# Guys lets talk archery strategy (spot/stalk, treestand, etc)



## UtahMountainMan (Jul 20, 2010)

Alright guys, I think its time we all discussed which archery strategies you like the best. I have plugged 3 small bucks in the last 5 years while I was just out hiking, although I have spent a ton of time in my treestand. 

I really feel like the treestand is such an advantage, by getting your scent off the ground and getting out of the line of vision of the deer. The problem I have had is that it seems that the bucks I have gotten on my trail cam have very wide travel patterns and an abundance of food. There is not a lot of water around, but last season I sat on the best water/wallowing hole around for probably 9 days over 3 weekends and only had 1 elk come in and 1 deer. Previously I had taken pictures of quite a few elk there. 

Anyway, I am just wondering for mule deer, hunting up around 9500 feet or so out in the Scofield area where would be the best place to hang stands? Over a travel corridor (if there is such a thing for mulies), over food, near dark timber where they bed, etc. 

I would love to hear what strategies you guys use to harvest or at least see bucks. I know a lot of guys that just road hunt, some spot and stalk, some use ground blinds, tree stands, etc.


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## xxxxxxBirdDogger (Mar 7, 2008)

*Re: Guys lets talk archery strategy (spot/stalk, treestand,*

Well, for elk I'll mention one thing NOT to do: people need to quit blowing bugles with heavy grunts like they're king of the woods during the archery hunt. Elk are looking to harem up with some sexy female companionship. They're not looking to get their backside kicked by another bull. Want to run a bull off the mountain? Scream a bugle and grunt at him.

I think you mentioned some good strategies, UTM. One thing you left off the list was to find a good place to glass for movement. Many times in the late morning I've spotted a buck bedded down somewhere across a canyon. Then I can make an afternoon stalk on him. I like the adventure of the stalk. Like you, I sit on a feeding or watering area during the morning and evening hours.


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## Mtn. Runner (Oct 7, 2009)

*Re: Guys lets talk archery strategy (spot/stalk, treestand,*

I am a big fan of Glassing. Not real patient when it comes to sitting in the trees. But I can sit and glass a semi open hill side all day. If all goes well the deer bed in a stalk-able position and you get to take your time on the stalk.


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## dkhntrdstn (Sep 7, 2007)

*Re: Guys lets talk archery strategy (spot/stalk, treestand,*

I sit on trails and open areas most of the time. I also do a little spot and stalk hunting. I'm looking for water hole now to hunt for those hot days.


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## MarkM (Sep 7, 2007)

*Re: Guys lets talk archery strategy (spot/stalk, treestand,*

I am not a big fan of Tree Stands mainly because I am not a big fan of hights, some guys have had very good luck with them though. I spot and stalk a fair amount and will sit ain a ground blind every once in a while but my favorite hunting method is still hunting. It might now be the most productive method but I love trying to move quietly though the woods and slowly cover the country trying to spot game before they spot you.

Mark


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## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

*Re: Guys lets talk archery strategy (spot/stalk, treestand,*

I've done everything but sit in a tree stand. Seen plenty of critters, just have yet to seal the deal. I like spot and stalk, although I haven't stalked bedded deer. The one I got really close on (and should have shot) was feeding down into aspens. I beat him there and it was a rush having one that close with no idea I was there. I saw a lot of deer last year around some water holes and a few elk.... just need to find one they visit a lot and sit there. Planning on running a salt block or two into some "waterhole/meadow" areas to kinda sweeten the deal but I think sitting morning and evening and then still hunting during the day will be the way I elk hunt this year. Deer will still be spot and stalk or sitting on travel corridors where I've watched them pass a lot.


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## UtahMountainMan (Jul 20, 2010)

*Re: Guys lets talk archery strategy (spot/stalk, treestand,*

Thanks for the replies guys. I really think I am going to spot and stalk more this year. Once a mule deer beds down, lets say between 9 and 11am, how long will they usually stay there? Will they literally stay there for 6 hours or longer? I have a great spot to glass down a few drainages, but if I actually see a buck bedded down it would literally be like a 90 minute to 2 hour stalk (going slowly and quietly) to get to him.

Is it worth trying that?

By the way , I got a couger and her 2 cubs on my trail cam as well as 2 big 6 point bulls, if you want to see them. My username on youtube is jeremiahjohnson1981.

http://www.youtube.com/user/JeremiahJohnson1981


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## Mtn. Runner (Oct 7, 2009)

*Re: Guys lets talk archery strategy (spot/stalk, treestand,*

Normally a buck will bed twice in the morning his first one he will be in for a hour or two then when the sun starts hitting him he will move to a more permanent bed for the day. But they don't get big buy being predictable either. Best thing to do is scout and see what thee bucks in your are like to do when? That will help you determine how much time you will have to stalk him. Good luck


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## Mtn. Runner (Oct 7, 2009)

*Re: Guys lets talk archery strategy (spot/stalk, treestand,*

Cool video. What kind of trail camera ?


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## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

*Re: Guys lets talk archery strategy (spot/stalk, treestand,*

Dustin, thanks for the PM. If I hike those salt blocks in, I wouldn't be setting them right next to a waterhole.... good call on that ruining the water. It'd be either on the way to the waterhole or on a trail close by going to bedding areas so I could keep an eye on both locations.


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## xxxxxxBirdDogger (Mar 7, 2008)

*Re: Guys lets talk archery strategy (spot/stalk, treestand,*



> Dustin, thanks for the PM. If I hike those salt blocks in, I wouldn't be setting them right next to a waterhole.... good call on that ruining the water. It'd be either on the way to the waterhole or on a trail close by going to bedding areas so I could keep an eye on both locations.


Yeah, nobody salt the water! What a disaster that would be. _(O)_

You don't want to leave a salt block on a trail either. Find a feeding area to put it in. Clear a small patch of cover away from the ground so the salt is sitting in the middle of bare earth. Either that or put it on a stump or break it up on a large flat rock that is not too high off of the surface floor.

Just an FYI on the salts and minerals: if there are sheep or cattle in the area you are hunting, forget it! You'll have a herd of domesticated animals pounding that salt and wild game will move elsewhere.


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

*Re: Guys lets talk archery strategy (spot/stalk, treestand,*

I just practice shooting over 200 yards so when I have a 20 yard shot I feel I can make it. :O•-:

I don't hunt in trees very often because im scared of heights.

So my favorite way to hunt is to watch the rest of you guys push the bucks to me on opening morning or during the hunt. I get on an escape rout and sit back and watch 20 guys go at the buck knowing all the time it is I that is going to get the shot I practiced all year for. -()/>-


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## Mtn. Runner (Oct 7, 2009)

*Re: Guys lets talk archery strategy (spot/stalk, treestand,*

SW I will push one to you if you let me take a picture with it after you kill it.


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

*Re: Guys lets talk archery strategy (spot/stalk, treestand,*



Mtn. Runner said:


> SW I will push one to you if you let me take a picture with it after you kill it.


Deal :mrgreen:


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## proutdoors (Sep 24, 2007)

*Re: Guys lets talk archery strategy (spot/stalk, treestand,*



BirdDogger said:


> Well, for elk I'll mention one thing NOT to do: people need to quit blowing bugles with heavy grunts like they're king of the woods during the archery hunt. Elk are looking to harem up with some sexy female companionship. They're not looking to get their backside kicked by another bull. Want to run a bull off the mountain? Scream a bugle and grunt at him.


I disagree wholeheartedly! I can't tell you how many mature bull elk I have called in by doing what you say should never be done during August and early September.


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## Renegade (Sep 11, 2007)

*Re: Guys lets talk archery strategy (spot/stalk, treestand,*

I love hunting whitetails out of treestands. All of my elk & muley adventures have been on the ground though, and I have never chased either with the bow-I can't even believe that as I type it! Anyway, I think I'd try a ground blind by a water hole.


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## DR_DEATH (Sep 10, 2007)

*Re: Guys lets talk archery strategy (spot/stalk, treestand,*

I hunt spot and stalk and tree stands. The key to tree stands for me is that you need to be in a place the deer have a reason to stop bye. IE salt and or a spring.


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## xxxxxxBirdDogger (Mar 7, 2008)

*Re: Guys lets talk archery strategy (spot/stalk, treestand,*



> I disagree wholeheartedly! I can't tell you how many mature bull elk I have called in by doing what you say should never be done during August and early September.


But do you challenge a location bugle like 99% of the dimwits out there? I'll bet not. I'll bet you get a location, move in, then challenge after you've invaded a bull's comfort zone. There are multitudes of dudes who are out there walking around challenging without cause. We're talking spike hunters, no less. Then they want to come back to camp and talk about how "The bulls just aren't bugling this year."

I'll amend what I wrote earlier. Hunters: please, please, please don't presume that every bugle is a challenge. To scream back a challenge after a location bugle is foolish and will shut the bull up or run him off completely more often than not.


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## 10yearquest (Oct 15, 2009)

*Re: Guys lets talk archery strategy (spot/stalk, treestand,*

Spot and stalk/ still hunt am and pm for deer and elk. For just elk I move a little faster and go alot farther till I find good sign and or see them.. Never bugle only cow call.. Sit water or one of 5 wayback in the trees wallows I know of ( this only worked once and I missed!!) Read a book. sit in a good spot and glass till my eyeballs hurt ( same as above except I did not get a shot just blew it!!) Sleep in the woods where I end up in the evening. Go go go go go!!!! 33 days and counting


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## proutdoors (Sep 24, 2007)

*Re: Guys lets talk archery strategy (spot/stalk, treestand,*



BirdDogger said:


> > I disagree wholeheartedly! I can't tell you how many mature bull elk I have called in by doing what you say should never be done during August and early September.
> 
> 
> But do you challenge a location bugle like 99% of the dimwits out there? I'll bet not. I'll bet you get a location, move in, then challenge after you've invaded a bull's comfort zone. There are multitudes of dudes who are out there walking around challenging without cause. We're talking spike hunters, no less. Then they want to come back to camp and talk about how "The bulls just aren't bugling this year."
> ...


That's better. :mrgreen: 8)


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

*Re: Guys lets talk archery strategy (spot/stalk, treestand,*



proutdoors said:


> BirdDogger said:
> 
> 
> > Well, for elk I'll mention one thing NOT to do: people need to quit blowing bugles with heavy grunts like they're king of the woods during the archery hunt. Elk are looking to harem up with some sexy female companionship. They're not looking to get their backside kicked by another bull. Want to run a bull off the mountain? Scream a bugle and grunt at him.
> ...


+1 1/8

May be someone just needs to learn how to call...

And BTW, I think ALL bugles are "challenge" bugles. That's why they bugle. They're saying "I'm big and bad, I have cows and you don't, and if you want them you'll have to come over here and show me how big and bad you think you are with that poor excuse of a bugle you're trying to intimidate me with." Elk don't bugle to say " Hi! Yoo-Hoo, here I am, over here!" *\-\*


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## dkhntrdstn (Sep 7, 2007)

*Re: Guys lets talk archery strategy (spot/stalk, treestand,*

I thought they Bugle to say hi to there buddys in the other canyons and different parts of the canyon they are in.lol


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## ktowncamo (Aug 27, 2008)

*Re: Guys lets talk archery strategy (spot/stalk, treestand,*



BirdDogger said:


> > Just an FYI on the salts and minerals: if there are sheep or cattle in the area you are hunting, forget it! You'll have a herd of domesticated animals pounding that salt and wild game will move elsewhere.


Been there, done that. Nothing worse than to walk up to your trail cam, see the salt rock is basically gone, see your memory card is full....of freaking cows! Makes me wonder why on earth are cattle and sheep in the national forest? Sigh....

Finding a spot in the Uintas where the sheep and cattle don't go is getting harder. Impossible, no. Just challenging.


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## proutdoors (Sep 24, 2007)

*Re: Guys lets talk archery strategy (spot/stalk, treestand,*



TEX-O-BOB said:


> And BTW, I think ALL bugles are "challenge" bugles. That's why they bugle. They're saying "I'm big and bad, I have cows and you don't, and if you want them you'll have to come over here and show me how big and bad you think you are with that poor excuse of a bugle you're trying to intimidate me with." Elk don't bugle to say " Hi! Yoo-Hoo, here I am, over here!" *\-\*


Actually, bulls bugle for various reasons, one of which is to attract cows. Not every bugle is a challenge bugle.


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## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

*Re: Guys lets talk archery strategy (spot/stalk, treestand,*



BirdDogger said:


> Yeah, nobody salt the water! What a disaster that would be. _(O)_
> 
> You don't want to leave a salt block on a trail either. Find a feeding area to put it in. Clear a small patch of cover away from the ground so the salt is sitting in the middle of bare earth. Either that or put it on a stump or break it up on a large flat rock that is not too high off of the surface floor.
> 
> Just an FYI on the salts and minerals: if there are sheep or cattle in the area you are hunting, forget it! You'll have a herd of domesticated animals pounding that salt and wild game will move elsewhere.


The elks bedding area is oh..... a hundred yards away on the edge of the meadow they feed in all the time... which is about 50 yards from the water hole I've seen them near the last three times in the area. I don't have a lot of room to work with here.  Last year I was lucky and there were no sheep in the area, which was nice. No bigass dogs to worry about either. I was thinking putting it on the edge of the meadow at the base of the hill they climb to get to a bedding area.... which would kinda by default be on their trail.  No cows in the area, just sheep when they're there. Hopefully they'll have moved on or be a ridge or two away when I take my week off to go hunt. In my deer spot, there are big range bessies here and there but not enough to push the deer out. I have found several salt licks though... just haven't seen the deer really swarming to them.


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## HOGAN (Sep 8, 2007)

*Re: Guys lets talk archery strategy (spot/stalk, treestand,*

I try everything. First of all I NEVER bugle. Only cow call. But for deer and elk, I ............

1-tree stand- this is where most of my sucess has come from, this may be the fact because I spend 90% of my hunhting time in one. 
2-ground blinds, have tried this in the past but never had any luck harvesting.......yet.
3-spot and stalk, I have had sucess with. This is an art of still hunting. I only do this if it is a windy day, wind sucks for tree stands, but the wind can be your best friend on a spot and stalk.
4-spotting, If I spot a shooter in a bed I will set up a ground blind where I think he is headed, unless it's windy then I will try to get close.
5-road hunting, I have killed quite a few buck deer road hunting. I used to do it in my younger days and still do it on occation. I have found some of my best hunting areas by road hunting. Seen an elk run across the road, I followed only to find a clearing in which i installed a tree stand. To this day i have killed 6 spikes and 1 cow from this stand, I never would of found it if I was not road hunting. To this day I have never seen another hunter in this clearing. It is 600 yards from a main road. Road hunting can be a valuable asset if you pay attention.

Good topic, this close to the hunt it is good to brush up on our hunting skills.


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

*Re: Guys lets talk archery strategy (spot/stalk, treestand,*



proutdoors said:


> TEX-O-BOB said:
> 
> 
> > And BTW, I think ALL bugles are "challenge" bugles. That's why they bugle. They're saying "I'm big and bad, I have cows and you don't, and if you want them you'll have to come over here and show me how big and bad you think you are with that poor excuse of a bugle you're trying to intimidate me with." Elk don't bugle to say " Hi! Yoo-Hoo, here I am, over here!" *\-\*
> ...


No, you're wrong. He's "challenging" cows to come over and get a piece of the biggest bull on the mountain if they think they can handle it. :mrgreen:


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## xxxxxxBirdDogger (Mar 7, 2008)

*Re: Guys lets talk archery strategy (spot/stalk, treestand,*



> And BTW, I think ALL bugles are "challenge" bugles. That's why they bugle. They're saying "I'm big and bad, I have cows and you don't, and if you want them you'll have to come over here and show me how big and bad you think you are with that poor excuse of a bugle you're trying to intimidate me with." Elk don't bugle to say " Hi! Yoo-Hoo, here I am, over here!"


Actually, that's pretty close to *EXACTLY* what elk do quite often. Right now elk are beginning to stage. They'll let out a bugle that goes from high to low with no grunts. That's a location bugle. The bulls are getting to know one another. They'll try to get a peek at each other after letting out location bugles. In this manner they determine who's the baddest on the mountain, who they'll mess with come rutting time, and who they'll steer completely clear from. Location bugles dominate the early part of the archery hunt. The screaming challenges with grunts don't usually appear until later when the older cows are starting into their heat cycle. 
A location bugle is not a challenge to fight. It's a display for females and for other bulls in the area to know who is whom. Challenging with grunts is the WRONG thing to do after a location bugle that's a good distance away. Cow talk is not a bad way to go. Sneaking into his living room to challenge might be another way to go. Challenge from across the canyon and he'll say, "C'mon ladies, we've got an appointment someplace else." Most bulls won't risk losing females. 
Rule of thumb:
If the bull stands to get some va-jay-jay, he'll make an effort. If he stands to immediately lose some va-jay-jay, he'll fight back. If he has a chance to move the harem into another hotel to avoid some macho loudmouth who'd like to steal the ladies, he'll do it.


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## proutdoors (Sep 24, 2007)

*Re: Guys lets talk archery strategy (spot/stalk, treestand,*



TEX-O-BOB said:


> proutdoors said:
> 
> 
> > [quote="TEX-O-BOB":2d31wjq2]And BTW, I think ALL bugles are "challenge" bugles. That's why they bugle. They're saying "I'm big and bad, I have cows and you don't, and if you want them you'll have to come over here and show me how big and bad you think you are with that poor excuse of a bugle you're trying to intimidate me with." Elk don't bugle to say " Hi! Yoo-Hoo, here I am, over here!" *\-\*
> ...


No, you're wrong. He's "challenging" cows to come over and get a piece of the biggest bull on the mountain if they think they can handle it. :mrgreen:[/quote:2d31wjq2]Touche. :O--O:


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## tuffluckdriller (May 27, 2009)

*Re: Guys lets talk archery strategy (spot/stalk, treestand,*

I definitely like the still hunting method. It's a rush to be able to see them first, and then stalk in close.


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