BowHunterChris

I've been hunting a piece of public property for a while now. I leave my stand out there, because nobody messes with my stuff. There are other stands that are left out in other areas around mine too. I started baiting my area before permit shotgun, and it started to be torn up and has a lot of deer sign around it. I go out this past Saturday morning with one of my cousins in hopes of getting another doe. I go to attach my bow to my haul line and I can't find it anywhere. I look up, and it was cut as high as the person could reach. My stand is around 23 feet up in this tree with great backround cover. I use climbing sticks to get up to my stand and then pegs the rest of the way. When i'm not hunting the stand, I just take the sticks with me and just leave the pegs up. My stand is also locked up there. I guess somebody got pissed that they would have to really work to get my stand out of the tree, so they decided to be an ass and cut my haul line. I'm out Saturday morning well before dark and there isn't any action going on. At around 8:30, I see these 2 guys in hunter orange walking down toward the area my stand is in. They are looking around and pointing. They are looking up in the trees and point directly towards me. Since I am in full camo, they don't see me at first. They end up getting a little closer and I turn and look right at them. The one guy is now looking and pointing right at my stand and sees me there. I have a feeling that one of these 2 guys are the ones who might have done this. I don't know why people have to be like this. It is all the more reason why I want to hunt private property.

NY Bowhunter

Some people just don't get it. What a jack#@@. Guy gets mad cause he can't steal your stand so he's not leaving without doing something destructive. Ask him if he has about a 6 foot piece of rope you can borrow next time you bump into him.

hunter60

it happens on private land to i was the only one with permission i put a stand up waited till everthing was right to hunt the spot when i get their all over the ground are cigeret buts i stay & hunt about a halfhour later her comes a guy straight to the tree &i get in a big yelling match with the guy then he walks off yelling all the way that was the last time i hunted their

BOWHUNTERCOP

SAME HAPPEND TO ME. ON THE LAST DAY OF THE 6 DAY SHOTGUN SEASON, I LEFT THE WOODS EARLY BECAUSE I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO GET A NJ BEAR. I PUT MY CLIMBER INTO A LARGE PLASTIC BAG, AND THEN PILED PINE BRANCHES ON TOP OF IT. HALF A WEEK LATER I RETURN, MY STAND IS GONE!!!!! I WALK TO WHERE I GUTTED THE BEAR, FIND MY STAND IN THE BAG, WITH THE BRANCHES ON TOP, ABOUT 40 yds. FROM WHERE I LEFT IT. I GO UP MY TREE, AFTER DAY LIGHT A SEE A HUNTER, HE WALKS OVER TELLS ME I'M STEALING THE STAND. I CLIMB DOWN, SHOW HIM MY POLICE ID, ASKED HIM HIS NAME HE TELLS ME, I THEN PULL OFF THE FOAM PADDING TO THE ARM REST, AND HE SEES MY NAME ENGRAVED ON THE STAND!! WHOS STEALING THE STAND? ALWAYS HAS TO BE ONE A**HOLE IN THE GROUP, WE HAVE ENOUGH PROBLEMS WITH THE ANTI HUNTERS

liquidorange

I HATE TO SAY IT BUT ITS GETTING WORSE OUT THERE. some idiots who hunt feel the need to do this kind of crap. its a shame. i had a guy on public land set up on the trail to my stand a couple days before the season open. i had been baiting and checking on my area for well over a month. he set his stand up unlocked and even left a couple 100lb. bags of corn unopened under some brush near his stand. i never once thought of taking his things. i even left him a note that i was hunting in the same area and if he needed help dragging i would help. i figured this was someone as trusting as myself but i did warn him of the gun clubs stealing stands on there drives and to lock up his stuff. LETS HELP EACH OTHER OUT IN THE WOODS IT WILL REWARD YOU SOME DAY!!!!!

EagleLake

Some people just don't respect people's stuff hope everything is fine with ur stand BowHunterchris

Coolerpup

I do not condone the destruction of a persons property....BUT....leaving your stand in a tree, on "PUBLIC" property is like saying " THIS IS MY SPOT AND YOU CANT HUNT HERE". Like saving your spot in the woods. How would you feel if you got out there one morning and someone was up a tree say within 20 ft of your stand, now you cant use your stand, or you could be a prick and go up anyhow.
Not all hunters are ethical, we know that, its no big secret. So if you leave your personal stuff on public land, its partly your fault. Take it with you.
Ive walked by many stands in the woods on public property. What I do is tie a gum wrapper or a pack of crakers wrapper to there stand or line just so they know " I know where your stand is and yes others are hunting in here, your lucky Im ethical."


AllenC

liquidorange

it should always be first come first serve on public land but its awful nice with a 50 plus pound ladder stand to leave it in the woods on occasion like before the opener or hunting the next day. i do it all the time and many would be lying if they said they never did it! not trying to justifiy this by any means but its just safer to go to my spots a day or a week before in the day light and safely put my stand up. its nice to not be huffing and puffing and all sweated up from setting up a stand first thing in the morning. putting up a stand at 4.30 in the morning in the dark is no fun and can be very dangerous! i think the majority of hunters KNOW THIS!. if i do that and someone beats me to an area or my hunting spots i would gladly move my stand or hunt another spot and it has happened. i dont own the lands but i will be honest by saying that in some cases i think i deseve my hunting spots.( i know it sounds selfish) i scout all year and especially in the late summer when the woods are all loaded with ticks and chiggers i dont see these same people when im baiting settin up my trail cameras and yes setting stands up. i have a feeling its not just because they work all the time either and cant hit the woods. its just that i feel i am more passionate about hunting. i will though help these same people in my area in any way i can. i even offer my stands and tell of some good spots to check out if they are having not so good luck. THE BOTTOM LINE IS SLOB HUNTERS ARE ALWAYS LOOKING TO JUSTIFY THE STEALING OF STANDS. IM SURE THE NUMBER 1 REASON REASON IS THAT THEY SHOULDNT HAVE LEFT IT. if these same people felt that strongly about the stand being left in the woods why wouldnt they just leave an ugly note or report them to a game warden! THEY WOULDNT DO THAT BECAUSE BY TAKING A TREE STAND THEY HAVE BENEFITED

Duckmastor2

Im with Coolerpup. If I say anything else, NJBowhunter will attack me and I cant take anymore abuse this year.. [8D]

fireman3fan

We had set up camp a few days before the season began and spent one day small game hunting/scouting and the day before season just scouting some other places that we had not been to, exploring an old farm etc.. We were on our way back to the camp when we came up on two guys, one was dressed for hunting one was wearing a dress shirt, pants and slippers, now figure we are two miles back in the mountains and this is how the guy is dressed. We talked for a little bit and it was really apparent that this guy was messed up on something. He started becoming beligerant and mouthy and before the fight started we decided to walk off and go back to camp.

We never did see the guys come out, it was well after dark I guess, the vehicle was gone in the morning. Late that evening just at dark was coming off the mountain toward the old right of way I heard the unmistakeable sound of a fully automatic rifle being fired no more than 50-60 yards from me. I ducked behind a tree as this guy continued to crack off what sounded like 5 or more 30 round clips. After the last shot I heard him yell real loud a couple times and then take off running. I could hear his steps in the leaves in my general direction, I am not too proud to admit that the safety was off and my finger was real close to the trigger at this point. He went on up the ridge just out of my sight and I went on out to the camp.

Just before getting to the camp I ran into a couple of guys camped near us and they also saw and heard the guy, said he was dressed the same as the day before and had ran screaming up the mountain. Around 11 that night people woke me up and wanted me to help them search for him as he had not came back out, it didnt take long to tell them that as far as I was concerned he could keep right on running.

I dont know if they ever found him, i guess they did since they were all gone the next morning. This is about the strangest thing I have encountered, does it qualify as "jerks on public land"?