Hey guys, I thought this was weird but since I'm relatively new to hunting I'm was wondering if this has ever happened to you guys??.....I hung a hang on treestand on public land last week...locked it up with a chain and pad lock....came back to it this morning and someone had basically wrapped blaze orange tape all over it and it was slightly tilted as if someone was trying to take it down. I fully inspected the stand to make sure their was no real sabotage going one for safety reasons and luckily their was not. Has this happened to anyone? Did I possibly take someones "spot"? Anti hunters?? (Note: I followed all rules of the public land I was hunting)
Its probably someone who is being an a$$ and thinks its his area its in public land and open to everyone. Put a trail cam on a tree near it and see if you can get pics of the guy!!!
Yeah set up a trail cam, but make sure to camo it really well. sounds like this person is crafty. or, go around the time you think it happened and hide out 40 yds from your stand. when the perp comes back, launch an arrow at the tree. should get the *******'s attention
You mean like someone leaving a stand on public land, basically "staking their claim"? And that's what leaving a stand really is. That's prolly how that was being viewed by the dude with the tape. That's why they say to take your stand out when you leave the woods on public land in Pa. All leaving a stand on public land does is create a potential problem between two hunters. You're lucky he didn't steal it! Oh, and locking it doesn't mean much anymore. I had one stolen that was cable locked on PRIVATE land.
I had someone steal my steps a few weeks ago. On our own land. Good thing I had extras in pack. Took me a while to cool down though! We've never had a problem with anyone messing with our stuff until then.
Pa has changed that law. You are now allowed to leave your stand up on game lands from two weeks prior to any open season and must be down no later than two weeks after the close of the season. Not that I do that but it is legal now.
I've had others mess with my sets in the past. These other guys that hunted the same land I did (private land we all had permission to hunt). Would take my sets done and say I couldn't hunt that area. At least I got all my stuff back. Real winners theses D-bags were. Got sick of it and just walked away from the land.
I had a trail cam and a lone wolf hang on with accompanying sticks stolen in a 1 week period 2 years ago, needless to say if I saw either perpetrator I was shooting to kill. I didn't cool down from that for a few weeks. Messing with other people's stuff is the most scum-baggy move I can think of.
Can't say that I've had anybody mess with one of my stands.Might be because when I use a lock-on It's usually hung 25 to 30 feet high and when I come down,the steps come with me.When I hunt out of my climber,it comes out with me.And I don't hunt public land any more because I've had to many run ins with complete idiots that didn't any business in the woods at all. If I DID catch somebody messing my stand,one of would carry a whipping.
If it is in a high traffic area i would pull the bottom six steps even on my own ground,I just pulled a stand out today that a neighbor has taken upon himself to ride his atv down as close as he can about a hour before dark and have rifle practice on my last three hunts,I dont think he knows i am there but it's a hour drive there and back and i hate spoiled hunts.
You guys need to think of Hunting as a competitive sport...Not just between the hunter and the deer but also between other hunters. If you hunt land being private or public and other people hunt that land you need to assume that they know what deer are on that property and are hunting the same trophy buck as you. Just like in sports the other team does what it needs to to win that trophy. The safest thing to do is take out what you take in especially on public land.
