If you found a stand on your own land?
 

If you happen to be hunting your own land and not letting anyone else hunt it would you keep their stand if you happened upon it. I myself would keep it, since no one has asked me to hunt my land and they have no right there. What would you do? or am I wrong for keeping it.

RE: If you found a stand on your own land?
 

they are traspassing, keep it,sell it or do what you will;and if they come by to get it.charge them with traspass with a firearm,and taken to jail.

<font size=5>that is poaching,and I have no symphaty for them!!!</font id=size5>.

just my 2 cents,there are 98 more!

I am not a hunter I am a whitetail population reduction specialest

remember keep your back to the sun, your knife sharp, and your powder dry.

RE: If you found a stand on your own land?
 

Yes...I would keep the stand....as long as your property is well posted....so it is obvious that they should not have been there without getting permission first.

RE: If you found a stand on your own land?
 

Tecnically, they are only poaching if they do not have the proper license(s) or permit(s) or are attempting to take game out of season or after legal hours... However, they are trespassing, and that stand is mine. I would also attempt to backtrack them to their point of entry and set up a trailcam to get a pic of them, their vehicle and/or plates, and a nice note would be left at their stand site explaining it's not nice to trespass. The law would be paying them a visit if I was successful in figuring out who they are.

This of course assumes I had properly posted the land, which I would have.

RE: If you found a stand on your own land?
 

Take down the stand & leave a sign with your cell phone # letting them know how they can pick it up.

If they do call & are truely apologetic & sincere, give 'em the stand back.

If they are real flaming As^@((s & get all accusatory, set up a meeting to turn over the stand. When they come to get the stand, have LE waiting with you.





&quot;It's not the kill, it's the adventure and challenge! <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>&quot;

RE: If you found a stand on your own land?
 

I would keep it and leave a note as to where they could come explain themselves. Question? Your post says your property is correctly posted, does this mean tresspass laws in your state allow hunting if land is not posted? In SD you can't hunt private land without permission, posted or not. If that is the case i would be calling a state rep. about some law changes. IMHO, you should not have to post land to keep people off of it. A forgone conclusion that you ask first. Maybe I live in a dream world?

RE: If you found a stand on your own land?
 

This interesting, because I had a series of incidents this summer of trespassing on my property where they even went as far as to barricade (with a loose strand of barbed wire and fallen timber) an unimproved dirt road I use to get to the back of my property. They were using a large spreading tree as a location to set up rings on the ground made out of leaves and twigs. Some sort of satanic worship, maybe.

Anyway, outside of removing the barricade and destroying their ring, I did nothing. Why, you ask? Am I a coward? No, not really. I'm a former MArine so I think I can defeat any third world country single handedly (Marines can, can't they?), so I'm not personally afraid of them in the physical sense. My problem is that my house is on my property and not hard to find- it's at the other end of the dirt road the barricaded. My fear was that any further provocation would result in vandalism to my house while I spend my typical 10-11 hours away at work each day. Is this an unfounded fear? I don't know. I guess I would wonder a little bit about that when I was taking down the tree stand, BUT I WOULD TAKE IT DOWN since I would figure that an illegal hunter wouldn't be as totally unscrupolous as devil worshippers might be.

-Brad
Eastern Nebraska Bowhunter

RE: If you found a stand on your own land?
 

Give them the benefit of the doubt. Take the stand and leave a note as to where to pick up the stand and explain themselves.If they know they were illegal, believe me, you will not hear from them.

RE: If you found a stand on your own land?
 

You can do one of two things.Pull their stand and leave a note,Telling them where it can be picked up,If and when they do,get their plate number.And decide what you want to do about the tress.

Or Stake out the stand and catch them on film(for prosecution)and confront them as to why they are hunting your property without prior permission first.




It's not how big the Deer,But the size of the experiance that matters!!

RE: If you found a stand on your own land?
 

lock it to a tree, put a trail timer a good distance away in a spot they wouldnt notice it and get a picture of them!!! after a few days pull it all down and turn it all into the fish and wildlife protection office! Taking the stand wont keep them from coming back!!!

RE: If you found a stand on your own land?
 

Hmmm - this is a good one.

Legally, if a stand is on your property, do you assume ownership of it because the person illegally hung it there? I wonder if it's different from state to state. For example, in Missouri, if you're speeding and someone pulls out in front of you, normally it's their fault BUT, since you were speeding you gave up the right of way and the accident now becomes your fault.

Yes I would take it down and leave a note in plain site for them to see. I would also probably call the sheriff and/or warden, just to make sure I did my due diligence - CYA. If no one claims it, it becomes yours legally right?

With my luck, if I didn't remove the stand, this idiot would find a way to hurt himself in his illegally placed stand on my property and find a way to sue me. Isn't that how it works?


Edited by - Merit on 11/05/2002 17:07:58

RE: If you found a stand on your own land?
 

Your Stand!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RE: If you found a stand on your own land?
 

I would NOT steal someone's stand, whether it was on my land, neighbor's land, or public land. If I didn't want them there, I would leave a note (stating my wishes for them to either stop hunting there or to ask permission first) zip-tied to the stand.

RE: If you found a stand on your own land?
 

Well it is up to you to do one of two things, take the stand and leave a note where they can pick it up or just take it. And in NY you don't hae to have any signs up for them to be trespassing. They don't pay for the land or the taxes so you do what you want with what is on your land.

RE: If you found a stand on your own land?
 

I have a little different situation, I leased some property right after last hunting season and there were stands left by the people who had leased it before. I took them all down and put them close to the entrance to the property so they could easily find them. The land owner called them and told them they could come get the stands but they still haven't yet.

RE: If you found a stand on your own land?
 

I would take the stand down and leave a note stating where they can pick it up. I'm not sure what the law states, but if you just keep it you may be brought up on theft charges eventhough it is on your land. At least leaving the note CYA if they do have the nerve to show up.

---
Live: Oregon, IL
Hunt: Knox County, IL

RE: If you found a stand on your own land?
 

I picked up a stand off my property last winter. By the time I got home there was a message on the machine stating that the tresspasser was calling the cops and would have me arrested for theft. As soon as the message ended, he called back and started cussing me out and saying how I stole his stand and that it was theft. Every time I tried to explain to him that he was tresspassing he said we didnt own the land and that he has permission from the previous owner, who had died 3 years prior to the incident. After finally calming him down and getting him to understand that he didn't have permission to be on the ground he came over and picked up the stand. Never appologized or anything. Just drove up the lane, got out, picked it up and drove off. What a *** huh? Haven't had any problems with him since though.

RE: If you found a stand on your own land?
 

I. personally, would not KEEP the stand... If you have a house nearby, that the person(s) would be likley to know about, I would take the stand there, the person(s) will eventually come along and ask about it, probably. If not, THEN and only then, would I keep it.

RE: If you found a stand on your own land?
 

Laws vary from state to state. In WV, you can hunt on anyone's land without permission as long as its not posted or enclosed. You didn't meantion whether or not your land was posted. If it is not, how do you expect them to know they are not allowed to hunt there. Not everyone are mindreaders. Now if your land was properly posted or laws in your state require the person to seek permission, then that's another story altogether. As others have meantioned, I would take the stand and leave a note at the tree. Decide what to do depending upon the attitude of the person when they call or pick up the stand.

RE: If you found a stand on your own land?
 

I have had this happen to me. What I did when i was scouting i had my fourwheeler and I just went a took it out of the tree along with the steps and I found the guy walking to his stand about two weekes later and I told him to get the he!! off and e asked me for his stand back and I told him that I just had a new stand it is great. He never came back again.

Yes you were right! Take it

RE: If you found a stand on your own land?
 

I would cut it all into pieces and leave it on the ground there with a note to not come back on my land. But thats just me. Be careful!

--Jim

RE: If you found a stand on your own land?
 

I have got four stands that way. Even a tripod feeder. One guy even had his 4 wheeler burned to the ground.

RE: If you found a stand on your own land?
 

LMAO... But wait... A feeder? You dont use it do you?

RE: If you found a stand on your own land?
 

It is yours.

Everything left on your land is yours whether it has value or not.

RE: If you found a stand on your own land?
 

I suppose that if you found a stand, you'ld likely find someone in it one day. Either that or you scored a perfectly good tree stand for free.

Nic

RE: If you found a stand on your own land?
 

My advice is to call LE first. Here in Iowa, our land has to be posted in order for it to be trespassing. But I would call the local sheriff's office and ask them. If you're land needs to be posted and it wasn't before the stand was placed, then I would try to catch the person hunting there and ask them to leave. As a landowner myself, I'm am concerned that you have a more serious problem than just an unwanted hunter. If this person comes on your property and injures himself, or worse, you or someone else, they can sue you and you lose everything. Be smart. Find out what the law is in your state and get it on your side. Good luck.

RE: If you found a stand on your own land?
 

well lets see , if you kept it and never said any thing maybe he'd hang another of which you could take. If the guy was really stupid you might get a whole slew of stands before he wised up and quit buying stands only to have them claimed by you. Might be a profitable deal.

RE: If you found a stand on your own land?
 

I would definitely take the stand down. I am not sure I would leave a note or not. In Ohio, you have to have written permission from the landowner to hunt on his/her property, so they would be breaking the law in my home state. I have been asked by the landowner where I hunt to run anyone off the property that I come across. I had that problem for a short period early in Oct., but they did not put up a stand. If they had, as I said earlier, I would have taken it down

RE: If you found a stand on your own land?
 

Yep -

Kept it - in fact we added it to our 3d shoot as a door prize!<img src=icon_smile_approve.gif border=0 align=middle>

Aim small miss small

RE: If you found a stand on your own land?
 

Again it comes down to - is the land posted or not? If not, I'd leave a note - but would not take the stand. Misunderstandings occur, especially if the property has changed hands fairly recently.

However - if posted - I'd take it - NO NOTE, NO EXPLANATION - nothing. I doubt you'll have to worry about them again - I took one down once - no problems, no confrontation.

I would not prosecute - on the basis of a stand on my property alone. If other issues were at hand like vandalism, etc. Different story. I think most bowhunters generally are not this type of person, and likey used poor judgement.

RE: If you found a stand on your own land?
 

I've had to do this several times. Take the stand and leave a note telling them they do not have permission and are tresspassing. You can pick the stand up after we have a chat. (phone number) The notes always get picked up but the stands only get picked up half the time!

Good Luck!

PRACTICE....PRACTICE....PRACTICE......SUCCESS!

RE: If you found a stand on your own land?
 

I guess it would be in your location and how boundries are idenified. I have 21 acres along a national forest here in Montana as I do not have to have my property posted or fenced to keep tresspassers out( As I do not have it posted/fenced) but it up to the hunter to know their legal boundries. I have a lot of game around my cabin and if someone came up and wanted to hunt it and asked me I would let them, but if I was to find a treestand on my property, than I would take the stand down and put it at the base of the tree with a note stateing not to come back no more. I don't care for people whom try to test me like that.

RE: If you found a stand on your own land?
 

I don't know If I would keep it but I would take it down and maybe wait for them to come back and smag them and turn them into the warden. I probable give the stand to a fellow hunter who doen;t have a stand. But I would definately stick it to them.

brian

RE: If you found a stand on your own land?
 

Why in the world you put a trail camera out for them to find it, steal it and keep their stand? I'm pretty sure their prints would already be on it, so when they come to get it you can turn them in. If they're prosecuted for tresspassing you can get their prints. I don't think this would be a lucrative way to obtain hunting gear, especially when you're risking losing some of your own in the process.

God bless,
Brandan

RE: If you found a stand on your own land?
 

The feeder is on my sisters land so she can watch deer from her house.

RE: If you found a stand on your own land?
 

Assuming it's posted, and hasn't recently changed hands, I'd have a new stand.

&quot;In heaven, even the fish have antlers&quot;

RE: If you found a stand on your own land?
 

I once had a guy come right out and tell me that he hunted my land even after I told him that I owned it and did not want anyone other than me on the land.

He was even stupid enough to tell me where his stand was. Needless to say it is now my stand....after I cut it down.

BTW...he never came back!

RE: If you found a stand on your own land?
 

Keep the stand. Leave a note telling them to not set foot on your land again or face prosecution.

RE: If you found a stand on your own land?
 

Take the stand. Trespassing is a serious offense, and I would bet that it was no accident, this person knew he was trespassing. I would also bet that if they are willing to trespass they would also take something from your land without asking.
I get really bent out of shape on this subject because we have some family land and have dealt with these problems for years. I can't stand a liar or a thief and usually the two run hand in hand (trespassers included).

My 2 cents.

Searching

RE: If you found a stand on your own land?
 

Forgot to add. Yes it was posted with no Hunting no Trespassing signs