When I bought this acreage 17 years ago it was under a farm management company. The farm manager and I worked out an agreement from day one where his farm ground renter could use a 30' wide area of my property for access to a creek crossing. In return I would have hunting rights to the 157 A which was non expiring. I knew there were at least 3 deer stand on the property and stayed away from them. 3 years ago the farm manager retired and sold to another company. Feb 12th the new farm manager and I signed a hunting lease agreement that renews each year. They also get access rights to that creek crossing. I have liability insurance for that property, have the right to post it with signs and travel across it when ever I want with a 4 wheeler. On side of this ground is bordered by a dead end road which is hard to see from my place. Over the years shotgun hunters have run through the ground numerous times even though it has been posted. The farm manager told me that no one has permission to have any stands on the property and told me to remove them. Yesterday I lowered one ladder stand that had been up for many years. Straps were very dirty and stiff, ratchets were almost impossible to move, anchor points that bite into the tree had the tree growing around them and had to by pried free from the tree. Today I went after the other two, one ladder and one climbing sticks. The ladder stand had been there so long that the bark was growing over the straps, which were so tight the ratchets were locked tight. No way was they going to move. Pocket knife is always sharp and go it out and started to cut the main 2" strap. Got it cut about an inch and the tension was so great it just popped apart and the ladder shook. 2 smaller straps the same way, one was completely grown over in a crouch in the tree. It too had to be pried with a 30" bar to get it free from the tree. The third stand, a hang on wasn't quit so bad. Two straps to the sticks had already broke at the hook and had replacements over the top. The stand itself was dug into the tree a good 1-1/2" but it came loose a little easier. The stands will be hung inside a building and if the owner wants his stand back and can identify it and tell me where it was, he can have it back, after he understands that "his private hunting ground" is no more. I really doubt that will happen as I placed tree limbs through the steps 2 years ago and they were still there when I removed the stands. I am not telling anyone except the DNR officer, as I know her personally. Just in case someone tries to report a stand theft. The property along that dirt dead end road is heavly posted with bright yellow signs and barb wires have been pulled across three drives that some so called hunters think because it was open could drive all over the ground.
Good for you. These types of stories piss me off. I have only found one stand on my lease that shouldn't have been there. It was on the bank of a river that runs through the property. I took it down and threw it right in the river.
Why would anyone leave a stand hang for a long period of time? Only thing I can figure out is the property was un-occupied for several years before I bought it. Farmer lived several miles away. Just about everyone knows me from 13 years in local lay enforcement. They had the run of the place, foot and vehicle till I bought it and a couple fences went up. The carry straps had mold growing on them big time. Smaller straps were getting rotten and would not trust them for anything. Guess the owners were afraid to come and tell me they wanted to retrieve their stands even though they were not on my property? Didn't have to go on mine to get to the stands. Probably cost $300 to replace all three stands.
I am way too uncomfortable at heights to let the straps get old, I tie my ladder stands to the tree in 5 different places and I add news straps every year.
If there’s new barbed wires running across road/ATV trails you might consider some high visibility signs or tape. God forbid someone tells their innocent friends or kids to run their 4wheeler up there and there’s an accident.
Barb wire gates are across the drives into the area in line with the field fence. Signs are hanging in the middle of the drive. Lot of field drive are fenced this way in this neck of the woods. I don't go quite that far with 5 straps. I do put two at the top and use the heavier 2" straps. Also trim the bark away from the area where the stand grips the tree. Do this on the hang on stands too, - but I use a standard ladder to access them. No climbing sticks for this old fart.
