Sooner_Hunter

NJ,

I think you are totally wrong on this. If you had a honey hole scouted out, stand located then came out to find someone sitting in a stand 10 feet away how would you feel? My guess is you would be totally ticked off! People get hurt this way.

My mentor pointed out to me the fallacy of starting an argument or fight with someone who is carrying a lethal weapon. Isn't that what we all use? Okay you might win the fistfight but there are people out there who will HURT you! Don't get me wrong. If its worth defending I will defend it. My wife, children, grandchildren, pets, house, etc. Getting hurt or having ill feelings over a treestand is not worth it.

I had this happen to me a few years back. Arrived at the location where I had placed my stand for the last three years. I had placed a stand there 2 weeks before the gun season started. About daybreak I noticed someone else placed a stand about 50 yards behind me and to the right.

Not only this but he arrived at it on an atv, got off, peed, lighted a cigarette and walked to his stand. He then proceeded to loudly and clumsily climb into it and lighted off another cigarette.

The location was in a corner of a timberland clear cut. I was pissed off but had no more "right" to the location than he. He did exercise poor judgment but nothing I did was going to give me a peaceful morning of undisturbed hunting.

I got down and proceeded to take the logging road out of the clearcut. As I skirted the edge and disappeared into the woods a nice 8 point had worked around downwind of the hunter left on the stand. He spotted the hunter before being spotted and apparently started away from him. I rounded the corner of the logging road and the deer and I almost collided, literally! When traveling to and from stand I always am prepared to shoot. This was no exception. I shot the deer from less than 5 feet. Nicest 8 point I have ever taken.

"Size may not matter but it sho IS nice!" [/quote]