The Archery Deer season is quickly approaching in NJ. Sept 7th for some zones. Time do our scouting and plan our hunting spots.

For those of you who hunt public Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) and plan on using permanent deer stands (IE: Ladders, hanging, tripods, stands built with wood, etc), I have just one suggestion, don't do it.

WMA's are there for all of us to enjoy on a 1st come 1st served basis. I have found over the years, that people who put up stands described above, feel that they become 'owners' of the area in which the stand is placed. Just because they spend some time and money to buy/make a stand and put it up, they have 1st rights to the area. This is not so. Your stand has now become public property for the public to do with as it sees fit.

Now I am a member of the hunting public and I HATE permanent stands. I have petitioned Fish and Game the last two years to make permanent stands illegal on WMAs. I've been thanked for my opinion and dismissed.

Last year, 1 week before the season, someone put up 2 big wooden elevated box stands up on an area I've ground hunted from for years. I couldn't believe it. I wouldn't move though, the spot was hot and it was public land. Opening day, i was the 1st one there. I didn't get up in the stands because I felt that wasn't right. I stuck to where i wanted to hunt from on the ground. This happened to be right in between the two stands. About a 1/2 hour after was set up, here come 2 flashlights down the road. I flicked my flashlight on and off so the knew I was there. They made a bee line for me. When they arrived, they told me about the two stands they put up and asked me if I'd seen them. I said 'Yes, but I wouldn't sit there, I like this spot'. They said they were going to hunt the stands and I would have to leave. I said "This is public land and I'm not moving I was here first". They STRONGLY suggested I leave (if you know what I mean, they didn't look happy). There were two of them and they were bigger than me. I left.

The battle lines have been drawn.

Invest in a climbing stand or get one of those new pop up ground blinds you can carry in and take out. Or just find good cover and hunt from the ground. The public lands are for everyone. Don't try and monopolize an area or be willing to except the fact that someone could be sitting in your stand or your stand might not be there at all.

By the way, this goes for duck blinds on WMAs as well.


Any day spent huntin, is better than any day spent workin,,

Duckmastor2