So I posted this on the "OTHER" bow forum..... I was amazed at the response I got over there... I'm interested in what you guys think. Her it is verbatim I've got to find more private land to hunt!! Last night (sunday) I decided to sneak out to a spot on some public land for the last hour and a half of shooting time. (after the bears game) I had decided I was going to take my ground blind to a little hidden field and set it up, cable lock it to a tree and leave it for future hunts, as well as hunt it that day. I wandered back to the field and it was already being hunted. Not wanting to disturb that guy's hunt, I turned around and began to look for another spot. I made the decision to just back into some tall weeds with a big bush/scrub tree behind me and just set down. I had a clear view of the back side of a corn field and there were plenty of trails around that I know the deer use. I could, however, see a ladder stand about 20-22 yards from where I sat down, it was empty. Now to the bad part... about 20 minutes later, just after I got settled and things got quiet, A guy and his kid come in from the parking lot. The guy looks right at me (I was only 5 yards from the path) and never stops walking. The kid at one point was like "Dad!" and pointed at me, so I know they knew I was there. He just waved the kid on and they proceed to CLIMB THE LADDER STAND 20 YARDS FROM WHERE I AM. I know its public land and all... and he has ever right to hunt where he wants... but there's a little thing called tact! Not to mention that it wasn't a safe situation. If a deer HAD walked out into the clearing, what would have happened? Since there wasn't enough time to find a new spot, I decided to wait it out and sat until dark, not seeing a single deer, but I'm still a little miffed at the rudeness of this guy. Not a good lesson to teach the kid either... geez. And, all because I decided to not bother someone elses's hunt....
Mackinaw or Clinton? I head way back toward the river on Mackinaw. It's a looong hike but you'll see less people. It's annoying but there's not much you can do. I avoid places where I see other stands just for this reason.
Mackinaw... I usually go pretty deep, but I purposely setup a few spots this year for quick "After Work" hunts out there, and I've seen more deer because of it! I'll be out there for some time this weekend and I'm not stopin until I see north-end boundry lines! Didn't know you hunted out there!
I don't hunt out there much anymore because of the mass of other hunters. Most of them are decent, good hunters but I had a lot of experiences like yours. Pretty soon there will be those guys out there who will wander the entire property during peak hunting hours. Not stealthy like either... just bulldozing their way through the brush. It's very frustrating. I tried to do most of my hunting during the week. You'll see a lot less people in December too. Of course, after gun season, you'll see a lot less deer too. I did draw a shotgun tag for Mackinaw so I'll probably be out there for that. Now I hunt down in Monticello. It's a long drive but the hunter numbers are a bit better. Is the corn still up in Mackinaw? BTW, Sometimes the deer are right behind the office at the parking lot.
Yea, the corn is ALL still up. I killed my first deer back behind the office last year.. hehe Kool that you drew a Mak tag, those are tough to get. I'll be there trying to draw in all except the friday of 2nd season. I"ve got a tag at Comlara park for the doe hunt.
Sounds to me like it was your bad in this situation! If you saw the ladder stand....well then thats a no brainer IMO....I guess if I was the other guy I wouldve done the same thing too, since my stand was there first! A bit of advice for ya, dont hunt so sloppy and you will have better experiances:D" i was five yards off the trail" LMAO and your doing the whining???:D
Public land first come first served. Can a guy leave a stand up overnight? In WI we have to take the stand down everynight. If thats the case then the guy had the piece but if you can leave the stand then you were there first it's yours because you don't know if he is going to show or not.
That "my stand was there first" stuff doesn't flush on the State Park land I hunt. That's what they refer to as "staking your claim" when you put up a permanent (ladder) stand and leave it in the woods. Where I hunt, stands must be brought out at the end of one's hunt. This avoids potential conflict between hunters like yours could have turned into. Really, the bottom line is you need to go where most other hunters won't bother to go if you want to have the woods to yourself. I've hunted public land for most of my life and learned that in the beginning. But yes, you could use a bit more tact regarding your approach to bowhunting.
I hunt public land and I always try to walk at least 500-600 yards past where I think other are located. I cannot stand to see a single person in the woods on my way to set-up. Other hunters are my worst nightmare where I hunt. Nothing else negatively effects my hunting like other hunters. I walked in 3/4ths of a mile today to get away from 3-4 other hunters that were only a couple of hundred yards from the road. But in the situation you described, what the guy did WAS crap. Ladder stands on public property=crap. Walking past you and setting up is unsafe=crap. Hunting in those situations=crap. I had a guy let his dog run all over my hunting spot last week, even after he saw me. He then proceeded to walk upwind of me with his dog, even AFTER he I whistled to him 100 yards out. He was small game hunting and did not give two craps about me or that I had woken up at 4:30 and busted my tail to get set up early and that I had deer all over me until his rear end showed up and acted like a prick... Can someone give me a million bucks so I can buy about 1000 acres of my own property? Thanks.
On the piece that mrshake is hunting... there are seriously spots that have five stands within a 50 yard radius. You'd be hard pressed to find a spot that someone else doesn't already hunt. It's about 800 acres of woods but a lot of that is unhuntable ravines. All the 'good' spots already have stands in them. There used to be a sign that said 'If you're hunting in somebody else's stand and the owner shows up, you must leave that stand without an argument' That's how ridiculous it can get out there. It's about a 1.5 mile hike back to the river and there are still stands back there.
Leave a stand up in public land here and expect it to be gone overnight. First come first serve. The dad was in the wrong. Bottom line. Its public and not "This area right here, this 50 yard circle, I own that, and dont hunt it" If he wasnt in his stand, half hour till shooting time, Than the dad and his kid deserve to not see deer...... I woulda clapped ifI even heard deer movement...
Lets all keep a couple of facts straight here about this situation. #1 - This was an unusual hunt. I literally had an hour and a half before END of legal shooting time. I usually do not cut it that close #2 - It is perfectly legal to leave stands out at Mackinaw. Heck, I've got 3 sets hung around the property. I, however, do not expect exclusive use of those areas. Still, I am surprised to hear someone think I was in the wrong here. I always come back to the same thought.... Does that ladder stand mark the spot as somehow exclusive to one hunter? If not... the spot is fair game, if so, then I disagree with you. And 5 yards from the path was not a bad spot... had no other hunter walked in... I was setup in what could have been a great spot with plenty of cover all around and good shooting angles.......
