I hunt deer on public ground I go scouting 3 months prior to deer season, I do everything I possibly can to get a big buck I put my heart into it. Anyway here is my question I have 5 trees marked with ribbon on this public ground of about 500 plus acres. Me and my buddies hunt these trees damn near every weekend and through the week when we can. Yesterday the last day of bow season we go out there and their is 4 hunters all up in or not 15 yards from 4 of the trees that I have marked. Now should I have said something to them or just let it go since it is on public ground. By the way I said nothing but was very pissed off. What would you do?

Not a thing you can do.

Walk away, Bucky! On public ground, it's first come, first served! Been there and done that many times. JMHO.

As frustrating as it is, it is public land. You can't claim that anymore than you can claim a parking spot outside your house or your favorite fishing spot. I'm sure this spot feels like its "yours", you've put a lot of time into it, and have become very familiar with it. Turn it around, how would you feel if you were hunting publiuc land and someone asked you to leave because they'd scouted and marked it?

nothing you can do on public ground but grin and bear it .

hence the word "public"

The one and only thing you can do is to quit marking and thus advertising your hunting spots. All this does is to do the scouting for the lazy hunters. The same goes for using the Bright Eyes tacks on public land. People will see these tacks and follow them out right to your tree.

I can understand your proprietary feelings toward an area you have scouted and hunt regularly but as others have said, it is public land.
There is a guy here in my area that went to the trouble and expense of building three "Semi Permanent" stands on National Forest land. When I say Semi Permanent, I mean they are chained to the trees as opposed to being nailed or attached with screws which would make them illegal. They are on the verge of being illegal anyway since they are supposed to be removed after the season is over, but these stands have been there for at least five years. He did not use them during the 2000 or 2001 season but he and his wife showed up during the 2002 season and his wife was most emphatic about them being her husbands stands. I have no problem with that, but I do have a problem with not knowing when somebody will be in them and being essentially denied acess to areas because I know somebody else "MIGHT" be there.

Coastie
"Children are tastier than Dogs or Goats and they're far easier for a Leopard to catch" Indian Magistrate Hari Prasad Tivari

You can do something Bucky.

Set up more than 5 trees. get 15 -20 marked and setup, Your success will probably go way up and you will always have another option if a few get ruined.

In my humble opinion you're on public land so you are screwed & you shouldn't have advertised your setup with ribbons..<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>..next time use a GPS!!! I too have hunted pulic (Crown Land in Canada) land so I know where you are coming from!!!!!!! Good luck..<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>..Brampton Mike