Finding a lock-on stand on WMA

[TNReb]

Found a lock-on stand on Percy Priest. They had to cut several limbs to get it up there. It's been there both times I've come to his area.

Ignore it or contact the WMA manager? I don't want to be a jerk... but can't help but be aggravated...

 

[Ridgeraider]

Ignore it, find another place.


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[ImThere]

Hunt it. Report it. Find another place. In that order.


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Sit drag, Ernie's outdoors linesman belt,
At 20' up

 

[TNReb]

Ignore it, find another place.


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Pretty much what I'll do. Hate to feel like a tattle tale. People like that just aggravate me.

The guy is going to be aggravated if he comes back this evening and sees me sitting near his tree. :)

 

[Hardwoodmaterials]

Every WMA I have been on around here has ladder and lock on stands all over any place that's easy walking. I usually just ignore them and hunt where I want to. Some are chained up and I have found a bunch of wooden ladder stands nailed to the trees.

 

[Ridgeraider]

If he's not there and you want to hunt it then I'd hunt it. It doesn't give him dibs on the spot but if he in it I'd just move on to another location and I personally wouldn't call and tell just because someone left the stand out there even though everyone knows you're not supposed to without permission from the manager and he's taking a big risk on someone stealing it. I leave cheap stands on private land I hunt but I have a pretty expensive light stand I use on to carry in and out when I hunt public land.


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[UpperTully]

Just my 2 cents...

Why even be aggravated? Why bother calling the WMA Manager? How do you know they don't have a legit reason to have it hanging there? That hunter could have a disability. Even if they don't have permission, is it hurting you or your hunting with it hanging in a tree? You legally can hunt it, its actually one more location and one less thing you have to drag in to hunt.

I see stands in trees all the time on public ground, and have left a few hanging myself for the simple fact it just gets old having to pack in and out a stand every time I step foot on public ground.

It seems most WMA Managers around here don't care if stands are hung in tree's or cameras for the most part. They just want them removed at the end of the season.

 

[Mike Belt]

Been a long time since I hunted public land but here's my take. #1...I would never hunt out of a stand that I found. I didn't put it there. It's not mine. It could even have a safety malfunction. I may want to hunt that particular area but that stand being there gives that hunter the priority. I understand you're not supposed to leave stands or claim an area. If I decided to hunt in that area anyway what's to keep that hunter from coming in to hunt his stand and pissing off both our opportunities at deer? You're almost better off knowing someone is already hunting there than to find out once you're settled into your own stand near by. If I was hunting public land and had a spot I was hunting AND was planning on hunting there the next morning I'd probably leave my stand hanging as well rather than have to carry it in and out. If I wasn't I'd carry my stand out after my last hunt.

 

[TNReb]

Sounds like I just haven't done much public land hunting! I didn't realize it was so common. No big deal

 

[Headhunter]

Been a long time since I hunted public land but here's my take. #1...I would never hunt out of a stand that I found. I didn't put it there. It's not mine. It could even have a safety malfunction. I may want to hunt that particular area but that stand being there gives that hunter the priority. I understand you're not supposed to leave stands or claim an area. If I decided to hunt in that area anyway what's to keep that hunter from coming in to hunt his stand and pissing off both our opportunities at deer? You're almost better off knowing someone is already hunting there than to find out once you're settled into your own stand near by. If I was hunting public land and had a spot I was hunting AND was planning on hunting there the next morning I'd probably leave my stand hanging as well rather than have to carry it in and out. If I wasn't I'd carry my stand out after my last hunt.

Mike I usually agree with you but you are dead wrong. Leaving a stand on public hunting land makes it easier for you to hunt but in NO way whatsoever does it give priority to a spot or an area. Absouletely no way. If that person is there first they hunt. If someone else is there first then they hunt. Ask any member of twra if you disagree.

 

[Vermin93]

My past observation is that breaking the rules is frequently part of the public land hunting experience. Permanent treestands, trail cams, salt licks, bait stands, cheap beer....anyone who hunts public land enough has observed that these things are all part of the game.

If it's near a good terrain feature I wouldn't let the presence of an unoccupied stand stop me from hunting the area. If I ran into the guy and he was a jerk about it I'd post the coordinates of his stand in the parking lot. [emoji6]

 

[Jcalder]

I know guys at work who leave their stands on WMAs. Get an ok with the manager and it's no big deal. Just know it doesn't save it your spot


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[Bone Collector]

Ignore it.


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This is what you should do. It is not your stand. I think I covered this in another thread you posted about a deer being killed near your neighborhood. Glenn Rogers doesn't care if you put a lock on, ladder, or whatever out there, so long as it is just chained or strapped to the tree. It is up to him, regardless of what the book says. I disagreed with it when i first started hunting out there, but he said, he would not do anything that could hinder folks from hunting and would allow it.

It is not your stand so don't get in it. If you choose to ignore that and someone shows up and tells you to get out you have to.

That being said, if you choose to hunt that area, get there first, climb a tree, and the person shows up, tell them to leave. If they don't THEN you report, because he said, he will not tolerate that. That may just get that particular stand removed. At least that is what he made it sound like when I spoke with him.

 

[Rooster22]

I watched 2 guys hang a stand about 150 yards from me last Thursday at 4:30 in the afternoon and then leave the woods. I was pissed as there was something moving around behind me that I couldn't get a glimpse of yet, but it left as soon as they walked into view making all kinds of racket. But that's public land hunting for you.

 

[rem270]

Just my 2 cents...

Why even be aggravated? Why bother calling the WMA Manager? How do you know they don't have a legit reason to have it hanging there? That hunter could have a disability.

If a man can cut limbs out of the way to get a hang on in a tree and then can climb a tree to get in it. I think the disability part is out of the question.

I have no dog in this race and not sure what I'd do?

 

[lightsareout]

As long as the WMA manager cleared it they can have lock ons or ladders as long as they are labeled with their name and TWRA # - to my knowledge

 

[catman529]

I only told the wma manager once when I found where someone had come into a good spot I had been hunting (several people know of the spot) and cut down not only limbs, but small trees too, so they could see into the adjacent field. It removed all the cover around the tree. I still killed a deer out of it that year but wasn't happy about the size of trees that were cut.


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[TNDeerGuy]

It's really easy to get permission to have a stand or trail camera on Old Hickory or Priest--never had the manager decline my request, as long as I don't put out food, cut anything and everything is pulled immediately after season.

 

[Bone Collector]

I only told the wma manager once when I found where someone had come into a good spot I had been hunting (several people know of the spot) and cut down not only limbs, but small trees too, so they could see into the adjacent field. It removed all the cover around the tree. I still killed a deer out of it that year but wasn't happy about the size of trees that were cut.


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Have had people do this to me and ruin areas for a while.

 

[MickThompson]

Would I hunt a spot with a stand? Yes, if I thought it was a good one. That stand could have been there for years. I will give someone a wide berth if they are in the stand, but stands don't save spots. I duck hunt public lakes from time to time, and always appreciate it when someone decides not to pick up their hulls. Those spots go on the map with my spots too.

Would I hunt someone else's stand? No. It's their property. And I don't trust someone else to hang my stand, especially if I don't know how long the straps have been rotting in a tree. Hang yours on the same tree or the tree right next to it or even facing it so you two can scowl at each other all morning, but don't trust your life to someone else's dryrotted ratchets.

Would I take the stand? No. It's someone else's property, and they may well have permission to leave the stand there.

Unless there was actual damage (decent sized trees being cut/damaged, offroading, etc), I wouldn't waste the manager's time.

 

[Mike Belt]

Headhunter... No argument here. Everyone has to do what they can live with. I just know that if I found an area and hunted it, climbed out of that stand that evening, and planned on being back in there the next morning I'd probably leave that stand hanging even knowing that I wasn't supposed to or that I couldn't claim an area. On the other end of the spectrum if I found a stand where I wanted to hunt I'd probably hunt elsewhere. It wouldn't do me a lot of good to go ahead and climb a tree only to have that hunter come in on me and screw up my hunt. Now, leaving that stand up for the duration is another story.

 

[Gravey]

Had you asked me I'd have told you to hunt it because I wasn't going to be there. :poke: :moon: :lol:

Seriously I wouldn't hunt it because of the safety side of it but I wouldn't let it drive me out of the area. A stand in public land doesn't give you the right to that area. I haven't been on Priest in a while but there are stands all over it.

 

[catman529]

Headhunter... No argument here. Everyone has to do what they can live with. I just know that if I found an area and hunted it, climbed out of that stand that evening, and planned on being back in there the next morning I'd probably leave that stand hanging even knowing that I wasn't supposed to or that I couldn't claim an area. On the other end of the spectrum if I found a stand where I wanted to hunt I'd probably hunt elsewhere. It wouldn't do me a lot of good to go ahead and climb a tree only to have that hunter come in on me and screw up my hunt. Now, leaving that stand up for the duration is another story.

you can leave your stand overnight on any wma per the wma rules.


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[TNReb]

Had you asked me I'd have told you to hunt it because I wasn't going to be there. :poke: :moon: :lol:

Seriously I wouldn't hunt it because of the safety side of it but I wouldn't let it drive me out of the area. A stand in public land doesn't give you the right to that area. I haven't been on Priest in a while but there are stands all over it.

It was way to nice of a stand to be yours. :poke:

you can leave your stand overnight on any wma per the wma rule

Well if I had known that I wouldn't even have asked. I thought it was against the rules to do so. Maybe I'm confused with "overnight" and "permanent" ... anywho... doesn't really bother me. If anything, at least I know to beware of someone in that area now.

 

[jb357]

Spin it around to face the opposite direction on the tree.

 

[DRSJ35]

if they asked the wma manager and he gave permission and they have there twra number on it and phone number than they are legal.Not sure if that is your case or not.

 

[dburt]

Oops. I don't have any stands up on public land but I do Gabe a trail camera. ...never thought twice about it! (Well except that it might be stolen)

 

[Land Between the Lakes]

I would NEVER hunt out of another hunters treestand. Because it could start a confrontation, and because of safety issues. The stand could have been placed by someone who has no clue as to what they are doing. The stand could have broken parts or have other issues that could lead to serious injury.