5000 acres, and...

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std7mag

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So I get off of work, and decide to run up to the woods. Local spot, about 5 miles from home. Bad thing is it's public state game lands. 5000 acres all told.

I've spent literally all year scouting this area. Have been chasing a 12 point there for the past 3 years. (hey, they don't get big by being stupid)

Have been hunting there for almost 2 weeks, every chance I get. (PA bow season started mid Oct.)

So I park the car, douse myself in scent killer, and walk to my tree, (down the path that I made through the thick brush, and took the time to rake the leaves so as not to make any noise), can't miss it. Beautiful straight as an arrow, 50' tall tree with orange flagging on it.

Although this evening there is a guy parked in his climber sitting in it!!!:eek:

I know it's public grounds, but really!!! This is the 3rd time this has happened to me!!!
 
You said it yourself, it is public land. I am not saying it was the right thing for the hunter to do, but there are all types of people out in the woods these days. In the future, I would not flag it with surveyors tape and certainly not rake a path to the tree. Of course you probably figured that out by yourself.

Jim
 
(A flagged tree of all things.) I guess it was the strangers lucky day to find your trail and walk to your hunting spot and mount his stand on your flagged tree. {I see a lesson to be learned here.} Just how do you intend to resolve this situation std7mag other than the two of you sitting in the same tree next time?_:eek:
 
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Public property is like that, you can't claim anything. I've always hunted public lands and it just goes without saying that if I find a nice spot to build a ground blind there is a chance someone else is going to be in it at some point.
 
Maybe it was "his tree" for 22 of the past 25 years?

As long as an armed society (hunters) is a polite society it's probably a workable problem.
 
Any good lookin spot on public land, with easy access and is easily identified is gonna be noticed by somebody with woodsmanship skills as good as yours. Put a flag on it and you are just advertising it. Hunting spots like this are one reason the bucks get big on public land......they too know where the majority of hunters spend their time. Find the secondary spot that is a tad farther in, a bit harder to get to and does not stand out like a red-headed step child. Big bucks use the lesser used trails the majority of the time anyway and tend to get away from the crowds once the pressure starts. That's where you need to hunt.
 
I've been in your shoes. I would have said something to the guy.

I understand its public land, but I also have respect for other hunters and expect the same. If it was that obvious that the area had been prepped, I would've avoided it and found somewhere else to hunt. 5K acres, chances are there is somewhere else good to hunt.

And likewise, I have had someone come up to me in the woods and mention they were hunting nearby. I made sure to not walk in/out near them and respect their hunt.

Once I had someone in my stand hunting over bait I had placed. Strong words did not budge him. Catching him at range control afterwards ensured I never had that problem with him again!

As long as poor behavior is tolerated, the more we encourage poor behavior.
 
I'd like to think most other outdoorsman are generally pretty decent people. I would have politely let him know that you had (obviously) prepped that spot for yourself. If the guy refused to leave, or was a jerk about it, well, there is no law against making tons of loud noise on public land :p
 
It is public land.
If you want a private spot buy private land.
I hunt public land about half the time. I don't expect the same as I do with a club property or really privately owned property.
Hell, even on private land this wouldn't surprise me, but I would have a different reaction. My buddy has quite the collection of tree stands he has removed from his property over the last 10 years.
 
I understand its public land, but I also have respect for other hunters and expect the same. If it was that obvious that the area had been prepped, I would've avoided it and found somewhere else to hunt.
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Hangin' a orange ribbon in a tree on public land is preppin' it? Around here it is littering, no different than throwing a beer can out, and is punishable by a fine. Puttin' a ribbon on a tree is 'spose to save it for you and keep everyone else away? What keeps folks from puttin' ribbons in all the tress and havin' the whole woods to themselves?:rolleyes:

One reason most states and federal lands make permanent blinds illegal and make one remove temporary tree stands at the end of the day, or when not being actively used, is to prevent folks from "stakin" out territory in order to prevent others from using that spot. Makin' a good stand easy for the whole world to find is not a sign of intelligence. If you don't have the woodsmanship skills to find your stand in the woods without hangin' a flag on it, don't blame the other guy for sittin' in it.



Once I had someone in my stand hunting over bait I had placed. Strong words did not budge him.
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Public land is just that. Public land. Open for everybody. Want to hunt someplace special....GET THERE FIRST that day. Otherwise YOU go somewhere else. Dumping a pail of corn or tyin' a ribbon in a tree does not "save" that spot for you all season. Comin' upon someone else ALREADY there and makin' a scene cause it's "your" spot makes you the azz......not them. As for the intelligence of goin' to the effort and expense to dump bait on public land that is accessible to others....I won't even go there.


As was said before....you want your own private stand, buy land, pay for a lease or get access to private land and then come here and whine when somebody else is there. If you hunt public land, you have to realize other folks have every right to every spot just as much as you do, regardless of how many ribbons in the tree or how much bait is dumped on the ground. Courtesy on public land extends to the point of, if someone else is already there, you tip your hat and go somewhere else that day. Even if you've hunted that stand every first morning for the last 40 years. You do not go up to someone else, and ruin their day/hunt by tryin' to get them to move cause you have no where else to go......anybody with any sense knows on public land, you better have more than one option or you will forever be blamin' your ruined hunt erroneously on someone else.
 
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I don't know what this post is about, except to bitch. Every hunter I know has 2, 3 and sometimes 4 spots picked out to hunt from during deer season.

If you weren't out there before first light, I am not sure what you are complaining about.

Jim


Have been chasing a 12 point there for the past 3 years.
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LOL, if you think that 12 point is your's, think again or be there first.
 
There's a big piece of ground in Natchitoches Parish, LA, the Red Dirt National Wildlife preserve I used to own 10 acres that bounded it. Great hunting, over 38,000 acres, and no motorized vehicles. You had to walk in. No four-wheelers, no golf carts, you get the idea. No motors.

Most folks that hunted it got into the woods 300-400 yards, maybe a half mile. Big deer in there, but if you shoot a big deer a mile from the truck, you're going to drag that deer a mile back to the truck.

Except for this one group of guys, who decided to horseback in. They rode into the middle of that wilderness and set up a camp, as far from any road as they could get. On opening morning, all the big deer headed into the wilderness, away from the horde of hunters lining the borders. The guys in the middle reported great hunting, although they decided to not come out until after dark.

That's the problem with public land. It's open to the public. We've got a lot of public land around here, but you never know who's going to set up in your spot.
 
I hunt public land 99% of the time. You don't hunt public land the same way you do on private land. All the rules are different. You have to get way back off he beaten path and 5000 acres is a pretty small tract of land. Let the other hunters push deer to you.

I've had better luck hunting at non-traditional times. I often have to drive 2 hours to get to a spot. I used to leave home at 4 AM and was pretty shot by the time I got home at the end of the day. Now I either camp, or leave home around 7-8 am and get into he woods around 9-10AM as most of the other hunters are leaving.

From 10 AM till about 4 PM the woods are empty and I see more deer moving during the middle of the day. On private property it is usually the opposite. I usually head for home If I don't kill anything by 4 PM.

I would never consider flagging tape on pubic land. It just says "Hunt here" to other hunters.
 
Wow Buck, why don't you tell me how you really feel?

First off, read what the OP said. He RAKED the area, path in/out, etc. not just hung tape. Heck, I've seen a rainbows worth of tape in the woods and generally ignore it. No telling how long that's been there. But raked? If you can't tell that in the woods, you're blind. And your not give a darn reaction says enough.

As for my situation, not really public land (on base) but when a person invests some significant $ on the area, it was generally regarded as good practice to give way if they showed at a reasonable time. Called common courtesy.

I agree, there's a reason permanent stands are forbidden on public land, to keep someone from squatting on an area for years. And yes, I cut my teeth hunting public land where it was a 30 minute drive after going through the gate followed by 45-60 minutes hike to get to my stands, crossing 1-2 alligator infested creeks in the process. Even out that far, there were a few other hunters in the area. Out of respect and courtesy, we would chat about where we were going to keep from messing each other over. I didn't know these people personally, nor was I related to them. I was just raised to be kind and respectful of others.

And to be clear, this is all woods hunting for those used to the open vistas like I've seen on where where you are gazing for miles.

Oh, and my truck was usually in the first 5 through the gate when it opened...
 
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I agree with Buck. There are no "saved for me" places on public land. Least ways not out in the West. Like others said , two ways to get a favorite spot. Get there before anyone else, or hike way the heck further than other hunters. But if you go out one day to "prep" a handy site and then take your time getting out there the next day? Too bad sleeping was more important. Every day is a fresh start, no hold overs from pre-season or the prior day.

From the Western style of hunting I have a hard time understanding baiting of deer anyway. I accept that is part of Eastern hunting but out here we sort of expect to go find the deer not lure them in with free food. No argument with Eastern style. Just when you add baiting to saving favorite trees on public land it seems lazy. Get up earlier, it's hunting season!
 
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