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Tree Stand Emphasis

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Tree Stand Emphasis

Postby Swede » 01 12, 2016 •  [Post 1]

I have hunted nearly 300 hours from a stand in one season. I hang in there until I get an elk, or run out of season. I probably average about 150 hours per hunt in a stand. Tree stand hunting is my primary way of setting up for a shot on elk. I also sometimes get a deer that way too. I call some as a backup hunting style, and may call when I am out scouting. How much time do you tree stand elk hunt each year?
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Re: Tree Stand Emphasis

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 01 15, 2016 •  [Post 2]

I'm finally taking mine with me this fall. I've had a new stand, safety harness, climbing sticks, and miscellaneous TS gear I've had for two years but have not deployed it yet. Hopefully, I can work it into some days/hunts this fall in the Tato State. I have a few spots in mind that I would like to put the death from above tactic into play! I think it'll be a nice addition to my normal walk the heels off my boots methodology. I'm think I'll try to sit the stand spots every few days. Swede, in your experience, is the early mornings or evenings a more productive option?
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Re: Tree Stand Emphasis

Postby Swede » 01 15, 2016 •  [Post 3]

Phantom, by far the afternoon and evening are the most productive. At least 75% of my elk are taken then. If you want to keep your boots limber, but not wear them out all on one hunt, I would hunt on the ground in the morning, then climb into a stand after that. As a benefit you will enjoy that stand a whole lot after a long morning on a mountainside in thick brush.

Watching this thread, with nobody posting got me to thinking I may be the only one on here that tree stand hunts. I am glad you are going to give it a try.
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Re: Tree Stand Emphasis

Postby GobbleFarmer » 01 18, 2016 •  [Post 4]

I don't hunt elk yet, but hunt whitetails as much as possible. I dont know much about treestand hunting other then thats how I started, a few years ago it was just "i'll go in the tree stand at x location" not thinking twice (not even paying attention to wind direction). I hunt on multiple private lands that already have ladder stands up. I learned to dislike them since you cant just take em down and move them as the season progresses and the critters change their habits and travel pathways. So I learned how to stalk or sit leaning against a tree paying constant attention to wind direction. Now the only time I hunt from a TS is when the wind is not good to go to where I would want to so I just elevate myself, and that did help. On one of the properties there is this tiny ladder stand about 10 feet high on a tiny tree in big old growth oaks (that never produce acorns), its very open and you can see several hundred yards all around except dead ahead is a bedding area, I never liked that stand and payed it little attention. It was only this year that I realized that when the rut is on it is smack dab in a choke point and between three bedding areas. :oops:
“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” ~ Benjamin Franklin.
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Re: Tree Stand Emphasis

Postby Garrett Drach » 01 18, 2016 •  [Post 5]

This past fall was my first time in a tree stand while pursuing elk. I had the opportunity to film someone else, so I didn't have a bow in my hand. We only sat in the stand in the evenings (based off of on trail camera activity observations) and, since it was very warm and we were located on a water hole, saw a lot of activity and quite a few mature bulls. We did still hunt in the mornings with very limited success (we couldn't get anything to become vocal and had a hard time locating them), then crawled up in the stand in the afternoon. Water was such a limiting factor that even bulls who winded us, would return later in the day to get a drink. My take away was that tree stand hunting for elk can be a very effective tactic when given the right conditions, and in our case was essential to harvesting an elk. I'm definitely adding tree stands to my own tool box of elk hunting tactics.

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Re: Tree Stand Emphasis

Postby ishy » 01 18, 2016 •  [Post 6]

I've put time in two seasons. First season after a couple years of pics on a monster wallow with elk coming all day, I lived there. A couple of days I tried the marathon sit dawn till dust. Quietest, slowest days you could imagine. Several days I only spent part of a day on stand, with limited action it became very tough to log time, but I was thinking it would happen at any time if I kept punching the clock. Probably was close to 60-70 hrs on stand. Never saw or heard an elk within a half mile of the wallow. Did have one 6x7 come in while I was on my way to the stand at like 14:30. I thought I was good with wind and took a terrible way in to not bump anything, but man it was a quiet year.
Second year had a new job and only spent two a couple of mid days on stand after moving it above the wallow hoping to only sit during updrafts midday. Had elk in both times. First was a cow with a gimpy calf that came in for 30 minutes. Second I had the herd bedded in the next draw, and the bull would growl every 40-50 minutes. Then at 14:00 he started bugling every minute and it was getting louder. I knew this was it! Everything was perfect, I even had a video camera set up. A hot cow came around the corner with the 6x6 on her tail. They came to 50 yards and the cow just kept walking never turning towards the wallow. I couldn't believe it. He looked at her, the wallow, at her as if saying the same thing I was "you gotta be kiddin me!". And he followed her away. If I had left the stand below the wallow it would have been a 10 yard broadside shot and no chance of being winded the trail the came in on.
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Re: Tree Stand Emphasis

Postby Swede » 01 18, 2016 •  [Post 7]

Ishy, unfortunately that is tree stand hunting too. Tree stand hunting can drive you crazy. I have no magic solution for the aggravations that can come with sitting hours, or days with nothing on the ground to show for your efforts. There does seem to be a correlation between good scouting plus time in a stand, and shot opportunity, but things change and you can get very frustrated. Kinda like calling or spot and stalk hunting huh? :D
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Re: Tree Stand Emphasis

Postby njdoxie » 02 10, 2016 •  [Post 8]

Never hunted elk from a treestand, now I backpack hunt and I'm an ounce counter, so not bringing it, and I've never found a spot that screamed out "treestand".
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Re: Tree Stand Emphasis

Postby Swede » 02 12, 2016 •  [Post 9]

njdoxie & others. Certainly packing in a tree stand adds pounds to your load. A comfortable stand, along with the lighter steel screw in steps, plus safety equipment will add about 16 more pounds. They need to be backed in and out.
I do not know where nj hunts, and not every area has spots that scream "tree stand". I believe most areas, that have good populations of elk, have good stand locations. I still remember the first time I found a spot that really screamed to me. There was a trail beat to dust with rubs along the way. At the lower end of the trail was a water hole. I set a stand in there one evening, and the next day killed my first elk from a stand. Since that time I have found other locations that were screaming to me. One such location is a water hole and wallow in a passage, where five trails come together. Another place has the strong stink of elk from days of recurring use. These locations have produced for years. I have said "I have no honey holes", as they can go cold, but these spots are close.
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Re: Tree Stand Emphasis

Postby Erniepower » 03 28, 2016 •  [Post 10]

I plan on taking a saddle style stand that I made with me this year. I have spent the last twenty years walking off boot leather but there have been some places that I always wanted to put a stand. My home made saddle with climbing spurs weighs less than 8 lbs and can easily fit in my pack. This year I plan on carrying it with me each day and if I find a place I like, I'll pull it out and sit for the evening.
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Re: Tree Stand Emphasis

Postby stringunner » 03 28, 2016 •  [Post 11]

Ernie- do mind sharing a picture or two of what you built? Perhaps not as you may have bigger plans for the design I would totally understand. I have looked at the other tree stand saddle options in the past and am curious about what they offer in relation to comfort while in use. Yours weighing in at only 8 lbs and being purley mobile intrigues me.
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