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Narrowing down “The Spot”...how to

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Narrowing down “The Spot”...how to

Postby Elkhunttoo » 01 28, 2021 •  [Post 1]

How do you narrow down the spot you want to lock yourself down. Last year I sat make shift ground blinds quit a bit of the season. As I would sit I would think to myself, “this is it, of all of the 100 yard circles I could put in the woods this is where I’m choosing to sit, WHY here? I always think the grass is greener on the other side. When we lock ourselves down to a spot we need to have confidence in the reason we are sitting the specific spot.

Why do you pick one spot over another? Example. We have one creek crossing that has 4 main trails that cross it. In the best tree you “might” be able to get 2 of them. How do you pick?
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Re: Narrowing down “The Spot”...how to

Postby Tigger » 01 29, 2021 •  [Post 2]

Well I always use this little saying to help me pick where I set up:

If you are skiing downhill in a canoe and the wheels come off, how many pancakes does it take to shingle a doghouse? Answer? None, ice cream doesn't have bones.

Should help you every time. Your welcome.
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Re: Narrowing down “The Spot”...how to

Postby Elkhunttoo » 01 29, 2021 •  [Post 3]

Tigger wrote:Well I always use this little saying to help me pick where I set up:

If you are skiing downhill in a canoe and the wheels come off, how many pancakes does it take to shingle a doghouse? Answer? None, ice cream doesn't have bones.

Should help you every time. Your welcome.


Perfect!!!! Why didn’t I just think of that!! ;)
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Re: Narrowing down “The Spot”...how to

Postby 7mmfan » 01 29, 2021 •  [Post 4]

Tigger wrote:Well I always use this little saying to help me pick where I set up:

If you are skiing downhill in a canoe and the wheels come off, how many pancakes does it take to shingle a doghouse? Answer? None, ice cream doesn't have bones.

Should help you every time. Your welcome.


That makes so much sense it's stupid. Almost perfect sums up a normal day in the woods for me.
I hunt therefore I am. I fish therefore I lie.
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Re: Narrowing down “The Spot”...how to

Postby Swede » 01 29, 2021 •  [Post 5]

I have never found the perfect spot. It is always a compromise situation. If you are asking about elk locations, I want to be where there are several actively used trails coming together at a good water hole. It would be nice if the trails were being used on an hourly basis. I would like them lined up like people I see on TV waiting for their Covid 19 vaccine. I would like to find a tree, with cover around the spot where I have my stand, so the elk cannot see me when they come along on the trail and approach the water hole. I want to be high enough that diurnal winds don't give me away either.
In reality I am looking for a place where elk come at least once a week, and I can be in a tree where I will get a shot and not be detected. The more evidence of use at the stand area, the better the stand, if you can sit there and not be detected. Not being detected is not always easy. Elk can see 20+ feet up a tree from 20-40 yards out If they see a blob (you) they get nervous and will leave without you getting a shot opportunity.
Most tree stand hunting requires patience and lots of it. You will see a lot more elk while hunting on the ground, but you can kill more elk from a good tree stand.
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Re: Narrowing down “The Spot”...how to

Postby Tigger » 02 01, 2021 •  [Post 6]

Swede wrote: You will see a lot more elk while hunting on the ground, but you can kill more elk from a good tree stand.


Objection your Honor!! Pure conjecture on the part of the defendant.

I don't think I can buy into that, unless you start subsetting the hunters. You can kill elk on the ground as well as in a tree stand. Some hunters may be better in a tree, others may by better on the ground, still others may be just as effective in a cafe eating apple pie.
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Re: Narrowing down “The Spot”...how to

Postby Swede » 02 01, 2021 •  [Post 7]

Several years I did a survey on Bowsite. I had a lot of responses from hunters using different methods. Tree stand hunters had a significantly higher success and their kill rate on big bulls was the same as the others. I will see if I can find the survey results. I am not sure I still have it, since I have a new computer now.
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Re: Narrowing down “The Spot”...how to

Postby Swede » 02 01, 2021 •  [Post 8]

Well we are in luck. I wound my survey results. The following is the summery that was posted on Bowsite.

Calling: 202 total days with 13 elk harvested. (15.54 days per elk killed)
Spot and Stalk: 171 total days with 11 elk harvested. (15.5 days per elk killed)
Tree Stand: 44 total days with 7 elk harvested. (6.29 days per elk killed)
Ground blind: 27 total days with 3 elk harvested. (9.0 days per elk killed)

As I said before:
Swede wrote:You will see a lot more elk while hunting on the ground, but you can kill more elk from a good tree stand.
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Re: Narrowing down “The Spot”...how to

Postby Elkhunttoo » 02 08, 2021 •  [Post 9]

My brother always say “there’s seeing elk” and “there’s killing elk”

He says, “ I’ve seen plenty, I want to kill them when I do”

I have an old college roommate that grew up fly fishing and turkey hunting. I always told him to start elk hunting. He lives in great elk country. He put up a tree stand a few years back and with almost no elk hunting background has already taken some really nice 6 point bulls. I love calling them in but sitting can be super effective. Just need the patience of a trail camera and you will be good to go. I struggle being that patient
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Re: Narrowing down “The Spot”...how to

Postby Swede » 02 09, 2021 •  [Post 10]

Elkhunt, you are 100% correct about the kind of patience it takes to be an effective tree stand elk hunter. Sometimes you get lucky and they come in the first morning. Usually it takes days. I could not stand it the first time I set up a tree stand. I sat in it for about an hour, got bored and left. I had no confidence that elk would show up again at that water hole. I saw no fresh sign there. Later that same weekend I found a spot with fresh sign at a water hole, that I could be sure was being frequented by a good bull. After that I found a few more places that I could identify as good elk spots. That changed everything about my patience. Now I am working on being as patient as a trail camera. I am not quite there yet, but getting close.
What is funny is that I have had visitors come to hunt with me and I let them hunt stands I have taken elk from in the past. They sit there for an hour and then leave. They have no confidence in the location and think I sent them there because I did not want to waste time there.
Two season back I took my son to a stand location. Even though he knows I would purposely not put him in a poor location, he had no confidence in that stand location. He go in early in the morning and decided to take a nap there. He hung his bow on a hanger and kicked back for a snooze. He did not bother to place an arrow on the rest. Within less than an hour he had elk all around him. Fortunately he was awakened and was able to shoot one. His buddy was placed in a similar stand location, but he got out right away and went back to camp. It worked out well as we found him real easy and he could help track and pack out.
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Re: Narrowing down “The Spot”...how to

Postby Elkhunttoo » 02 09, 2021 •  [Post 11]

I’ve got several spots I like but I’m trying to narrow it down... I definitely have some spots that I like better for morning then for the evening and some better for the evening then the morning...problem is kick elk out while changing locations
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Re: Narrowing down “The Spot”...how to

Postby Swede » 02 13, 2021 •  [Post 12]

I have some predominately morning spots and some predominately evening spots. They are in different areas. I am not sure how to determine which is which without staying all day for extended periods of time. I have some water holes near bedding areas that are hit when elk go to bed in the morning. Some water holes are hit in the afternoon when elk come out of their beds. Some are along trails, and elk go both ways on them at different times. No stand location is 100% morning or afternoon, so I have to go on experience with each spot.
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Re: Narrowing down “The Spot”...how to

Postby Lefty » 02 15, 2021 •  [Post 13]

Tigger wrote:Well I always use this little saying to help me pick where I set up:
If you are skiing downhill in a canoe and the wheels come off, how many pancakes does it take to shingle a doghouse? Answer? None, ice cream doesn't have bones.
Should help you every time. Your welcome.

Did you just win the Presidency?
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Re: Narrowing down “The Spot”...how to

Postby Lefty » 02 15, 2021 •  [Post 14]

Swede wrote:Well we are in luck. I wound my survey results. The following is the summery that was posted on Bowsite.

Calling: 202 total days with 13 elk harvested. (15.54 days per elk killed)
Spot and Stalk: 171 total days with 11 elk harvested. (15.5 days per elk killed)
Tree Stand: 44 total days with 7 elk harvested. (6.29 days per elk killed)
Ground blind: 27 total days with 3 elk harvested. (9.0 days per elk killed)

As I said before:
Swede wrote:You will see a lot more elk while hunting on the ground, but you can kill more elk from a good tree stand.

Fascinating info
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