Tree Stand VS Stalking

[Bowtech43]

I'm still fairly new to archery and wanted to get the expert opinion on the advantages and disadvantages of both tree stand hunting for Mulies and stalking. Which do you prefer and why? I personally struggle to have enough patience to sit in a stand but if that's the way to go maybe I can muster some. Let me know...

Thanks

[JLROOT]

It has been my experience that you will see more mule deer using spot and stalk. Find some high ground and glass extensively. The heat here in CO has the deer bedding down early and moving quite late in the day. Having said that, if you can find a water source puting a tree stand near by will yeild great results. Just get into it at least one hour before legal shooting light in the morning. In the evening get into as early as your patience will allow you to sit quietly. Stay in it until about thirty minutes pass dark.

My 2 cents. Good Luck.

[m gardner]

Sitting a stand takes lots less patience to be successful than stalking. You have to be skilled enough move without being detected too. Remember they have all day, we don't think we do. It's a tough mindset to break.
Mark

[JLROOT]

Mark makes a veeerrrryyyy good point. No matter wich way you choose to hunt, Time is NOT of the essence.

[kaibabhunter]

I have the same patience issue but have been working on it over the last few years. I have kind of have a half/half system (for thick forest) where I'll sit at/near water (a nice trail coming in) from pre-sunrise to maybe 9-10 am then I still hunt/glass (tough to glass any significant distance in the thick stuff) through mid day until about 3 pm and go back to the water/trail from 3-past dark. Where I typically hunt, I've seen the most deer at/near water from the mid afternoon on. Also, where I hunt is fairly crowded so you never know when another hunter is going to move in on your spot and setup himself - that could throw your tree stand/ground blind plans out the window depending on how many guys move in on your area. The abundance of water available would either increase/decrease the number of deer coming in and increase/decrease your odds. A dry year w/limited water is when sitting water (tree stand/ground blind) becomes more effective IMO. If its been a wet year the deer are typically more dispersed and may lend more to still hunting because they'll be less patternable IMO.

That said, I have a January (hot and dry!) desert bowhunt coming up and will likely try and sit water in a home made ground blind the whole day - that'll be tough for me, but I'm scouting it every 2-3 weeks and have trail cams up so hopefully I can get them patterned so sitting in the right spot patiently might be worth it. Plus the terrain is wide open and lends itself more to long range glassing. Terrain, water, hunting pressure, deer #'s, a plan A, B, C spot and on the ground flexibility are my key considerations for planning a hunt. My 2 cents...

[Utahbowhunter]

In 2007 i stood next to a tree in the morning next to a spring and thats where i got my buck. I was there only 7 minutes before he came in. So maybe put a tree stand next to a spring/water hole. Evening time is better for water holes though.

Mule deer don't move around to much so i think spot and stalk is best... unless you know where the deer go then you can put a tree stand there.

Good luck.

[Bowtech43]

Tons of good advice. I have some limited experience stalking and have learned that it takes like 30 minutes to move like 50 yards. It's tough. I agree with the fact that sometimes we feel like we don't have time and try to rush in there and as a result scare off the deer. The plan this year is to hunt from the top of the ridge and do a lot of glassing. It seems like that way we can cover more area and hopefully find more deer, then try to make a plan for a stalk based on terrain/wind. I will have to find some spots near water to set up based on what has been said. The part that always seems difficult about a tree stand is bathroom breaks, stretching your legs, etc. Does anyone have an opinion on tree stands vs ground blinds and/or sitting next to a tree? Seems like the latter may offer more freedom but possibly limit vision.
Thanks for all the input.

[kaibabhunter]

Just to clarify when I say "ground blind" I do not mean a commercial brand like double bull. I make mine on the fly once I find a good spot. I carry a folding saw, an old camo army poncho liner, string it up between some trees, cut some pine bows and add some other natural cover and waalah - a ground blind! I usually look for a depression, big log or uprooted tree stump or closley growing trees to set up in.

Here's one overlooking a heavily used trail coming straight out GCNP that led to a waterhole on the legal side of the border.



Here's one about 15 meters off of a nice dirt tank.

[JLROOT]

Having grown up hunting white tails from a tree stand I can relate to the 'to much coffee' feeling. I read a solution to this problem and it works great.

Find one of those liquid lanundry soap containers with a wide pour spout. Clean it up so you dont smell like a load of freshly cleaned clothes sitting in the tree stand. When the urge to purge hits just do it into the bottle and seal it up tight. I carry some scent killer to spray the bottle and myself after each use.

I carry an empty bottle of some sort with me when ever I go hunting just for the purpose of not spoiling the area.

[StickFlicker]

I've never fired an arrow from a tree stand in my life, but I have spent a little time sitting them. I'm not crazy about the shot angle, as compared to ground-level shots. I also like to photograph and video, and I think those pictures look MUCH better when made from ground level than they do looking down on an animal. On the flip side, your scent is much more likely to be drifting above the animals and not give you away in a tree, than it would on the ground. Commercial blinds, like the Double Bull, do offer some assistance in containing scent that built-on-the-fly blinds do not. Stalking usually provides the most rewarding feeling of accomplishment, for most bowhunters, but in some areas it's not practical. It also usually yields lower average success, which is the reason it feels more rewarding when done successfully. Try both, and GOOD LUCK!

Marvin