Calling Elk From A Tree Stand

[Swede]

As many of you know I pretty much advise against calling from a tree stand. The main reason for this is that elk know exactly where the call came from. When they approach your location they come looking for the caller. If the elk does not see the elk it heard where it is supposed to be, they turn and leave. It has happened to me several times. I have been a slow learner on some things. It is especially important to not answer an elk. I know how tempting it is but do yourself a favor: Don't. This is a matter of improving your odds of getting the bull. Staying quiet is no guarantee, but you will be more likely to get the critter if you just wait.
About the only time I will call is after I make a shot on the elk, I try to call it down with a few cow sounds.
What I wonder is if there are any questions, acknowledgments or exceptions you have found to put this matter into a clearer perspective?

[Jhg]

Sometimes over a wallow before getting into stand I might go thrashing the wallow a good bit to mimic an elk using it. I know a curious bull will want to see "who it was" using the wallow. He will wait awhile though to do that and bugle coming in. By that time I would be up in the stand ready.

[Elkhunttoo]

I was thinking about this topic a few days ago. My question is more about calling around your stand. The main tree stand I plan on sitting this year is 500 ish yards up the mountain from the road. I’m wondering if before daylight and before I start hiking up to my stand if I bugled a few times from the road jus to locate where elk might be at if you think it would change anything when I get to my stand?

[Swede]

I would wait until I get to my stand location to make my call. Jhg does what I normally do. I make one short location bugle from a spot that is obscure to any elk from a distance, then I go up my tree and wait. Most (90%+) of the time nothing happens but occasionally an elk will come to check out what made the call. I am just improving my odds of getting an elk. Calling is not essential to tree stand hunting, but can shorten your wait time.
Also, just because an elk comes in does not mean they are responding to your call. You will see which ones are as they focus on the location you called from. If the hang up and do not come in, you did not have a good call location. In that case it would have been better to just stay silent. In other words, if you have a good tree stand location don't mess it up. Calling just makes your location more of a focal point. Often there are other spots near by where an elk can go to pass through the area or get a drink. That one call you made can get them to come close enough for you to get a shot.