The stand was not on the private property we were hunting. It was adjacent to it. I am guessing it was state property as it was next to a highway, but there is some new home contruction near it so it could have been owned by a developer, not sure. That is why I questioned with why bother talking it down?

I agree, your friend is a thief. [:'(][:'(]

So you think he is a thief simply because he took the stand, or because he tookthe standfrompublic property.

I have taken down stands on my private property, which was clearly posted, with the owners name and # on the signs. If the person wanted it back, it was easy to get ahold of me with name and number visible, but never a word.I dont consider myself a thief.

MNpurple, I don't think anyone was calling you a thief, congrats on the new stands .

To chazspot, what do you mean "why bother taking it down"? Your buddy ripped off another hunters' stand!! You read about this here all the time, tell him to return it!!
You said you had a stand stolen once, how did it feel?

Then your buddy is a thief. End of story.

You may want to find out exactly what property you are hunting so you don't get arrested.

Taking another man's property that is legally placed is STEALING!

What I still can't figure out, what was his purpose and reason for removing it?

What state land are you referring too?

I would have told my friend "good bye" and left him to take it down and drag it out. I would never have been a part of that crap. I have had two of my climbing stands stolen over the years that were placed leagally. I wanted to break someone in half after I found them stolen.

I ask why because it didn't seem to be accomplishing much to me that he climb up the tree and bother taking it down. It wasn't on our host's propert. He justified it by saying the landowner would want that and like I mentioned previously we had a camera stolen from that same area. Perhaps it was payback. If it wasn't for that I think my friend would not have done it although I am not certain of that.

Yes,it downright sucked when I looked around for my stand in the dark to only discover once enough sunlight was provided my lock-on stand was stolen.

Believe me, when he said he was going to climb up and remove it I indicated I wantedno part of it. I didn't walk away since we were together and quite a ways from camp. If he had fallen and hurt himself I would have been negligent not to be there to help him even if he was doing something that he shouldn't have been doing. Now, if the owner of the stand showed up and confronted him while he was taking it down he would have been on his own dealing with that.

Yes, he lugged it back to camp all by himself. Again, the irony is the landowner bitched him out for bringing it back.

The whole thing just bothered me. I thought I would discuss it with you guys, get your opinions.