Stand ethics. Your opinion wanted.

[Swamp Pygmy]

I started hunting public land and I'm a little unsure what is respectable distance from others stands.


For instance this last month of bow season I was seeing deer right off of the fire break eating water oaks. They are the only oaks locally and surrounded by pine so they are coming here. Problem is you can't hunt over the fire break. You need to be 50 yds from it. So there are a million feeder trails leading to and from this but I never had much luck on guessing which one.

So during scouting now following these trails they almost all lead past this one point. It's a heaven of criss crossing deer trails. Problem is a guy has a lock on with a scent dripper right in the middle of it and he cleared huge shooting areas. Cleared the entire area really.

I've scouted the entire area and this is far and away the best late season spot in the area. To top it off nobody but me and this one guy hunt there, so he's had the entire area to himself before me this year.

How far should I skirt his area? Should I just leave it all year because he leaves a lock on? It doesn't really seem fair but he did clear it all up and puts scents on the trails I'm sure. Legally I can hunt out of a tree right next to him, but I'm not trying to be rude. Any opinions?

sorry for the long post.

[ishiwannabe]

If it is only one other guy hunting it, why not talk to him and try to help eachother?  Worth a shot...

[Swamp Pygmy]

Should I stand in front his trail camera with a cardboard sign with my phone number on it?

I'm just kidding, but honestly I don't know how to get in touch with him. It's past season now and I have no idea when he'll be around again. Thanks though that is a good idea. Maybe I'll see him during pre season scouting.

[wingnut]

Actually, that's not a bad idea.  "stand in front his trail camera with a cardboard sign with my phone number on it" and say call me.

Mike

[GMMAT]

LOL...just stick an indiscrete note on his camera.

I share one tract (150 acres) with two other guys, and we talk (I call them to see where they're going......and plan my hunts around them) before I go out, every time.  Luckily, they don't go very deep into the woods (mostly gun hunters), so I think they actually HELP my hunting.

Approaching the spot as a "team" will probably aid both your pursuits.

Good luck.

[Recurve50 LBS]

Thats all some very sound advice listed above. Who knows maybe the guy only hunts certain days of the week and won't mind you hunting the area when he's not there.

I have to share a small private property spot with another hunter. Since he hunts it during the week and I can only hunt there on weekends there is no conflict between the two of us.

Try contacting the hunter and see if the two of you can come up with a plan and work together as a team. Could be you might meet a new hunting buddy too.

[Gehrke145]

After getting ahold of the guy try to block some of the other runs (if they fork) limiting the trails.

[owlbait]

Yep, try to work it out. If you can't, figure the predominant wind direction, take one of those runs about 100 yards and pick a spot.

[Brian Krebs]

heck yes - contact him and talk with him/her about hunting that spot!  You never know; he might do well there unless the bucks take a different route; and he might well want you there to improve his chances and yours. He might just be a nice guy or gal !

[Dave Bulla]

Ya know, I used to go way out of my way to give other stands room on public land but after talking to hunter after hunter and having guy after guy brag about having multiple stands out and then say things like:  "Yea, works been killin' me this year.  I haven't hunted but twice all season."  Or "I've got five stands hung here but I got an invite to hunt some private ground so I've been mostly hunting there."

I finally got disgusted and decided I'd hunt wherever I dang well felt like regardless of where stands were hung.  I've gone so far as to put a dab of mud on a tree step where it was impossible to climb into the tree without nocking it off and it was still there 3 weeks later.  Now, I won't say that I'll hang a stand in the same tree or even within say 20 yards but I've certainly hung stands within 50 yards of another one.  Usually it was by accident as I don't look for other stands much and sometimes only notice another stand while I'm already set up and hunting.  If that is the case, I don't sweat it much.  I'll also add that up until recent years I always had off days in the middle of the week so I seldom if ever saw another hunter.

What really jerks my chain is when I've made the mistake of talking honestly with another hunter about exactly where I was hunting and then coming back the following week and finding HIS stand in the exact tree I told him I was hunting out of.  GRRRRRRRRRRR!

After having several stands stolen I quit leaving stands overnight unless it's either a cheapo hung way off the beaten path or if I hunt till dark and plan to be back before daylight.  I'm pretty sure some of the guys I've talked to (at this particular spot) who bragged on having multiple stands out got most of them dishonestly.  These guys didn't have two nickles to rub together but had hundreds of dollars worth of stands thrown up on public land without a care in the world other than to "mark the spot as taken."

OK....starting to rant.  Time to shut up and go.

[bawana bowman]

I hunted on Public land this past November. Have been hunting this same area off and on for the last 28 years. In all this time I've had 1 stand stolen and lost 12 tree steps. They were taken on a Saturday afternoon when I decided to clean some hogs rather than hunt. I was on the land from Wednesday till Monday. Needless to say I was pissed Sunday morning when I got to the tree well before daylight and didn't find my stand where I left it.

In November while walking out to the same area that the stand disappeared in, I counted 19 ladder stands within 400 yards of where I intended to hunt. Not one of them had a hunter in them. I actually used one of them since it was on the tree I intended to use. If there had been someone in this stand I would have set mine up, but not closer than 50 yards from the other stand.
I believe 50 yards is a legitimate distance since they shouldn't be taking shots that far anyway. Plus it is not an open area, can't expect a shot over 25 yards to begin with.

By the way I hunted this area Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and never saw one person in any of the 19 stands.
IMO if you leave a stand on public land all season you have no right to think that spot is yours exclusively. If you get to it before me you can hunt it, But if I get there first your SOL.

[mooseman76]

All the above are good points to be taken.  Another option is to get out and scout in a radius around this area.  If he cleared out big shooting lanes, some of the deer may blend back into the areas on the edges of this.  I know in the clearcut (its all new growth now) near my house when I guy builds his stand and cuts big shooting lanes it seems to push some of the deer, especially the more mature deer, into surrounding thickets...Mike

[toddster]

First, it is public property.  Second, you have a right to hunt there.  Third, I like the trail cam Idea and you are willing to make a respecful effort more than others would.  If you don't hear from the guy, come hunting season, you put your time in too, I am there to hunt.  I would hunt 30 to 40 yards around his area.  The reason is, one he has a drip.  two, don't know when he is hunting.  three, any deer that are educated about his hunting presance, will skirt around him and if you are 30-40 down wind will have a shot at them.  make the effort, but by all means you have just as much right as he does to hunt the area.  I had a simular problem years ago, and made the effort to get ahold of the guy.  Then one day he walked in and hunted, once he seen me after we came out and blew his top.  I tried reasoning with him and told him I tried to contact him, hell I even left a note with my home and cell phone on his stand.  He proceeded to say it is his area and drove off mad.  Well, I felt pretty upset and said okay,  I drank two bottles of water, walked back in and relieved myself 20 yards in several direction around "his" area.  Did this for couple days.  Needless to say he didn't shoot a deer and one night was talking (normally to me) about it.  I said, well perhaps they are use to you and you need to change it up.  he did and others got to hunt in the spot.  Bad, I know, but felt he brought it on himself.

[Sharpster]

Public land is  Public Land.

Niether you, nor I, nor anyone else can "claim" any particular area and treat it like it was prively owned.

I have hunted public land most of my life and one lesson in ethical behavior that my Dad taught me, and I have taught my boys is- if you pick a spot on public land, and you find someone else in "your spot" when you get there to hunt... then the right thing to do is quietly back out and hunt somewhere else that day.

The presents of a tree stand doesn't bother me one bit unless.... there's someone in it. Then I'll back out but if it's there empty, I'll hunt as close to it as I like. (I don't hunt from other peoples stands but the mere presents of one is pretty meaningless to me).

I wish more hunters would show the same courtesy. If I've scouted an area and I'm set up there hunting and another hunter comes in and sets up within sight of my postion, then I tend to get a little testy. After all, I would never do that to anyone else so...

I also know that when I'm not there, it's not my spot. Just the way we always handled it.

Ron

[Roy Steele]

It is public land and you can hunt where you want.The other hunter may not want you to but hay.And since it's late season it was likely scouted for early season or rifle season.This is likely when it was hung.I scout and hunt the late seacon.Very,very few scout for late season.I've run into 5 people after rifle season bow hunting.In 37 years and I hunted every late season 2 of these I knew,one an old bowyer I made friends with and the other was looking for a buck his brother shot durning rifle seaaon.
  I like the trail pictures or leave a note with a number.I've had this happen durning early season a long time ago on privite land.We exchanged numbers so we would'nt bumb into each other.
   Rule number one in buck hunting.To kill bucks conscenly you have to hunt unpressured bucks.You hunt privite land a lone as I do or do as I do later after every one gives up and I've burned my stand sites up move in on the public land.
   Unpressured bucks are easest to call.90% of my buck hunting is centered around calling.You may not beleive me but I started calling about 28 years ago.that first year I called up 13 bucks each year I called up more and more to last year I called up 55 bucks.Some were the same ones Around 10 were on public land.
   So if I found a hot spot on public ground stand or no stand I'd hunt there late season.You may not beleive me but I had a few hunters would see my truck and they'd fine my hang on's.They knew I was a buck hunter.[97 so far] I get stands next to mine on privite ground.A couple times I even had trespasers to dell with.
   So yes your likely not even see him unless he's comeing to get his stand.And if he is going to hunt.SO WHAT Likely he'll feel you in a little.Most hunters love to talk.

[R H Clark]

If you can get in touch and reach a mutual agreement fine but if he is an-------leave it alone.It's not worth the trouble a crazy-------could cause.You don't want to be thinking about what some mad------ could be doing to your truck while you are trying to hunt.

If I find a hunter in the woods I get out of hearing and sight plenty far away.You never know,he may be more trouble to you than you to him.I've been in a tree and seen another guy set up 100 yards away.He never knew I was there but I heard him coughing and smelled his cigarette untill I decided to leave.

[bowmaker07]

This is a problem we all deal with on public land. I prefer to know where all stands are in the area I'm planning on hunting.Pattern the other hunters, just like the deer do. I've found that most hunters don't take scent control seriously and hunt the same stands regardless of wind direction.How long do you think it takes for the resident deer to figure things out and avoid thier stand? Most hunters are also lazy and set up close to parking areas,roads or trails so I just hoof it in farther and have found undisturbed deer all to myself.So if you scout intensively and hunt smarter,harder and longer you won't have any problems with those average hunters.

[John Scifres]

I have no problem at all with setting up wherever I want to.  Any reasonable person should understand that they risk that when they hunt on public land.  It is patently unfair to set up a stand on public land and consider that staking a claim to that spot.  Now, if someone is physicallu present in an area, I give them plenty of room.  No sense ruining their hunt and ine.

[Swamp Pygmy]

Thanks for the thoughts guys.

[GingivitisKahn]

Oh good, another treestand thread.  :-D

As others have said, it's public land.  In the morning when you bring your stand in, if the other guy isn't there, hang it wherever the heck you like up to and including the tree he's left his in.  Of course, if he beats you to the spot or if you want to hang yours there too (claiming your own spot), then tough noogies.

IMO, claiming spots on public land by strewing trees with one's treestands is way lame and inexcusably rude.