Stands on public land ...

[Mr.Magoo]

Just curious what the thoughts are regarding folks who leave stands on public land.

It's legal here as long as the stand isn't permanently attached to the tree and is removed after season.  

If you want to lock-up a tree it's not the end of the world, but do you think it's "your" spot too?

As far as I'm concerned, if I get in the area first, I'll put my stand right next to yours and first come first served.

[mscampbell75]

I'm with you on that.  I personally feel a stand should be left on public land over night.  I sure wouldnt leave mine there.  Of course,my luck it would be there waitn on me when I got back.

[EricW]

Here if you leave a stand up on public ground it's first come first serve, even your own stand. Dad read that somewhere in a paper. If you show up and someone is there in your stand he has the right to be there. Kind of crap if you ask me. I guess if they show up and take it there is nothing you can do about it either.

[John3]

If I walked in and found someone in my stand...

They would not see many deer that morning.  I would not get violent but for sure I would bugger the deer around my stand for that morning.

[Mr.Magoo]

I think I've read the same rule around here.  If you leave a stand on public land, you're leaving it for the use of the public.  If someone else gets there first, they're free to use it.

It may be your stand, but is it your tree?  Your area?  Have you claimed it for the season and no one else gets to hunt the spot?  The same spot others may have been scouting except they didn't feel the need to chain a stand there?

[J. Cook]

I grew up hunting National Forest and we used loc-ons because we didn't own a climber at the time...never had any trouble, but we used it under the impression that if someone scouts and finds the same spot, they have the same right to be there as we did.  I always had a "back-up" spot in mind.  Just depends on your perception I guess.

[George D. Stout]

Public land is public land....thank God for that.
It's there for everyone's use and there is no..."I was there first so it's my spot."  B.S.!!!!   If you want that, then you find private land that you can lease or own.  There's already enough exclusion as far as hunting areas go.

Frankly, I think stands should be taken out every day...surely we aren't so lazy that we just need to let them there.  That's how we work it around our parts.  I see a few occasionally on the State Game Lands and I always respect that someone may be hunting that spot; however, they don't own the land or the "spot" so squatter's rights don't apply.

If you respect the land and what it is there for, you will consider a minimum impact upon that land.  It's there for everone.

[BEN]

I have 2 stands that I have left on public land here in Ohio. One is a ladder stand that has been in the same area for 3 years. I have never had anyone in my stand when I wanted to hunt. If they use it---- OK by me; as long as they leave it on the tree. It is public land...........

I do use a simple cable lock to at least discourage a quick swipe----but I also try and put them off the beaten path so that it is a hassle to carry them all the way out......

ben

[Bill Turner]

I set up a couple every year in areas well off the beaten path. I've never had a problem. They are what I call my throw-away stands. If they disappear, so be it. I remove them at the end of every season. Clean them and store them for the next season. If I ever find anyone in the stand when I arrive I will wish them well and find another place to hunt that day. It is public land and I'm not opposed to sharing my stands. If it became a continual problem, I'd find another location for my stand.

[Fletcher]

Illinois differs by the public site, some places you can leave your stand, some you can't.  I like to leave a stand hanging just to make it quicker and quieter when I get there in the morning, altho I leave an expendable stand do take out the steps.  If someone else beats me to the area, that is fine and I'll back out.  It's NOT OK however, to sit in my stand.  I'd be like JDS3, the guy might as well leave cause he's not gonna see much.

[Brian Krebs]

So - its OK to hot wire your truck - while its parked on forest service land: and use it ?

 If you go to move your stand- and someone is in it; are you interfering with their hunting; or are they interfering with your right to move the stand?
 ---and thus with your right to hunt?

 If they fall from your stand can they sue you ?

If you lay your bow down; does it become public property ?

[JohnV]

Yes it is public land and everyone has a right to hunt where they want, even if it is in the tree next to where someone else is hunting.  For those who think it is okay to climb into someone else's stand or to set up in the tree next to an existing stand that is being used...don't complain when some discourteous hunter returns the favor to you.  And those who leave stands set up on public lands do not do so because they are "lazy" or claiming an area as their own. It is more likely to avoid the time and noise required to set up and take down a stand each time you go into the woods.

[Horner]

I second JohnV, well said.  I totally agree with you.
It is not lazyness at all!!!!!

[George D. Stout]

Brian, that's a little silly.  The truck belongs to you and you probably aren't leaving it there for the season.  

Most people would respect the stands being there; I already said that I respect those stands and go to another spot.  However, you don't have a right to just claim a spot as yours.
It would be pretty low to use another's stand, but I'm sure it happens.  User Beware.  I would just take my stand out with me.

[waknstak IL]

I wouldn't hunt in another guys stand because I think its bad luck and not right. But its not right for someone to throw their stand up for a season and expect everyone else to avoid the entire area either. I usually hunt with a climber. I Never leave mine out,they usually dissappear pretty fast around here if they are left unattended.

[Three Arrows]

I would hope that most hunters have enough sense to not climb on to someone else's treestand even on public land.  They should really just put up there own stand in another tree or move on down the trail.  The stand is someone's private property even on public land.  To say that it is public if left overnight on public land is like saying that your car left at a public airport can be used freely by anyone who can start it.  Maybe the stand that is permanently constructed on public land can be used by anyone?  What you do if you find someone in your stand is up to you.  What I would do remains to be determined if the situation arises.

[xtrema312]

I am in the middle ground here.  If I hunt multiple days I will keep it up, and I will be in it all the time other than a mid day break and over night.  If I take a break for a few days it comes down.  We can keep them up here, and someone can hunt them if you don't.  I am ok with that.  I don't think you should be able to stake out an area all season, but at the same time if someone is hunting a spot all the time and running the deer off, I like to know that also so I can skip hunt a burned out spot.

[jhg]

There is a stand over a wallow in my area.  It takes some work to find the spot, so we share something in common. He has done some pretty major tree pruning to get the shot he wants though and thats uncool IMO.

 I leave it alone, but walk under it every time I 'm in the area to check the wallow. I respect his right, don't need to poke a hornets nest, but am not prepared to walk my way around it when am "hunting". If he's ever in it when I come by I will just wave and move along.
I don't need to take on "policing the woods" along with everything else I've got on my plate.

Joshua

[GingivitisKahn]

We discussed this last year too.  If you leave a stand on public land, I argue that you are, in effect, claiming that spot.  Even if you are the easy going sort of guy that would see another hunter in your stand (that you left on public land) and just walk somewhere else.

I scout the heck out of the public land I hunt and know it very well.  There are a number of really good spots that I'd like to be able to use (assuming I'm the first there that morning, of course) depending on wind and so forth.  However, throughout the year, someone will go in there and hang a stand.  When I or anyone shows up in the morning - even though the stand owner isn't there, now we have to decide do we want to risk that guy coming in and blowing our hunt? Do we want to risk a confrontation (even assuming I don't - and I wouldn't - sit in his stand)?

Probably not - it just seems incredibly rude to me to leave your crap out there on public land and expect everyone else to respect "your" spot.  And Brian - if you leave your bow out on public land for weeks at a time - I wouldn't be all that surprised if someone found it and walked away with it.

How about this - exactly what is required to claim a spot? As mentioned I have a number I like to use.  Do I need to festoon the woods with cheap stands to keep other taxpayers out of my private public spots?  What about lawn chairs - would those do?  How about if I just leave soda cans out there - is that still my private property and good enough to claim a spot or is it just abandoned trash ?  That's what I argue those stands that hang out there for weeks at a time must be.

[anchorman]

I wouldn't hunt in another man's stand I leave mine out but they are well off the beaten path. If someone is in my stand technically it is on public land butI hunt on Corps of engineer land and they have to be registered. If someone is in my stand and won't leave even after I show him the paperwork that matches the name on the stand, I wonder how he will get down. As I will have another spot to go but I would need my steps. Since it's public what can he say?...lol And besides like someone said earlier he won't be seeing any deer from that stand anyway as I probably would be real close by on the ground making noise. Of course this depends on the attitude of the person in my stand......