Archery Hunting at 8,000-10,000 feet (advice needed)

WiscoKid

Active Member
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Hey guys, I started hunting mule deer in 2015. Since then, I have shot 2 with a rifle and 6 with a bow and arrow. I am usually hunting them either in open canyon country or above tree line. I have gotten some access to some land locked public in Colorado that I know holds some good deer. My question is, I am pretty unfamiliar with bowhunting deer around 8-10k feet. There is a ton of cover obviously, and some open meadows, burns, mountain side browse and creek bottoms that are relatively open. How do you guys go about finding/hunting deer at those altitudes without being able to scout a lot, or am I basically limited to putting one to bed and trying to ambush it as it comes back to feed in the open areas and burns. Any tips and tricks are appreciated, I love to hear ideas and try new things....Thanks!
 
Might be appropriate for a treestand setup between bedding and feeding areas especially if the deer are patternable and relatively undisturbed
 
Sounds like this might be a great place for sitting on an opening water hole or a tree stand. That said, I hate sitting so I would probably slow hunt the edges of openings looking for something entering or exiting and, at the same time, glass hillsides and draws as I go, looking for a stalk opportunity.
 
As a Wisconsin, guy I have definitely considered a treestand as these will be mostly day hunts anyway if things play out the way I am thinking.

DW as long as you are buying the beer, I'll listen to you for a few hours ;)
 
8-10,000 elevation will probably have streams and seaps all over it. Sitting water may be a lonely proposition. You'll need to just go for it, get the tag, and take a pre-season summer trip to figure out where the deer are, and what they are doing.
 
Keep moving locations until you find deer and sign, and then drop anchor for a while.

They aren’t uniformly distributed and they don’t seem to concentrate in the same spots year to year.

I agree that sitting water can be a waste of time. It sounds like a tip from a 1970’s Sports Afield, but find where they move between feeding/bedding areas.
 
Not sure where timberline is where you are going. If you can, get above timberline. Sit in a good spot and find deer. Hopefully in the willows or rocks. Wait till they bed and the thermals start. Sneak in and wait till the buck you want stands up. Stick an arrow in his ribs.

Sounds so easy and it never is........
 
Totally depends on the country. Ideally you can spot them from a distance in the morning, watch them bed, wait for the thermals to kick in, and sneak in from above!
 
As a Wisconsin, guy I have definitely considered a treestand as these will be mostly day hunts anyway if things play out the way I am thinking.

DW as long as you are buying the beer, I'll listen to you for a few hours ;)
DW has owed me a beer for years. ;)
 
Great thread, Not sure what kind plant life makes up your hunting area. But you may be able to glass into aspen meadows, or sage flats I saw a few bucks in that 8-10k range up elk hunting this last year but only saw them feeding in the am typically. I would love to archery hunt above timberline but with the later archery dates it really limits the time the bucks will be up above alpine. I’ve always thought hunting bucks in that 8-10k range is the hardest.
 
I have no idea what your "honey-hole" looks like, but I hunt those elevations a fair amount and there are almost always glassing points that allow you to look into the country.
As Coloradoboy suggests, use your glass from as high up as you can. You may have to glass from very long distance, so a good spotting scope is a critical piece of equipment. Glass at daylight and at dusk. Deer have to eat so they can always be found on their feet at those times of day.
That tells you where they are and are not.
If I find them in the morning I watch them bed and then plan a stalk.
Good luck with your access. I hope it turns into a great place to hunt.
 

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