What Just Happened?

[Swede]

My buddy checked his trail camera and saw where a large 6X6 came down the hill and looked around his tree stand area at 1:00 PM, about 2 hours after he had left for lunch. The big bull did not wallow or drink any water. It just turned around and left. What just happened? What would you recommend for my friend to do in the future that would improve his chance at a good bull from his stand?

[7mmfan]

Stay in his stand all day?

[Swede]

7mm that may be a good idea if your rear can take it, but that is not what I was looking for. The critical information was the bull came near the stand and the water hole, but after looking around it returned to where it came from. I have had this happen numerous times over the years. Cows and bulls do it. Often, they may pace back and forth out of shooting range before they return. There is a reason the bull walked down to my friends stand location. He was not sightseeing or just stretching his legs. He did not come to get something to eat.
I believe the bull heard my friend descending the tree or making some sound on the ground. The bull thought it was an elk and came to check it out. He was probably hoping it was a cow. Elk are social creatures, and this is the time for breeding bulls to start gathering up a harem. That is what I would make of the incident, and it would cause me to start cow calling a few times before I climb into my stand. That does not mean the bull would come again but who knows.

[Lefty]

Stay in his stand all day?

Ok you didn't like that answer.


Im sure you know this you can lead a horse to water,,,,,,,

When hunting the desert I experienced elk going to dry water tanks Just a meeting place, The elk may have had no reason to drink or wallow,
Maybe checking to see if other competition showed up ( think whitetail)

[>>>---WW---->]

Could have been all of the above. But also might have been that the bull detected a slight amount of scent left by you buddy when he descended from his stand. Not really enough to spook him but possibly just enough to make him cautious and cause him to turn around and leave. Never under estimate an animals ability to use their nose!

[Swede]

I can't say it was impossible, but I do not think the elk caught the scent of my friend. The bull came in two hours after the hunter left. The hunter was on the other side of a draw and on an opposite hillside. The hunter walked out of the area going directly away from the bull. It was a hot day, and the wind would have been going upslope and away from where the bull was.

Certainly, staying in your stand all day increases your chances at getting an elk. I have no issue with that, but over a season it becomes very difficult. You get up in the dark and get to your tree stand at first light. If you stay there every day, and just get back to camp to eat and sleep it makes for a long season. It would be feasible for me as I have my brother taking care of the camp chores and can go out and buy groceries. But what makes you think the bull would have come to the stand if the hunter had stayed there? I still believe the bull heard the hunter descend the tree and came in to check out what it heard. Elk commonly wait two hours to do that. That is something I have observed as a tree stand hunter. The elk do not just pass by the area. They come in and look around then turn and go back. They often walk back and forth looking where the sound came from before they leave. I do not believe they smelled anything or saw anything. They think they heard an elk.

I think a person could get out of their stand and cow call or make a short bugle then get back into their stand and wait. That could work for them. Just do not do as my cousin's friend did and call from your stand. He had a big bull hang up looking at his tree from over 100 yards out before he turned and left. You always want to call from a good set up location. You want the elk to come within shooting range before it can determine there is no elk around.

[Indian Summer]

It sounds to me like you guys need to mix it up. Go still hunt. Go find a place to glass. If you can’t sit on a little seat all day there has to be a better option than camp!

What happened? Nothing in particular. Bull decided to get up and yawn and stretch his muscles a little bit mid day. Maybe have a sniff and see who was around earlier that morning. I’m pretty sure he didn’t overthink it.

[Swede]

I think I.S. makes a perfect point. Hunters, especially bow hunters move too much. They see more elk than stand hunters or spot and stalk hunters, but they get fewer elk. If all I wanted was to see the butt of a running bull I would move around a lot. If I want to take one home with me, I will show a lot more patience. BTW: I sent a friend to hunt my old stand locations. He had one friend come just after the season opened and another came this week. There has never been more than one hunter at a time over there with him and they have killed two bulls so far. The season is just about half over.