hunters around my hometown have had this happen at an increasing rate lately. A few people have been caught in the act none of the 3 people caught were fellow hunters but they were drug addicts. They found it was easy to steal deer stands because there is rarely security around them low probability of being caught and they are easy items to sell in rural areas with lots of hunters.
locks and chains will not stop em, they will chew through it with their 1 and only tooth left in his mouth
Sorry to hear that. Some people have no respect. I hunt from hang on stands. I usually put them up around 30 feet high. I always put a cable lock on them. Also, I use screw in steps, and take the last 5-6 steps out each time I leave. Nothing is thieve proof. But this makes them work a little harder for it.
Actually this is private land but there are a lot of hunters. I know the land owners and have permission but a lot of others have also so it is treated as somewhat public but access is limited due to security and gates although atvs can get in through many avenues. My original thought was an inside job because they were so precise and some of the stands where in areas off the beaten path but that was a direction that I hated to take. The only stand that appears to have survived was the one that we took the last 2 sections of the ladders off of and they couldn't get up the tree.
I know the game warden very well and he has actually hunted this property before and helps to patrol during hunting season to keep only authorized people on the site. If I can discover who is doing this I am confident we can address the situation appropriately.
You could also consider drilling a hole through the stand and sticks, then running a 6" lag bolt into the tree securing the stand and sticks. They wouldn't be able to get it out without an impact driver. In theory, they could remove it. But it would be so hard to do without the proper tools, they'd probably just give up and leave. If you decide to do this, just drill a hole somewhere in the stand where it won't compromise the integrity and your safety.
That would be my worry. Good idea but don't think I would try this. Sent from my iPhone 5S using Tapatalk
After some thought and some good ideas from you guys we are going to attack this in a couple of ways. I had already bought a few extra stands for this year to try some new locations so we are going to set these stands up in the old locations since they always produce deer and are good spots that we don't want to give up. We tend to leave these stands in these locations, one stand that was stolen had been there 5 years at least. We are going to put 3/8 to 1/2 grade 8 chain with good locks on these stands. Takes a good set of cutters to get these off or you can wear out several hacksaw blades trying to cut through. We also thought about using specialty bolts to bolt the ladder sections together instead of the quick latch pins which would make them have to have some special equipment to get the ladder sections loose from the stand. I like the idea of hiding cameras and the idea about etching your stands so a quick positive identification can be made. It is just such a pain to go through all these additional steps just to protect your stuff. Maybe we can at least slow them down or make them work a little harder.
Big ladder stands are not stolen when first seen. They will come back for it with or without bolt cutters. I would use older stuff that you would not miss in that location until you feel better about who is coming and going.
Really sorry man, that just stinks. Karma will get them you can be sure of that Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
That sucks. We use to take our ladders/tee pegs off each time we came to of woods when we hunted public land. Unfortunately there are some bad hunters out there with us, hope your season gets better.
I hate thieves, they just suck A$$. I can't imagine how pissed you must be at this stage in the pre hunt phase. I hope you can catch them. If you by any chance find out who it is please do not take matters into your own hands. Allow the law, and wildlife officers to handle business. Yes they deserve a straight up A$$ whooping, but in our society today you would be the criminal and they would be the victim despite they are POS thieves.
Did you ever find out who stole your stands? I have a brand new ladder stand I plan on using this year and now I'm a little worried that it may happen to me as well. I think I will try the idea of taking out the 2 bottom sections of ladder when I leave the woods...
I have been there too. I had a single man ladder, a two man ladder and about 20 tree steps come up missing. I know who did it but, cannot prove it. I confronted his dad, his mom and him about it. Nothing has been stolen since. I warned them all if it happened again, I was going to find him and we would have a little heart to heart, alone.
Its not just ladder stands. I had a heavy duty home made tripod stand back when i rifle hunted in a field. Made of 4 and 5 inch circle tubing with tractor disks for feet. Missed hunting two years in a row because of school. Went back to get it and all that was left was the chair, plywood floor, and the few pieces they forgot to grab after they cut it apart. This was on semi private land where only I and the owners family are supposed to be hunting it. I figure it was the deadbeat son or one of his friends. Couldnt prove it though.
