Other hunters

[Swelch]

As this is my first post and new to the beast hunting style my question is how close are you willing to get around other hunters on public land. I went scouting on a new piece of public since moving to kentucky and boom permanent and illegal stand right off the bat on a well worn trail but set up way to low and close for mature bucks to go by in the daytime. Walked out to a leeward point on the ridge and found several for beds on the way and lone buck bed against the bluff within three bounds of a thicket. I walked to a saddle and could see where he's heading in reaction to the stand and can get to that saddle from another direction without being winded or seen it's within 300 yards of the other stand is it a dick move to get in there and get that buck the other hunters clearly isn't going to or should I walk away and hit a different area that I haven't scouted yet but from aerial and tools looks very promising

[Wlog]

I move on in most cases but I'll make an exception here and there. Sometimes people are just too lazy to come back. I've found lots of stands grown into trees. In that case if it looks good I'll give it a shot. If someone is clearly hunting there regularly I'm not wasting my time, it's burnt.
If you find where a deer is skirting around someone's stand 50-100 yards away that's where it becomes a grey area. I may just move on still just to avoid confrontation. I'm not territorial about hunting spots and I know I can find better. I will bow hunt around stands that I know only get hunted during gun season especially early season before anyone has been in there to stink it up. It still needs to have screaming hot sign or some other clue telling me a buck is using the area though. In general I stay away.

[Jhand]

If someone else is hunting the area I keep going and find somewhere else. Most people will hunt the same stands over and over again which will ruin the spot. You might be finding beds in the area but if someone is hunting that close to them it's not going to be a mature buck.

[PK_]

I quess I have become pretty callous...

IMO in most terrain during archery, 300 yards may as well be a mile.

I wouldn't hunt it on weekends when the other guy is likely to be there but if I thought here was a good buck in there I would absolutely hunt it.

If I didn't hunt an area because there might be a hunter 300 yards away I wouldn't have anywhere to hunt...

[Horizontal Hunter]

Therè are a lot of stands out there that never get hunted. I will usually hang a branch on it if I am curious and if it hasn't moved it hasn't been hunted.

Public land is first come first serve. If I see anyone I do my best to give them as wide a berth as possible and I hope for the same in return. I don't always get it thought. It seems thst there's is always a Chatty Cathy around.

When hunting it is always wise to have a back up spot or two; especially on public land.

Bob

[Killemquietly]

If I didn't hunt an area because there might be a hunter 300 yards away I wouldn't have anywhere to hunt...

Man, isn't that the truth. Here in La, getting out into the marsh is not much better than the high ground. I scout for human prints as much as deer prints!!!

[oldrank]

I'm with PK on this. There are very few places I hunt where another hunter doesn't have a stand within 300 yrds. Public or private. I don't worry about it. If it's not being used I continue on like it doesn't exist. If I know it's being hunted I will work around it. It's pretty easy to pattern someone. I'll track a hunter and know his boots, I'll know if he is baiting by spilled corn or cart tire marks... I can tell where he is going in and out of by his trail.. I'll know his cars, if he hunts with kids or a buddy ect etc.... All of that plays a part in my decision on where I will be hunting that day.

[MATexbow]

+1 on the lean stick method. any kind of inconspicuous obstacle to getting in the stand and watching if it moves works for me. Gives me a sense of when the pressure really kicks in and the deer start moving into the deep stuff I know the other guys aren't going into.

[jmaas07]

I quess I have become pretty callous...

IMO in most terrain during archery, 300 yards may as well be a mile.

I wouldn't hunt it on weekends when the other guy is likely to be there but if I thought here was a good buck in there I would absolutely hunt it.

If I didn't hunt an area because there might be a hunter 300 yards away I wouldn't have anywhere to hunt...

Have had some pm convos with Dan on the same topic and he has echoed much the same, sometimes 100 yards is a mile

[Hawthorne]

I would have never hunted an area before with a bunch of treestands. Now if there is buck sign and you see how they avoid those stands and use gaps in hunting presssure I will hunt it. I own 23 acres. My neighbors put up two ladder stands on the line. I saw more bucks downwind of there stands last year from a distance than I would of ever believed. As long has they don't walk my side and scent it up I'm good. I consider those hunters deer deflectors

[Boogieman1]

I enjoy hearing these type things from u guys makes me feel better about my own situation. I often dwell on all the bad stuff I have to deal with and just imagine it's roses for everyone else.

[Dewey]

I am always seeking out places others rarely hunt. It takes a lot more work but just increases the value of the hunting experience for me. Nothing is worst than a ruined hunt caused by another sloppy hunter not paying attention to the wind or just walking in on your set up at prime time. Been there and experienced that enough times that I now avoid it at all costs. Generally I like to hunt deer that are moving naturally with little human interference. It's getting harder to find spots like that since it seems everybody has a gps these days but still very doable with enough hard work.

[Swelch]

I put a kudzu vine against it to see if it gets use during season and the trails are well worn in front of it, but a very faint one skirts the edge of the ridge where it turns into a bench and is the only oak flat I've found around there so far. I think i will err on the side of caution and hunt the next ridge up from the stand where I found big cluster rubs and a 30 ft wide bench with a faint trail and solitary beds. I appreciate the advice though I've learned a ton about hill country hunting that is have never even thought about even though i grew up in the ozarks

[jmaas07]

I am always seeking out places others rarely hunt. It takes a lot more work but just increases the value of the hunting experience for me. Nothing is worst than a ruined hunt caused by another sloppy hunter not paying attention to the wind or just walking in on your set up at prime time. Been there and experienced that enough times that I now avoid it at all costs. Generally I like to hunt deer that are moving naturally with little human interference. It's getting harder to find spots like that since it seems everybody has a gps these days but still very doable with enough hard work.

Wish that was the case in southern Michigan VERY few and far between, I'll quit whining now ...100 yards is a mile lol

[Swelch]

And from what i gather from my fil archery season around here is pretty sparse as far as other hunters goes. Gun season is a different animal entirely though judging from the amount of signs and beer cans shot up along the road.