# leaving treestands



## LETTER-RIP (Sep 14, 2007)

I know many of you on here all have stands that are left in the hills from season to season. I myself have many stands that have been in the hills for several years. Most of these stands get moved around from season to season. But are in to deep to pull out every year.
My question to all of you is? Would any of you have the balls to set up on someone elses stand? I am not talking about hunting it when no one else is there. I am talking about putting your trail camera up, and baiting the hell out of the spot with corn and salt licks. 
This to me just shows how lazy some hunters are! If you are thinking of hunting a stand that you find, hunt it. Dont bait it up and call it your own! Why would you want to throw out a bunch of salt and corn anyways? You my as well put a sign up that says treestand right here!
What are some of your thoughts on this?


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## gitterdone81 (Sep 3, 2009)

If it looks like it was left from last season, one could make the argument that the original stand placer was being lazy. Other argument would be free salt and corn!


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

That is a problem leaving a tree stand up over time. If it was there and I wanted to use a tree stand and it was safe it would be first come first served. It is the same with a good vantage point rifle hunting
Perhaps you need to get the game and fish to make people register their tree stands with there name, location, and a registration number then it would be yours. I ran into an outfitter one year and he figured that since he had a stand up at a water hole that it was his spot to hunt. Trouble was that he had a dozen set up and only used one at a time.


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## elkbudy (Dec 24, 2007)

we have had two cameras in a canyon back aways they have been in sense the the middle of June with trophy rocks and we go in every week and change the sd card last week we went in we notest one of the pine trees had been trimmed way up and had a tree stand in it now with a big chain around it and locked. i guess now he is going to set up on were we have been all summer scouting, i know it is public land .


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## Loke (Sep 7, 2007)

Could be he's been there scouting all summer, too, and is mighty grateful to whoever has been baiting the hell out of the spot he's been hunting for the past 40 years.
Just because you just found a nice honey hole, doesn't mean you are the first to find it. Public land is just that. Get over yourself.


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## xxxxxxBirdDogger (Mar 7, 2008)

I'm with Loke. I would never in a million years climb up into somebody else's stand, though, even if I hunt the hole they've got it on.


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## 343Bull (Aug 2, 2010)

I would never hunt a metal tree stand someone put up, permanent made stands however, wooden ones I think are fair game.


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## Bucksnort (Nov 15, 2007)

My issue with tree stands is the feeling of hunting site ownership some tree stand owners develop. I have had hunts ruined on two occasions because the owner of a tree stand, that was setup on a public land seeps, showed up after I had already set up in a natural ground blind and tried say they were going to hunt there. After sharp words both left but it pretty much ruins a hunt. I do not have issue with the use of the stands. I use them myself. The issue is people not realizing public land hunting is first come first serve even if they have worked Sooo hard to set up your stand in the preseason.


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## GaryFish (Sep 7, 2007)

My thought is that leaving anything unattended on public lands for extended periods of time means that you don't want it, you threw it away, and are littering. To me, leaving a treestand on public land unattended for months, or even years should result in a citation.


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## wapiti67 (Oct 2, 2007)

easy fix...don't hunt out of tree-stands...spot and stalk..it's not that hard


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## Loke (Sep 7, 2007)

I read somewhere that property left unattended more than 72 hours on public land was legally considered "abandoned property".


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## gitterdone81 (Sep 3, 2009)

I can't wait to claim all the vehicles in the parking lot of a trailhead to say Kings Peak or Red Castle where people will be on a weeklong backpacking trip. Probably a good place to upgrade my truck. :roll:


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## GaryFish (Sep 7, 2007)

Thing is with Kings Peak, is you have to have a permit for the area, and you display it in the window of your truck. Treestands are unpermitted.


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## Finnegan (Sep 7, 2007)

Loke said:


> I read somewhere that property left unattended more than 72 hours on public land was legally considered "abandoned property".


General property, yes. So by default, trail cams apply.
Tree stands specifically, 14 days on USFS and WMA lands.
Ground blinds 24 hours. Any ground blind made from cut or uprooted materials is illegal.


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## gitterdone81 (Sep 3, 2009)

I just think people need to show common courtesy. I hope some yahoo doesn't read this post and start to 'legally' confiscate trail cams wherever found, since it was there more than 3 days. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. When I check a trail cam, yes I am a little bummed that there were humans caught on film, as I realize I may not be the only one there but oh well. However if I went and one had been stolen, damaged, etc. I would be completely devastated as I can't just replace it, or buy another one.


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## Bucksnort (Nov 15, 2007)

gitterdone81 said:


> I just think people need to show common courtesy. I hope some yahoo doesn't read this post and start to 'legally' confiscate trail cams wherever found, since it was there more than 3 days. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. When I check a trail cam, yes I am a little bummed that there were humans caught on film, as I realize I may not be the only one there but oh well. However if I went and one had been stolen, damaged, etc. I would be completely devastated as I can't just replace it, or buy another one.


+1 for me. We live and hunt on evermore crowded land. There are very few "secret" honey-holes left on public land. Even if an area has been hunted exclusively by a few hunters for years, if a new hunter shows up, he has as much right to hunt it as anyone. The only way our hunts are going to get and stay better is through common courtesy.

1- Your tree stand or camera does not equal exclusive right to hunt a location

2- Public land courtesy should mean we leave someone to hunt a location if they arrive first and leave their gear alone.

3-


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## GSPonPoint (Sep 24, 2008)

I feel it's wrong to leave unoccupied tree stands on public land for any extended period of time and then feel that you have some claim to that spot. I'm not against hanging a tree stand in the tree next to someone elses unoccupied stand. Public land means first come first serve.


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## RTMC (Sep 10, 2007)

> My thought is that leaving anything unattended on public lands for extended periods of time means that you don't want it, you threw it away, and are littering. To me, leaving a treestand on public land unattended for months, or even years should result in a citation.


 "I don't want it, and I threw it away, and I am littering". This is absolutely ridiculous! Do you really think that someone spent money on a tree stand and hiked it clear the hell up some mountain just to use once and discard? I understand what the books say about leaving property on public land, but for someone to actually get worked up over a tree stand that occupies a small area 10-15' up a tree is weak.

Also, for some of the people who actually take it upon themselves to remove such items while they hide behind their "public service" excuse of "it's illegal, and I am cleaning up", need to be smacked . If it doesn't belong to you leave it alone!


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## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

RTMC said:


> Also, for some of the people who actually take it upon themselves to remove such items while they hide behind their "public service" excuse of "it's illegal, and I am cleaning up", need to be smacked . If it doesn't belong to you leave it alone!


I suppose they could just report it to the Forest Service. From what I hear, those folks aren't much into returning your crap once its been left out for months either. I like GSPonPoints idea of setting up a stand just a few feet away in another tree.... pretty comical. Be funny too if you set yours up below them in the tree.... at least you aren't using their stand. :lol:


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## RTMC (Sep 10, 2007)

Riverrat77 said:


> I suppose they could just report it to the Forest Service. From what I hear, those folks aren't much into returning your crap once its been left out for months either. I like GSPonPoints idea of setting up a stand just a few feet away in another tree.... pretty comical. Be funny too if you set yours up below them in the tree.... at least you aren't using their stand. :lol:[/quote
> 
> That is what I'm talking about. All of these people using the "law" as an excuse to get their clutches on someone else's property. If someone is going to snag my stand, it sure as hell better be the forest circus. How many times do they really get out and retrieve a stand that they have gotten a complaint about? I'm sure it happens, but probably not nearly as often as some people would like. If they are the ones to regulate it, let 'em. If you want to be the one to do it, join the USFS.
> 
> I am using "you" as a general reference, not geared towards your response RR.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

gitterdone81 said:


> I can't wait to claim all the vehicles in the parking lot of a trailhead to say Kings Peak or Red Castle where people will be on a weeklong backpacking trip. Probably a good place to upgrade my truck. :roll:


You get 14 or 16 days to park at the trailhead, can't remember which.


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## gitterdone81 (Sep 3, 2009)

Sorry I am not the most proficient in the emoticons, and thought the rolling eyes would equate the sarcasm. It probably doesn't apply to titled property anyway, as was clarified later with "General Property." Regardless, let's use common sense.


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## LETTER-RIP (Sep 14, 2007)

It seems to be about 50/50 on the subject. I myself am a hunter, and I respect other hunters stands,cameras,camps and so on... I would never take or set up my cameras and salt under another persons treestand. I do not lay claim to the spot were my stand is! It is not set up on water or overlooking the biggest baddest meadow in the area. If not for a hunter walking under the stand a couple years ago, that happen to look up and see my brother, I dont think they would even know that it was there.

I have not hunted this spot on the opener for the last 3yrs because of all the idiots that show up the night before and think they are going to kill a big buck. For all I know they have hunted it the last 3yrs. Probably killed a buck or two out of it. Which is what it is there for.

The point still remains: I packed them in. I hung them. And I make sure every year that the straps and harnesses are in proper working condition and safe for me and others to hunt out of. The salt and camera is what makes me the most mad though.

I would be less pissed off if I showed up to hunt it, and the guy was sitting in it.


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## Bow Mama (May 1, 2008)

BirdDogger said:


> I'm with Loke. I would never in a million years climb up into somebody else's stand, though, even if I hunt the hole they've got it on.


Apparrently this guy doesnt give a **** whos stand this is! LOL.

[attachment=2:2myt8rd4]Bear in treestand.jpg[/attachment:2myt8rd4]

[attachment=1:2myt8rd4]Bear in tree 4.jpg[/attachment:2myt8rd4]

[attachment=1:2myt8rd4]Bear in tree 4.jpg[/attachment:2myt8rd4]


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Whoa!! O-|-O


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## stablebuck (Nov 22, 2007)

so I'm thinking bears are not inherently afraid of heights


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## elkfromabove (Apr 20, 2008)

I hunt mostly from treestands (Hence my handle/name!) and have had experiences on both sides of the issue. And I've never had a problem either way. I took a P&Y elk from someone else's permanent home-made treestand over a waterhole. However, I first got his approval to hunt the days he wasn't hunting. I first met him on the archery hunt the previous year when he and a friend surprised me when they climbed out of the stand while I was checking a rub that a smaller bull had made moments before. He was after deer, not elk, so he hadn't taken a shot, and he was going back home to work. "Anytime I'm not in it." were my instructions.

Another year at that same waterhole, my daughter and I came off the road to look for evidence that elk were still using it, when we heard a soft voice up in the trees in another direction telling us there were hunters already there. We apologized and quietly left. Later during the season, we saw a Forest Ranger at the waterhole and he told us this treestand had been stolen and he wanted to know if we knew anything about it. However, he wasn't so concerned about the theft as he was about the method. The thieves had cut down the tree! We asked about the home-made tree stand and he said they knew it was there but didn't worry about it because no trees were seriously damaged. BTW, the home-made treestand is still there after at least 6 years and after the Forest Service thinned the trees 2 years ago. (I don't trust it now after all these years.)

I have 3 other ladder stands that have been on National Forest property for 4 years and have never had any issues. However, if someone is using one before I get there, I'll let them know it's my stand (not abandoned) and they are welcome to use it if I'm not in it first, and if they are careful and safe. And if any of them disappear, I've got 3 more at home ready to go and I also have 3 ground blinds.

No matter how you hunt, there's a price to be paid. If it were simple, easy and cheap, it wouldn't be much fun!


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## Fishracer (Mar 2, 2009)

+1 elkfromabove. 
I have also found treestands with and without people in them. If there are being used we move on our way. The gentlemen i have encountered have also told me to use their stand when they are not. I have had nothing but good experiences with this issue. I think alot of it depends on the attitude of the people when they first meet.


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## duckhunter1096 (Sep 25, 2007)

I love the sense of site ownership that people have by placing a tree stand or a trail camera. "It's way back in there" isn't an excuse to leave it. By leaving it, you're basically telling others who may find it, "Hey, here's a good spot to hunt". Personally, I wish they'd do something about this. As a waterfowler, I cannot leave ANY of my gear out in the marsh OVERNIGHT, let alone for several years running. Why can't they enforce this with big game equipment? I love the pics you all post from your trail cams, but I think using them to "scout all summer" is a f**king joke. Just sayin.


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

GaryFish said:


> My thought is that leaving anything unattended on public lands for extended periods of time means that you don't want it, you threw it away, and are littering. To me, leaving a treestand on public land unattended for *months, or even years* should result in a citation.


Days. If you leave it unattended for a few days, I feel that it has been abandoned.



Finnegan said:


> Tree stands specifically, 14 days on USFS and WMA lands.
> Ground blinds 24 hours. Any ground blind made from cut or uprooted materials is illegal.


Some National Forests have the following requirements. I'm not sure about Utah's Forests. If they don't already, they certainly should have the below requirements.

Raised Platforms and Stands:

* Are allowed for archery hunting.
* Must be portable and temporary.
* No permament structures are allowed.
* Owners name and address must be displayed on the platform or stand.

Ground Blinds:

* Portable ground blinds must be removed at the end of each days hunt.
* Fasteners for portable ground blinds cannot penetrate the bark of a tree and must be removed daily with the blind.
* The owners name and address must be displayed on the blind.
* Blinds made of dead, natural materials can have netting, cloth or plastic added to them - provided the material is not permanently attached to the blind and are removed each day.
* Natural materials must be scattered at the close of the season or when the blind is abandoned. Constructed ground blinds cannot be placed on the forest prior to November 6.
* Constructed blinds must be removed at the end of the season.


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

duckhunter1096 said:


> I love the sense of site ownership that people have by placing a tree stand or a trail camera. "It's way back in there" isn't an excuse to leave it. By leaving it, you're basically telling others who may find it, "Hey, here's a good spot to hunt". Personally, I wish they'd do something about this. As a waterfowler, I cannot leave ANY of my gear out in the marsh OVERNIGHT, let alone for several years running. Why can't they enforce this with big game equipment? I love the pics you all post from your trail cams, but I think using them to "scout all summer" is a f**king joke. Just sayin.


+1,000,000


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## dkhntrdstn (Sep 7, 2007)

Bow Mama said:


> BirdDogger said:
> 
> 
> > I'm with Loke. I would never in a million years climb up into somebody else's stand, though, even if I hunt the hole they've got it on.
> ...


How the hell did you get pic of my tree stand and how did you find it? It looks like im going have to fight a bear for the stand opening morning.


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