Best Times To Tree Stand Hunt Elk

[Swede]

As I shared on an elk forum thread there are places where it does not matter what dates you choose to archery tree stand hunt elk. Other areas it does. Here I will make a list of the things I have experienced that can make a difference:
1. Weather. In semi-arid places water is a strong magnet for elk and there is a limited supply. Water hole hunting in the early hot parts of the season including later hot days is really good. I suppose is any area weather can change elk habits either good or bad. Knowing your hunting area can be very helpful.
2. In some places the bulls are in an area early then they are gone for a couple of weeks to gather up cows and then they come back. Hunting the middle of the season is poor.
3. Hunters are out in large numbers in the first week of the season and you get a surge right before the end. Hunting the middle of the season can be great in the middle of the season.
4. During the later part of the season when the rut is on, the elk move around a lot. Just because they move a lot, just being perched along a good elk trail can be productive.
5. Other. I have found other factors can impact elk activity in places. The kids go back to school, so many outdoor recreationists go home after Labor Day. That affects hunting in some places like where I hunted several years in a National Recreation Area.

[Elkhunttoo]

Easy answer Swede. The best time to sit a tree stand is when the elk are walking under it

If I could only pick one week to be in a stand I’m not sure I one pick one over any of the others for an advantage. I would just take whatever week worked best with my work schedule.

[Swede]

Where I have hunted multiple seasons, I have observed three different patterns for elk activity. In some places the bulls leave early in the season and come back late with their cows. In some areas they just move around in a large circle and the dates they are in an area change, but they will be back in a week or two. Some places they just move around within the local area but never really leave. That includes elk that go out onto a ranch and stay there.
So, if you pick just a week to hunt, how do you determine where to set your stand(s)? Before I retired, I could hunt a week plus weekends and random days I could get off. Since I left my stands up all season, there was usually a time to would encounter elk at one stand or another. It seems to me that unless you know the elk in your area, having one week only could put you at a serious disadvantage. But if you know where the elk go and when, you could increase your odds significantly.

[Lefty]

Im not sure how a blind compares to a tree stand as far as locations that impact bull use.
When I was hunting the desert I believe the chance of early-season bulls was greatest,,, before bulls started chasing cows .

My trail cameras suggested more water tank visits by bulls Pre-rut

[Swede]

Lefty, my observations are not conclusive proof either, but my observations have been the same including semiarid forest land.

[Elkhunttoo]

Swede

I can’t remember if you ever made a second scouting trip to your new area?

What kind of locations did you decide on for your stands?

[Swede]

I have not made a second trip. I have decided to wait until just five days before the season opens to go over to check it out. Two of teh big concerns I have are cattle in the area and logging. Both were there when I went in July, but it may be better or worse by September 2 when the season starts. The closer it gets the more likely it will be that I can see things will be in season.
When I went over there in July a little over twenty places were checked out. I would like to add three or four more just out of curiosity. These are spots I did not get to the first time. The whole area has scattered elk sign, but nothing is either great or terrible. Everything appears mediocre, but it has over a thousand hunters that have drawn it.

[Elkhunttoo]

Good idea to wait imo. Last year was the first year in the last 10 or so that I have seen beef cows in the area I hunt. Usually they are on the front side of the mountain and never go over the top. There wasn’t very many so I think it was a small bunch the cowboys had missed when they moved the cows up higher. Sure hoping they aren’t around this year.

[Lefty]

Spotting this thread this morning, and not being a smart aleck answer.

I was around a campfire with long-ago friends.
The one fellow and his son are as hardcore and likely greater fishermen than many running the fishing circuits, Moon phases, tide charts high and low-pressure systems were all but being covered.
Some unknowing wife commented (wasn't a question in Steves's mind ) about the best time to fish.

His answer,,, "Anytime you can get on the water "

I'm retired and that's my game on all things now. I am just going to be out there whenever I can be,

[Swede]

The whole Rogue River was running high and muddy when a team of Forest Service employees were standing on a log haul road that was muddy on the surface. The pit where the surface material came from always sloughed a little off the surface when there was log haul during a rainstorm. We were discussing shutting off the haul so that road would not add to the sediment of the already muddy river. It was only a few miles to the ocean at that point. After considerable debate the fisheries biologist spoke up and said there were no fish in the river below that point so why worry about the road then.
I guess the point is it may be great to go fish whenever you can, but it would be more productive if you go to where the fish are.

[Lefty]

I guess the point is it may be great to go fish whenever you can, .

How you're catching on!!!