someone told me they heard you might not be able to use portable tree stands on public land because they dmg the tree, i hunt in NY and the portables i use do little to no damage, does anyone know if you can youse portable tree stands on state land?

I read it some where a few years ago you couldn't use one that scarred the trees. You had to have the ones with rubber bumpers or guards on the stands with teeth etc. At the time I used a loggy that just had rubber contact points. Now I mainly use the API that has bark biting teeth. You can cut some hose pieces and tape the slit hose over the teeth, but I don't. All the state land I hunt sits next to a private farm that I have permission to hunt so I'm just hunting the private farm.[&:] I bet a couple rubber hoses split carried in with your stand would do the trick. It's got to be in the book.... except they didn't send me a book with my online license this year.[:@] Read it on the web.

We can in MO, we just can't use anything that screws into the tree. I use my climber all the time.

my climber has the teeth, it doesnt really do any damage at all, so i guess ill take the chance of using it.

I just went to the online site. The part of the regulation I read said that on state lands you CANNOT erect permanent stands or use nails etc in any state tree. Nor are you to trim shooting lanes etc. It did NOT mention portable stands but did have an ambiquous statement about following the bit about nails saying "or damage the trees in any way". A real dork could write you up for scratching the bark if he wanted to be a dork, but it's really a vague statement open to interpretation I guess. First I'd tell the guy it said NO permanent stands. It didn't mention portables. My stand doesn't hurt the tree in my opinion. If he still wants to play dork I'd ask him to have mercy on a disabled old vet. I'll just use mine and say "write me a ticket if you want, but I'll fight it. I'm retired with nothing to do but spend a day in court. Hope you can make it".[8D]

I hunt mainly on State Park land. I see and talk with park rangers often and there is no problem with climbers. Your just not supposed to leave them in the woods.
Yes, technically your not supposed to damage the trees though. Let me explain something. I am an Arborist by trade and we install support cables in trees all the time using whatare calledlags. These get screwed into the tree at each end of the cable to keep the tree from splitting or breaking apart. The tree, in time simply grows around and over these lags with no ill effects to the tree.
Frankly, I don't know who makes up these bogusrules!

Well thats one I never heard of , here in Michigan were not allowed to use those screw in steps but theres nothing about portable stands.

In RI we have similar ambiguous regs about not damaging trees, and my friend said I couldn't use my climber because of the teeth. I called DEM and they said that climbers are okay. We can't screw anything into trees though, so I just leave my bow holder in the pack when I'm on public land.

On state ground around my area, you can use any type of stand as long as it does not dig into the tree more than an inch deep. you have to have your name and address attached to it if itsleft out while not being occupied. and you can not use screw in steps. no nails and no permanent stands and no trimming shooting lanes.
Dan

there was just an article in a paper this year i think that in pa if you leave a stand on public land the wardens will take it and i think you have to pay to get it back.