Hunting the same area as someone else. Public....What to do?

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johndeere506
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Hunting the same area as someone else. Public....What to do?

Unread postby johndeere506 » Wed May 27, 2015 6:34 pm

I have a good very remote spot that Ive found someone else is on to as well. I have seen some good bucks that survived, like every year here. The other hunter hunts very little, possibly only a handful of days per season. He is hunting within 10 yards of the tree I picked to hunt. Do you hunt there before he does? Do you hunt 100 yards away? Its near perfect bedding, but some big bucks come through on some nearby trails at a trasition and an intersection. What would you do?

BTW-His steps, stand, etc are all illegal...I didnt mess with any of it. What to do? I REALLY like this spot! Maybe I could make something close by work, in case he shows up?


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Re: Hunting the same area as someone else. Public....What to

Unread postby BassBoysLLP » Wed May 27, 2015 11:19 pm

Out hunt him and count on the area burning up quick. It always hurts to lose a private honey hole on public but they are valuable set backs. They force you to find new ones.

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Re: Hunting the same area as someone else. Public....What to

Unread postby JoeRE » Wed May 27, 2015 11:44 pm

If he hunts that spot "a few days each season" then I bet most of the resident mature deer are on to his spot. I think you can find a better spot within 200 yards of his setup. Think of his setup as an obstruction that funnels mature deer a "safe" distance around it.

I personally would not hunt 10 yards from another guy's setup just because I would ask for the same in return.
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Re: Hunting the same area as someone else. Public....What to

Unread postby Dewey » Thu May 28, 2015 3:01 am

johndeere506 wrote:I have a good very remote spot that Ive found someone else is on to as well. I have seen some good bucks that survived, like every year here. The other hunter hunts very little, possibly only a handful of days per season. He is hunting within 10 yards of the tree I picked to hunt. Do you hunt there before he does? Do you hunt 100 yards away? Its near perfect bedding, but some big bucks come through on some nearby trails at a trasition and an intersection. What would you do?

[glow=red]BTW-His steps, stand, etc are all illegal...I didnt mess with any of it.[/glow] What to do? I REALLY like this spot! Maybe I could make something close by work, in case he shows up?

Don't have to mess with it, just send the GPS coordinates to your local warden. It's worth giving up on a spot if you can eliminate a slob hunter from the area.
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Re: Hunting the same area as someone else. Public....What to

Unread postby headgear » Thu May 28, 2015 3:49 am

Try to use this info to your advantage and only let him know you are there when he finds a gut pile. You have some options to hunt early season or mid-week to beat him to the punch. You could also setup closer to the bedding area and get the buck before he reaches that stand. You might also walk to the stand and leave some scent in the area and then try and setup on the back side the next hunt.

In most cases the guys setting up these stands might have a good spot but they don't think like beast hunters, they might get lazy or hunt it on the wrong wind. I know of several stands that are likely abandoned because they must not like the long walk back there.
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Re: Hunting the same area as someone else. Public....What to

Unread postby whitetailassasin » Thu May 28, 2015 11:38 am

My honest opinion? Find the overlooked bed the buck is most likely to run to after pressure hits and wait for the right opportunity. No offense, but turning in every guy with tree steps or an illegal stand is not worth all the effort for me to put forth. I'd rather put my energy into where the buck will go once pressured or another area. Just not worth all the trouble in my opinion. I've dealt with many illegal stands and guys who don't hunt the same way I do, and never once has it came back to bite me just walking away or hunting another location. Just food for thought.

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Re: Hunting the same area as someone else. Public....What to

Unread postby Bowhunting Brian » Thu May 28, 2015 11:52 am

I would not turn him in. Then the warden may be poking around and ruin your hunt. Use his spot to your advantage. Think about where you could set up around it.

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Re: Hunting the same area as someone else. Public....What to

Unread postby Dewey » Thu May 28, 2015 12:18 pm

Sorry guys but I disagree on this. For those of us that follow the rules it only makes it harder for everyone else if this stuff isn't turned in. Some say it's only a stand and steps but many times there is much more illegal activity being done by the same person beyond that. I feel it is our duty to keep public land cleaned up for the next hunter. I will say I never had a warden be anything but pleased that I gave him the coordinates especially when they lead to bigger cases that involve poaching.

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Re: Hunting the same area as someone else. Public....What to

Unread postby BigHunt » Thu May 28, 2015 12:29 pm

Dewey wrote:Sorry guys but I disagree on this. For those of us that follow the rules it only makes it harder for everyone else if this stuff isn't turned in. Some say it's only a stand and steps but many times there is much more illegal activity being done by the same person beyond that. I feel it is our duty to keep public land cleaned up for the next hunter. I will say I never had a warden be anything but pleased that I gave him the coordinates especially when they lead to bigger cases that involve poaching.

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x2 dewster!

i wont do it on a first find, but if it looks like a year after year stand thats NOT taking down, with garbage every were like candy wrapper's, hot hands, and soda bottles then ill defiantly turn them in....
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Re: Hunting the same area as someone else. Public....What to

Unread postby dirt nap giver » Thu May 28, 2015 1:20 pm

If it's public, it's OUR land. We all have rules that EVERYONE must follow. I would drop the dime in a heartbeat. My tax dollars pay for that last just as much as the next guy, and the field is level when it comes to the rules.
GPS coridates. The CO will be in and out. He doesn't have time to stake this guy out.
We are first conservationist(to the animals as well as the land) then we are hunters.

I'm with WA on finding the pressure bed. At least till things settle down.
Way to stick to your guns Dewey.

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Re: Hunting the same area as someone else. Public....What to

Unread postby Horizontal Hunter » Thu May 28, 2015 2:04 pm

johndeere506 wrote:I have a good very remote spot that Ive found someone else is on to as well. I have seen some good bucks that survived, like every year here. The other hunter hunts very little, possibly only a handful of days per season. He is hunting within 10 yards of the tree I picked to hunt. Do you hunt there before he does? Do you hunt 100 yards away? Its near perfect bedding, but some big bucks come through on some nearby trails at a trasition and an intersection. What would you do?

BTW-His steps, stand, etc are all illegal...I didnt mess with any of it. What to do? I REALLY like this spot! Maybe I could make something close by work, in case he shows up?


I would hunt elsewhere as others have suggested.

Why would you even think about messing with his stuff???? If it isn't yours leave it alone. Report it if you want but leave it alone.

dirt nap giver wrote:If it's public, it's OUR land. We all have rules that EVERYONE must follow. I would drop the dime in a heartbeat. My tax dollars pay for that last just as much as the next guy, and the field is level when it comes to the rules.
GPS coridates. The CO will be in and out. He doesn't have time to stake this guy out.
We are first conservationist(to the animals as well as the land) then we are hunters.

I'm with WA on finding the pressure bed. At least till things settle down.
Way to stick to your guns Dewey.

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Well said. We all pay the same freight when it comes to public land. It is first come first serve. I really wish states would go to portables only for public land; carry it in and carry it out.

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Re: Hunting the same area as someone else. Public....What to

Unread postby Swampbuck » Thu May 28, 2015 2:22 pm

I would much prefer a guy leave all his stuff there so I don't waste time there not knowing he is also around. I'd guess he is going to get skirted by older bucks and would adjust as I needed but I wouldn't hunt that direct spot. To me turning them in is counter productive because then I don't have the knowledge of knowing his location
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Re: Hunting the same area as someone else. Public....What to

Unread postby remmag » Thu May 28, 2015 3:06 pm

Swampbuck wrote:I would much prefer a guy leave all his stuff there so I don't waste time there not knowing he is also around. I'd guess he is going to get skirted by older bucks and would adjust as I needed but I wouldn't hunt that direct spot. To me turning them in is counter productive because then I don't have the knowledge of knowing his location


I feel exactly the same way. I could point the local DNR out to about a dozen or more illegal stands right now, but because sloppy hunters are normally to lazy to pack in and pack out it gives me the advantage of knowing where there going to be and also to be able to read the deer sign of how these stands are being skirted around and avoided. Very rarely do I ever find trash in my neck of the woods but when I do I just pick it up and move on. Most pre-sets I find around here are either only hunted during gun season or are placed so far back that the owner never hunts it

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Re: Hunting the same area as someone else. Public....What to

Unread postby ihookem » Thu May 28, 2015 3:19 pm

If it's a good spot, hunt it , espyially if he has not hunted it yet > maybe an early season stand and if it burns out he will not see many deer. He will leave the area and you will have it to yourself.
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Re: Hunting the same area as someone else. Public....What to

Unread postby johndeere506 » Thu May 28, 2015 5:14 pm

Lots of posts and info here guys, I have a few extra comments.

FIRST, as far as "messing" with his stuff I meant I didnt remove the illegal tree steps, I didnt clean up the garbage, I didnt take the illegal unmarked stand down and leave it by the tree, etc and call it in.

I have hunted this spot prior to this guy, his stand was setup last fall. I have a cam close by, and the mature bucks came right by several times exactly 4 days after this guy hunted, during daylight. Its a good spot. I plan on getting in when I think the time is right. I would like to call it in, since I follow the rules and others should as well, but I also dont want to invite another person out because this spot has amazing potential. What bothers me is that he hacked apart a very big old tree cutting maybe 20-30 large branches off, and completely just did what he wanted, and didnt follow the laws here, just didnt care.

Do I think I was here first? Absolutely. But I hang and hunt and remove when I go so he wouldnt have known. But, you cant "claim" any public spot, and his permanent setup is doing just that, at least it sounds some of you think of it that way and I think I agree. I will likely hunt father from these beds, rather than this spot. I really dont want any confrontations with him and I both angry if we happen to see each other close once daylight comes...

His stand is fairly well placed in the only real pinch from the buck beds going to food, and is VERY close to the beds. My guess is he is a somewhat informed beast hunter, just not a lawful hunter. This is all cedar swamp, so 30 yards away is completely unseen.

Normally I would just move, but I have watched this spot closely to see it develop and learn it. I feel at a disadvantage to move farther from my target area, which he is now in. Its either compete and beat him, or move on...there are several good bucks surviving each year.


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