Death from Above

[WapitiTalk1]

Whos' planning on treestanding for elk this year?  I may climb up in one for my first time ever this year but have always been mostly a run and gun kinda guy.  Who's gonna employ the "death from above" tactic and please, share how you do it (saddles, trail intersections, wallows, waterholes, NW Trek  ).   

[RadSav]

My technique, the one and only time I shot an elk from a treestand, was to set up a bait of macaroni and cheese in a big blue barrel with a hole in the bottom.  I strap myself in and almost immediately fall asleep.  Wake up when a little 130# bear tries to get in the treestand with me.  While trying to tell the bear he is not wanted in the tree an elk comes in to see what all the commotion is about.  Then shoot the elk.

I realize my base line for testing this method is rather limited.  But so far the result is: 50% of the time when a bear is trying to get in the stand with me I shoot elk

[4fletch]

I find a spot where 3 or more trails intersect and set a stand 20 ft up a live straight tree prefer for or pine. I try to locate the stand so that the morning wind does not travel into one of the trails. Just in case this does happen I wash my hair  every day with a no scent goat soap. Spray down with scent eliminator inside cap outside same with boots and lots of cow urine on a branch and bow. This system for scent control works. Latest example is a spike came in one morning wind was blowing down and right into him. He stopped 25 yrds away and stayed there for a good 5 minutes saw me move  turned and walked away. Same bull came in 2 days later. This stand is set up 10 minutes from a river 5 min from a slew  15 minutes from the parking area so the pack out doesn't kill me. I set the bait 20 yrds away the stand is angled so the shot wol be at 10:00 or so. I try to set it in a are where there isn't a lot of. Human traffic. I cow call from the stand and try to hunt the sAme stand for the entire season. You may only have one chance during the season that the elk will come in. Not saying this is the case all the time but it may end up this way. Set the bait up in front of brush or a tree so when they come in they will be broadside or quartering away. I try to stay in the stand as much as possible because they will come in at anytime during the day. I usually leave the stand for a hr or two around  11:30 to 12:30 or so  to streach. I have a few stands set up here and there just in case for some weird reason come up where I have to switch stands. I also use a commercial safety harness not the el cheap harness that' are available. The cheap ones will kill you   in a fall check Craig's list for the harnesses.  watch out for wolves while calling

[Bigshooter]

I find a spot where 3 or more trails intersect and set a stand 20 ft up a live straight tree prefer for or pine. I try to locate the stand so that the morning wind does not travel into one of the trails. Just in case this does happen I wash my hair  every day with a no scent goat soap. Spray down with scent eliminator inside cap outside same with boots and lots of cow urine on a branch and bow. This system for scent control works. Latest example is a spike came in one morning wind was blowing down and right into him. He stopped 25 yrds away and stayed there for a good 5 minutes saw me move  turned and walked away. Same bull came in 2 days later. This stand is set up 10 minutes from a river 5 min from a slew  15 minutes from the parking area so the pack out doesn't kill me. I set the bait 20 yrds away the stand is angled so the shot wol be at 10:00 or so. I try to set it in a are where there isn't a lot of. Human traffic. I cow call from the stand and try to hunt the sAme stand for the entire season. You may only have one chance during the season that the elk will come in. Not saying this is the case all the time but it may end up this way. Set the bait up in front of brush or a tree so when they come in they will be broadside or quartering away. I try to stay in the stand as much as possible because they will come in at anytime during the day. I usually leave the stand for a hr or two around  11:30 to 12:30 or so  to streach. I have a few stands set up here and there just in case for some weird reason come up where I have to switch stands. I also use a commercial safety harness not the el cheap harness that' are available. The cheap ones will kill you   in a fall check Craig's list for the harnesses.  watch out for wolves while calling

    

Please tell me you were trying to be funny?

[RadSav]

Being a solo hunter most of the time and being a bowhunter as well a lot of my success has been catching elk as they come into a feeding aea or as they are leaving a feeding area.  Gives the bowhunter a more controlled situation where desirable shots are the rule rather than the exception.  While I have only taken the one elk from a tree I could easily have taken half of my elk from a tree rather than the ground position I put myself in.  Only difference being that I chose to be more mobile than being restricted to the tree.

In watching elk I noticed early on that elk gather before entering an open space.  They also gather before leaving an open space.  With that understanding I would set evening and morning stands accordingly.  My morning stands would be located at the timber edge of a clearing.  Hopefully within range of two well used trails instead of just one.  Located on the down hill side as thermals should still be in a down hill direction during feed to bed transitions.  For evening stand locations I would set a tree stand further from the edge into the timber, but not so far as to loose the benefit of increased light.  Many of the trails I hunt in the evening have two exits into the clearing, but only one trail crossing a creek or steep draw then splitting into two.  To me the benefit of hunting this crease is that it will focus scent and also be one of the first areas to see the thermal change.  Set up on the clearing side to make best use of scent drift.  This is also a natural control element that funnels animals to an exact angle as they group up before exiting the timber.  What better way to make sure that bull is at the exact angle and exact distance for that high percentage shot!  An additional benefit to this crease set up is it usually allows for a good follow up shot incase you miss the first or need to put that second arrow in a better spot.  Colored flags or even spray paint along entrance and exit routes will give you instant range markers for those high stress quick following shots!

The other thing I recommend is working up a silent escape route for yourself.  I can not tell you how many times this has lead to success for me when elk don't follow my plan.  It is not unusual for the elk in my area to use a third or even fourth trail to enter the clearing in the evening.  If I did not have a proper silent escape route I would be committed to watching my opportunity feed out into a low percentage opportunity is short order.  But if I plan ahead, well before the season, I can quickly and with extreme stealth gain progress toward the herd before they get into the open spaces so difficult to get within bow range.  This is made much more difficult from a tree, but with some forethought it can still result in some level of flexibility most last minute tree stand hunters are not afforded.


Please note this is my plan for non-baited elk.  I have theories on how I would set stand for baited elk.  But I have almost zero first hand knowledge when it comes to that.

[RadSav]

One more thing for someone new to treestand hunting.  When setting the stand for bowhunting make sure your stand is not facing directly at the spot you expect to get the shot.  When setting stands for bowhunters I try to set them so the shooter is just shy of 90 degrees from line of sight.  That way you do not need to be standing to get the shot.  When I hunt across the country I'd say that 90% of the stands are set up for rifle shooters.  If the guide won't adjust the stand I have them change my location until we find a stand that will fit the way a bowhunter needs to shoot.  Also, be sure to take a few shots from your treestand after you get it set up to make sure you have clearance for all shooting lanes.  Paying special attention to branches behind you or where you plan on hanging your pack.  Most new treestand hunters are surprised at just how far back the elbow of the draw arm goes.

[4fletch]

Big shooter.   Funny about what ?

[greenhead_killer]

Most new treestand hunters are surprised at just how far back the elbow of the draw arm goes.
^^^ this is why I have a shorter draw length for my bow. As far as advice, I think radsav covered a lot of great points. As stated before, get a quality harness, this stuff is not a joke.  They also have lines you can hang and attach to while climbing into your tree stand for extra safety. I use them on all my stands because in the end I want to be able to walk out of there on my own two legs. Now back to tactics, do the same things you would if you were still hunting from the ground. Watch the wind, cover your scent as best you can, get in early and plan on leaving after dark. The thing with stand hunting is that it is more about patience than anything else. These are wild animals, can sometimes pattern but a lot of times they will humble you. Expect days of not seeing an animal and have the mindset to push through. Practice shooting from those angles. Practice going from nothing to a shooting position,at full draw, with as little noise and movement as possible. Get in a stand before season and sit for half a day to see if you even like it. Take a book or two to cover the longer days. Keep your head up and keep plugging away. Eventually something will show. One of the days last year I sat for 15hrs and saw three bears, momma and two cubs, for a total of 8 seconds. Be prepared for days like that.

[4fletch]

Should have stated that when I am off the stand around noon and the elk come in while I am gone then I will be in the stand during the afternoon . last year I had a spike come at noonish. And I use a loggers climbing belt to hang ladders and stands .  Set your stand even with the ladders so you are not climbing into but moving horizontally over to the platform. I tie a 3/8" rope and knots every 14" or so when transferring onto stand I have a safety rope to hang onto