ESetter1

I am new to elk and mule deer hunting with a bow. Can you hunt the game trails to and from feeding and bedding areas from a treestand like you would whitetails? Any help would be appreciated.

MThunter

The only tree stand hunting of elk i' ve ever done has been over wallows, but in the right situation i' m sure and ambush setup could work as well. Mule deer like to bed in the open quite a bit where i' ve hunted them. So spot and stalk or ambushing from the ground is pretty much the only way I could see it being practical. But I hunt some pretty open country so others might have different experiences.

bigbulls

I wish I had a tree stand a few years ago. I was sitting on top on a little knole slowly looking back and forth. As I turned my head back around there were two very nice mulies standing not 10 yards away. They walked up on me directly behind the only bush in my field of view. They looked at me for what seemed like an hour and started to walk off. Well when I thought they had gone far enough that I could safely draw my bow the smaller one turned to look at me and they both bolted. The bigger one stopped at 45 yards but in the heat of the moment I sent the arrow just over his back. I wish like he@# I was up in a tree so I could have seen them coming way before they got there. This buck was about a 180 - 190 non typical. I saw him a few more times that season but never did get close enough to shoot.

There are places that a tree stand would work very well. The problem with using them out here is that you usually have to pack them in a long way. This story is the exception as it was on private property. If you don' t mind lugging one in the mountains or hunt on the plains then go for it.

The other problem is the wind changes so much in the mountains that a lot of times you need to be very mobile.

oldelkhunter

In the right conditions using a portable tree stand one can have very good success on Elk and Mulies provided they are placed near a wallow or water hole. Just beware that Mulies look up a lot more than Whitetails ever will even if your 20 feet + off the ground. Placement and concealment are everything in this situation.

BeaverJack

If bow season is durin' the rut, yer wastin' good time waitin' fer elk. You gotta locate an' stalk for the best efficiency. I ain' t one to sit in a tree for a month, waller or not. Also, elk don' t pattern good. Too much country, too big a territory. Learn to call elk. Better money spent than one of them metal crow' s nests.

bigbulls

BeaverJack brings up another very good point. Elk travel way too much to get the odds in your favor.