Tree Stands Left In the Bush

[DanO]

I used the search engine but couldn't find an answer to this question.

While walking 3 public hunt areas this morning I counted 9 different portable stands still in the bush. Is it not good etiquette to remove your stand at the end of a hunting season? It certainly tells a guy like me "don't even bother here buddy!" this spot is RESERVED. I remove my stand by mid Jan each year but should I bother. I won't be too happy if I arrive in late August to find a stand where I usually hunt. I'd like to reserve my spot as well.

I know the answer is to find some Private land and get off of the public land but that is getting much harder to do as the number of bow hunters increases.

I'm retired so I hunt MOn-Fri. Is it acceptable to use some of these stands as long as I get out when the owner arrives (probably on a Saturday or Sunday). I'm sure some of these guys have many stands and don't use their stand on a regular basis.

Dan O.

[crazyfarmer]

I leave mine up in some areas where others hunt and I personally wouldnt want someone using mine. Its not the point of using it, its someone applying hunting pressure to that area so when I do get there the deer are already educated on people hunting them. I have about 20 different stands and I take about 15 of those down every year. I leave some ladder stands up but most of the ones I leave are in areas I can only hunt. I do loosen the ratchet on the tree a snap or 2 so the tree can grow.

But everyone I talk to hate when others use their stands without asking. I know you said those guys may have many stands. Thats probably true, but the reason for many stands it not over hunting one spot. If you hunt the same area 4-5 times a week you usually wont see deer there anytime after that sicne scent gets everywhere.

My personal advice would be to stay away from those stands and hang your own. Picture you hung a stand and someone was up yours when you went to hunt that spot not trying to be a smartazz or anything either;) just walk those trails they have theirs on and hang a stand in a better spot;)

[DanO]

So let me get this straight I buy 10 stands and then put them up all year so that I've essentially posted the area for myself. I guess I'll start looking at garage sales for junk stands to hang.

I was always told that using a stand on public land is fair game as long as you give it up to the owner. Putting my own stand up near another stand won't solve the problem of scent and overhunting the area.

DanO.

[Bow Life]

I went out for a fourwheeler ride today, kill some time and i couldnt believe the amount of tree stands i found in an area my father and i have hunted since i was young. The area is close to a highway and from the highway last season i noticed that there were two new wooden rather large stands built. I thought that it was alright considering there were only two stands.

Well today i did some exploring and i was amazed to find 9 wooden stands. The thing about these stands is that they are rather large and offer no cover to the hunter. I personally would not want to hunt out of them due to the fact that i would be so exposed. I also found another huge wooden stand that was about 4' by 6'. I have come to the conclusion that the hunting in this area will no longer bee any good and i have decided to find a new area.

The main point though is the fact that this is just one small bush, and i belive that that many treestands and that amount of pressure will just push the deer out of the area completely.

So when it comes to your question, id just try and find my own area, maybe a little further in, or a little thicker bush, but it might just help you be successful.

[Bucktail]

Here in Maryland, if you hunt public land, you must take your portable stand down each time you leave.

You are not allowed to build any stands into the trees on public hunting land.

As far as I'm concerned, a stand left in the woods on public land would not stop me from hunting there. If I went in the area and another hunter was there, I would leave the area.

Bucktail

[xeon]

So let me get this straight I buy 10 stands and then put them up all year so that I've essentially posted the area for myself. I guess I'll start looking at garage sales for junk stands to hang.

I was always told that using a stand on public land is fair game as long as you give it up to the owner. Putting my own stand up near another stand won't solve the problem of scent and overhunting the area.

DanO.

You put up 10 stands, someones going to take them, its just a matter of time. When they do, dont complain to the land owner that your stands you left up all year are missing.

Hard to find hunting area in Southern Ontario? Unless your looking for your own private spot where no one else hunts, you might be right.

[Woody Williams]

I have a hard time keeping stands up in a 3 month season without some getting stolen and this is on private ground.

I wouldn't leave any stand that I cared about two days on public ground..

That is different subject.

Public land should have rules that make it equal for all...

Say - no stands until a week before seaosn and they have to be taken down a week after season.

[wabi]

Here in Ohio it is illegal to place a permanent-type stand on public land. The information is really kind of vague:

It is unlawful to construct, place or use a permanent-type tree stand, or to place spikes, nails, wires or other metal objects into a tree to act as steps or to hold a tree stand on public hunting lands. It is also unlawful to do any of these things on private property without first getting the permission of the landowner or the landowner’s authorized agent.

It doesn't really specify it's illegal to leave a temporary stand in the tree, and just how long is temporary? (In 1969 I was housed in a temporary WWII barracks in the navy, so the government meaning might be variable. ) I wouldn't want to have to argue the point in court, so I would stick with a climber or easily portable stand I could remove when I left the area. A good ground blind might be an option, too.
I would say if you get there first you should have the privlege of hunting the spot that day, but I would not use another person's stand without permission. It is a public area, and you're as much public as the next hunter.

[crazyfarmer]

oh and something else, I dont like climbing into others stands for another good reason. You never know how old that strap is around the tree or how long its really been there. Ive seen soem stands that have been up for years and they look new, but take one step in them and you will more than likely fall to the ground

I had a friend use mine without asking once. I weigh about 165-70 and he weighs about 220. Well he climbed up and sit down and the strap on the seat broke and he almost fell 15 ft down. It never woulda broke with my weight but it wouldnt hold his. Now wouldnt that suk to get a call from someone sueing you cause they fell from a stand that they didnt even ask to use LOL

I take most of mine down since everyone that walks through the woods this time of the year finds them and figures this must be a good spot so then they hunt near that area. Believe it or not, I actaully have some old crappy stand splaced to make some think I hunt that spot and kill my deer there. What they dont know is that 100 yards farther down I have my hunting stand I use

[DanO]

Xenon:

I'm surprised these stands are still there but they've been up for more than 2 years so I guess we have honest hunters in the Guelph area.

I know in Conservation Authority areas in Southern Ontario no permanent stands are allowed.

Woody;

I agree that stands put up immediately prior to the season are fine and I would respect that hunters right to the area. I think they lose that respect when they "book" their hunting spot 9 months in advance.


I can't believe how close the stands are in some cases. Less than 100 feet apart but then maybe it's the same guy changing spots frequently so the deer are less spooked (as some of you have mentioned).

I'm going to monitor the area next fall as to how much it's used and I probably won't use the stands but these guys have really limited the public area for hunting. I'm not sure I should be anymore considerate than they are being.

How would they sue you? Do you guys need to identify your stands? In Ontario I don't think it's required? I use a felt mark and write my name on my stands (all 2 stands) in case there's a problem but I don't think it's required ( maybe it should be??)

Dan O.

[NewGuy]

if it's the spot i'm thinking i used to hunt it. I lost a stand out there and went in with my climber from then on. I went out there 2 years ago and ran into a fellow heading in, politely asked him where he was headed as to not get to close and he replied he had a few more guys coming and had from here over covered. Public land has gotten too crowded in my opinion in our area. I know of 1 spot that isn't too bad but i refuse to pay to hunt these areas anymore.

[Horizontal Hunter]

Dan O,

I can't believe that there are that many tree stands left in the bush. I am making the assumption that you are talking about public land. I can only come to the same conclusion as you. They are trying to reserve "their" spot. In my home state of Massachusetts tree stands cannot be left up for more than 30 days. Though I suppose enforcment is another matter. There must also be some regulations where you live. I have seen in one thread (here I think) that the DNR will remove them.

Good luck,
HH

[ninepointer]

All my stands go up in September and come down in January (alright, this year they came down end of March, but it bugged me the whole time ). I usually put up at least one hang-on stand on public land. To keep other hunters out I unscrew the bottom 4 or 5 tree steps and take them home with me after each hunting session.

Some who leave their stands up all year may be trying to "reserve" their spot, but for others I think it is plain laziness. Personally I would not trust a hang-on stand that has been up all year. Why someone would pay good money for a stand and then leave in the elements all year to deteriorate is beyond me.

But what bugs me most is seeing old, nailed-together permanent stands left to rot and waiting to collapse under some unsuspecting hunter. If a guy went to all the trouble to build it, he should maintain it or make the effort to take it down, rather than simply abandon it.

Ninepointer

[DanO]

Personally if I left a stand up all year I wouldn't be too upset if I found it being used by another hunter. I would be annoyed if they didn't vacate upon request. I figure I took my chances leaving it up all year and I'm just glad it's still there.

I hear you guys about the question of safety and weather. The stands I'm looking at are ladder stands with one exception.

I'd like to hunt beyond these guys but in order to do that I'd need to walk too close to their stands. The bush narrows in the area and I'd ruin the hunt for them so what is the etiquette if another hunter has a stand farther into the bush. Get there earlier and wear slippers???

Dan O.

[widowman]

Personally, I feel that leaving stands on public land is selfish.

If I were to evacuate the immediate area in which a tree stand was hung, I may as well go home. Every year I see dozens of stands on public land (which here in Maryland, is illegal) yet I never see people hunting in them. Which is another issue I have, people just leave the stands to rot, what an eye sore.

Why is it so hard for people to set stands up the day they hunt? Moreover, why is it so hard for them to take them down at the end of the day?