Tree Stand in "my spot"

I agree with canthitathing. Those deer are coming from somewhere. Move your cameras to find that location and cut the deer off before they ever get to his stand.

We had some knucklehead move into one of our quality boxes...on OUR land! Tried to say it was crown lol. 6' in air, lumber, posts etc. Nobody is putting that much into a public land stand lol. Our C.F. active Sgt. put the run on him lmao.

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Originally Posted by canuck

as a disclaimer, i know crown land is first come first serve and i cant claim a spot as "my spot", hence the quotes. just looking for some advice on how to proceed

ive been scouting a great location for 2 years now and hunted deer last season and turkey this last spring at this spot. never ran into another human. went out last month to check the trail cams and noticed a hillbilly treestand was put up 50 feet away from one of my cams and right where i was planning to put a blind. (hillbilly treestand is when its just wood and garbage drilled into a tree).

i went to inspect the stand and there was no name or number so i left a note with my name and number in hopes they reach out.

its been a month and no word, I checked my trail cam again today and the notes still there untouched. i suspect they wont be back to the stand until the fall :(

i dont know how to proceed. i dont want to abandon the spot as i get deer on the cam almost every day and night, including moose and bear on occasion. i also dont want any conflict, especially with people with guns.

i also dont want to set up my blind right next to the tree stand, it seems wrong. it also feels wrong that some people can drill stuff into a tree and "claim" a spot.

i see 3 options for myself aside from them reaching out and us coming to an agreement on what days we will be hunting

1. abandon the spot and find a new one (i like this the least)
2. dont change my plans at all and show up REALLY early and hope that i dont have any issues when the season comes
3. just use their stand and show up REALLY early and hope i dont have any issues when the season comes

im feeling number 3 is my best option, the stand is in a great spot and if im gonna park my blind right next to it, i may as well be using the stand itself

my main concern is conflict with another hunter, i hope they just reach out but i have a gut feeling its not gonna happen.

also a question, is it even legal to build a permanent tree stand into multiple living trees and leave it there permanently?

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Every once in a while we get into this. There's no such thing as "my spot" when hunting Crown or other public property. If someone else is there when you show up,wave and say hello,better luck next time. Move along to another "spot".

Had this happen to me a few years ago, I just moved on, I had a bridge across a deep creek, I moved it out on the eve of the hunt.

Is this a bow spot or a gun spot? If it's a gun spot I would think about taking up bowhunting. In my area there is quite a bit of public land but during gun season there are quite a few hunters as well. During bow season it's rare to find someone in one of my spots. If you really like the spot I would still set up a stand in the area. TC

In these situations I usually try to find a way to use the intrusion to my advantage. By finding out his route or day he is hunting you can set up downwind of the location to incercept deer moving around him.

These set ups are usually done by inexperienced hunters and will act as deer deflectors moving deer towards someone using a mobile setup like a climber or saddle.

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Originally Posted by Marker

In these situations I usually try to find a way to use the intrusion to my advantage. By finding out his route or day he is hunting you can set up downwind of the location to incercept deer moving around him.

These set ups are usually done by inexperienced hunters and will act as deer deflectors moving deer towards someone using a mobile setup like a climber or saddle.

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That's a very successful strategy which I've found in the past works quite well. There's always certainly more than one way to skin a cat and all without confrontation which helps nothing.

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Originally Posted by Marker

In these situations I usually try to find a way to use the intrusion to my advantage. By finding out his route or day he is hunting you can set up downwind of the location to incercept deer moving around him.

These set ups are usually done by inexperienced hunters and will act as deer deflectors moving deer towards someone using a mobile setup like a climber or saddle.

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This advice would be good only if the other guy isn't there or there first. Otherwise its akin to telling someone its okay too set up 100 yards downwind of a decoy spread and pass shoot ducks working the rig.
Best to work together not against each other.

If you've only hunted the spot one deer season, the odds are probably high that you are encroaching on a spot that was previously being hunted imo.

I wouldn't be climbing up in anyone's homemade stand just from a safety concern

In terms of next steps, for me it really depends what season you are hunting. Bow season, I would feel more comfortable hunting near the stand or simply hunting along the route the deer I've got on cams travel. Reasons are twofold, #1 the chances of running into another hunter is lower during bow season and #2 reduced range of weapon. If you are hunting an area with a Rifle season, I don't want to be anywhere close to another hunter, so I would abandon the area. Shotgun season, I'd be far enough away I don't have to worry about someone blasting in my direction.

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Originally Posted by Ryeguy

If you've only hunted the spot one deer season, the odds are probably high that you are encroaching on a spot that was previously being hunted imo.

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Good observation, and I would definately agree with that.