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Ground or treestand hunting?

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Ground or treestand hunting?

Postby MidMoElkNut » 07 23, 2017 •  [Post 1]

For elk hunting I'm wondering what works best and why?
Either sitting on the ground in cover or up in a tree stand?

I've never sat in a tree elk hunting yet but I've sat on the ground a couple times.
when I hunt whitetails I hate sitting on the ground unless it's necessary or I have no trees in that spot.

If your prefer a treestand, why and does it give you any advantage of thermals or wind being higher in the mountains?

Also I have a climbing stand I always use to be mobile and prefer to use over a hang on but a hang on would also be a possibility.
Would it be to difficult to find a tree suitable for a climber or should I stick with a hang on?
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Re: Ground or treestand hunting?

Postby Swede » 07 23, 2017 •  [Post 2]

I prefer a hang-on tree stand. If you have a tree conducive to a climber, and you are only going to hunt it once or twice, maybe setting up a hang on stand is not worth the little extra trouble. That depends on the limbs you need to remove for the climber. As WapitiTalk 1 and Lamrith can tell you it does not take long to rig a hang on stand. The advantages of a tree stand out weigh the trade offs. You can be out of the normal sight of elk and have less to worry about the wind. You can be quiet and see well from a tree stand. The main trade off I see is not being able to shoot directly behind you. Usually a person on the ground can't shoot directly behind either as they have their back to cover.
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Re: Ground or treestand hunting?

Postby MidMoElkNut » 07 23, 2017 •  [Post 3]

Thank Swede

I'm not sure if or how much I would sit in a stand as I don't have a for sure spot located yet but I'm thinking I may give it a try this year.

I will be hunting the same general area as I did last year but expand the area some and looking on google earth I think I may have found a few spots I may try a treestand instead of sitting on the ground.
I'd like to use a stand in a good evening spot I sat at last year on the ground but the thermals and wind was bad so I never sat that close.
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Re: Ground or treestand hunting?

Postby Swede » 07 24, 2017 •  [Post 4]

If you like hunting on the ground, why not go out calling or spot and stalk in the morning, but have a comfortable place to relax in for the afternoon and evening? For me the important part of tree stand hunting is a good location I believe has good potential and a comfortable stand to wait in. A good book and some snacks help, but don't forget why you are there. Keep a sharp eye out. Good Luck.
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Re: Ground or treestand hunting?

Postby MidMoElkNut » 07 24, 2017 •  [Post 5]

Thanks Swede

That is what I normally do.
In the mornings I try chasing after em and calling and in the evening I would try to sit in a good spot.
I haven't hunted much in the midday or early afternoon but this year I will so I'm thinking a treestand will come in handy!
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Re: Ground or treestand hunting?

Postby stringunner » 07 24, 2017 •  [Post 6]

I think as Swede points out, the two main advatanges of being in a tree vs on the ground are:
1) wind - I think scent is less of a factor in a tree being 20+ feet up, not true of every tree stand location but mostly accurate I believe

2) advatange of sight and movement, being above the animals gives you more view from of entering animals and allows for more movement. I have a pop up blind that I have shot a couple deer out of, it worked but my view of the whole area was more limited than it is now sitting in a tree. And the blind always made them more nervous as they were coming in, even when I would place it there 3-4 weeks before Season

The downside- I have one spot for elk right now that is a pain for treestands because of the distance from the road. Tree stands are heavier, add screw in steps, pull ropes, lineman rope, and harness system and I am packing in a lot more weight. The pop up blind would be much less weight. But I still do the treestand because of the primary two factors listed above.
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Re: Ground or treestand hunting?

Postby lamrith » 07 24, 2017 •  [Post 7]

Like others I vote tree stand.

A blind can be amazing in the right location, but a tree stand for the reasons listed is better overall if possible.

Plus a tree stand is up above the animals normal line of sight so no change to the animals surroundings. a good blind location will mask you from sight, but it also interferes with the normal surroundings. Even if you brush it in well, it is something that was not there before, and some game animals will know something is not right and it can change their patterns. I have heard from more than a few east coast whitetail hunters that if they plan to use a blind they put them in place a week or more before season so the deer can settle down and get used to the change.

I know some people that will be using a ground blind will also pre-prep the area. They build a ground blind from available limbs etc onsite when they are scouting, or just rough in branches/limbs around were their pop up blind will be so that there is a "structure" there so when the actual blind is setup during the season it is less obvious.
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Re: Ground or treestand hunting?

Postby Swede » 07 24, 2017 •  [Post 8]

Whitetail Deer hunters tell us that any human disturbance in an area can cause them to avoid it. Cutting brush or even leaving scent can cause a disruption in their routine. I have not observed any change in elk habits due to blinds, stands or cutting brush. I have had elk come around while I am setting up a stand.
Elk will walk down the same trail I hiked in on shortly after I get to my stand. I minimize my scent, and agree that if elk smell me, they are gone. I have observed no problem with elk passing by a spot I relieved myself. I have read where other people claim they did react very strongly to their feces or urine, but I am skeptical. I think they were smelled, but I was not there.
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