This Bites

[Niteowl]

Imagine my thoughts and my language when I finally get a chance to go out bow hunting(been workin my tail end off)walk out into the woods 2.5 miles from the main road down a 2 trac...get to my ladder stand and guess what??.......IT ISN"T THERE ANYMORE!!!!! some low life A#*HOLE has cut the cable lock and took the stand....both my ratchet straps,and the hoist rope,.......but I showed him....I was using it for bow season.....so he didn't get the gun rest....HA.....I am so Pi#@ed....I don't have a spare $100 laying around to replace it......I never thought a hunter would do this to a brother outdoorsman....guess I am naive.

[toxic111]

It is a sad world when that happens... Its too bad that there are people out there that have to steal from one of thier own...

[jmarriott]

it happens more and more. Not only do they get the stand they might just get to hunt your spot.

Buddy had this problem and setup a trail cam on his stand and caught his thief.

I use climber stands on public land when i can now.

[rickjordan]

I had the same thing happen four or five years ago! When it happened to me, I was so mad that if he had been walking out with it when I showed up, he would have had holes in him! Plain ignorance is what that is! I use chain, cable and padlocks now but it wouldn't stop someone who REALLY wanted it!

[Contenderizer]

I lost a stand also ... and it was on my own land! That takes big ones. Use to be when you left one on public land you only worried that another hunter might be in your stand when you arrived in the morning; now the odds of finding it still there are slim. A thief is a thief, even if he's a hunter.

[Dom]

That's not right, and it irritates me also when you take precautions in the first place. I always say, if you want what I have, go buy your own, leave mine alone. I think it has a lot to do with how you're brought up, not everybody has the same morals.

And if you put a cam out, what makes you think they won't steal that also? Unless you got it hidden so good nobody can see it?

You should be able to leave your house unlocked and your keys in the truck, but that's not a good idea anymoreadays, sorry you lost a stand, you worked and earned your money and bought it, only to have someone steal it. Not right, Waidmannsheil, Dom.

[gd357]

I recently lost a friend who owned some property that I had permission to hunt. A walk through the property prior to its sale showed that at almost every ladder stand placed on the property had been stolen by propspective buyers walking the property, or others who were aware of the situation. Unreal. Sorry to hear about you misfortune.

gd

[Niteowl]

well I got a little bit of better news today,my supervisor at work said I could come hunt his farmland he has about 40 acres,he hunts his dads property and said all 40 would be open for me.hes even gonna show me where to hang my NEW stand....I am not going to let one ignorant low life ruin my entire hunting season,I love the sport much more than that. Thank's for all the words of encouragement and sympathy....and best of luck to you all.

[skeeter@ccia.com]

yep every year is the same ole story....'look what I found in the woods'...like we lost it right?....anyhow I know just how you feel but I did some investigating and got mine back...it pays to talk to those you see in the woods esp when they see you in a stand..I had sent a friend of mine that I knew knew those I suspected of taking mine to their house to visit and then he took the subject to hunting and they said...look what we found...so I got mine back......I hate a thief as much as a lier...lol....I have put a waterproof sign on my ladder stand one year so when they reached the top they would find the sign...it said....' this stand is under camera and your picture has already been taken...leave the stand alone as I now know who you are.' ....it seemed to work that year anyhow..one time my trail cam was found..prob by the flash and the guy put an apple in his mouth and posed for a photo...was funny anyhow...and he left the cam alone.... I know we hate to tote them in and out of the woods each day but another friend of mine was in his day after day sunup to sundown and the one day he didn't show up till noon...yep..gone..I also alter all my stands to the point if I ever came x someone in it...I would know it was mine...be no other like it in the world and also have my name tag hidden where only I know where it is....proof is mine....if find that is....and one more note...another guy I heard quit hunting because his stand was taken this year....no way....I told him he was just looking for an excuse to quit....go back to those woods where you lost it and I bet you will see the thief around the woods...maybe not in the stand but I bet he hunts the area....

[wrenchman]

I have had two stolen frome private property so it happens there to i dont leave anything that is of value in the woods.
But i was left a real nice lock on stand last year buy some real nice tresspaser he never called to say he would like it back. lol
I look at it as a replacement for one of mine.

[PJgunner]

On my last elk hunt in pregon, we always had one person take turns staying in camp, armed. There was a rash of people coming into unoccupied camps and "outfitting" themselves. Needless to say, our camp stayed untouched.
Paul B.

[Niteowl]

Well I am pretty sure I know who took it...I went out scouting and found another ladder stand about 100 yds away...nice 16' double seater with wrap around camo drapes to conceal your leg movements....and not locked to the tree...just strapped. I kicked around the Idea of taking HIS stand(I know it was his...cigarette butts the same as by my stand)but hard as I wanted to....I could not stoop to his level and take it. And I know that I cannot prove he took it...so I chalked it up to a loss/learning experience and went out tonite and set up my new stand on my supervisors land....while I was setting it up...12 deer were out in the pasture watching me....hehe C'mere deer!!

[skeeter@ccia.com]

Niteowl I once went on stand a good hour before the season open just to get set up and make sure no body else would be there in my spot that I used for years. Well about an hour after daylight a man and a boy walked over to the same ridge and only about 20 yards from me. I figured the old goat needed a rest and is why he sat down looking down the same hill as I. Then he proceeded to kick a clean spot for the 2 of them and by now my ticker was a tickin...I said a few choice words to the old guy along with telling the young one that he better not be learning how to be a slob hunter by posting right in another hunters lap. They looked at me and just acted as if I didn't even exist...so I figured they would not see a thing because by now I was slamming limbs against trees...throwing things down the hill and making as much noise as I could...but they still just sat there....so after I said some real good choice words to them both I figured by me not watching the hillside, a big buck would show up and they would shoot it so I walked in front of them kicking dirt on them as I passed down the ridge about a hundred yards or so before I had to sit and gather myself to keep from going back....wouldn't you know a nice buck walked to look over the ridge on the opposite side of me from them....I flipped my 06 to shoot left handed (am right) and took him out.......so it did pay off for me to move but the situation still gets the hairs in my craw a standing tall...there are tons of slob hunters out there ........grrrrr..a little food for thought.....another quick note...I had another guy in another spot I hunted also for years move a tree stand only 30 yrds from my stand.....I didn't know he did that till one morning about 8 he walked past me saying he hit a buck but had to go to work and didn't have time to look for it...I asked him what the he?? was he doing out there then if not time to follow up...that is when I found his stand and removed it from the tree....in pieces....he never came back and neither did the buck I had been watching. Guy put up tree stand 30yds from where I had my daughter sitting while I pushed deer to her...when I got back he said that is where he wanted to hunt and was going to hunt...yes I felt like shooting him right out of his tree...my other daughter sat with me in a diff county an hr before light....we kept hitting hunters with our light to let them know we were there..they moved on..then as daylight came one guy walked right up to us and asked if we had seen his buddies.... I said I don't know who they were but no body bothered us because we were already there. He said if we see them tell them he would be right over the hill...(ridge we were watching)...15 min later we heard a shot...then he came back said if we see his buddies tell them he got a buck...so what are you to do anymore?...I have just ran into some real a??holes out there....but we do pretty good...going out in morning since daughter is off as long as rain holds off for her...I just sitting with her...blackpowder season is in.....just don't let all these slobs bother you to the extent you quit hunting and enjoying the woods..no matter how hard it is to sit still while you think of them...lol....keep on going on.

[skeeter@ccia.com]

Talked to a grumblin hunter today at the gas station. Seems someone removed his tree stand and put one up only a few trees from it. And he says land is owned by Duquesne power co....Maybe we need to put our stands out there and forget about hunting deer from them....start hunting the stand hunters..hummm..

[MacD37]

Gentlemen, a case like this is a reminder that the very best use for a trail camera is to be placed on a tree pointing at your stand! At least you have a picture of the theif for the sheriff, or game warden! This also works well to place pointed at your vehicle, to snap the tree huggers, and anti hunting folks who love to damage your vehicle! However, you want to turn off the flash, or the thief will have a trail camera as well. The type with infared after dark is needed as well, because it doesn't even flash at night!