What's wrong with people?

[4-fletch]

I WOULD HAVE GOT MY STAND BACK BEFORE I LEFT THE WOODS.I'M WITH CK ON THIS ONE.

[Curtiss Cardinal]

I would have just stood there 15 yards from the stand behind a tree from the stands prespective and sung "Amazing Grace" at the top of my lungs and watched what he did. After he got down I'd keep singing and watch him really closely with that arrow half drawn. A big Snuffer aint a shotgun but I think when it tips a half drawn arrow it looks mean enough. After he stormed off I'd take my stand down(making sure he was gone) and find a different place to hang it. This is why I switched to a climber or just hunting off the ground.

[Curtiss Cardinal]

OH and I'd probably stink the imnmediate area up with human scent somehow.

[guzzi2000]

You did the correct thing by leaving. A close friend of mine is a brother to one of the guys who was shot and his niece was killed in that incident in Wisconsin. I talked to my friend just last week and he is just now thinking about hunting again. You never know what your going to run up against in a situation like that. One lost day of hunting is better then what may have occurred if you had chosen a different course of action.

[jojotater]

I would have asked him to leave. If he did not, I would have done just as you did. Look, there will be many more days to hunt--hopefully, but a situation like that can turn nasty and possibly deadly. I wouldn't want one mistake to ruin the rest of my life. You may could have kicked his butt and felt proud afterwards, but what if...? You can't get yesterday back.

[mmgrode]

I think you did the right thing Gary.  I'd be pretty pissed too, but it's not worth getting into a situation with the mix of tempers and weapons. This very situation you mentioned Gary is part of the reason why it is illegal to leave stands up overnight on public land in Wisconsin.  If they are left up it's like the guy who put it up is "claiming" that area for himself leaving everyone else to "find their own spot." Obviously, this can lead to territorial issues with hunters. Now, this doesn't mean guys don't do it, but it helps for us guys who don't own their own land to have a shot at the good spots(usually waaaaayyy back in there). Besides, I'm not leaving my lone wolf out on public land!! Matt

[Brian Krebs]

In Idaho depending on which fish and game officer you talk to on a given day- the use of someone elses treestand on public property is either ok; or not.
  In Idaho it is against the law to interfere with someone elses hunting; its a misdemeanor to do so ( fishing too).
                                                   My question is: what if you want to take your stand? It is your property; it is real property; and he cannot deprive you of it; so if he refuses to get out of the stand.. he is depriving you of it; and interfering with your hunt.
                                                  I once came upon an older man in my stand over a bear bait. He told me that the "outfitter said that someone might claim the stand as theirs; and to not let them kick you out of it".
                                               
 Well; it was my bait and stand. I did let the guy hunt there and take a bear; because he was a nice guy; and had no idea of the outfitters lie and the outfitters habit of doing what he did to others.
                                               
 One of the people the outfitter did the same thing too; kicked a hunter out of his stand; and the hunter told the outfitter; and the outfitter flattened the tires on the truck owned by the guy who had put out the bear bait and owned the treestand.                                      
                                               
I am not saying it was right; but it sure seemed right; that the guy found his tires flat; found the outfitter; pulled him out of his house; beat him like a step child; and then made him drive to the truck; remove the flat tires and drive 60 miles to Boise where he made him pay for new tires; then back to the truck to replace the tires.                                          
                                             
 I suppose it could have resulted in kidnapping charges; but it worked; and the outfitter lost his license to outfit.                    
                                         
 This last year I found a guy that not only removed brush around my treestand; so he could shoot his rifle out of it; but he moved my ground blind ( ameristep); and put it where he could more easily shoot bears off my bait.              
                                             
 I cannot say what I did; but its his word against mine- and he did not return.        
                                           
 If you leave your truck in the woods while hunting; does that give other hunters the right to use your truck; or atv; or bow if they pick it up when your not looking?                  
                                             
 In waterfowl hunting; where 'spots' on the river produce ducks better than others; the first person to a blind gets to use it. But if there is a boat on the shore; they cannot use it.                                            
                                                 
 There has to be some common sense involved in these situtaions; but like a sheriff here once told me after I was pushed off public land at gun point ( had my young son with me or there would have been some blood lost) : " I cannot be everywhere; if someone threatens to kill or hurt you; shoot them if its moral and ethical; and don't expect me to be there: to do it for you".
                                             
                                             
 Putting a rifle in someones face is one thing; using someones treestand is another. I would not hesitate at all to take out the treesteps if the hunter in my stand won't get out of it.            
                                           
 Someone using your stand just once -can ruin the chances of a deer coming in; or a bear coming in; ezpecially if they smoke; or move a lot; etc.        
                                           
 If someone uses your double bull matrix in Kansas; can you take your blind...can you take your stand ? Its your personal property. Certainly eating food in a matrix over bait could get the blind destroyed by bears; and what if you let the guy use the stand; and come back and its gone? Is the state party to the theft?
                               
 Like I say; this goes back to the waterfowl blind rules; and is a poor transfer of logic to other stand use.                          
                                           
 And- what if someone using your stand without your permission and sanction: should fall from it and be injured? What does Kansas law say about that?? As some Idaho game officers cannot figure out what the law is; I wonder what other states have to say about it?????????

 If the party using your stand falls and is injured; and claims you put the stand in wrong; would you not end up with a huge lawyer bill at the least?                                      
                                       
 Seems like this can't have gone to court yet.

[insttech1]

In Michigan on public land he would have been legal.

A butthead, perhaps, but still legal.

I would at least have let him know--quietly--that he was in my stand by walking up underneath him, and letting him make the next move.

If he's got any sort of conscience, he'd get down and leave or be polite.

If he was an ass, I'd leave and call the DNR or local cops, and let them know of a pending incident if the guy was unruly or threatening.

I did find that someone used my stand last year, and the only thing they did was leave the seat down and not tie off my bow rope.  No biggie...but hey, I get ALL TYPES on my public land area...some of which are tree-huggers who argue with me that hunting AT ALL is illegal on public land...!!

As Forrest said:  "Stupid is as Stupid does..."

[Dustin Waters]

you should have climbed up and taken the tree steps out.  Left him up there till you had time to cool down.

[jbb]

I would have done the same thing you did Gary. My temper is much too bad to confront someone like that, I know that walking away is the only way for me to avoid something that would probably escalate out of control.  I don't have the diplomatic skills necessary to defuse a situation like that.  I would have just gone to an alternate site.

[trapperDave]

I'd climb up there and push his arse out    at least that would be my first thought.....you done the right thing.

[Kenny New]

You asked " What's wrong with people?"

My opinion here, but what's wrong with people is they have no morals and ethics. They are being raised up never having been taken to church by their parents. They are not being taught right from wrong, just get what you want any way you can. They are told by their liberal media that its okay to do what you want and not think about the consequences, or how it affects others as long as it pleases you. They don't teach civics in schools anymore. I see it every day, I have neighbors (if you can call them that) that infringe on the rights, property and privacy of others in the community with no regard for those they are trampling on.

I know I could not have walked away from this guy and let him hunt in my stand. I would have confronted him in a kind way and told him he could have the spot but I was going to be leaving with my treestand. If he refused I would have used my cell phone to call the game warden and have him removed from my stand.

[LV2HUNT]

I think you handled it really well.

I think on private ground the thing to do is call the cops. I think on public ground nobody should be allowed to leave anything. It is public ground and in essence by leaving something there you are depriving someone else of that space (small as it may be). I know there are some weird questions about that but I am specifically referring to an unmanned treestand.

That said, I think it is dumb, unethical, unnecessary and/or suicidal to mess with others peoples stuff.

If I wanted to hunt a tree on public ground where a stand was already up I would simply hang my stand over or under the existing stand. I doubt that I ever would ever do that though just because of scent and such.

[Shawn Leonard]

I should say in my instance I was on private and posted property. Shawn

[Bobhat]

Do what I do, lock it in the upright position so nobody can use it.    

   I hunt on 200 private acres.  My buddy and I share it with the guy who farms it as well as his farmhand and two kids.  We have a gentleman's agreement that we divided the property in half.  They are supposed to stay on there side and us on ours.  The 18 year old son of the farmer was tending to wander a bit with his stand placement two years ago and put one in "our area".  We spoke with his dad and it was removed, however one day I went to get into one of my stands and noticed a scent wafer in a bush below that wasn't mine.  I'm quite certain junior figured he'd hunt my stand while I was at work.  Since then I've locked all my portables in the upright position along with the other lock/cable to the tree.

[Gary Greene]

This is private property. This is the first time this has happened in 30 years hunting. Next time I will tell him he is in my stand and ask him to leave. If he is unreasonable I will leave and come back later and take it down. It takes some of the fun out of it.

[Wai]

I'm new to hunting, but are my fellow hunters really THAT inconsiderate?  If that's the case, it's no wonder the number of hunters are declining every year.  It's idiots like these that take the fun out of hunting and put in the element of danger, from a fellow hunter.  

Here on Long Island, NY, where I hunt public lands, we have DEC issued access permits.  It's first come first serve and we're not allowed to leave our stands up.  If we do, it become public property.

I went and bought the Tree Saddle, which I will be using the next time I go.  Which brings me to my next point - no hunter I know of wants to take a new guy to go hunting.  It's been 3 years since I got interested in it and it's taken me that long to finally get to go.  And I'm not even going with the experienced hunters; I'm going with other newbies like myself.  So, if my experience that seasoned hunters are selfish and don't want to take the new guys hunting, there's your reason why people trespass and use other people's stands - selfishness.  Which leads to the inconsideration y'all are talking about.  It's yet another reason why hunters numbers are declining annually.

And to the seasoned hunters: keep hogging the prime hunting spots to yourselves and not take new hunters out with you, and you'll have done more to hurt the sport than the antis ever will.

[Bonebuster]

The frustration you describe is why I invested in climbers. As stated earlier, it is legal in Michigan to use a stand that is on public ground.
If you are lucky they will leave it there when they are done.

Maybe people have always been as they are now, and I just never noticed. Whatever the case, I get along with dogs better than alot of people.
Even mean dogs.

[overbo]

Ok $$#IT happens.I'm a pro at resolving issuse like this.I hunted many years on a private farm w/ several outlaws.What I did is controlled where they hunted.A simple claw hammer will did the trick.Go to areas that you don't plan to hunt and where you want others to hunt and make some awsome buck rubs w/ that claw hammer.I know some of you may think this is unethical but look at what we are dealing w/.

[Steve Crowl]

No wonder I only saw 2 Eastwings and a Stanly last year!!!