Baiting on Public Land (RANT)

[harvey lee]

Tough deal on public lands. I have been fortunate enough to not have to deal with hunting on public land very much at all.

As private land gets harder to access, more will be coming onto the private land to make it even more interesting.

Still room enough for everyone.

[Big Dave2]

Well we were on public ground, never saw a person, then caught a guy peeing on our bait, one throwing our site, and even had one of the same guys drive by one of our guys while in the stand on a 3 wheeler yelling "bear, bear" as he drove 10 yards away from him. This was by Deer River. In total between 8 of us we spent at a minimum of $5000. We had several bears on several of our sights until we figured out what was going on. No one even saw a bear while on stand. Hmm, I wonder why? It's because the locals, although not hunting think that the public land is theres, and they don't want anyone coming up there on "there land" Pretty sad

Now this is a story to rant about. The original post, not so much.

[B-man715]

I was thinking the same thing Box...

Last I heard permits were awarded through a lottery which generally means <100% chance of being drawn. How does one know if the guy that baited there last year will even be around this year?

Don't get me wrong guys, I know its not the end of the world. Was I immediately upset? Yes. But I fully understand that public land is public. 1st come 1st serve. Not terribly relevant, (but it was brought up) this is in the no-quota area where you can by over the counter tags every year.

But as I said before, I (and 10%?) of other deer and bear hunters will look elsewhere if they know somebody else is hunting an area. I'm not the kind of guy that will see blaze orange and walk directly to them and ask how the hunting has been....or try and beat them to "their" spot the next day or even year.. as many have done to me???

Lots of land out there and if you want to chase people around instead of animals I guess its your right to do so. I prefer to hunt animals myself It tends to have a much higher sucess rate.....

I will give him full respect as another hunter in the woods and steer clear of where he is baiting.

Good luck to you all in this upcoming season, no matter what you're after

[delcecchi]

Now you have me confused....

You hadn't been there since last year? And you show up this year and someone is hunting where you were last year and you got upset? Then you start talking about going elsewhere if someone IS hunting an area. But you weren't hunting the area. You had hunted it the previous year. You were going to hunt it. You planned on hunting it. But the way I read your story you hadn't been there this year.

If that is the correct interpretation, I don't think you get many nobility points. But that is just me. And if you had been there and done some work this year that is different too.

[B-man715]

Now you have me confused....

You hadn't been there since last year? And you show up this year and someone is hunting where you were last year and you got upset? Then you start talking about going elsewhere if someone IS hunting an area. But you weren't hunting the area. You had hunted it the previous year. You were going to hunt it. You planned on hunting it. But the way I read your story you hadn't been there this year.

If that is the correct interpretation, I don't think you get many nobility points. But that is just me. And if you had been there and done some work this year that is different too.

You got it Del. No work to be done from last year but to hang a sign. He got there first and has all of the legal right to hunt it, which is fine and perfectly legal. But as we all know respect, laws and ethics are not interchangeable. Everybody can choose how they approach any given situation, he chose what is legal. Just not something I would have done, but what do ya do?

Move on and get over it Not the first time for me, and certainly won't be the last LOL

He knew somebody had set up there before so "it must be a good spot" No different than a marker buoy on a lake...... some people just can't resist......

I like to get away from the crowds and dispise when the crowds follow me. Doesn't matter if its in the

woods, on the water, on the ice, etc. Some people just feel the need to follow others..... I like going rouge

[Col. Hoggiebun]

Geez everyone needs to relax. Just a little rant is all haveing to anticipate the start of baiting only to find out wher one had made plans to set is dissapointing an upsetting to find another there. He well aware of public land rights. But makes an ethical point that if one should come acroos lastbyears crib one maybey should move on. Keep an eye on it to se if it gets established if not move in if so move on.

[Jameson]

...But makes an ethical point that if one should come acroos lastbyears crib one maybey should move on. Keep an eye on it to se if it gets established if not move in if so move on.

No, it is unethical to think that someone should avoid hunting that area due to their being evidence of another hunter hunting that area in the past.

It is public land, avoid using the area if another hunter is currently using that area, not if they did or are planning on it. Part of the challenge of hunting public land is dealing with other people.

[luckydog25]

I personally would never take over someone else's established area. For those of you commenting that haven't bear hunted, it is a lot of work, takes a lot of time, and money to get a bait site established. The bears in the area know there has been food there in the past, we have been hunting the same giant for 3 years on one of our baits. Tons of money in bait and gas to hunt that brute. I would be very disappointed if someone took it over if I had to work late the first day of legal baiting and someone beat me to the spot. I understand that it is 100% legal, just not right or ethical IMO.

[mntatonka]

I personally would never take over someone else's established area. For those of you commenting that haven't bear hunted, it is a lot of work, takes a lot of time, and money to get a bait site established. The bears in the area know there has been food there in the past, we have been hunting the same giant for 3 years on one of our baits. Tons of money in bait and gas to hunt that brute. I would be very disappointed if someone took it over if I had to work late the first day of legal baiting and someone beat me to the spot. I understand that it is 100% legal, just not right or ethical IMO.

I've bear hunted for the last 10ish years (except when I don't get drawn), and if someone beats me to an old spot then so be it. There's no way for someone to know that I'll be back to that same spot next year, and if they want an easier time of it by using my logs and whatnot, then that's fine. Certainly no reason to get crazy about it on public land, there's plenty of it around.

[Col. Hoggiebun]

No its called commen curtesy. Whats unethical is runnibg around state land with a I can what ever the he ll I want cause its pub.. land, what arebu gona do about! Attitude. Just this pas friday I to was set up on on pub land. He cut a trail right past the siite i was using last year an had plans on using again ,Could not have missed it. He trimmed a trail another hundered yards back in. With no one around at that time I guesse ethicaly I could have set up on the end of the trail he cut an said thank you for opening the trail for me must have been a lot of work right? . Sounds lime it was mo qouta by bman being therb again an in no quota ur most generally gona be using it again an bear hunters no this. Qouta are wojldnt bea a problem as much be cause to get drawn twice in to years is uncommon depending on tags an un purchased tags available.

[Big Dave2]

Since I had all of my stuff with I set up a new station a couple hundred yards away.

May the best baiter win wink

[Wanderer]

Move on and get over it Not the first time for me, and certainly won't be the last LOL

He knew somebody had set up there before so "it must be a good spot" No different than a marker buoy on a lake...... some people just can't resist......

O.K. Bman, you're over it and that's great, now I'm about to get over it too - rigghhhttt after this

I can't count the number of times I've gone off to new area to deer hunt and while scouting, start seeing sign and get that tingly feeling that THIS is the spot! Then I start looking around to figure out the best set up and low and behold, there's a stand someone put up, sometime. I have no idea when they did or if they plan to be back BUT I'll say this: I didn't scout the hunter, I scouted the sign in an area I could hunt. It just wasn't the first year the spot was found.

Should I never hunt the area? Who do I contact to find out?

Marker bouys - if you don't want people fishing them, don't leave them where any old GPS can find them...

I get it that YOU get it and you're fine now. I'm just throwing it out there for consideration that other people know how to find stuff to hunt and fish too without being led to it.

I hope you get da big boar this season.

[B-man715]

Big Dave,

I gave him some room (a lot more than he gave me), and I will not tamper with or even stop to look at his bait site to see if it gets hit.

It was my only site last year (of the three) that got hit, so I will give it a week or two there. If nothing worth shooting shows up on camera I will pull my sign and try elsewhere.

My other two sites are in areas I've never baited before. Actually headed out the door shortly to check them all for the first time since setting them up on Saturday. Pesky work.......

On another note, one of the new sites gave me some sort of rash on different areas of my body (poison ivy or similar). Monday morning my face was all swollen up! Had to go in to the doc and get a script for some Prednisone.

She asked how I would have gotten it and I told her from bear baiting.

Her first response was "What's that??"...........

Her second response was "Well, don't do that anymore."

Not gonna happen lady Just keep re-filling the bottle for a few more weeks LOL!

Wanderer, I've done the exact same thing When a spot seems to good to be true I spend extra time looking to see if someone else might have already found it. The closer to the road it is the higher the odds are.

[nofishfisherman]

I can't count the number of times I've gone off to new area to deer hunt and while scouting, start seeing sign and get that tingly feeling that THIS is the spot! Then I start looking around to figure out the best set up and low and behold, there's a stand someone put up, sometime. I have no idea when they did or if they plan to be back BUT I'll say this: I didn't scout the hunter, I scouted the sign in an area I could hunt. It just wasn't the first year the spot was found.

Happens to me all the time on public land as well. Just when I think I found a nice spot to myself I turn around and see a permanent stand built at somepoint in the past. Sometimes there are clues to how old it is, sometimes not.

Usually I'll climb up into it (assuming it passes my safety inspection) and I leave some sticks or rock on the seat, something that you'd for sure have to move to sit comfortably. That way the next time I am in the area I can tell if someone has been there. Last season I didn't get to hunt until 2nd weekend of deer season and checked out an old stand that was set up on a spot I liked. Got there mid week after opener and the sticks I put on the seat where in the same exact spot as I left them during scouting letting me know that no one hunted it over opener and that the spot was likely open for use. If someone had been using it I had fall back plans and my climbing stand with so I was plenty modile.

Now this is a little different for bear baiting but the same principle applies. Its not always obvious as to how old the site is and whether someone is planning on using it again. So should all old bait sites forever be off limits to anyone who didn't start it? Is there a 1-2-3 year waiting period before it can be used again? Personally I wouldn't have set up in an old bait site unless I knew for sure it was not from last year since I hate dealing with other hunters. So many act like jerkbaits over their precieved territory on public land. I'd just rather not deal with it. Seems like you have a 50/50 chance of running into a nice guy or running into someone who thinks they own all public land they've ever used previously and who are willing to yell, scream and fight over it. I'm in the woods because I enjoy it and its relaxing, I try not to let others get in the way of that.

[Big Dave2]

I just really hope this guy didn't do this on purpose.... If I know another hunter is going to hunt an area I look elsewhere...... plain and simple.

But I get the feeling this guy is the same type of person that would fish next to a boat that tossed out a marker buoy in the middle of a giant lake......... there are more than a handful of guys that do it, but I just cannot.....

By reading some of the replies, I see there are a few guys here that cannot venture on their own and find a spot for themselves....... grin

[B-man715]

Hey Dave,

I put the "buoy" out, I was there "first", I have other baits out in new areas (that I "found") So they are "my spots" Stay away.....

If you might have noticed...... as I was laying it on pretty thick..... there was a little spite happening when I tossed my bait out on Saturday But it's out there waiting to get eaten. If it does, we will both surely be competing for the same bear. Life goes on.

How's your baiting season going so far?

Checked mine this afternoon and struck out on all three so far. I found the poison ivy patch that I trampled through the other day, now I gotta take a little detour to check baits

Good luck guys, I see a few of ya already have some coming in

[harvey lee]

No its called commen curtesy. Whats unethical is runnibg around state land with a I can what ever the he ll I want cause its pub.. land, what arebu gona do about! Attitude. Just this pas friday I to was set up on on pub land. He cut a trail right past the siite i was using last year an had plans on using again ,Could not have missed it. He trimmed a trail another hundered yards back in. With no one around at that time I guesse ethicaly I could have set up on the end of the trail he cut an said thank you for opening the trail for me must have been a lot of work right? . Sounds lime it was mo qouta by bman being therb again an in no quota ur most generally gona be using it again an bear hunters no this. Qouta are wojldnt bea a problem as much be cause to get drawn twice in to years is uncommon depending on tags an un purchased tags available.

YOu hit the nail on the head with this post. Common curtosy, not much of this left anymore.

It's all about me and the heck with anyone else.

[ClownColor]

Where are u guys hunting? I been bear hunting for 20 years almost, or help, and never ran into problems...actually only ran into two hunters. One who already shot a bear and decided to give me his left over bait. The second wanted to help us track a wounded bear.

Are you guys in wisconsin?

What are there, 7-9k bear tags? I even hunt public land too.

Sheeesh

[LightningBG]

No its called commen curtesy. Whats unethical is runnibg around state land with a I can what ever the he ll I want cause its pub.. land, what arebu gona do about! Attitude. Just this pas friday I to was set up on on pub land. He cut a trail right past the siite i was using last year an had plans on using again ,Could not have missed it. He trimmed a trail another hundered yards back in. With no one around at that time I guesse ethicaly I could have set up on the end of the trail he cut an said thank you for opening the trail for me must have been a lot of work right? . Sounds lime it was mo qouta by bman being therb again an in no quota ur most generally gona be using it again an bear hunters no this. Qouta are wojldnt bea a problem as much be cause to get drawn twice in to years is uncommon depending on tags an un purchased tags available.

I honestly cant even tell what this post is saying.

On to the topic...

I'm wondering how anyone is supposed to know how old a site is? I could go bear hunting one season, figure out it' s way too much work, too much money or switch jobs, have a baby, etc, where I may not go for a year or two, may not go ever again.

Seems to me, these sites must be kind of close to stuff or who knows? How are people stumbling across these so readily?

[kevfish1]

B-man, from your story in my opinion you acted unethical by setting up a couple hundred yard away from a known bait site of another hunter. This guy had every right to establish a bait there. With all of the acres available you should have found a different area. It is public and not yours every year. It is not realistic thinking on your part to think this is your spot every year you decide or get drawn to go.

[Big Dave2]

Hey Dave,

I put the "buoy" out, I was there "first", I have other baits out in new areas (that I "found") So they are "my spots" Stay away.....

Are you sure someone didn't hunt those spots 10 years ago, 20 years ago?

Might not be "your" spots after all.

[Basseyes]

There's a balancing act to hunting public land. Jonny P had a good attitude towards the old guy and his wife. I go into hunting public land expecting the worst and hoping for the best. I always try to offer my hand in friendship, even if the other hasn't. It goes a long, long way towards resolving any kind of conflict. The rules of morality and ethics in hunting, where others have been or staked their claim is risky business on public land. We've hunted public land for just about everything. Respect is one thing, but totally walking on egg shells to not step on someone else's turf is impossible. Talked to a CO about tree stands last year on county and state land. Sounds like there are some changes coming. The squatters, that like to lay claim to every good spot by large permanent tree stands, are about at their end.

The aspect of it being public, then saying there is a boundary of ethics and morality being crossed by him beating you to the punch is questionable at best. Maybe he waited for you to show up. Then no one showed and figured he was good to go if there wasn't some one already there. Then pitching your tent that close? That seems sketchy on your part. And you seem to be talking out of both side of your mouth.

I've bear hunted and learned from a great teacher about set up and being astute, to the conditions and environment around you. Good bear set ups are gold mines. And not easy to come by. But not impossible. If you are in an area with lots of competition bear hunting, I'd find another area or work with them if at all possible.

Sounds like there's a lot of presumption and feelings being hurt on this one. Look at the facts you've presented and it seems he just beat you to a good looking area. He knew you had hunted it in the past and had no clue if you were going to hunt it this year. You couldn't get their first, he beat you to it. You got testy and you down winded him. Talk to the guy and see what he has to say. You might be surprised, he might be apologetic and really have no clue of your history or future intentions for area. He could turn out to be a life long friend or contact. Or you could sit in your tree stand and stew and get all testy, over something he has no idea about.

[laker1]

These Tower fortresses on public land is the worst thing that has ever happen. They look horrible to everyone but the individual who built it. They very much intimidate people and people who built them claim more than ever that is their domain and nobody elses.

At the end of the season the woods should be clear of all stands.

[Jameson]

...At the end of the season the woods should be clear of all stands.

and all evidence of a a baiting pits.

[leechlake]

what I'm reading in this post is more of a Macho, "I'm an expert" and others prey off of my hunting skills and prowess. I've seen it from hacks, guides, and everyone in between.

"Some 'slicker' comes in and steals my spot" is like me saying some "bumpkin" got to Target Field first and took my favorite parking spot on the public street. I mean I found the honey hole parking spot years ago, why should some guy from rural Minnesota get to park there? He must have heard about my skills in finding parking and stole my ideas.

Sure, some people may just be hawking other's areas, common courtesy may be being thrown out the window too, you may be doing this as your vocation so it hurts the pocket book, or you may be plain wrong that someone else is quasi stealing either your ideas or spot, whether it's hunting or fishing.

Most of us aren't as good as we think we are and most other outdoorsman couldn't do enough research and have enough time to go to the effort to stealing all the expert's spots. Sure it's frustrating to lose or share your honey hole's with others, in most cases it's far from a conspiracy.