Waiting Is Hard

[Swede]

We all know waiting is hard. I hate to wait to have some business tell me "We are experiencing unusually high call volume, Your call is very important bla, bla, bla." Do they really think I am that stupid? Probably not, but they don't care. They know there is no alternative for me.
In elk hunting we do have alternatives. I wait for days in a tree stand for an elk to come by. All of us have rear and or heard someone say they do not have the patience to just sit and wait. What if I could tell you that you could be successful taking an elk about every ten days if you just sat tight in a good tree stand on public land in an OTC unit? Would it be worth the wait? What if I told you that you could go home with a full cooler many or most years if you hunted that way. You have to be a little bit smart to effectively hunt from a tree stand, but it takes no genius. The bonus is you will see things you will never see on the ground. Animals and birds come around and have no idea any predator is in the area.
If you are interested get a tree stand and give it a try. If you stick it out your success should be as good as mine. If you still want to hunt on the ground some, you can mix things up and do some of both.

[Elkhunttoo]

Last year was the first year that I mainly just sat in a stand. I’ve sat them before on and off and shot one bull out of one a few years back. Last year was a game changer for me though. I only spent a few days calling and chasing.

I learned a ton last year.
1. The confidence I have in a tree is way higher than what I have on the ground. Nothing knows I’m there. I watched deer, elk, coyotes, and grouse and nothing spooked from me.
2. It’s fun to watch nature just do its thing. I watched a grouse for three days come in and start in almost the exact same spot. Wander around all day and just do its thing. The one stormy day it never lever a 12 foot circle.
3. When I did walk around I just kept telling myself over and over “you know where you should be”
4. The world slows down when I’m in my tree. Can’t wait to get back in

We had way less elk in our area last year than we have in the previous 4 years. I figured I got 80% less pictures last year then in years past and almost no cows all season. Yet, even with low numbers we harvested a nice 6 point bull. I had a shot at a small 5 point that I passed on and if the right branches would have been cleared out I would have had a perfect broadside shot at a nice 6 point.

Waiting is hard!!! But with my plan for next year i am more confident that I can take a nice bull than I ever have been before. So I’m hoping the waiting is getting closer to being over

[Swede]

The world slows down when I’m in my tree. Can’t wait to get back in

We had way less elk in our area last year than we have in the previous 4 years. I figured I got 80% less pictures last year then in years past and almost no cows all season. Yet, even with low numbers we harvested a nice 6 point bull.

That is absolutely true. I see far more elk hiking around on the ground especially if I am calling. The difference is that when I am in my tree, I do not have to slip in close to them. They go about their routine as though nothing in the world is around. The elk don't see, hear of smell me so they are way more vulnerable to my arrow.

[Lefty]

Yep it is!!!
For many years I went deer hunt with my dad, who was a stand hunter.