stand with each full day of sitting there and seeing none of the animal (bear and elk) abundance which appeared in the game cam pics in the weeks (mid-through-late August) leading up to the opener.

INPUT MUCH APPRECIATED!!!!!!!!!!!

Good luck!

"2) I hung a stand 20'+ in a spruce next to the wallow. I'm worried it's too close/steep. I've shot my Mathews Heli-m for four years and am very comfortable with it, but have not shot from an elevated position. If an elk is standing on the far side of the wallow, it is less than 15 yards from me (horizontal distance) and over 45 degrees in angle."

Maybe you know this already, but the horizontal distance is all you need to know. Even if you are 50' up in the tree, if that elk is on the far side of the wallow, you use your 15 yard pin. If you are 100' up in the tree - 15 yard pin. If you are on the ground, 15 yard pin. (Follow the advice on body positioning too.)

Sounds like you found a neat spot. Enjoy the mountains and don't spend so much time worrying!