The "Get out of my stand" Argument on Publilc Land

[tbreuhl]

We have a a general area a friend has hunted for years and now someone has a built a deer stand on it. This is public land. What are your thoughts of who should hunt it - who was their first or who built the stand first?

I know the legal "RULES" - first come first serve - but what about the unwritten rules - good sportman??

Just trying to get your thoughts? I hate to get in an argument opening morning at 6:00 b/c no one will see a deer but I also know land is getting tougher to find unless you have the money to buy some and I hate to give up a good spot.

[pinkfloyd4ever]

I didn't think you could put permanent stands on public land. Otherwise have to go with first come first serve

[CodyDawg]

Darn tough question. Prolly the best answer is a flip of the coin or rock/paper/scissors. My advice is try and address the situation before the season (even the parking area is better than at the tree).

[kingr]

I hunt public land as well. Just make sure you're in your stand before the other guy and you have a bright flash light. and if he ignores you, hopefuly the wind will screw him and he'll leave cuz he didn't see anything.

Hopefully if you guys talk, he'll respect the "history" of the area and move on

[KG243]

I would have to say first to the stand wins. It is PUBLIC land and this is a chance that you take when you build a stand on PUBLIC land. In the same breath I work my butt off so others dont beat me to my stand, meaning I am usually set and ready to go an hour and a half before shooting hours just in case someone decides to come hunt by me. Dont get me wrong I am very curtious to other hunters, but it is public land and I dont care how long you and your family have hunted there! I like to move around in the land I hunt so I may come on some other guys area without even knowing it because we are not out there scouting on the same day. These are just the chances you take when you hunt public land! I say tell your buddy to get out there early and do the flash light trick it always works for me. Just my two cents!

[mrklean]

You cant build stands on public land, you can put portables as long as you take them out, but its the first person there, whats on public land is public. The scary thing is its gun season and some people act a little tougher with a gun in there hands hoope it pans out ok. Or if your friend wants to be a funny man call the DNR tell them there is a perm stand on public land and see if they go and tear it down.

[KG243]

Actually you can buil a stand on state land not wma's.

[maros91]

Actually you can buil a stand on state land not wma's.

True. I talked to a CO in the Mille Lacs WMA and you can't have them in a WMA but State Forest is O.K.

[KG243]

Originally Posted By: KG243

Actually you can buil a stand on state land not wma's.

True. I talked to a CO in the Mille Lacs WMA and you can't have them in a WMA but State Forest is O.K.

THat is were I hunt Biff. Do you deer hunt there?

[fishermatt]

tbreuhl, how far is the new stand from your closest stand?

[BobT]

I say do as you would want others to do. If you built the stand what you expect or hope for from other hunters?

Bob

[WaveWacker]

I didn't think it was ok to build a permanent on STATE forest land but was on NATIONAL (federal) forest land??

Back to the original question...if it is on land that permanents aren't suppose to be, I'd contact the CO about it.

[MNexpoler]

I didn't think it was ok to build a permanent on STATE forest land but was on NATIONAL (federal) forest land??

Back to the original question...if it is on land that permanents aren't suppose to be, I'd contact the CO about it.

NO you got it backwards, its ok to build stands on State Land, besides WMA. It's not ok to build them on National forest land.

In my opinion its frist come frist serve however try to be respectful to people that have hunted there and built the stand.

[Hills]

Tear the stand down.

[Christopher Quast]

Better yet tell the CO in your area about it and see if he will go sit in it with you or stay close to you or within radio contact and have him bust his [PoorWordUsage] on the spot

[ricqik]

This reminds me of a incident a few yrs back. We arrived early so we can get the first come first serve rule, right. We get there early, set up and in a triangle formation at 50yds apart all set and ready to go 1hr before leagal light. So 1/2hr before light, a hunter arrives, works his way toward my uncle and proceeds to climb a tree 30' away. My uncle flashed him countess times as I watched from my stand. Mind you we're all on portables. The guys just totally ignores the bright led lights shining at him like it's nothing. Come to find out he had set his stand up the prior night and was not about to not be on his stand. To make matters more uncomfortable, they were facing each other just evil eyeing each other. WhenI say the guy climb down and undoing his stand I came down and confronted the guy. Told himit is illegal to set your stand overnite let alone you being rude when you walked up on another hunter already on stand. He just basically says, his stand was there first so he had the right. I just about got physical. Luckily my pops and uncle was there to calm me down. This was at Carlos Avery.

[tbreuhl]

It's public land so we don't have a stand. We normally pick a nice rock over looking the ridge so we have a high point and never needed a stand. This year i thought about picking up one of those camo quick open tents and sitting in that. The point is, I have no stand and they do - so they think it's theirs' automatically. I think this year I will get up early and sit up on the opposite side of the ridge and flash when they come out - if they come out.

The hard part is they made a really big deal out of it last year - as I was dragging my 8 point out!!!!! And the human nature in me wants to just sit in their stand - which is now public property but I would assume that would cause more heated issues than I want out there. But the point is, it's really a one person spot.

I pay taxes for that public land and I guess after reading these posts (thank you for the large response too) I will make my way out there early and get set up!!!!

[Red Miller]

I also hunt public land and we had a group that for years had put up a row of stands on some primo area by the river. Essentially staked out the whole area. Nothing we could do about cuz they always got there first.

A few years ago, we went up a couple of days early and bow hunted. I arrived there at noon on Friday and parked my butt right in one of his new deluxe stands. 15 minutes later I had a nice 8 down for the count. I cleaned things up and got him back to the trailer.

I thought what the heck, it was only 1:00PM, so I went back out there. About an hour later, here comes an ATV with orange guys on it. It was the industrious little carpenter who built the stand and his buddy. I'd known him for years...younger guys. Needless to say, he was not too pleased. I just couldnt wipe that grin off my face and that didnt help any.

Oh well....it was Crow Wing county land and the county has since outlawed perms on county land. case closed. Anyway, I know it doesnt help much but my advise would be to just go out there and if you run into him, just set up about 200 yards upwind and cut him off. And it looks like there will be wind...probably out of the NW by Saturday. See if you can use it to your advantage. Good Luck and be safe!

[Deitz Dittrich]

I think the main thing here is this. Its Public land. Its not your land, and you really have no claim just because you have been hunting it longer. I agree, its getting harder and harder to find land. But this person has the same right you do to the land, and this person also has the same right to hunt. He may not even know that you guys hunt there?

That would be like me saying that my fave spot to fish is "My" spot. And nobody else can ever fish it. Even though its a public lake. I may have found the spot, but so may have someone else.

[spivak]

The permament blind situation is such a tough issue. On public land it amounts to the builder laying claim to that area. Sure, the law says first come/first served but that is an uncomfortable scenario at best. The person who has erected the stand feels it is their area by virtue of their effort and obviously it is not. Sitting in someone else's stand feels rotten and certainly doesn't add to the enjoyment of the hunting experience.

I think the only practical thing to do is to find a different area. If the stand is a legal stand then why would you want to engage in a negative encounter? Certainly the main reason we go hunting is not to shoot a deer but for the value of the entire experience and arguing over a stand or a duckblind is ugly at best. If the stand is illegal that is another issue.

[DTro]

I haven’t been deer hunting in several years, but I went every year when I was younger, and had hunted with a group that always had “issues” with the outsiders, even though it was public land.

If a stand was put up anywhere near where they thought they had rights to, it came down. No questions asked. Even if it took going out there in the middle of the night with chainsaws, it was coming down.

Looking back, it’s amazing there were no physical confrontations and or someone getting hurt and I am not proud of being part of that group.

People need to respect one another, plain and simple.

[Bear55]

Years ago it was kind of an unwritten rules, people hunted their traditional areas did pretty much claim public land. People generally followed this unwritten rule but I think times have changed and people have to realize it is public land and we all have to learn to share. If you are going to legally build a stand on public land you better be the first one there, if you are not just bite you lip and find another spot.

[tbreuhl]

Thanks for all the responses. My thought is first come first serve is the "right" thing to do but neither of us own it so technically both of us can hunt it!!!!! Hopefully he's respectful enough to walk away if I'm already in the area though.

If the deer stand is legal or not, it's still not his to "claim" iin my mind.

[hanso612]

On many occasions I have snuck into my stands under cover of darkness only to find another hunter has also snuck into his stand from a different direction. When the sun comes up we are looking straight down each others barrels.

Before putting up a new stand look around for all other stands within range. If there is one already there do some research and find the party that hunts it and make plans otherwise you are in for an opening day conflict.

You are only asking for trouble if you hope to put a new stand up on Friday night before the opener without any scouting. And you can't do the kind of scouting I'm talking about the day before the hunt without pushing all the deer in the area. So get out early and do some research. Hans

[ozzie]

I built a stand on some state land and went up north and got to the stand and had someone sitting in it and I just waved and continued on my way......nothing I could do and not that big of deal but then again this wasn't opening morning.....