Treestand Hunting Tips

[MidMoElkNut]

I need some advice on hunting elk from a tree stand.... I've only been elk hunting 2 years so this will be my third year in colorado.... i will be bow hunting the first part of September...... I have been hunting whitetail my whole life and all I use is treestands for deer but I never have for elk.... I hunt in mainly an all forested area, so spot and stalk is almost out of the question..... where would you look at places to put a stand? Like by wallows, water sources, trails,a small field or even how far up or down the mountain would u try it? I'm only want to stand hunt if they arent talking or if I find a really good spot for it..... if they aren't talking I'm not sure what else I can do..... thanks I appreciate any advice!!!!

[Wapitibob]

Used to be a treestand hunting book for sale in the Elknut store, from one of his friends. Should still be there?

[MidMoElkNut]

I see it on the right side of the "Elk Hunting" forum page but it don't show it in the store and if u click on it on the forum it says not found....?

[Swede]

Tree Stand hunting can be very productive. In fact, based on the research I have done, it is the most productive way to get elk. It does require being set up in the right place and have some patience. I am sure, if you can sit in a comfortable stand for a white tail, the transition to tree stand hunting for elk should be easy. There are differences when hunting elk, but they are covered in the tree stand book.
There are two ways not to get a book now. 1. PM me here and I will give you my home address. When you get my address, send me $18.00 I will send you an autographed book, if you want an autograph. I am not able to take Visa now and I don't like checks much either. When I get $18, you will have a book in the mail right away. 2. Go to http://www.backtrakoutdoors.com and order one there. I think they are on sale for a dollar less.

[tdirks]

I can tell you that Swede's book is an excellent resource for elk stand hunting. My wife even likes thumbing through it!

[MidMoElkNut]

Ya i bet it is,I would really like to get his book!!

[Wapitibob]

Swede, you misspelled the URL....

[Swede]

Thanks Bob. I made the correction, but I have been told I am not supposed to be posting a link to sell the book. It is believed to be unfair to the forum sponsors even though there is no competition anywhere. I am suddenly without an outlet for the book here. I will try to meet the need of anyone wanting a book before the season. I will also try to find someone here to carry the book. I am still a couple of books short of getting rich off this deal so I will hurry.

[easeup]

hang in there swede....LOL

by the way...where is your corporate mission statement and EOE guidelines?

[Swede]

by the way...where is your corporate mission statement and EOE guidelines?

As Maverick said years ago in one of the TV shows, "I'm working on it". By the way what is an EOE guideline? Is similar to EEO. My wife is Hispanic and I am Swede, that should cover a lot of territory there.

[Smokepoler63]

Trying something new this year. I have never hunted out of a tree stand and I have never used trail cameras. My nephew has had good success using tree stands and trail cameras, so I decided to give it a try this year. I bought four cameras and started placing them back in late June. I had mixed success initially. I got more photos of deer and moose than elk. I relocated my cameras several times and now I think I've got it figured out. In early August I ordered (from this website) and read Swede's book on tree stand hunting for Rocky Mountain elk. I learned a lot. A lot of it I already knew, but there was also a bunch I didn't know, or hadn't really thought about. Our archery hunt here in Idaho doesn't open until Aug. 30th. I'm really getting a lot of bulls on my trail cameras. I've got a week to go and I'm like a kid on Christmas Eve. I can't wait to sit in my tree stands with an elk tag in my pocket. Here are a few pics from my cameras.











And here's a black wolf. I'll shoot him too if I get a chance!

[BRazz]

Nice pics!!!! I hope you get a shot at one of those bulls! I've never tried a treestand either, but I've tried sitting on wallows (and I'm always too impatient to stay for long). Keep us posted.

[Kiowa1SG]

Great Pics.... Excitement level is through the roof!

[easeup]

looks like you found the home team dugout.
good luck.

[Smokepoler63]

Well, we had some success on the opener. My nephew had this bull come in around 11:30 opening morning. He decided to swap out the trail cam memory cards at around 10:30 that morning. About an hour later as he was reviewing the photos, he heard a twig snap. He looked up and saw this bull coming down through the trees, making his way toward the wallow. He was rocking his head back and forth as he worked his wide rack through the trees. He stopped at the furthest wallow from the tree stand at 26 yards and began to paw / splash the water in the wallow. Then he laid right down in the wallow. The whole time he was facing the stand and not offering a shot. When he finished wallowing, he stood and began walking across the meadow, angling toward the tree stand. My nephew went to draw his bow as the bull walked passed at about 15 yards, but his arrow fell off his string. The nock was filled with dirt and debris from a fall he took while hiking in to the wallow that morning in the dark. The arrow was caught by his rest. he grabbed the arrow and quickly cleaned the nock, re-nocked the arrow, and came to full draw. The bull was now at the nearest wallow drinking, just 9 yards from the base of the tree. This wallow is mostly covered by branches and foliage, but there was an opening over the bulls vitals. He held his 20 yard pin low, knowing that his arrow would hit a little higher. the shot was a complete pass through, entering about 9" down from the spine and exiting the far side brisket cutting the back of the far side front leg. The bull ran about 70 yards before piling up. It made for a long, hard pack out, but was very satisfying. I wanted to hunt this stand, but it was my nephew that found this meadow full of wallows two years ago when he was with my son and I on my sons controlled rifle elk hunt.