Yep, I hear you. Was a DNR employee myself from 1987-1996 and saw it all. Started bow hunting on the public ground I workedon and had stands sat in, stolen, and damaged. Had hunters sit by me, sit in my stands, smoke in my stands, piss by me, and poop by me. Main problem was once the rut hit everybody and their brother came out, and it became a free for all. Iowahas thesame law as you do in Ill. Stands can stay up allduring hunting season and anyone has the right to sit inthem. Personally, I have ethical hunting beliefs that do not agree with sitting in someone elses stand.My advise- keep "putting up" with itand search for private ground.

I guess what gets me more is the rules that are broken with the put up stands. I came across some stands early in the year before they where allowed to be put up. Mentioned this to the DNR employee there and nothing happened. 2 years ago we found a stand where someone was packing in apples and putting them below the stand (Illegal in Illinois) and nothing was done. And 2 days ago I came across 2 stands with 20 screw in steps going to each one (Illegal on public land) and just shook my head.

Here in Iowa it is first come first serve on public land. If there is an unoccupied stand and you set up in the tree 5 feet from it, and that guy comes in he has to be 200 yards from you. This is why i dont hunt public land. If i dont get private land to hunt i dont even hunt.

Just curious. Are these stands all in the easily accessable areas? Within amile of a road? Sounds like most of what you described were field edges. If you pack in about a mile or two do you still have that problem? I've never hunted public land (except for turkey last year) and I was planning on doing some next year after I've scouted out an area. My plan was to hike in for two miles on National Forest and set up camp and hunt the area from my base camp. Didn't know if I'd run into a lot of people that way but kind of doubt it.

That pretty much says it all... Public ground is exacly that,public. You have to take the good with the bad. Communication is key...

Talondalesaid

"I was planning on doing some next year after I've scouted out an area. My plan was to hike in for two miles on National Forest and set up camp and hunt the area from my base camp. Didn't know if I'd run into a lot of people that way but kind of doubt it. "






Thats a great way to hunt public land and feel its all yours. I find that when you do that you only run into other true hunters and not your week-end warriors that skirt the edges( and push the game in deeper,another plus). The only draw back I found is its along way back to the truck dragging your trophy. Can't use any motorized vehicles on public land in Iowa...

B.S. In MN you can leave your stand up for untill 2 days after the season is closed! At that time it is considered abondened. Check your bylaws. I leave stands up all the time, untill last week when I had 3 fricking stolen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But hey if you are walking around and stumble upon one of my stands. For god sakes hunt it, dont take it! If I put it there there is probly just cause!

I haven't really hunted public land in a long time. But I can understand your frustration. Personally, as long as it was legal (which it sounds like it is) I would just hunt wherever I wanted as long as there was no one there. No way I would let an empty stand dictate where I am going to hunt. IMO public land is first come, first served. If they show up, oh well....you are already there.

ANYNONE WHO THINKS A STAND LEFT OUT ON PUBLIC LAND JUSTIFIES THERE TWISTED WAY OF THINKING AND THINKS ITS FOR THE TAKING IS A SCUM AND LOOSER . ITS NOT YOURS DONT TOUCH IT! the way i look at it is it is much safer for a hunter to set there stand up in the daylight the day or weeks before the hunt than having a heart attack hauling all that gear out and setting up at 4 a.m. in the dark not putting a bolt on correctly. it sounds like its legal to do so in your state so i would learn to live with it. i dont know how anyone could think that setting up a stand claims an area. IT SHOULD BE FIRST COME FIRST SERVE! if its public land. if i leave a stand out all season and i get to my spot in the morning and i see someone in it or set up too close to me GUESS WHAT I LOOSE. i would just take the stand down and move on. thats why i always get to the woods extra early instead of having an extra coffee at the donut shop to avoid this. another thing to think about is putting yourself inside of the mind of the hunter who sets up knowingly next to a stand that has been left up. if it were me you gotta say for yourself i sure dont know the history of this location. was this stand that has been set up a while hunted hard all season so far. has it educated the deer. did the guy in the stand that hunted this stand stink up the place kill a bunch of deer or blow a bunch of shots? i certainly wouldnt want to set up next to a stand that has been up for a while. the other side of the mentallity is that the person sees a stand up already up and figures it must be a good spot if someone is hunting this spot already. there are plenty of out of the way areas if you look around. during the gun season with guys walking around and clubs driving deer they will always bump into those stands that are what you think in the middle of no where. i have had several stolen that way. you could never have found some of my stands any other way.

I hunt public land and this is my opinion. If you take a stand that is not yours you are a thief. If you sit in someones standwithout permission, public or private land, you are practicing bad hunting ethics. If the rules let hunters leave their stand up, that hunter has staked his claim on that tree and that tree only. Doesn't mean you can't hunt the areaif the other stand is empty.
Those of you who would sit in someones stand might want to think of this. If the owner of the stand shows up to hunt and is short tempered and a little psyco, you are a sitting duck with nowhere to go.