Finding other hunters stands.

Discuss the science of figuring out our prey through good detective work.
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austin1990
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Re: Finding other hunters stands.

Unread postby austin1990 » Sun Jul 04, 2021 2:07 pm

I always mark them, put some sticks on steps to and come back. It's funny last summer in august I found a stand way deep on public, in a good spot. Come November I was heading in one morning and while at the parking lot a guy pulled up and we chatted for a minute. He was going a different direction, but when I told him I was going that way, he said he had a stand that direction real deep, he hadnt hunted it this year it's to far to walk :lol: I hunted not far from it a couple times last season and as of February he still hadnt been to that stand because of the sticks and limbs I'd hung on it lol

The old wood stand sites always get marked and I always try to figure out what they were thinking. 90% of the time if someone went through the trouble of carrying wood, nails and hammer deep there was a good reason for it and usually they're still productive spots enless some major habitat changes had happened.


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justdirtyfun
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Re: Finding other hunters stands.

Unread postby justdirtyfun » Mon Jul 05, 2021 4:52 am

This baby is out after deadline for having stands pulled. And it's staying as far as I am concerned.

Online spec says it is a 30 lb climber!!!!
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Re: Finding other hunters stands.

Unread postby hounddog409 » Mon Jul 05, 2021 2:54 pm

Jimmy wallhanger wrote:Was back at it after Turkey season ended, was pouring rain today and I was trucking through waist high vegatation in the swamp like a madman, when I found another hunters set up, a simple hang on with 3 sticks, in what seemed to be a decient spot, but id say about 200 metres from the bedding area, thats 220 yards in American. :lol:

I always mark other hunter stands on my GPS, its against the bylaws to leave stands up, you're allowed to hang and hunt.

this is my first year really getting after it and Im wondering what do you guys do about other hunter sign, Ive yet to find sign of anyone where I plan on actually going but they are on the perimiter of the swamp.

Part of me wants to cut down the sticks but I just cant do that to another hunter, plus I think theres value in knowing where others are.


After I plug my GPS into basecamp im going to try to figure out how to screenshot the maps to post.

Highlight was bumping a nice buck was able to slip to within 50 yards as it was raining hard. Also the bugs were insane even with the heavy rain, i had a mesh upper body bug net that was a life saver.


Finding stands?

Mark them so I dont hunt that area.

If it ain't yours, don't touch it. Rather simple.

And if someone else is already in an area, find another.
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E72
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Re: Finding other hunters stands.

Unread postby E72 » Tue Jul 06, 2021 6:03 am

Getting worse every year. State laws allow stands left out but should be taken down by February . That rarely happens . I use them to my advantage and try to gauge how much they’re hunted . Most are in spots I wouldn’t hunt anyways . Too close to easy access for other hunters .
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Re: Finding other hunters stands.

Unread postby Dewey » Tue Jul 06, 2021 8:59 am

I report every illegal stand I see. Noticing a lot of guys just ignore them or say it’s nice to know where others are hunting so they can avoid them. So what happens when illegal stands completely over run the public your hunting on? If nothing is done and everybody looks the other way that’s how this stuff gets out of hand. It’s monkey see monkey do. If others see it as an acceptable behavior next thing you know everyone is doing it. It’s our job as honest sportsmen to police ourselves and keep trash out of the woods. Nothing worse than a bunch of old run down stands littering public lands not to mention guys staking out areas with multiple stands laying claim to the property. Wardens can’t be everywhere and it’s in our best interest to help keep this stuff to a minimum. When guys start losing stands that get confiscated you would be surprised how quickly word gets around and how fast an area gets cleaned up.
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Re: Finding other hunters stands.

Unread postby Swedishbowhunter » Tue Jul 06, 2021 12:57 pm

Dewey wrote:I report every illegal stand I see. Noticing a lot of guys just ignore them or say it’s nice to know where others are hunting so they can avoid them. So what happens when illegal stands completely over run the public your hunting on? If nothing is done and everybody looks the other way that’s how this stuff gets out of hand. It’s monkey see monkey do. If others see it as an acceptable behavior next thing you know everyone is doing it. It’s our job as honest sportsmen to police ourselves and keep trash out of the woods. Nothing worse than a bunch of old run down stands littering public lands not to mention guys staking out areas with multiple stands laying claim to the property. Wardens can’t be everywhere and it’s in our best interest to help keep this stuff to a minimum. When guys start losing stands that get confiscated you would be surprised how quickly word gets around and how fast an area gets cleaned up.

I agree and do the same thing for the most part, I will report them, or just cut the straps and pile it by the base of the tree. Illegal is illegal, just cause others are doing it does not make it right.
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Re: Finding other hunters stands.

Unread postby RatMe » Thu Jul 15, 2021 3:27 am

I understand we’re you are coming from but if every time I reported a left over stand or cut branch I’d never make it a 1/4 mile through the woods. Last year I had someone call officials on me because they saw a headlamp in the woods. It gets out of hand at some point.

I’ll try to be better about long term stands I take note of that are untouched.

To your point though… recently I have found a few stands that are in fact labeled correctly and when I look up the individual it is clear that they would be in their 80s (it’s possible they will use it but unlikely) or in one case the guys obituary popped up.
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Hawthorne
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Re: Finding other hunters stands.

Unread postby Hawthorne » Thu Jul 15, 2021 3:54 am

In Michigan there is a loophole now in the law. They made it legal to hunt coyotes out of tree stands so people can leave them out all year now since it’s legal to hunt coyotes all year
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Re: Finding other hunters stands.

Unread postby PAbowhunter10 » Thu Jul 15, 2021 4:25 am

If I find stands on public that shouldn’t be there, I use one tried and true method that determines the amount of use and can also act as a deterrent. First I determine how the tree is being climbed and from what location... Then move all the brush and leaves away from the base of the tree. Then I leave a strategically placed present at ground level and cover with leaves. This method can tell me three things...
1. If the leaves have been displaced, someone or something tried to access the stand.
2. If everything looks the same, no one is using the stand and human pressure is low.
3. If the leaves have been displaced and muddy foot tracks are leaving the stand location it tells me more than likely he ain’t coming back anytime soon. Hopefully the stand has been removed as well.

Note: This method requires a full belly and mug of coffee to execute effectively.

All kidding aside, I don’t actually do that. I do what others have mentioned and leave a branch or stick at the base of the tree to determine if it’s being used on a regular basis.
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Eddiegomes83
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Re: Finding other hunters stands.

Unread postby Eddiegomes83 » Thu Jul 15, 2021 4:47 am

What if they use that stand to sit and scout out of? I have use my stand in the off season to sit and see what is moving through an area. Sometimes I'll even do it just to get out in the woods. Because I just like being out there.

In Florida it states that hunting equipment must be removed by 8pm the day after the season ends. Not sure if that counts for using stands to scout or not but if they mean you can't do that then you probably shouldn't have trail cams out either because that would also be hunting equipment?
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Tennhunter3
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Re: Finding other hunters stands.

Unread postby Tennhunter3 » Thu Jul 15, 2021 5:23 am

Funny you mention this.
I found a scrape in a bedding area today that had old orange flag tape going straight to that scrape.

The hunter appeared to have no idea what he was doing just setup over the scrape that was 30 yards from a group of buck beds. I'm sure he hunted it on the wrong wind.

I found it today and hung a cam about 100 yards downwind.

I cant tell how old the flag tape is looked really faded out.

The good news is their was fresh poo all over the bedding area. So something is still using it. And the scrape was still worked bare dirt not a leaf in it..
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Re: Finding other hunters stands.

Unread postby Bowguy » Sat Jul 17, 2021 4:49 am

You’re maa as king an assumption guys use stand or permanent areas. Myself I don’t. Also if I even suspected someone was remotely close I’d not mark it but hunt somewhere else and forget area. Lots of hills to climb, swamps or rivers to cross etc to make space
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Re: Finding other hunters stands.

Unread postby A5BLASTER » Tue Aug 03, 2021 9:07 am

I mark them with gps and turn it over to my local ldwf contact. They normally have them down and out in less then 3 days.

Unless the person that set it is baiting then they set out a camera trap on it and bust them for more then a illegal stand setup.

I have to follow the rules everyone else has to as well.
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Re: Finding other hunters stands.

Unread postby Abishai » Tue Aug 03, 2021 2:28 pm

Every single place where I hunt is accessible due to trails, roads, and or lack of places to put stands it stacks people in on top of each other. I always mark the other guy's stands and try to work around them. Stands are left up year-round so people "claim" their spots and the other crap is so thick to hunt (Texas brush) that it's hard to navigate.

Gotta love hunting Texas.
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Re: Finding other hunters stands.

Unread postby A5BLASTER » Sun Aug 08, 2021 3:16 pm

Abishai wrote:Every single place where I hunt is accessible due to trails, roads, and or lack of places to put stands it stacks people in on top of each other. I always mark the other guy's stands and try to work around them. Stands are left up year-round so people "claim" their spots and the other crap is so thick to hunt (Texas brush) that it's hard to navigate.

Gotta love hunting Texas.


Must be the areas I'm hunting in texas. I have never found a stand/blind leave up on those public lands, cross the river back into LA and I typically find 20 to 25 a year, some years I find more.


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