Tree Stand Stolen???
 

Read a post this morning by walters444hunt about having his tree stand stolen by somebody. The story reminded me of two of my treestands.

The first one my dad and I built back in the early 80's. It was heavy and big but I was able to climb a tree with it. Opening morning was on Thanksgiving. I carried the stand in, wrapped the stand around the tree and climbed up an hour before day break. About 8 or 9am another hunter came into the area and climbed a tree about 50 yards from me. I had to get down about 10:00am so we could go to my parents for the BIG T dinner. So I climbed down as quiet as I could, covered the stand over with branches and walked out away from the other hunter so as to not disturb him. I come back the next morning before daylight to find my stand gone. Talk about being ticked off. My motto for many years was..."there is honor among thieves...but not among bowhunters". Of course I know that is not true. There are bad apples in any group of people no matter who they are.

My second stand was a bear stand built between four trees. The stand was in a HOT bear area. My hunting partner and i had toted all the plywood, 2x4's, 2x6's and carpet up hill about a quarter of a mile to build this thing. It was our first stand and we were proud of it. One day Gary goes up there to hunt and the whole stand is on the ground. This stand measured probably 6'x6'. Some "idiots" had shot the stand out of the trees. Gary salvaged as much as he could and we built a better stand on the other side of the mountain.

So the question this morning is....have you had a stand stolen or destroyed by somebody? (I won't say by a hunter or activist so as to not start another war)

Happy Hunting
Reid

RE: Tree Stand Stolen???
 

I've had stands stolen, treesteps stolen, bow holders stolen, and even the strap off my stand stolen. Ah yes, the joys of hunting the suburbs!!

RE: Tree Stand Stolen???
 

I have had 4 stands stolen,steps.ropes,etc.Also had a gun shack destored once. Would love to catch them just one time.

RE: Tree Stand Stolen???
 

ive never had a tree stand stolen and im glad and its probably becasue i have my own hunting land on my farm and nobody else hunts it besides me.lol.

RE: Tree Stand Stolen???
 

Yes I've hada treestand stolen,when I went back to the tree there was a different stand in it. So I just sat in that one for the night and the guy comes up you can imagine the exchange I had with him. But he denied stealing my stand I figured nobody would be that dumb to steal a stand out of a tree and put another one up in the same tree on private land.

sorry about the run on makes it hard to read but I am being lazy today

RE: Tree Stand Stolen???
 

I did a post about it a long while ago, ive had a lot of stands stolen from me along with the people i hunt with, all i want is to catch them one time doing it to someones stand.... Its the worst feeling in the world when you show up to hunt and your stand is gone.
Ryan.

RE: Tree Stand Stolen???
 

Yes a few.

RE: Tree Stand Stolen???
 

Look at the bright sidebe thank full you still have a place to hang stands to get stolen:D

RE: Tree Stand Stolen???
 

I had something like this happen my first time in the woods with the exception that the guy came over and yelled at me for being to close to him. I have never stept foot back onto public land to this date.

RE: Tree Stand Stolen???
 

I wasn't on public land...in fact I was on Federal land..Eglin AFB, FL. They had a small patch of woods at the end of the runway that was for archery hunters only. I saw the guys truck when I walked out and I almost took down the tag number but I didn't. Needless to say I never saw his truck again. I ended up hunting a friends permanent stand up a HUGE oak tree in the same general area. I took my first scrub oak from there. I have it mounted as my first bow kill. :):D;)

Happy Hunting
Reid

RE: Tree Stand Stolen???
 

I use punches with letters and numbers on them to imprint my stands with my initials
so i can identify my stands. Helped me when I discovered some one in my stand one evening on private property and he wanted to argue with me about whose stand it was. so after i showed him it was my stand he quickly dissapeared.

RE: Tree Stand Stolen???
 

A few years ago I had a Lone Wolf climber stolen that was cable locked, on private property.I can't stand (no pun intended :D)a frigging thief![:'(][:'(][:'(]

RE: Tree Stand Stolen???
 

This was my account of my stolen stand...

http://www.huntingnet.com/forum/tm.aspx?m=1290267&mpage=1&key=persistence& amp;#1290267

RE: Tree Stand Stolen???
 

What type of stands are being stolen? Are they stands that are 20' up the tree that people are having to climb up to get? Or are they climbers sitting on the ground waiting on you to use them again?

RE: Tree Stand Stolen???
 

Mine was a fixed-position (hang-on) with all the steps removed... It had to have been another "hunter" (term used EXTREMELY loosely) who had a climber with him for him to be able to go up and get mine. 22' up an oak with no limbs below it.

RE: Tree Stand Stolen???
 

I had a fixed hang-on stand stolen two years ago. The kicker was that it was locked to the tree. The person who stole it must have had some serious tools to cut through the cable. I also had removed half the screw in steps. It makes you wonder what kind of person is willing to go to that much trouble for a $60 dollar stand. Eventually what goes around comes around. I hope they have nothing but pine squirrels circling their stand next season!

RE: Tree Stand Stolen???
 

I have stolen one treestand but if stealing a stand that was stolen from me is wrong then i was in the wrong. They should have at least took my name and address off it. This was on public land.

RE: Tree Stand Stolen???
 

I hunt my own land with many acres, i had someone trespass and shoot the lock off of my API climber on the second day of gun season. I was ticked.I asked someone who had "wandered" onto my land to please work his way off the property this individual saw my stand when i climbed down, that night it was stolen. He had better hope i dont see him again.