54 replies to this topic

[irish1169]

This happened to me in the middle of the season. Nice light rain out, i leave early to set up on the nicest spot ive found. Eight major deer runs all converge and criss cross 50 feet in front of my stand. Im 30 foot up a big pine. As im walking to the stand im looking around cause i see deer walking in all the time.I get out front of the stand and i here a little whistle, i look around, never dawns on me to look up. An older guy is sitting in my stand looking down at me. Well, i didnt quite know what to do, but the bottom line was that he needed to exit the stand. After he came down we had a talk, he told me that all stands on state land im MI were fair game to hunters, not only could a random hunter use it but you couldnt tell him to leave. Turns out he had been hunting this area for a long time and no one else had really been hitting it, oh, a few days earlier i had run acrost this guy setting up a stand about 100 feet from another stand i had out. I just let him know where i was at in that instance, so nothing accidental happened going to and from my stand. Bottom line was he agreed to stay out of stand, but kept saying he didnt have to. I actualy called midnr and asked them about this, later on. They said he was right. You have to tell them your pulling down your stand and if they dont leave call dnr then. All the work and scouting you do means nothing, they dump a bunch of bait on the ground and you get the ticket, or cut shooting lanes in trees, cant do that here. Any one else ever run into this?

[SPECIALIZED]

Yes, for several years hunting state land in my previous resident state was an exercise in frustration. From almost being shot, having deer stolen, to many forms of harassment. I give thanks all the time for the property our family owns and I am allowed to hunt.

[irish1169]

One of the first things i do is look for signs of other hunters, i moved stands 5-6 times because i didnt see the other guys set up, had em hid good. To me it is just curtisy, this was my first year deer hunting but i fish year around, im always willing to work with some one. The dnr LT. i talked to said he hadnt heard of compaints about this but would like it changed. People have to complain though.

[vixenmaster]

Sorry to here of yer trouble, that happens on public land alot. I knowed first hand many yrs ago. I have my land & now i would ask someone to leave my stand & my land if'en i didn't want them in or on it.

[firemedic396]

It's a shame that you don't have more rights as a hunter in your state. Fortunately the guy was decent about it and didn't give you too much of a problem. In NJ, your stand is considered private property (even if it's on state property) and if someone is in it when you get there, you can have them ejected by either a policeman or a game warden. What you may need to do is, setup a folding stand and carry in climbing steps when you go up it or you will have to use a climbing stand. That's about the only way to keep someone from hunting out of your stand.

[irish1169]

ive got a couple older climbers now, plus three hang ons, im scouting some new places. My wife was enraged by the whole thing when i told her about it, she was proud of me for not over reacting.lol It was an old guy and he ended up being respectful, but, what if you have a hyper aggressive man? Lots of them out there and i dont have much give in me when confronted. Packing the seat in and out everyday dont appeal with me. So i will just deal with each situation as it comes.

[Fullquiver]

irish1169, on 07 January 2012 - 06:18 PM, said:

ive got a couple older climbers now, plus three hang ons, im scouting some new places. My wife was enraged by the whole thing when i told her about it, she was proud of me for not over reacting.lol It was an old guy and he ended up being respectful, but, what if you have a hyper aggressive man? Lots of them out there and i dont have much give in me when confronted. Packing the seat in and out everyday dont appeal with me. So i will just deal with each situation as it comes.

I have to say that hunting in MI will try your patience.  I have been hunting state land for the last couple of years after hunting just private land almost exclusively for the last 30+ year. I will tell you that at the end of the day you have to be willing to laugh about things or have the joy of hunting just sucked right out of you.  I have this awesome spot where last year it was one of those money in the bank spots.  This year a group of guys who wouldn't have hunted these woods when baiting was eliminated, came and camped right between several of the major runways that led right into the funnel I was hunting,basically ruining this stand.

   Thats just how it goes and you have to learn to adapt and overcome these small obstacles.   The best thing you can do is go further and into the nastiest stuff to avoid most of these kind of issues.  I had opportunity this year to see several 3 1/2 year old bucks,(even passed one with a broken rack) and passed more than 10 bucks up hunting state land.  I filled my combo tags with does and left the woods this year pleased as punch. Also hunting with my crossbow has freed me up to hunt with more confidemce from the ground.  Without the movement of drawing my bow I am a lot harder for deer to spot at the moment of truth.  Bring in a pair of hand clippers and a small saw and finding your spot gets a lot easier than when your have to hunt trees before you can hunt deer.  Doing this also leaves a lot smaller footprint for other hunters to find.

Edited by Fullquiver, 07 January 2012 - 07:30 PM.

[irish1169]

I was worried about trimming branches cause i was told the dnr would hit me with a ticket. So im going to use some zip ties this year, i can remove them whem im done. It is a challenge to hunt from the ground, im going to hit some clear cuts and do just that in the fall. Have decided on the predator. Already have the hawke sr scope. I only saw a few bucks this year, none from my stand when i could see good enough to shoot. The trails im set up on you dont need bait, huge oak trees with lots of natural clearings, thick pines off to the side, another guy out there to, but even though we arent to far apart, it dont seem to effect the flow. Thanks for response.

[Buzzard Bait]

irish1169 I had the same problem back when I used climbers (I use ladder stands on private property today). I used the python cables with built in locks. Place the seat and foot sections of your climbers together and wind the python cable through both sections so they can't be used or moved apart and lock the sections together. Of course I still had straps, etc. cut with a knife when somebody found they couldn't use my stand! I guess we will always have those so called "rednecks" in the woods with us! Good luck!

[irish1169]

Nice, i hadnt thought of that yet. this was my first year of hunting, i didnt even have cammo, just a crossbow that i practiced like crazy with. Now thanks to a extra loving wife, lol i have what i need. Im already scouting for next year while im squirrel hunting. Ill try that, like to see the looks on there faces when they climb all the way up, cause i like my stands high, 30 plus feet. Good idea.

[snowman485]

Just another reason to still hunt or ground blind hunt.Being mobile makes hunting easier by changing as the deer react to hunting pressure.

[mjgonehunting]

I too have had this problem in the past,even on private property. I used chain ons mostly back then , and folded the platform up against the tree and locked it with the tail of the chain holding it in the tree. Now I have an exclusive farm to hunt where anyone else caught will be prosecuted! Took a long time to get my permission , but I can plant food plots , and keep my stands and blinds in place all year.

[irish1169]

I have a place to hunt on private land, but it is a long ways away from here, going to recon for spring turkey, look for scrapes and whatnot. Plus it is near my all time favorite fishing lake, so i get a whole day of fun when i go. I think ill chain my stands, i have one that doesnt fold, but where im going to pu it id be suprised if anyone could see it. This year my wife was was 20 feet in front of it and couldnt see it. Thanks for the tip.

[Zrt1200]

irish1169, on 07 January 2012 - 01:11 PM, said:

This happened to me in the middle of the season. Nice light rain out, i leave early to set up on the nicest spot ive found. Eight major deer runs all converge and criss cross 50 feet in front of my stand. Im 30 foot up a big pine. As im walking to the stand im looking around cause i see deer walking in all the time.I get out front of the stand and i here a little whistle, i look around, never dawns on me to look up. An older guy is sitting in my stand looking down at me. Well, i didnt quite know what to do, but the bottom line was that he needed to exit the stand. After he came down we had a talk, he told me that all stands on state land im MI were fair game to hunters, not only could a random hunter use it but you couldnt tell him to leave. Turns out he had been hunting this area for a long time and no one else had really been hitting it, oh, a few days earlier i had run acrost this guy setting up a stand about 100 feet from another stand i had out. I just let him know where i was at in that instance, so nothing accidental happened going to and from my stand. Bottom line was he agreed to stay out of stand, but kept saying he didnt have to. I actualy called midnr and asked them about this, later on. They said he was right. You have to tell them your pulling down your stand and if they dont leave call dnr then. All the work and scouting you do means nothing, they dump a bunch of bait on the ground and you get the ticket, or cut shooting lanes in trees, cant do that here. Any one else ever run into this?

H'mm, I am going to check on this one. Makes sense about taken the stand down though.

[Zrt1200]

Well I checked and Yes this is correct. I did not know that. But I have not had that problem yet either. Well, One way to cover your butt about shooting lanes and a is to take pics of the area before and after you stand is up. That should cover you with the shooting lanes. As far as the bait pile goes I guess you could take pics but I am not sure how well it would hold up. But then again if you have pics of the area the DNR officer could very well will believe you.

Edited by Zrt1200, 09 January 2012 - 04:19 PM.

[loneranger]

Zrt1200, on 09 January 2012 - 04:05 PM, said:

Well I checked and Yes this is correct. I did not know that. But I have not had that problem yet either. Well, One way to cover your butt about shooting lanes and a is to take pics of the area before and after you stand is up. That should cover you with the shooting lanes. As far as the bait pile goes I guess you could take pics but I am not sure how well it would hold up. But then again if you have pics of the area the DNR officer could very well will believe you.

[loneranger]

I feel your pain. I hunted public land for 20 yrs in MI. I now own 40 acres in another state. I still am influenced by others though,,in the form of neighbor dogs, and quad parties. You have to own alot of land to be unaffected. If you do,,then you have to patrol that for tresspassers. It never ends!

[buckeye dan]

Not at all perfect but it'll keep the honest hunters honest. Simple to make too.

[loneranger]

I like that idea!!

[Zrt1200]

I like it also. But I think I will cover 4 steps.