cowboy4513

Why assume the best? I mean they are trespassing confront them ask them to leave. I always assume the worse.

wis_bow_huntr

Ive compinsated a few stand off our property that were none of ours. Everyone in our area knows everyone and who owns what land. Noone has come looking for their stand but they are here if they want them. 1 more month it will be 6 months since the last one was found, stand can be concidered lost or non existant.

Red Lion

I would also contact the Game Warden and give him that stand.

Tree climber

In Fla. tresspasing with a weapon( gun ; bow ; knife) all are felonies.the law was changed 3 years ago???

now you will have a record for life if charged with tresspasing.you call the GFC; they tell you to keep it if you want,if not they will take it to impound and sell it later.

the way Fla. reads,if you shoot from a road across property lines ; the bullet is the same as you going across that line.you can be charged.

we had real bad problems with tresspassers and poachers (a tressapasser is a poacher , in my book)
until the state passed that law;;; and we took a few stands to use for our own.
Now we don't have near as many.one ever now and then.

we also put up signs along with posted signs. (" I SEE YOU ; I SHOOT YOU")

Sylvan

For all practical purposes it seems you've got yourself a free tree stand. BUT, imo it doesn't belong to you. You have simply taken into your posession somebody elses property and it would be extremely difficult if not impossible for them to get it back. But it's not yours. Because you found it on your property doesn't mean that it automatically belongs to you. If someone has a car accident and their car slides off the road and on to your property does the car automatically now belong to you? Of course not.

Now you asked "Do I have to give it back?". IMO you don't have to. I doubt there's anything the fellow would do to try and make you return it but I do think that would be the right thing to do. Certainly he's guilty of tresspassing but I don't think you are the one to extract the fine. The right thing to do is what some others said. Turn it in to the police and let them handle it.

jmwfood

If you had a stand that you did not notice right away then you may not get out to your property that frequently. My point is this.

If someone is local and has put up a stand and you are not local but only visit the land several times per year. Then if you take the stand and make a huge deal out of the matter, the local a##whole can do damage to your property if he is nasty.

We own land like this and are careful.

My thought is to turn it over to the local game warden and leave a note on the tree that you have done so.

Lanse couche couche

The fellow may never even come back for it. When i bought my land, there were two stands on it (and another right across the property line on my neighbor) that folks had abandoned. They had been there long enough that the trees were starting to grow around them. You would be amazed at how many abandoned stands like that, even nice expensive ones, that you can find out in the woods like that.

Dunno what the specific law on this in Illinois is, but the custom in my neck of the woods is that if someone puts a stand up on posted land, they just gave a present to the landowner.

TimberCreek

For us, the Judge made usgive the stand back.Cost thema $250 fine for trespassing though! Trespassing laws in my state are weak and the criminals know it. Better for me to take the law into my ownhands.

heeze gutshot shortee

more ethics...no deer this time...what todo? what to do? Hmmmmmmm

TSR6

I would have put your cell phone number on the "NO TRESSPASSING" sign you put on the tree the stand is in.

If the person wishes to have their stand back, they can have it back after calling you( and after YOU call the DNR). Remember, You are not stealing the stand, you are only temporarily holding the stand that was mis-placed on your property.

Negociate a meeting place and time, and have the DNR there waiting with you.