generally in minnesota you can trim shooting lanes. you just cannot cut down a tree over 4 inches wide 4 feet off the ground. i think it's 4 feet. never seen anywhere that said you couldn't trim shooting lanes. does it actually say you can't somewhere?

my point is simply, things would be a lot simpler for everyone if nobody claimed spots by leaving/building stands on public land. The regs are definitely shifting that way. I'm glad! If people followed those rules we wouldn't be having this discussion. get a light climber people, it's not that hard to bring a stand in with you!