There is a tree I use on public land that requires no tree stand. There are many branches forming a ladder system so to speak so I just monkey my way up. I leave a tow rope there attachedbecaue I make a habit of forgetting it in the car. Anyway, this last time I was there (after the hunt was over) I pulled my rope up to tie my bow to be lowered andnoticed that somebody had sabotaged it. It's a small diameter rope to begin with but they cut through everything but 2 strands obviously hoping I'd use it and it lets loose as my bow is 20 feet in the air.

I realize that whatever's left on public property is fair game but this is just wussy behavior imho. There are a million other trees and I know with 99 percent certainty that no one else uses this one because let's face it, the average bowhunter is not agile enough to climb 20 feet up a tree without a climber or if they could, they wouldn't want to sit on uncomfortable tree limbs for hours on end. And even if they could and wanted to, that's fine, it's public land. So... why set a trap for someone who isn't bothering you?

People can be jurks, what can i say

just be thankful you saw it before you pulled your bow up

I know what you mean. I had found a nice triple tree that required ascending about 5 feet to get into a climber. Being on public land you can't use screw in tree steps so I built a little 3 foot ladder out of 2x4s and could get into my stand with that. I was also giving up my position to those that don't know how to scout, but no matter. Anyway, I found my ladder busted to pieces this year and treestand marks on a tree 10 yards away. The tree this guy used I purposely did not choose because it was right over the trail and you had no cover. No skill and no ethics. What can you do?

How did you get your bow up the tree without noticing that?

I got to tell you though, squirrels and critters love to chew on things left in the woods. Squirrels will use rope in their nest.

Could have been squirrels or mice, you would not belive the equipment I have had destroyed over the years by them.

That's what I was thinking. They do a pretty clean job of it too.

on the private land i hunt i leave my climber attached season round.( with a cable lock)

well, this year some trespasser took my cables and threw them about 10 feet away. i found them (in the dark) and got the stand back together after giving it a good once over.

i clipped my bow to the hoist string and up i went. get to the hieght and went to pull my string.... nothing!

the jerk cut the string about halfway, i never noticed it when i hooked it up!

now i'm super mad, and sweatin, and the suns coming up and i've got NO bow in the stand with me... BACK down the tree, splice my rope and UP again... needless to say, i pack my stand out from now on!

Remember, according to PETA all of us hunters are "red-neck hillbilly idiots with a bloodlust to kill," so why would'nt a "good-standing/pure heartedfolk" put us evil hunters in our spot? Better we suffer than the poor defenseless critters.