# stashing dekes?? who does it?



## utahgolf (Sep 8, 2007)

who stashes their decoys at "their" spot?? I've done it before to save on a heck of hike without having to haul the dekes out everytime. Is there a rule in the proc about not being able to do it..I used to be very opposed of it because I always hauled out dekes and hauled them back in everytime...now leaving them setup and out in a pocket is another thing,, if I run into that than those decoys are coming back with me!!! :twisted:


----------



## dkhntrdstn (Sep 7, 2007)

I have only done that when the hunt was over and was way to beat to pack them out that night.we did not get home intell one in the morning.But to save my spot no they stay in the boat the hole season.If I find some hiden in the phrag or cattails they will end up in my boat.


----------



## utahgolf (Sep 8, 2007)

oh and I didn't stash mine in the prag to save a spot,, if I found someone in the spot I hunt, I would have grabbed my dekes and moved to another...stashing dekes to save a spot is not cool.. don't get me goin on tree stands!! ha


----------



## stablebuck (Nov 22, 2007)

I used to do it just to save the energy of lugging them thru the foot of mud and 2 feet of water until someone stole them...so they come and go with me now...so if I ever find the @$$hole who took them I'll be courteous enough to leave Discount Tire's number on their windshield...


----------



## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

Found some dekes stashed in one of my spots last year.... pretty nice G&H mallards actually, in a couple bags. I had also stashed my gear close by there and they were nice enough to leave it alone, so I didn't touch theirs. Would have liked to meet the guys and at least talk to them so there was some mutual respect going on there..... but never did find out who they belonged to. If I'd been all about stealing dekes, I easily could have walked out of the marsh with another 3 or four dozen mallard decoys. I don't know, probably not the best idea to stash your gear, especially in really popular places, but if you're in an out of the way spot, nothing wrong with leaving gear if you're going to be back.


----------



## deadduck (Jul 21, 2009)

I have stashed some decoys in the phrag before, it sucks carrying decoys on your back for the long hauls. I only left some of my old decoys out there. But the next time I went out to that spot I did not have to carry any decoys in  

I don't like leaving my decoys because I don't want people to take them. When you pay good money for decoys its worth the long haul on your back to and from. Unless you want to go to cableas every week for new decoys ---- that doesn't sound too bad :lol:


----------



## BRL1 (Sep 12, 2007)

Did it once. Two jetsled XLs with about 12 dozen decoys and two robodekes. Slid them into the brush after dark, knowing we would be back before daylight the next morning. But did not sleep well wondering if they would be there when we got back. Will never do it again.


----------



## snobiller22 (Sep 25, 2007)

utahgolf said:


> who stashes their decoys at "their" spot?? I've done it before to save on a heck of hike without having to haul the dekes out everytime. Is there a rule in the proc about not being able to do it..I used to be very opposed of it because I always hauled out dekes and hauled them back in everytime...now leaving them setup and out in a pocket is another thing,, if I run into that than those decoys are coming back with me!!! :twisted:


I know your spot!!! Looks like i'll be pickin up some new dekes this year!!! :twisted: :twisted:


----------



## duckhunter1096 (Sep 25, 2007)

I haven't done it, and won't do it.....I have the same theory as Dustin.....if it's left there, they must not want it too bad. Sorry. I believe there is something in there about taking out what you took in, but I may be wrong. I may be thinking about building blinds and not taking them down. Personally, I have a TON of money invested in my decoys, and it's worth the hike out every morning & afternoon.

Suggestion.....If you have that much gear to carry, find a method of transport for them. We use an old deer tote to haul our crap out. It holds our 100 or so decoys just fine, and is very easy to manuever to our destination. We don't take it through the water though, so we do stash it in the reeds by the shore. Or you can also do the whole Mtn. Bike with the kid trailer behind it to haul a lot of gear also. 

To me, either of these ideas beat the h*ll out of leaving them in the marsh and worrying about them, or worse......coming out to find them gone.


----------



## nickpan (May 6, 2008)

i wouldn't do it. too much money sittin out there for someone to just think someone left em or dropped them to pick em up and head out with em. we even hunt some fields that are private and i hate leavin out in the field for two hours while i go get some grub at the gas station


----------



## Ryfly (Sep 13, 2007)

It's against the law. A fish cop told me you'll get a ticket for doing it even if they are just in a bag.


----------



## Snipe (Dec 4, 2008)

Just because a cop tells you it is illegal doesn't make it illegal. executive branch doesn't make the law. I have had cops tell me several times that something was illegal when it wasn't.

I guess he could cite you for littering. Or another one I don't know about.


----------



## Ryfly (Sep 13, 2007)

Snipe said:


> Just because a cop tells you it is illegal doesn't make it illegal. executive branch doesn't make the law. I have had cops tell me several times that something was illegal when it wasn't.
> 
> I guess he could cite you for littering. Or another one I don't know about.


I'm pretty sure the Proc says you can't leave them overnight. I'm just trying to save someone the hassle but you can do whatever you want.


----------



## APD (Nov 16, 2008)

Ryfly said:


> Snipe said:
> 
> 
> > Just because a cop tells you it is illegal doesn't make it illegal. executive branch doesn't make the law. I have had cops tell me several times that something was illegal when it wasn't.
> ...


not sure about all WMA's but this is what it says for the 3 refuges:


> Hunters may not leave decoys, boats, vehicles and other personal property on the refuge overnight.


----------



## utahgolf (Sep 8, 2007)

I don't think its a big deal if you stash them, just as long as you respect someone who might be in your spot..Sure you might feel stupid walking over there and grabbing your dekes that you've stashed but then get movin to another spot so you don't screw up their hunting..


----------



## 357bob (Sep 30, 2007)

I have to stash my dekes every year,

if my wife finds them, I got alot of 'splanin' to do :wink:


----------



## stucknmud (Dec 2, 2008)

357bob said:


> I have to stash my dekes every year,
> 
> if my wife finds them, I got alot of 'splanin' to do :wink:


I just have to hide the receipts


----------



## Snipe (Dec 4, 2008)

stucknmud said:


> 357bob said:
> 
> 
> > I have to stash my dekes every year,
> ...


Only for a few months then you can be all. Oh these i've had these for ever.


----------



## HuntingCrazy (Sep 8, 2007)

stablebuck said:


> I used to do it just to save the energy of lugging them thru the foot of mud and 2 feet of water until someone stole them...so they come and go with me now...so if I ever find the @$$hole who took them I'll be courteous enough to leave Discount Tire's number on their windshield...


Finders KEEPERS!!! :twisted: _(O)_ :lol:


----------



## stablebuck (Nov 22, 2007)

HuntingCrazy said:


> stablebuck said:
> 
> 
> > I used to do it just to save the energy of lugging them thru the foot of mud and 2 feet of water until someone stole them...so they come and go with me now...so if I ever find the @$$hole who took them I'll be courteous enough to leave Discount Tire's number on their windshield...
> ...


so I guess it's socially acceptable to go start collecting treestands and trailcams too...just cause you can huh???


----------



## king eider (Aug 20, 2009)

i just wouldnt leave my gear out over night just for that fact. i know with my luck someone would walk away with all of it.


----------



## 1BandMan (Nov 2, 2007)

Quite a topic that has stuck around for a while so I'll throw my $.02 in.

You really shouldn't leave anything lying around that you care very much about. 

Often times it's hard to distinguish someone leaving something for a purpose and some idiots leaving stuff lying around for others to pick up after them and throw in the trash.

If everyone left stuff out on public land because it was just easier to do so, in many areas it would start looking like a local landfill or some lazy suckers yard in a big hurry.

And....if you don't want it stolen, don't leave it lying around. No, I and 97+% of others would leave your dekes, gun, car with the keys in it, house with the door wide open etc. alone...but the other 3% may very well see it as a an opportunity to take advantage of.

And....leaving your stuff around whether it looks like trash or not makes me wonder if your just being a slob. Yea, I know its a lot easier if you don't have to pack it out when it's already there but is easier necessarily wiser?

If you chose to, law or not, don't b!#$* and moan if it's not there when you come back, its the chance you took, you rolled the dice and lost.


----------



## rjefre (Sep 8, 2007)

It's also against the laws of common sense. If it's left in the marsh it should be considered littering. Candy wrappers, empty hulls, decoys, pop bottles, ect...pack it in and pack it out, or risk someone else taking it out for you.
R


----------



## STEVO (Sep 13, 2007)

I would never leave them. I figure if you had the energy to walk all the way out there with them, then you **** well better have the energy to walk back with them. I dont have a ton of money involved with my decs, mabey 4 dozen of the $25 dozen sets, but with the prices of some of these decs out there now I couldnt imagine somebody leaving their stuff. I agree that 95% of the people would leave it alone out of respect for other sportsmen, but that other 5% I wouldnt trust because I can almost bet with my luck that the first 5 out of 100 people I met would be that 5% piece of S%$T crowd. 

This past weekend on the ML deer hunt , I was riding the wheeler to a trail I liked to hike. Get down there and feel around in my pockets & my GPS was gone(un-zipped coat pocket :x ), anyways I drive all the way back to camp looking for it, nowhere to be found. After about 2 hours of looking for it, I decided it was just lost forever. Luckily I programmed my name & ph# into it when you turn it on. 2 Days later I had a voice mail from a guy that had found it & wanted to return it to me. It would have been easy for him to just keep it & change the info when you turn it on, But he had the same respect for sportsmen that I do I guess. Ive been in the position of losing something & man it sucks. I would do anything in y powers to get something back to the owner regardless of how valuable it is!!!!


----------



## HuntingCrazy (Sep 8, 2007)

stablebuck said:


> so I guess it's socially acceptable to go start collecting treestands and trailcams too...just cause you can huh???


Public land is not a place to leave your expensive toys!!!


----------



## stablebuck (Nov 22, 2007)

HuntingCrazy said:


> stablebuck said:
> 
> 
> > so I guess it's socially acceptable to go start collecting treestands and trailcams too...just cause you can huh???
> ...


they aren't expensive toys, but I'm pretty sure I was taught not to take something that wasn't mine growing up...I know...weird concept... :roll:


----------



## fixed blade XC-3 (Sep 11, 2007)

stablebuck said:


> HuntingCrazy said:
> 
> 
> > stablebuck said:
> ...


+1 it's stealing if you take them. IMHO


----------



## HuntingCrazy (Sep 8, 2007)

fixed blade said:


> stablebuck said:
> 
> 
> > HuntingCrazy said:
> ...


You're blaming me as if I took the decoys. :roll: 
All I'm saying is you wouldn't leave your mountain bike parked outside of a school or a store without locking it up, would you???!???! 
It's just the concept same out in the field. If you have a treestand up, put a padlock on it. If you have a trail cam on a tree, put a cable and lock on it. If you stash your dekes, find a way to secure them. Now that is a weird concept. :mrgreen:


----------



## 1BandMan (Nov 2, 2007)

You shouldn't leave your stuff lying around period. If everyone left their stuff lying around out in the marsh or mountain, it would soon start looking like some slobs back yard in a hurry.

I'm not sure, but I'll just bet that's the reason there are laws against leaving your stuff on public ground.


----------



## stablebuck (Nov 22, 2007)

oh yeah...did I mention that every other time I do pack it in to the marsh I end up hauling out a backpack full of gatorade bottles, twinkie wrappers, and shotgun empties...and none of it is mine...so if we start comparing a couple dozen decoys in a bag stashed in some cattails to littering then you better get after whoever put those fences in and left them too! The nerve...to put a fence up and just leave it...don't they know someone could just pull those fenceposts out of the ground and take them home with them??? :roll: Don't they know that half of that fence is on public land??? :roll:


----------



## hoghunter011583 (Jul 21, 2008)

Ok, I've stayed out of this one but I'm bored so here goes.

If you leave your stuff for convienence then you have to except the risk of some THIEF taking it. Don't be mad if that happens.
now for the guys that think it is ok to take it because it is against the law to leave it out there in the first place, then why not just take it and give them to the game warden? I'd have no problem with that! I think the guys who take stuff that is obviously not trash like deer stands and decoys just use all that legal bs as an excuse to get some free stuff. After all you are not a legal authority to enforce the law, so that is a lame way to make yourself feel good about stealing someones stuff!

You'r telling me that if the game warden pulls up and sees you stealing someone else's boat that he left near his "spot" then he is going to say yeah go ahead and take it, it is against the law to leave that boat out there!!
Don't think so, leaving stuff is foolish and might get you a fine, taking what is left in the marsh is criminal and might get you jail time!!
Both are not the right way to go!!


----------



## STEVO (Sep 13, 2007)

So where is the fine line between somebodys trash and somebody elses hunting gear?? Using that same example couldnt they get you for being a "theif" if you are picking up other peoples trash (shotgun shells etc)?? I dont see anywhere in the Utah law that states a dollar value as being the deciding factor?? Seems there is a fine line between being a "thief" and being a good sportsman. (picking up garbage).


----------



## hoghunter011583 (Jul 21, 2008)

STEVO said:


> So where is the fine line between somebodys trash and somebody elses hunting gear?? Using that same example couldnt they get you for being a "theif" if you are picking up other peoples trash (shotgun shells etc)?? I dont see anywhere in the Utah law that states a dollar value as being the deciding factor?? Seems there is a fine line between being a "thief" and being a good sportsman. (picking up garbage).


Not really a fine line, it is called common sence. If your picking up coke bottles and candy wrappers, or empty shotgun shells it is pretty obvious it is trash!! If you are picking up a bag full of decoys, a loaded shell bucket or something like that, I think you know it is what someone stashed!! I don't think it is a fine line at all I think it is obvious for any honest person to see the difference between trash and good stuff that some hunter stashed!! I mean if you see a wallet, your saying that maybe that guy threw away his wallet so if you keep it your not stealing? No give me a break!! 
As for the whole "Utah law" needing to tell you what is right and wrong that is what I said. People that hide behind the law feel like it is ok to steal a guys stuff because that guy is braking the law by leaving his stuff in the marsh!! You are not a cop so you can't inforce the law, call the game warden and tell him about it, let him go get them!!

So like, I can take all the kids bikes on my street that are sitting near the curb? I mean that is not his property and so if he leaves it out there I could say he is littering and I'm just picking up his trash, yeah get real we all know when something is trash and when it is not!!


----------



## shootinfool (Aug 18, 2009)

When i was young i used to leave this really cool diamond back bike out in my back yard all the time. My parents used to tell me that one day it was going to get stolen so i started hiding it in the yard, behind the barbeque, behind the shed (the one it was supposed to be stored in) and other assorted places all because i thought it was faster for me to get to and less time consuming to go get the key and open the shed and then start riding. Well one day it came up missing. I never saw it again and was super ticked off. All my parents had to say was, well, we told you so. Moral of the story, I wont be leaving my decoys out on the marsh, even if i think that they are stashed good enough :mrgreen:


----------



## STEVO (Sep 13, 2007)

Ones man trash is another mans treasure right??? I can guarantee you that the decs I use would be considered as "trash" to many of the guys around here & wouldnt think twice about leaving them :lol:, But hey theyre my treasure!!!! 

I do know a guy that used to ride a bike out to a spot . Anyways he gets out there 6-7 miles, During that day it ended up snowing 10-12 inches. He left his bike out there because it wasnt worth it to him to try to push it back with all his other gear in the snow. He never went back for the bike. Is that considered as trash??? Im sure some other guy out there was more than willing to push it back, Or atleast made the effort to ride it back because I went out there a week later & it was gone.

I would personally never take somebody elses stuff if it was left out there, But obviously the person that left it out there doesnt care much about it , right?? I bet you that if somebody brought them back & gave them to DWR , that the person probrably wouldnt get them back anyways. Leaving your things out there is nothing but pure lazyness IMO. If you leave it then it becomes "trash"

BTW , I also know a guy that picks up empty hulls, even pulls the good ones out of the garbage because he re-loads them with heavy shot & he was too **** cheap to buy new hulls :lol:


----------



## LETTER-RIP (Sep 14, 2007)

Boy,,, cant belive all the hype over stashed decoys..
Any hunter out there knows the difference between a stash and something that has been lost. A bag of decoys in the middle of the freeway probably lost. Finders Keepers. Bag of decoys 3-5 miles out in the marsh, buried under some phrag, prabably a stash. Not a reason for a free hand out.
By the sounds of it. a lot of you, that are against it, i would say pack so much out there as it is, you would not have room to pick up mine. And if they do get picked up! hey, they were only 25$ anyways not to big of a deal in IMHO.


----------



## 1BandMan (Nov 2, 2007)

Why some of you would want to test peoples integrity is beyond me. 
If you want to see if someone wants your decoys more than you do.......well thats your problem if someone steals them. Again, do you leave the keys in your car/truck? Do you leave your front door to your house open and leave for the weekend?

I also like to hear people talk about *THE LAW*. Leaving your dekes, camera's etc on the better share of public ground is against the law in the first place.
And.....why would some decoys left on the freeway be fair game vs. left in the bullrush? They are not yours eitherway. See, that's my interpretation of right and wrong vs. yours. Which of the scenerios is truely right or wrong?

No, I don't like the idea of people leaving things lying around on public ground. If it were truely acceptable, the marsh would most likely be covered in decoys. He!! I'd leave them out there too to give me more space in my garage and sheds during the winter. I'd empty my shed and garage and leave a few dozen at each hunting spot therefore leaving me to never to pack decoys ever again. 
You say it's only overnight until you come back the next day? Why not two or three days or the week, or month or the whole season???

Leaving empty hulls, wrappers, cans, whatever, including decoys sets a trashy precedents for those that are attempting to enjoy the area after you.

Right or wrong? Why don't you find out? 
The refuge managers are in charge of the area, ask them if its OK to leave your dekes out in the marsh overnight. If he gives you the green light.....it must be all good.


----------



## hoghunter011583 (Jul 21, 2008)

Leaving anything but your footprints is wrong, period!! But I just wouldn't be able to take a sack of decoys out of the marsh and have a clear conscience about it. I wouldn't leave a sack of decoys either.
Like I said, just because the game warden can confiscate your dekes that are left out there doesn't mean that just anyone can!! I don't think you can start burning phrag just cause you feel like it!!
both actions are selfish, one guy is lazy and the other guy uses that to get ahead and have a new bag of decoys. They are both wrong!! Period!!
It isn't the same as picking up trash, like hulls and bottles!! Try picking up all the deer that are dead on the side of the road and when the cop stops you just try telling him that you are just picking up trash!!


----------



## king eider (Aug 20, 2009)

1BandMan said:


> Why some of you would want to test peoples integrity is beyond me.
> If you want to see if someone wants your decoys more than you do.......well thats your problem if someone steals them. Again, do you leave the keys in your car/truck? Do you leave your front door to your house open and leave for the weekend?
> 
> I also like to hear people talk about *THE LAW*. Leaving your dekes, camera's etc on the better share of public ground is against the law in the first place.
> ...


+1
couldnt have stated it better myself!


----------



## stablebuck (Nov 22, 2007)

I'm gonna ask Santa Claus this year for a 20oz gatorade bottle 1/4 full of skoal juice!!!


----------



## fixed blade XC-3 (Sep 11, 2007)

stablebuck said:


> I'm gonna ask Santa Claus this year for a 20oz gatorade bottle 1/4 full of skoal juice!!!


Have you ever accidentally mistaken this for a real Gatorade? I did with a mountain dew, I'm still scarred. I kicked my buddies ass though, for laughing. It was his spittoon.


----------



## stablebuck (Nov 22, 2007)

naw but I've accidentally spilled them multiple times on the carpet...


----------



## 1BandMan (Nov 2, 2007)

stablebuck said:


> I'm gonna ask Santa Claus this year for a 20oz gatorade bottle 1/4 full of skoal juice!!!


----------



## stablebuck (Nov 22, 2007)

That looks like my old cat...Mr. Meowgi


----------

