Treestand Hunting For Coues

[Manamal]

I've been trying to arrow a coues with my bow for a few years now. I have stalked them, circled around to get ahead of them and wait in ambush, and still hunted for them. Yet still the only coues on my wall were all taken with a rifle. I'm thinking about totally revamping the way I go about hunting the whitetail with my bow. I have seen some some very nice bucks on this site and elsewhere taken from treestands. Most of the time they were also taken with the aid of a trail camera. I have a couple questions for you veteran treestand hunters.

 

1. What type of treestand do you use? Is it a fixed position or a climber and what are the pros and cons of each.

 

2. Do you use salt to get the deer to come in? How long does it take to establish a good salt lick?

 

3. How many trail cameras do you use? Is 30 feet of flash enough?

 

4. How do you decide on where to place the cameras? Are trail intersections a must or do some trails get used so often that all you need is one trail?

 

5. Do you have much early season success or is treestand hunting more effective during the rut?

 

Any help would be appriciated.

[GRONG]

Manamal, In my experience with treestands I just use ones that I can strap onto a pine tree or just cut some limbs in a juniper tree somewhere, nothing too fancy but safe of course. In the summer I place them near water holes that don't get much human traffic, if any, and over salt licks. I'd say if you want to establish a salt lick for Aug/Sept then get out there now and get that puppy going. The longer it's there the more deer will know about it when it's time to hunt them. I don't use climber stands cause most all trees in AZ have way too many limbs in the way to get up at the height that I'd like to be at. I only have 2 trail cameras now and I put them in places that nobody would think to look for them. Maybe in a saddle or over a salt lick or a seep/spring. I get to worried about someone stealing them so I couldn't stomach them being in a high human travelled area. I usually have mine anywhere from 1/2 mile to 3 miles off any roads.

The last bit of advice I'd give is that the more time you spend on stand or blind the more chances you'll get to see what's going on in your hunt area. A trail timer/camera should give you a good idea of what's going on and when though. That's my $.02, take it for what it's worth.... oh maybe $.05.

[bowsniper]

I am far from an expert, but I will share with you a few things I have learned:

 

1) I use a Gorilla treestand, but I am sure that there are many good brands. I think that fixed are better suited for AZ because many times you have to climb higher past branches, and a climber can't get past low branches. Also, I have never used a climber, but it seems like it would be a hassle to ratchet it down, (and noisy too), every time you needed to go down. A fixed with screw in steps seems to work well for me. One tip with the steps, use twice as many as you think you'll need, and also put them three or four feet higher than the position of your stand, to help you get in and out of your stand.

 

2) Salt licks are helpful, but it can take many months to get one well established. You should get one going soon for the August hunt. I would keep salt licks miles apart so you don't give the deer a choice, so be very careful where you start it, because once the salt leeches into the soil, it's there for a long time. There is a lot of info in the archives on salt licks, so do a search and you will come up with alot of info.

 

3) I've had 3 or 4 cams out at one time. 30 feet of flash is fine. I've used the cheapo stealth cam from Wal-Mart for $59. I also have three leaf river film cameras that have worked very well for me. They retail for $200, but you can get new ones on ebay for $100 to $140.

 

4) Place the camera where you think you might be placing a treestand. An active trail intersection in the forest would be a good place, some place where the coues feel comfortable, but you still have good shooting lanes. I haven't had good luck at water holes because coues are so wary when they come into a water hole.

 

5) I've only been at this less than a year, so I don't know. Hopefully someone else can tell you.

 

One other comment, I think very good scent control is imperative. I used a scent lock suit over my full body, including my head, hands, and especially my feet.

 

Good Luck!

 

Bowsniper

[Manamal]

Josh,bowsniper,

 

Thank you very much for taking the time to reply! The two of you are obviously successful at bowhunting coues out of the trees and the information in the above posts is priceless. I'm stoked, I read some past posts/threads on salt licks and will be starting a couple this weekend. Thanks again guys for getting me pointed in the right direction.

 

Neil Large

[DesertBull]

I have good success getting trail cam pictures over salt blocks. I like the salt / mineral blocks you get at the feed store. I would not overpay for the ones marketed for hunters.

 

I got this tip from another guy and works real well for getting a lick started. Get 3-4 of the small mineral blocks, they're about $2 each. Crush up 2 of them and drill a hole in the one or two of the others. Take a small hand trowel or shovel with you to the trail. Dig a shallow, wide hole at the bottom of a tree, where you want to place the lick. Take one of the crushed blocks and pour it in the hole, mix it up real good with some of the dirt. Take the other block with the hole in it and rope or wire it tight to the side of the tree.

 

For what ever reason, the deer like the salt mixed up with the dirt. They will paw that hole all summer long. By placing the other block on the tree, it will seep salty water right down the tree trunk into your salt lick every time it rains and freshen it up.

 

To jump start the lick, try pouring some dark molsassas, anise, or vanilla extract on the tree trunk and around the lick when you first set it up.

 

I'll be setting mine out after the hunting season are done. I need to fix them up a little too. Mine are all home made and need repairs after six months in the rain/wind/snow/

[az4life]

Manamal

I will sit back and learn on this thread with you. I have not gotten into archery but have considered it with the increasing difficulty of getting drawn for rifle. The salt lick idea seems a good idea although I never considered it. Thinking back, maybe that is why I have seen so many deer and cow tracks in similar areas around water tanks and salt blocks.

And the tips from everyone will make it more likely to succeed.

 

Treestands are another story, I hunt places with fewer trees and more open ground so I have never considered one. Lots of canyons and vantage points but again, I have the rifle hunt mindset. I guess I would have to alter that fairly significantly to be a decent archer. the ssaying about an Old dog and new tricks... sort of comes to mind

 

Game cameras are fun too. I will have to refurb mine and have another one to build if I get the gumption. Since I am hoping for a late Coues tag, maybe spring will be when I start heading out to shed hunt and salt lick build.

 

 

Great topic! Keep those ideas coming.

[kwp]

I don't have any experience with treestand hunting but a little with salt licks and trail cameras. Last summer I decided I wanted to experiment with salt licks and I had a buddy who had done it with a lot of success. He killed a coues buck out of a treestand that was on a lick that he built. I decided to build two licks, mile and a half to two miles apart. I built them both in saddles. I dug a hole 4-6 inches deep and a few feet wide and poured in the granulated trace mineral salt found at a feed store. I then mixed it with the soil and poured two gallons of water on it. These were the instructions of my buddy, he also said to try to make them so that they will catch as much rainwater as possible so that the salt will soak into the soil better. I put a trail camera on the one that was closest to the road and after a week or two the salt lick was getting minimal use but at least some. The use gradually increased over the next couple of months and became pretty popular but I never got any buck pictures(only does, a fox, and a bear). I had the october hunt so early october I moved my camera to a water hole to see if I could find any bucks there. I visited the salt licks again last week and the one that my camera was on is getting hammered. There were deer tracks everywhere and it was all dug out. The other one I built was getting some use but not near as much . Another tip is to clear some of the grass and small vegetation around where you build the salt lick so that it will be easier to see any tracks if they start coming in.

[Kevin]

I can't comment on cameras or salt licks but have some insight on stands. I own both hang on and climbing stands. As previously mentioned, climbers can be limiting in pinon-juniper trees if you use them to climb. However, I will use mine in gnarly old junipers that grow crooked. Most hang on stands are one piece and can't be used in many trees or are uncomfortable because they lean one way or the other. I just pull my climbing stand up with a rope and hang the platform and then the seat. They allow for much more adjustment on less than desirable trees. Also, my climber is much more comfortable than my hang ons and I can sit longer without fidgeting around. If I had to own only one stand, it would be my climber because of its versatility. Just buy some tree pegs and use them in trees with lots of branches.

 

Kevin

[ultramag]

i like the ladder stands, easy to get in out of and fairly comfortable.the bad thing with these is storing them and carying them to your spot, there heavy.

[TAM]

When starting a new salt hole or planning a new treestand location scouting the area is very important! Look at topo maps for saddles, bedding, feeding areas and then go take a hike and spend some time in the area. After spending some time in the area choose a location that gets lots of deer traffic and little human traffic. Also consider the proximity to water and feed areas. For coues, I like saddles and ridge lines. When you choose a spot for the salt make sure there is a good tree to hang your stand no more than 30 yards away. When selecting the tree to use make sure to consider where the sun rises and sets so it won't be right in your eyes when you need to shoot. Of course also consider the normal wind directions and which direction the deer will be coming from. When you start a new salt hole the best results I've gotten is using salt pellets (used for water softners, you get them at the grocery store for $3.50 per bag) and then pouring a bag of the powdered deer cocaine over it. Deer will usually find it very fast. In the first year you should replenish the salt every couple of months. In the following years you will only need to replenish the salt a couple of times per year. Also putting out a mineral salt block is a good idea, but keep putting out the salt pellets because they dissolve faster and get absorbed into the ground. Also don't forget to set up a trail camera to get pictures of the deer coming in, and don't be disapointed if you get lots of does and few bucks throughout the year, because during the rut those does are the bait that attracts the big bucks. Also, for me salt seems to work better in the pines than it does in the desert. Good Luck!

[TREESTANDMAN]

There have been some great posts here. Like TAM said, the location of the stand is probably the most important factor in seeing deer from the treestand. I think it is also important not to have the stand too close to the trail, scrape, salt or water. These deer can detect the slightest irregular noise and movement. I like to have brush below and above me in most situations. It is also important to fight off discouragement and impatience while in the stand. You must expect to go hours w/ out seeing any deer and still be patient. Limit your movements. I notice I see quite a few more deer when I am completely still for long periods of time. Do everything possible to eliminate scent. Most of the deer that spook will have spooked because of human scent in my experience at least. When there are does at your location, be careful not to spook them. When bugered, I believe they release a "danger aroma" as a warning to other deer that will come through. I have witnessed this. These are just a few tips that have helped me in treestand hunting. The most important thing if you want to get a buck from a treestand is to spend as much time as possible in the tree. It is weird how some days you will see tons of action and some days you will not. Good luck.

[DesertBull]

And don't eat at Taco Bell the night before your hunt. You'll be emitting your own form of danger aroma.

[bowsniper]

That's where the scent lock underware comes in handy!

[TAM]

I always just use the carbon scent eliminator spray on my Taco Bell burrito's before I eat them if I'm planning on hunting. It really works good too!

[25-06]

Maybe that taco bell aint such a bad idea, cause if you reak like a stinking javelina the deer mite not fear you as a preditor