Stand Stealers!

[Bogsucker]

Yeah very well written post but, Just because someone lives(owns property) next to Public land and uses the land more than others it gives them NO more right to use any of that PUBLIC land than anyone else. If you don't like hunting where others also hunt and have the exact same rights as you, don't hunt there. If you want to put up a stand with your initials, put it on your own land not OURS.

It still boggles my mind to think that some people believe they have the right to pre-empt the use of PUBLIC property!!! Granted, if someone is parked where I'd like to hunt or if I see someone else in a stand on public property I'll avoid the area, but to not hunt an area of PUBLIC land because of a stand???

[Bad Moon]

Although it is illegal to place perm. stands on some public property, FM does not encourage the destruction of property. You may repost your point if you would like but take it down a notch.

[This message has been edited by jlm (edited 09-02-2004).]

[barebackjack]

So, in retrospect, did it make you feel good to trash something that was not yours, or anyones for that matter?? I guess Ill stop there as I wouldnt want to sound like a jerk

[This message has been edited by barebackjack (edited 09-01-2004).]

[30 inch eyes]

sorry badmoon, but if you didn't put a drop in it's tracks kill shot it's not really YOUR deer yet, even though I would have given you the deer. We had the same thing happen to us a few years ago so I know the feeling(they used the line that they didn't know we were traking it.) As for permenant stands on public property I say NO it is trying to claim a piece of public property for yourself. I also wolud do away with any stands with enclosed sides, I don't feel it's in the name of fair chase, if the deer can't see you move. If you want to hunt deer in MN then be prepared to get cold or hunt in TX

[30 inch eyes]

Hey exterme did you ever get your stand back

[wannafishto]

the point has been made that some hunters are "claiming" a spot as their own if they have a permanent stand in an area of public land. Unfortunately, have observed this to be true. I also feel that this behavior is even being expanded to include vehicles parked on roads by the area being hunted. some hunters feel it is a "first come forst served" kind of thing and that if another hunter(s) drive by and see a vehicle parked there, they should assume the spot is "taken" and keep driving. I just think it is so unfortunate that the experience of hunting has to be so diminshed by people who think this way. My father and I hunt public land and I would rather meet the others hunting there so we can all share the opportunity that we "non land owning" hunters still have available to us. Not too many years ago, my father fell when the steps on an old permanent stand broke and he seriously injured himself. He managed to make his way back to the truck, but was unable to see so was honking the horn. I did not make the connection. If it was not for another hunter nearby that we had introduced ourselves to, my father would have sat there for hours waiting for me. The other hunter came and got me and my father got to the ER much faster thanks to him. That hunter took time out of his hunt to find out what was happening. I did not make the connection to the horn being dad because he had told me he was going to an area North of me, in which case he had to go by me to get back to the truck. Turned out he had gone North, saw another hunter in the area, so left and went East so he would not interfere with the other hunter on "public" land in the permanent stand. there could be so many good times shared by hunters instead of poor ones due to bad manners and pure disrespect.
funny how most hunters wouldn't dream of helping themselves to a portable stand left in the woods, but will use a perm they didn't build. Obviously, neither can be helped, but we don't see people walking up to a bus stop and fighting with someone they don't even know because they want to sit on the end of the bench the other person is on. doesn't matter who built the bench. but if I put up my captains chair to wait for the bus, my butt is gonna be in it! Let's just leave the perms that are left to the b*** heads with the poor manners. Last thing I want is to come up against some angry guy/gal in the woods when they have a gun in their hands.
If dad and I come across another hunter in any type of stand nowadays, we apologize for walking up, introduce ourselves and offer to do a little round-a-bout push/drive for them. Maybe someday we'll end up making a new friend. I hold out hope.

[10 poyntr]

Who in this forum ever "claimed" their area by putting up a stand? I never heard anyone say that!! We all seem to realize that we take a "calculated" chance of putting up stands and finding them empty when we get to them. Your right, nobody has a "right" to reserve public land. And we don't claim to! The astute hunter gets scouting early in the year, finds his "spot", NOT staking a claim, and finds a tree that will likely suit him. Does ANYONE take into consideration that his stand might be found? Of course, so be more diligent in selecting your "area". If I took my kid to a park to play and find the slides and swings full, I'll move on! Find another park! Hunting public land is not rocket science! I'm envious if I come up on a "secret" stand area, only to find it already having a stand there! Somebody beat me to the punch! I'll move on. The guy in this forum that tears down stands? Why? Move on. I don't kick the old man off a public park bench!!

[ricqik]

The point is if you hang your stand the day before you hunt the area then you are reserving the spot regards of what your thoughts are. By placing your stand there you are basically forcing other hunters to hunt a different area. Its also illegal so quit breaking the law. You want htat spot get in there ealry and set up. None of this bs about making too much noise in the moring to set and it ruins the hunt, it 2hrs before shooting light, you can't shoot anything yet till 30 minutes before sunrise anyways. If the deers are already there when you get there 2hrs early, chances are they won't be there when light comes anyways. QUIT BREAKING THE LAW. Simple as that.

[10 poyntr]

RicQik, Nobody is "forcing" anyone to hunt elsewhere-Remember, it is public land! I don't get on a bullhorn when I fish a lake like Big Winnie when there is a herd af boats in an area, and tell them to fish eleswhere! I MOVE ON! So what! If putting a stand up before the season really sticks in your craw, then report it to the DNR! Yeah, it may be illegal, but so is 65 in a 60, or 80 in 60 like most cars. I would love for ALL HUNTERS to put their stands up in the pre-dawn darkness everyday, and then count the number of injuries it would create while climbing and assembling! BS about making noise won't disturb the deer? Pre-dawn noise is the worst time to wreak havoc with the deer!

[Roosterslayer05]

Wannafish- you say you dont like it when people park on the road to "reserve" the spot. Thats nice to talk to the other hunters on the land and tell each other where your going, i do that all the time but when a couple parties are already hunting the same area and they all got there first, there are multiple cars in the parking lot and the area isent that big the next person that comes along should find another spot instead of makeing a spot overcrowded, there is allot of spots out there and people dont need to all hunt the same ones.

[wannafishto]

We personally don't mind if we see another vihicle in the area we are goin to hunt, actually, its nice to know someone is in the area - for safety reasons. I just meant that some people seem to feel that if they got there first that others should move on. I think it is too bad that we all just can't get along. No body has any right to remove or damage a stand that isn't theirs, permanent or otherwise, but we all have a right to "be" on public land. I guess it's like enjoying a football game. Alot of people want to participate and be in the stands at the staduim. Others don't like the crowds so they watch from home "privately". I think maybe the so called "sportspersons" who get territorial over any certain area of public land need to enjoy their hunting experience via the couch and a dvd! leaving the "public" land hunting experience more enjoyable for the rest of us. And hey, if dad and I run into any of you during the season, I'd like to invite you to the truck for a cup of coffee and a good deer hunting story! Anybody like cream and sugar? Last year while we were enjoying coffee, a nice 8 pt'r ran across the road and waved at us!

[BLACKJACK]

10 pointer, in your post at 10:49 you say that people aren't 'claiming' the land when they put up a stand, but then later in your post you state that people should 'move on' when they encounter a stand. Isn't that claiming/reserving that spot on PUBLIC land?

[Ben1022]

I think there is a fundamental difference between those that perceive putting a stand up early and those that believe in putting a stand up each and every use...that difference being wanting to hunt w/the opportunity of success and simply sitting in the woods to be outside. Don't try to fool yourselves or anyone else thinking putting your stand up 2 hours before daylight is the least bit wise. I'm not going to go on w/that explanation and if I have to, my point won't ever be made with you.
On to another area...what is w/the big box stands be it private or public? That has to be the ugliest structure I've ever seen any hunter use. Guess they must've got their start in Texas. If so, they ought to "cowboy up" and get used to being outside. If you want to camp in a box, stay home in your garage...or better yet, build one in your own trees and see what others, including yourself, thinks.
Bottom line, early birds get worms. There is a finite number of hunting locations and if you have the tenacity to get out, scout and find a location where the deer are moving and set a stand...do it. And if someone is "too late" to get "your pre-empted spot", then they have the opportunity to get up a little earlier and find another place.
My question is what happens when two or more hunters find the right place and show up the morning at the same time? Since neither of them "pre-emptively" put up their stands, do they each get a spot in the tree to be fair? I'm thinking you should already know where you're going and already plan on the idea that someone else is already hunting nearby and have a 2nd plan instead of sitting in the woods whining about someone "pre-emptively taking "your spot". Yes, it has happened to me and vs. whining about it, I'm on to higher ground.
Obviously those that put up and take stands down every morning and evening (which I HIGHLY doubt) are not going to change other peoples minds, which leaves them to either get off of dead center and get out early or find other locations or call the DNR and spend more time being impractical and doing less hunting.

[EXTREME]

I would like to direct this post to Ricqik. Believe it or not, it is not illegal to leave your portable stand in the woods overnight. It is illegal however to leave it overnight on WMA and State park land. I assume by your replies that you hunt one of these types of land. Please don't misinform everybody else that they are breaking the law! Because they are not. Secondly; someone asked me if I got the stand back...I have not seen my suspect yet to talk to him so no, I have not got it back. Some of these other stories have been pretty cool, and it is great to see other hunters helping out and being nice. Believe it or not, I am one of those people. I have never cussed out someone for sitting in "my" spot. I just move on. If someone moves in, I may be chapped, but I say nothing and move on. That is what being a sportsman is all about.

[sheepheadslayer]

As everyone cries and whines about who is reserving what and someone is breaking the law and what not. How would you all like to be in a different state with a 1/4 of the public land to hunt or even less. We are blessed with all these hunting opportunties and everyone seems to have something bad to say. There are millions of acres to hunt. Fighting over something that the next person has the same right too is totally stupid. When i was 12 years of old we had the best lake to hunt ducks on. A perfect grassy point with great cover. At that time you may have had 1 maybe 2 people hunt the lake. Which was fine with 2 nice bays and a grass island all away from each other. Well as the next few years came it was a competition to hunt the lake. My father hunted it all his life with no problems with other hunters. Well by the time i was 15 in order to hunt the lake you had to get there 3 hours before shooting time. Last time we attempted to hunt it there was truck at the access with the trailer in the water like it was unloading. Well we sat and waited and soon found out that they were in the truck sleeping and were not unloading. They finally woke up and started to get unloaded. It was a good 20 min. before the were out of the way. It was from then on that we had to find a different place to go. Now we have even better hunting and less people. We drive past the access on the way out opening morning and there has been up to 15 truck and trailers at there on a lake that is no more than 400 acres. Sometimes moving on is better than competing. Sorry so long just my opinion. And by the way i do not agree with RESERVING YOUR SPOT by putting your stand up in a area or leaving your trailer in water so no one else can get in.

[Ben1022]

Exactly! Well said!

[ricqik]

Have a good hunting season and be polite.

[This message has been edited by ricqik (edited 09-02-2004).]

[This message has been edited by ricqik (edited 09-02-2004).]

[FOOT]

Just a quick little story about stealing.
My 2 brothers used to duck hunt the Weaver area of the Mississippi and for years chained their boat to a tree the weekend before opening. Then on opening they would walk in, unchain their boat and go hunting.
One opening 25 years ago they walked in to find someone had cut the lock and stole their boat. Needless to say it ruined a good day and season of hunting.
Two years later they are walk back in to the same area but don't go by the tree where they used to chain their boat. About 3pm my younger brother sails a duck. While trying to retreive it he finds a bost just like the one they lost tied to the same tree. You guessed it. When he checked with my older brother it was the same boat. He still had the license card in his billfold and it matched the license numbers perfectly. They went back to their truck, got a bolt cutters and stoel back their own boat. They no longer chain up their boat.

p.s. I agree trying to reserve a hunting spot by leaving a portable or permanent stand, blind or other such device, on public land, is wrong and it is just as wrong for someone to steal them. Like the previous note there is plenty of space for all hunters to enjoy their sport and not have to worry about these things.

[Hossienda]

I have been following this thread and finally felt the urge to chime in. I do almost all of my bow hunting on public land. I put up and take down my portable stand each and every time I hunt because I do not want to have to spend the money to replace it. If you don't mind spending the money to buy a new stand, leave it out there. I am sure not everybody is conscientious enough to walk away from it.

I have also bumped in to other hunters in the parking area, while on stand, and while leaving. All of these encounters have been with, in my opinion, good guys. One in particular time we both told where we were planning on going so as not to mess up the others hunt with our routes in. Another told me the story of a guy taking a nice buck in the area, which happened to be a buddy of mine.

While it is a bummer to find that someone has arrived at your spot earlier than you, it has also made me hunt in different ways and areas that I otherwise would not have, and I feel that has made me a better hunter.

I don't know where I am going with this, but maybe we just need to remember that public land is for everybody and if it is going to bother you if someone takes your stand/spot, maybe you should consider only hunting private land.

-Hossienda

[10 poyntr]

Blackjack, When I say claiming , I mean legally. No one has the legal right to stake a claim on public land. I understand this. So when a stand is put up, it simply tells me someone wants to hunt there, and I can certainly appreciate that. It actually helps in determining where other hunters will be. I hunt around a lot of other hunters, and use them as wisely as I can to help in deer patterns. Plus I love to talk to other hunters and swap stories!

[Deputy Grizz]

From what I have read (haven't read ALL the comments) Bogsucker is the most correct in his comments. Were I the fellow who "lost" his stand, I would check with the local DNR officer or sheriff. I myself have confiscated several stands that were left overnight in a management area.They may be picked up, after paying a fine. In this case, being on tax forfeited land,the stand would indeed become property of the state, as the owner "abandoned" his property on state land one week after the season.

[EXTREME]

I guarantee you that it was not taken by the conservation officer or sheriff. Up here they have alot better things to do than look around for "abandoned property". I totally agree with the management land, it is illegal to leave them overnight; but what I don't understand is that on non-mgmt land how can it be seen as property of the state? Are permanent stands property of the state as well? If so, why don't you tear them all down a "week after the season." I am not trying to deny that I screwed up by leaving the stand in the woods. Actually I was pretty much over it until that last comment. If the stand is left in a legal area; leave it alone. I know the DNR up here does. What are they going to do with a bunch of portables?

[Deputy Grizz]

"Extreme" Sorry man, I don't make the rules, just enforce them. Get a copy of the mn rules and regs from any sporting good store, they're free.Then turn to page 129 and read the "personal property" paragraph. Any property left longer than 14 days becomes property of the state. This includes "permanant" stands as well.
As for what will the state do with them? Each year the dnr holds a public auction of confiscated items not reclaimed by the original owners.

[Ely Lake Expert]

Well I have read most of this thread, I am just gonna say that I am glad that the public land I hunt on is way out there an you have to drive right past my hunting shack driveway to get to this expansive area of great land. It is considered public road to get to where I hunt, but it is more like public fourwheeler trail to get to my stands. Oh I love the northwoods. Good luck to everyone else with all your stand troubles.

Ely lake expert