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entry and exit

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entry and exit

Postby toolman » 08 08, 2018 •  [Post 1]

so ive got a good spot next to a wallow and stand is set...the problem is my only entry/exit is the trail that goes thru the shooting zone.
what should i do to prevent my scent trail from lingering.

thanks
toolman
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Re: entry and exit

Postby Swede » 08 08, 2018 •  [Post 2]

Welcome to the forum Toolman. It is good to have you in the W.T. camp. Thanks for your question.
I have read a lot about scent trails with Whitetails, but they do not seem to linger long to disturb elk. I keep very clean and minimize my scent. I do not add anything that is scented either. In your case I would go to my stand as quickly as possible and get in.
The problem I have seen is, wind taking my scent into the area where the elk are currently feeding or bedded, as I walk to my stand. So contaminate the least area possible. Consider where the wind is taking your scent, and minimize the area you contaminate. That means don't cross a hillside when the diurnal winds are down slope when you want to get to your stand below, or if the winds are upslope and your stand is above. Go straight in. Go up or down a draw if possible.
You have one trail, so get through there as quickly as possible.
One good thing with elk is that they travel a lot. If you do not disturb them on your way in, they can come around in a few minutes and you will be set with no problem. I have read that human urine is frightening to elk. I have never found that to be a problem. In fact I urinate from my stand. It has never been a problem. If you stop along the trail and urinate, your scent could linger a little while longer and be a problem if an elk comes by within 5-minutes. That is just my guess on the time, but it is not long. On several occasions I have had elk follow me down a trail within a very few minutes.
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Re: entry and exit

Postby Swede » 08 08, 2018 •  [Post 3]

Toolman, you may have read my post before I added some later. I added some for clarification and further explanation. I did not speak to exiting a stand, but it is generally the same and going in if you are coming back soon. If you are not returning that day, or early the next morning after hunting late into the evening, I would not worry about it. Elk cover so much ground, they are not likely to be disturbed and just a day later they are long gone.
There are elk I refer to as "residents" that stay around an area like a ranch or alfalfa field and frequent the same place day after day. Where I have run into these critters, I have found them easy to kill. They have a bad habit of going to the same place day after day, but that is another subject for another thread.
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Re: entry and exit

Postby toolman » 08 10, 2018 •  [Post 4]

thanks for the reply Swede...
my knees aren't what they used to be so a couple years ago i tried tree stands...I've read Erickson's book and it helped a lot

i hunted this tree stand last year every day for a week, it is my only stand so i was there every day. i was in the stand an hour before sunrise and didn't leave until after dark...
I hunt eastern Oregon and the first week is almost always HOT so i thought a wallow is a great place to be. i stumbled on this spot while still hunting a few years back, the first time i used the trail cams i was amazed at the activity...
but while in the stand only had a couple cows come in twice and heard a lot of activity around me but no shooters came in...there is always at least every other day activity on the trail cams which is the basis of my question...

love the forum

thanks.
toolman
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Re: entry and exit

Postby stringunner » 08 17, 2018 •  [Post 5]

You might try going higher in the tree to reduce scent in the area. I too have read Erickson’s book and it changed everything about how we hunt. I have shot 6 elk since reading his book, from tree stands.

I agree with Swede, I don’t see a huge risk of scent on the trail but rather a bigger risk of scent in the area while in the tree. I have a stand this year set that I am up about 35ft. That’s high. Too high for comfort but it was set before I realized how high up I was. About 28-30ft is what I’m both comfortable with and decent from a scent perspective depending on the terrain of the area.

I have a stand that I sat two years where the elk would come in on days when I wasn’t there but never when I was there. I’m guessing my scent was a problem while in the stand.

Good luck this year. I bet if you reached out to Swede via pm he could put you in touch with Erickson pretty quick if you had other questions. ;)
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Re: entry and exit

Postby Swede » 08 18, 2018 •  [Post 6]

There are extremes, but in general I too have found higher is better. Thirty five feet starts to give me the ebbie geebies. :D Still, you have less chance of being scented, or seen if you are somewhat higher.
I have had folks lament over a high shot angle, but as long as your arrow goes down through the normal kill zone, you are fine. I have heard of hunters taking shots to sever the femoral artery, or pass a broadhead through the kidneys, but if you can make those shots reliably you are a better shooter than I am.
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Wapiti Hunting - Tree Stand Tactics
 
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Re: entry and exit

Postby toolman » 08 20, 2018 •  [Post 7]

my tree stand is around 25' high...
while in the stand I've monitored the wind and it pretty much is always going upward...

when I hike in i try to stay as lightly dressed as possible but always seem to work up a little sweat...it is about 2.5 miles in and i ride my bike for about 1.5 miles...i will stop at the trail head and towel off a little and re-apply some no scent.

once in the stand i wipe down with field wipes and get dressed in my camo...i put my travel clothes in a bag and seal it...if i use cover scent it is usually the "dirt" scent and "autumn" no scent...

thanks for the advice...i enjoy tree stand hunting a lot
toolman
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Re: entry and exit

Postby stringunner » 08 20, 2018 •  [Post 8]

Sounds like you are doing all the right steps. Good luck this year. Glad you are enjoying the tree stand hunt. We really enjoy it as well.
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