Tree Stand Elk

[longtail]

I like this thread. Being from the Midwest I've spent many hours in a tree stand bowhunting whitetails. I love the idea of finding a great spot to bowhunt elk from a treestand and I think you would be surprised how much more successful you would be rather than chasing them on foot. so many advantages about letting the animal come to you versus chasing them. Although elk are a whole different animal than whitetails and live in different environments I think the challenge would be a lot of fun.

 

[cnelk]

Whats wrong with aspen trees?

My son sat here a couple years and a herd of elk came in - unfortunately his arrow hit a limb

 

[cnelk]

I wasnt in an aspen tree, but the elk still came in

 

[Beendare]

Dang Butcher boy, I'm pretty sure I know that wallow....or one like it in 53.

 

[LostArra]

Whats wrong with aspen trees?

My son sat here a couple years and a herd of elk came in - unfortunately his arrow hit a limb

I agree. I've set up in big aspens preferably with pine trees around for some cover but elk seem to be much less skittish (visually) about hunters in treestands than whitetail deer. I do think it's a little unnerving to sit in an aspen grove with windfall aspen trees all around. You just don't see that in the oak woods. When the Wyoming winds start picking up to gale force I'm always on the ground.

I think it is a good idea to have a stand set up on an active water hole especially for a resident who has more time to hunt. When the conditions are right it can always be a short-term plan B. I wouldn't drive 1000 miles to sit in a treestand all day but plenty of people sit in solitary confinement sweat lodges all day waiting on antelope at a water hole.

 

[butcherboy]

Dang Butcher boy, I'm pretty sure I know that wallow....or one like it in 53.

Not 53 but it is northern NM. Most of the northern units look pretty close to the same type of terrain.

 

[moewells100]

That is how I killed my first bull last season with a bow. Not as fun as chasing after bugles, but it was effective and I had a great time.

As another commenter said, maybe try to monitor the wallows with trail cams to narrow your decision?

 

[MallardSX2]

I know 4 spots (spring fed wallows) in Colorado that if you were patient, and put earplugs in, and sat in a treestand daylight to dark, during the rut, for 1 full week, you would FOR SURE have a shot at multiple bulls….

I killed my last bull in one of those spots. I’ve seen a ton of others in there.

The next time I get that tag you can bet where I will be if the elk arnt talking much….

 

[Phaseolus]

Dang Butcher boy, I'm pretty sure I know that wallow....or one like it in 53.

Little Gunnison?

 

[poboy2214]

I don’t personally have any experience but a guy i work with bowhunts one of the most heavily hunted OTC units in Colorado and has been successful 18 of the past 20 years from a combination of tree stands and ground blinds. He’s originally a midwest guy who treats them like whitetails. He got to know their habits in that area and now he just sits waits for them to come to him.

 

[Poser]

I put my 10,000 hours in of treestand hunting in back in Tennessee and have zero interest in hunting elk that way. I’m not opposed to sitting over a good water hole, but a treestand doesn’t make much sense in steep country as you can walk another 20 feet up the hill and be just as high on the ground as you would have been in a tree. I do have a particularly good water hole I aim to build a natural blind over this summer.

 

[butcherboy]

I put my 10,000 hours in of treestand hunting in back in Tennessee and have zero interest in hunting elk that way. I’m not opposed to sitting over a good water hole, but a treestand doesn’t make much sense in steep country as you can walk another 20 feet up the hill and be just as high on the ground as you would have been in a tree. I do have a particularly good water hole I aim to build a natural blind over this summer.

If you move up the hill 20 feet you will still
be on the ground. When that elk looks up the hill it will see you since you will be at eye level. I’ve never seen an elk look up into a tree for danger unless you make a ton of movement while they are coming in or they have been hunted hard from a tree stand before in a small area. I don’t want to sit in a stand all day but was willing to last year but I was done opening morning. I’ll chase bugles as well but if they aren’t talking then most of the time you end up just busting brush, spreading scent, and spooking everything out of that canyon.

 

[bz_711]

I'll never say never...but I sure haven't tried it yet. Mostly because of the steep elk country I've hunted there's little value from a scent perspective to getting in a tree stand. Now in more open/flat terrain if you can get the wind advantage then I could see trying it.
Also - the areas I've hunted have had such low density of elk that I just feel like I need to be on the move to find them and then hunt aggressively.

I think mostly it's just that I get my fill of treestand hunting for whitetails back home and can't sit still any longer

Good luck and share an update after the hunt!

 

[lightsout144]

For smaller diameter trees, I recommend trying a saddle instead of a tree stand.