Some Punk(s) Stole my Treestand
 

Hi,
I put up the perfect treestand in on a public WMA in Ohio last weekend. I went there today to mark yardage, etc. and it was gone. Somebody had went through the effort to spot it, go home and get a crowbar or something to pop the bicycle chain I had on it off and steal it. I had even removed the bottom three steps so they must have had a friend lift them up. They stole all my treesteps and safety belt as well.

I am really bummed because I have a nice deer on camera here and really was looking forward to hunting that stand. I am debating on putting up another stand in that tree (with a large chain) and hiding some cameras pointing at the tree.

• Is there a better way to prevent theft of lock ons?
• Can you prosecute some one if you have them on camera stealing your stand on public land or are you just at the mercy of thieves?

Thanks,

use a climber and take it in and out...

Wait a minute
 

You had to leave your safety belt behind, too? Was that too heavy to carry all the way into the woods? That must have been some hike into the forest. And what kind of modern Dan'l Boone do we have roaming the woods, that can track and locate exactly where you placed that tree stand, so deep in the forest.

Fella probably has a metal detector all ready, in case you bury and hide the next new tree stand. He seems to have your one and only location, all located real well.

Thanks for warning about them Dan'l Boone fellas.

I use lock ons and on the 2 support bars, I weld a cross piece of 3/8ths bar steel and drill a 3/4" hole. I then put a 10" lag bolt into the tree with a 1/2" drive ratchet. I then put a motorcycle cable around the stand and tree called a Kong Cable. None of my stands are under 20 feet. I know all the work I go through putting it up and if they are willing to go through that much to take it down, then have at it. If they want it, they will have it, just not easily. I hunt private property.
I did find 2 years ago someone was using them while I was gone. I just took the floor and folded it up and locked it with a cable to the frame.

MuFan, sorry to hear someone took your stand. But that is Public Hunting ground and that is what you have to deal with. I hunt public land and use a climber, yeah it's a B*tch to carry but I like the Mobility of it and when I do hunt private land I have my climber with me then. When I scout Public land I see alot of red/orange surveyor tape and follow it to the stand sites sometimes I see a stand sometimes not but I cannot believe someone would mark the trail to their treestand. I do this for my own amusment and also to mark this location as to stay away or maybe hunt one day. But never to take a stand. Just my curioisty factor gets the best of me.

CVg Ohio

He just got his stuff stolen and your making him the crook:action-smiley-099: :bash:

Just got to thinking and remembered my brother was hunting Shawnee Forest in So. Il during gun season a few years ago. Took a climber in, hunted till his buddy called asking for help to find a deer, left his safety belt on it. Was way out, so he thought. Found deer, went back to finish hunting the day.
On way in, came across a father and son on way out, asking for directions to their truck, was lost. My brother told them they were about 180 out and that he could give them a lift, Just happened to notice the stand on the dads back and then noticed the strap on the stand. He asked about it. Dad said it was his and that he carried it in in hopes of using it. Brother asked about the strap, for his is custom made with braided 550 para cord. Father said it was his and that they would find their way back to their truck. My brother is a big guy and he told the father to take the stand off for it was his and he could prove it, his name is engraved in the bottom of the frame of seat and floor.

The father told him to take a hike, it was his and they were leaving. My brother told him unless his kid wanted to see his dad get his butt kicked for stealing a stand, just keep walking. The dad turned and was semi-pointing his weapon towards my brother, towards the ground, yet his direction. My brother told him to clear and shoulder his weapon and unshoulder the stand.
It was at this time the kid, who was about 11 yrs old, began crying and told his dad to give up the stand for they did find it and it was not worth anyone getting hurt for. The dad mumbled something and threw the stand down and off they went. My brother took his stand, left and drove over to where they said they parked and wrote down all the license plates of the trucks in the area. He turned it in to the CPO's in the area and let them deal with it.

I actually don't have any markings leading to it. Just a good bench that it's on I guess. I have a climber but you are limited on the trees you can use.

Valentine, huh?

My friend has stands all over the place. He hangs them and uses the slip on steps that go over bolts into the tree for the first 6 steps. They are spread at a good distance between them. The rest are regular steps up to his stands. He gets one or 2 stolen a year I think. However, some have been in place for many many years.

I love my climber but won't ever pass up a chance to hunt one of his stands. He always finds the best places.

Sorry to hear about your stand, but leaving anything on public ground is taking a chance. Over the years I have left one thing on public ground and that was a ladder stand that I hauled by cart about 1/2 mile in. I was hunting this property over a 2 wk managed hunt (only 30 hunters were drawn) and was in this stand nearly everyday.

It sounds like you did everything right, no trail markers, taking steps out, chained, etc. There are still some pieces of trash out there that will do anything to get what they want. Keep an eye on Craigslist, especially after the season ends.

I would never leave a stand on public ground.All your chain did was keep an honest man honest.Plus I never want someone else to know where I am hunting.A climber is a most when hunting public.I have had stands stolen on private property,right behind the landowners home.A theif is a theif.They will go through the extra work to steal it.If you put another one out they will find away to steal it or as much of your stuff as possible.Sorry they stoled your stuff but it happens every day around here.While other areas of the county have crime rates on the decline,Ohio's is on a rise.

a motorcycle cable lock werks wonders.

a few years ago, i had a loc-on and a ladder stolen also. I had an idea who did it but i was 100% sure.. So the next year i was out scouting the same area guess what i found my ladder and stand with in 75yards of where they stolen it. So i just took back what was mine, i left his bow holder and bow rope there because they wasnt mine.. So about 2week later i was talking to the farmer that was farming the ground and he was telling me someone stole his sons stand from the same woods i was hunting.. and it was public ground..

In addition to being unnecessarily negative, your post sounds like it was written by a grade schooler.

Don't kid yourself. There are guys that go looking for stands in the off-season. They bring what they need to cut chains and break locks. They sell the stands for cash.

It's sad that one cannot utilize ladder stands or lock-ons for public-land use without a lot of risk. Sounds like the risk is moderate to high in some areas that the stand will be messed with or stolen. I can't get over the story of the father and son walking out with someone else's stand. It's one thing to steal, but to do it in front of your child is on a whole other level.

As far as Valentine goes, I suspect he has a vitamin B12 deficiency. I've noticed many off the wall/negative comments to people's posts as well as my own. If not a vitamin deficiency then......use your imagination.

I have had a few stands stolen on private property. Was not happy about that at all. but i have learned that the person who steals your stand will always be back, especially during hunting season. If he saw a stand he will most likely be back to hunt the area. If you see someone.. question them hard and don't back down. I've gotten one of my stands back that way.

^^ This. Never leave a stand on land that has public access. Both because you want to avoid theft, but probably equally important to keep your stand location secret from others. For some reason, a known stand becomes a magnet for lazy hunters that can't/won't do their own scouting. It's mainly for this reason that I use a climber or pop-up and keep my trail hidden (use few, if any, visible trail markers...I use sticks, trees etc to mark it mentally). I prefer to avoid anyone when in the field, and take measures to ensure that I'm a ghost out there. ;) The best trips are those where I know where most/all nearby hunters are (unless they're really good at also covering their tracks), but they have no idea that I've been there...

You're even more limited when your tree stand is missing. ;) Or when someone uses your stand when you're not there and screws up your setup by busting deer. That's the tradeoff of public land...and the reason why it's best to go through the trouble of keeping your setups secret.

What a low life to steal someones treestand.. I mean you can buy one at walmart (a pretty dang good one) for like 60 70 bucks.. Thats ridiculous.

I scouted a new place recently and followed a trail, turned out to be a guy who'd just hung a stand. No markers needed some times. It was public land too. Guy even used screw in steps. This is what I'm talking about. The guy is acting like he owns the place and even the tree. What steps were you using?

Think about this. if everyone started claiming trees no one would be able to hunt who didn't squat in one. Leaving your stuff behind is stealing. Kind of like using the center of the road to park your car because it's a really good place to park. You can't leave your car parked for deer season on a public ground. Soon the dnr will start confiscating stands that will be required by law to have some kind of ownership label and holding them charging the hunter for having to haul (tow) it away.

Take your stuff in and take it out. No, it's not too bad you can't leave your stuff there all season and no I don't remove anyones crap.

There's a local public land that has one tree covering an open field and some bone head leaves his stand there.

use a climbing tree stand wolf makes one thats not heavy at all

I also had a stand up on an adjoining private property, about 100 yards onto their property. I had permission to hunt the property and hang the stand from the land owner, but the hunters who leased the property to hunt took the stand down and placed it on the property line in tact and all the pieces together. While i was not happy about all my wasted time i do respect the fact that they didn't steal the stand and didn't tamper with it. I was actually extremely happy with the hunters and have a great deal of respect for what they did. If taking down a stand was solely for the fact of hunting territory or "owning the woods" this is a good alternative to stealing the stand. Stealing a stand is straight up wrong and is as low life as can be.

Just bought a lone wolf. Magnificent! It's not as comfortable as my previous climber, but it is:

- light
- compact
- nearly silent to hook up and climb/descend

Should have bought one years ago. Well worth the money I spent on it.

bummer,

I mostly carry mine in and out of WMAs...not only because of theft..but because it gives me the freedom to change my mind and hunt another area if the wind isn't right ..or if I decide to change my mind.

I hunt so far in the swamp you would have to be crazy to steal my stand. I do use both leaners and climbers in public WMA's but I still lock them to a tree with a heavy chain or cable and pad lock. If they go threw that much trouble let em have it. bike locks arn't very secure honestly...

it must have been a fancy stand with all the bells and whistles close to a road lol sorry about your luck.We have a rule that says stand have to be taken off the last day of the season and cannot be put on the WMA untill the day before. If you left it out there all year I could see how this would higher the chances of it getting stolen.

How is it "stealing" to leave your stand in a tree? Last I checked there are very few areas that only have one tree. And most stands that are left behind are regularly hunted by others who found them. I wouldn't set up a permanent stand on public land for exactly that reason.

i think nodog is saying you are occupying a spot that could be used by someone else if you are not there. so you are "stealing a perfectly good spot" and not using it?

Like the other thread u can always find him and shoot him if you live in Texas. Get a climber, hunt the area, question everyone. Chances r that someone saw the same deer that u did and he will be back but with your climber the signs of u returning will not be there. Good Luck.