someone using your treestand

First there is a difference between PRIVATE and PUBLIC property. The question asked about PUBLIC LAND.
1-PUBLIC LAND
a) Check the states law regarding the hanging/leaving of stands! Some states require the removal of stands after the hunt is over, or at the end of the hunting season.
b)-Public land is just that PUBLIC LAND. First come first serve. You can't just hang a stand and "lay sole claim" to that area! Sorry, I pay my taxes also! If you are too lazy to tote your stand in and out, then just expect that someone else may use it! or at least set up beside it, and he has every right to do so.
2-PRIVATE PROPERTY.
a)- It is private, either you own it or lease it! Either way it's yours for the hunting, you pay for the right to be there. To hang stands, build stands, leave climbing stands or basically to do as you wish or as your lease allows! The trespasser does not have any rights to be there and in FACT by being there, he is a THIEF!! plain and simple a crook, and should be dealt with accordingly!!
I have been on both sides and in fact still am. I lease 1200 acres and still hunt Public Land in South Carolina. I rarely have trouble on Public Land, but have had major trouble in the past. To the point of sitting on a stand and having a nut come up and sit down within ten feet of me. He was in front and to the right of me, by about 3 feet, both of us on the ground. After a heated "conversation" I continued to sit there praying a deer would come out so I could fire off my 7mag, just waiting to see what the concussion would do to his ears, but no luck. Now, being in charge of 1200 acres it is a battle dealing with trespassers, I have had several charged by SCDNR and then ran some off, who "abandoned" their climbing stands during the pursuit. Which just adds to my climbing stand inventory. So I do understand both sides here.
 
Ask the guy if he saw any body in the past 15 min or so pass by....describe a fictious buddy and say if he see them to stay with him at the tree stand cause this fellow gets lost easily....and hes not exactly stable....then walk about 50 yards and yell out the fictious guys name...blow a signal whistle...do this 4 or 5 times in a circle around the tree stand then walk back up and ask if he came thru...not sure if you missed him etc.....repeat.........repeat......works like a charm here in Pa
 
So we deal with this stuff all the time. My dad owns 2980 acres of hunting ground and everyone around knows my dad has this property he manages the deer for trophy bucks and as such he cant keep trespassers off of it. We have done every thing from sinking 2X8's with 16 penny nails in it in the water holes in the quad tracks coming in thru where they cut the fence to get thru to slashing quad tires and cutting fuel lines. We have called the game warden sheriff's and even state patrol. My dad is so fed up with it his property is up in the mountains at least a hour to the closest cell service and over that to a land line. We run them off and are not to pleasant about it. Here is the straw that broke the camels back. My dad and uncles and me are sitting in our camp playing cards the third day of deer season. We have deer hanging down on the meat pole by the coal shed. We see a set of head lights over at the gate to the property and we see flashlight walking towards camp after the head lights go out. We all assume it is the game warden coming in to check our deer tags as he does every year. A while later no one has come to the door and my uncle goes out to the out house and comes back in and says TWO bucks are missing off the meat pole. We see the light headed back towards the camp again. Are they stupid the generator is running and we are all in the camp with the lights on. Anyway we wait for them to come back as they approach the meat pole again we go out two of the three go running up into the woods. One guy is a old man he stays still and doesn't move. My dad tells me to make sure if they get to their truck they cant take it so I run all the way to the gate pop the hood and take all the spark plug wires off and toss them out into the weeds by their truck. Two of our deer are already loaded in the truck. I go back to camp the old man is there apologizing and saying that he was sorry. My dad comes back with my uncles and the two guys who ran off into the woods. Not to bright we are hunters they are running in 8 in of snow definitely not to hard to track. Anyway the two they went after decided they wanted to fight BAD MISTAKE. My one uncle is a martial arts instructor (has been a instructor for 20+ yrs) and he proceeded to mess them both up quick. My dad and I leave drive the hour plus to get to a phone and we call the state patrol they come in and arrest all three for trespassing and grand theft as well as inciting a fight and criminal mischief. All three got 4 1/2 yrs in jail. Ive always told my dad if I show up at my stand and someone is in it I am not kicking them out I am going back to the camp and picking up the MAG 10 and just going back up and blowing the supports out of the stand see how well it holds them then.............

Is this where the hunting world is going the complete and utter disregard of private legally posted land? I bet that is the same guys who call themselves sportsman. I hunt with my daughters and wife now pretty much exclusively and only on private land just trying to avoid this kind of stuff but it never fails there are always people who have a disrespect for land owners and private property no wonder we cant get permission to hunt private tracks of land anymore.....
 
If he got irate and confrontational with me I would get behind him about 20 yds. where he can't get a beed on me and sit on the ground. Then I would have a conversation with him every few minutes. Questions like "have you seen anything yet or what caliber do you use or do you mind if I go to the bathroom here". :D

joseph

PS: I didn't read this thread before posting. There are a lot better ideas than mine. :D
 
Being raised in a rural area of the northeast, most stands were built and left permanent on both public and unposted private lands. Unless the stand had the appearance of being newly made, it was generally a first come first basis. I always had a back up plan if a stand was taken. Portable stands anywhere, or a stand on posted property and all bets were off. You had to have your guard up because the violating person was either nuts, or just plain stupid to begin with, therefore unpredictable. The same pretty much holds true today except that in todays screwed up world a portable stand is much more likely to be damaged or stolen. This happened to my buddy a few weeks ago.
 
So we deal with this stuff all the time. My dad owns 2980 acres of hunting ground and everyone around knows my dad has this property he manages the deer for trophy bucks and as such he cant keep trespassers off of it. We have done every thing from sinking 2X8's with 16 penny nails in it in the water holes in the quad tracks coming in thru where they cut the fence to get thru to slashing quad tires and cutting fuel lines. We have called the game warden sheriff's and even state patrol. My dad is so fed up with it his property is up in the mountains at least a hour to the closest cell service and over that to a land line. We run them off and are not to pleasant about it. Here is the straw that broke the camels back. My dad and uncles and me are sitting in our camp playing cards the third day of deer season. We have deer hanging down on the meat pole by the coal shed. We see a set of head lights over at the gate to the property and we see flashlight walking towards camp after the head lights go out. We all assume it is the game warden coming in to check our deer tags as he does every year. A while later no one has come to the door and my uncle goes out to the out house and comes back in and says TWO bucks are missing off the meat pole. We see the light headed back towards the camp again. Are they stupid the generator is running and we are all in the camp with the lights on. Anyway we wait for them to come back as they approach the meat pole again we go out two of the three go running up into the woods. One guy is a old man he stays still and doesn't move. My dad tells me to make sure if they get to their truck they cant take it so I run all the way to the gate pop the hood and take all the spark plug wires off and toss them out into the weeds by their truck. Two of our deer are already loaded in the truck. I go back to camp the old man is there apologizing and saying that he was sorry. My dad comes back with my uncles and the two guys who ran off into the woods. Not to bright we are hunters they are running in 8 in of snow definitely not to hard to track. Anyway the two they went after decided they wanted to fight BAD MISTAKE. My one uncle is a martial arts instructor (has been a instructor for 20+ yrs) and he proceeded to mess them both up quick. My dad and I leave drive the hour plus to get to a phone and we call the state patrol they come in and arrest all three for trespassing and grand theft as well as inciting a fight and criminal mischief. All three got 4 1/2 yrs in jail. Ive always told my dad if I show up at my stand and someone is in it I am not kicking them out I am going back to the camp and picking up the MAG 10 and just going back up and blowing the supports out of the stand see how well it holds them then.............

Is this where the hunting world is going the complete and utter disregard of private legally posted land? I bet that is the same guys who call themselves sportsman. I hunt with my daughters and wife now pretty much exclusively and only on private land just trying to avoid this kind of stuff but it never fails there are always people who have a disrespect for land owners and private property no wonder we cant get permission to hunt private tracks of land anymore.....

What a hunt . Glade you guys caught them guys.:D
 
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