I hunt public ground and I've seen plenty of confrontations; even had a couple myself. I have a special place in my heart for the #%@$&'s who act like they own public ground. As far as distance between you and someone else, it mostly depends on the situation and terrain IMO. There lies the problem as you see from posts above, what you and others feel a good distance may be grossly different. I certainly wouldn't set up on the same travel pattern as someone else is. In flat timber I'd give an honest 150 yards, but that's me. 500 yards, that's a stretch, that would exclude all but one person from hunting some smaller public areas.
I scouted a public piece last year for a day,and returned the next to hang stands.After hanging the stands,I noticed two stands that were not there the previous day when I scouted.Turns out the guy was just an hour ahead of me hanging stands and went home to grab a lock.We met up in the parking lot and exchanged numbers so we could call each other to check schedules.It worked out pretty well in the end with no conflicts.So the 500yd rule can be hard to follow if you scout one day and hang the next.The best part was we both saw shooters during the season,all of which would walk pass the empty stand of the one who was not there.
B
bohunter10
Guest
No way!
I have only public ground to hunt and have had this happen to me.
It is a sick feeling when you have spent many hours scouting, shed hunting, and time on stand and then have someone else hunt your stand. Especially when you know there is a good buck in the area and have some one hunt in your stand who does not have the same convictions of scent control, entry to stand, wind direction etc.
I have only public ground to hunt and have had this happen to me.
It is a sick feeling when you have spent many hours scouting, shed hunting, and time on stand and then have someone else hunt your stand. Especially when you know there is a good buck in the area and have some one hunt in your stand who does not have the same convictions of scent control, entry to stand, wind direction etc.
wiseguys25
PMA Member
Seems like an easy answer, that you should never sit in someone else's stand but it isn't always that easy.
I had a piece of public land I had hunted for 5 years or more. I new the property and the travel patterns of deer/hunters quite well through lots of trail and error. After I finally found the best spot for early season. I realized there was only 1 tree that would allow me to shoot to all the trails. So I decided to take about 3 hours on a hot September day pruning branches, clearing a trail to the tree through thick vines and cutting some limbs so that I could get a stand in the tree and it would be ready to go when I wanted to carry my portable in to hunt the area.
Two weeks later I decide to hunt this tree. I only had about hour of hunting time that night before sunset. Once I got to the tree I was little pissed off to find that someone else had chained a portable to the tree that I had worked to set up. I had to options head home or hunt out of his stand in my tree.
I hunted out of his stand and missed a doe that night. I didn't feel abit bad about it either. It was obvious that the tree had been freshly cleared and yet some A-hole chained his stand in the tree.
What should have I done? I would never normally hunt out of somelse's stand, but I thought this situation warranted it. In fact I hoped the guy would come out that night as I wanted to have a little discussion with him.
I had a piece of public land I had hunted for 5 years or more. I new the property and the travel patterns of deer/hunters quite well through lots of trail and error. After I finally found the best spot for early season. I realized there was only 1 tree that would allow me to shoot to all the trails. So I decided to take about 3 hours on a hot September day pruning branches, clearing a trail to the tree through thick vines and cutting some limbs so that I could get a stand in the tree and it would be ready to go when I wanted to carry my portable in to hunt the area.
Two weeks later I decide to hunt this tree. I only had about hour of hunting time that night before sunset. Once I got to the tree I was little pissed off to find that someone else had chained a portable to the tree that I had worked to set up. I had to options head home or hunt out of his stand in my tree.
I hunted out of his stand and missed a doe that night. I didn't feel abit bad about it either. It was obvious that the tree had been freshly cleared and yet some A-hole chained his stand in the tree.
What should have I done? I would never normally hunt out of somelse's stand, but I thought this situation warranted it. In fact I hoped the guy would come out that night as I wanted to have a little discussion with him.