Muzzleoader season almost ruined!!!
 

I know I'll get a variety of opinions on this--good or bad-- but I thought I'd share a story. I was going out Saturday for our states muzzleloader opener. I got out in the woods early in the morning and was gonna hunt a stand down by the river at a deer crossing. I had been saving this spot all season long for just this occasion. As I was walking down there I noticed that someone had put up NO TRESPASSING signs all over. I disregarded them because I thought they were for people that had no permission to be in there. I saw a hunter in a tripod next to the trail so I opted to hunt my other stand. I backtracked and went to where it was. I was horrified to see that it was gone. I had not locked it and it was missing along with most of the steps. I'm young and had to work hard to pay for it so you can see how upset I was. I decided that I should check on my other stand also. I walked past the man very quietly and waved at him. He gave me a cold stare. As I approached my stand I noticed a very obvious NO TRESPASSING sign right on the tree under it. By then I was pissed off because my morning was ruined. The only personI could think of that would know about it was the man in the tripod. I know how upset I get when people talk to me in my stand butI knew I wouldn't be able to catch him again. I approached him and said "Howdy", he then replied, "what the *** are you doing? I asked him if it was private land and not supposed to be hunted. He said that it "Damn sure was". I was extremely polite and told him I had the stand. He said I had no right to be there and that I had ruined his hunt. According to him "I was out for a ***** walk in the woods and didn't know a thing about hunting.I asked about the stolen stand and he didn't have any knowledge of it. I apologized for the misunderstanding and told him the stand would be taken down.

Now for the important part. I had permission from my uncle to hunt in his woods. He owns several acres amid the giant woods. I was told very clearly by him that when I hunted in there I could go anywhere in the woods because of an agreement that all the all the landowners shared the land. They did not draw boundaries so as to avoid arguments such as this. The stand that was stolen was on his land approximatel, whereas the other was well onto someone elses. I am not one to argue and know the trespass laws so I did what I thought was right. I will move the stand to my uncle's land with a good lock and put a sign on it telling them who's it is with a phone number. What are your opinions on thematter? The man in the tripod was not a landowner as far asI am aware and was also a guest on the land. Maybe he did not know the agreement. Thanks for your thoughts and help guys.

RE: Muzzleoader season almost ruined!!!
 

Like I said, I trust my uncle and know he wouldn't lie to me. There was definetely an agreement of that sort back when he bought the woods. I honestly think it would be absurd if you were required to stay on your little 2 acre stretch. It would just be a chance that a deer would walk by. If you want to boost the odds, which you need plenty of out there, you have to hunt the good places. Bowhunting's awesome out there, but there's about a 100 gun hunters out in the couple hundred acres of woods. It's crazy and you would have to be hard pressed and have a spot like the one I had in order to hunt without seeing someone else. During gun season the deer do not move naturally. They are forced by other hunters. Last year there was not a single bit of deer sign left after the shotguns went through. This guy obviously thought he would just boosthis odds and screw everyone else over. He was not even the landowner. I don't blame him for getting upset because, like I said, I would too, andI do.
Everyone hunts wherever they want in there. That's the only sensible way to hunt there. I was the only one that I know of who got screwed---twice.

To tell you the truth, I'm just about the only logical hunter out there. I walk to my stand and see 30 hunters leaning on trees. I once saw a hunter sitting on a ridge without camoflauge, toting a shotgun, walking back and forth. He was surrounded by about a dozen scent wicks. He thought he was mister smart guy. I don't think many deer get shot in there, just driven out.

So, I had no idea that I was not supposed to hunt there, I did the only sensible thing a hunter would out there, and I was polite and accepted my losses. I don't think I was wrong in my doing. I just played my cards and lost in the game of deer hunting.

RE: Muzzleoader season almost ruined!!!
 

I still would stay on my 2 little acres, as you said, and if theres 100 hunters like you say, you probably have just the same chance of bagging a deer as anyone else if there so dumb they should run through your place at one time or another.

RE: Muzzleoader season almost ruined!!!
 

I didn't say they were dumb.I said they were spooked and pushed. That's whyI wanted to move away from all of the crowds. I wanted to find unspooked, unpressuredanimals. Anyways, I am gonna stay on his land from now on. I wouldn't dare attempt trespassing after being told to leave.